TMitch, I had DBS done in June of 2018. I did not have an apparent issue with depression, so don't know if DBS would have helped that. but I do know that it helped decrease tremors to a large extent, and, to a lesser extent, increased my speed of movement and helped with balance. I think, though, that the greatest benefit it had was that it allowed me to be able to keep exercising. I think that just feeling better overall probably helped keep any potential depression at bay.

My husband has had PD for 18 years. His main PD symptom was cramping muscles, some tremors....In 2012 his Dr. asked him if he was ready to get DBS surgery. He said yes. He was at the max on medications. At that point in time it involved 4 surgeries. Now they have "tweaked" & revamped how they do things. His surgeries started around Dec 20 & finished roughly mid April 2013. it was amazing for him. Once the brain stimulators were turned on, he felt immediate relief. He has had one stimulator replaced twice and the other one once. That is normal. He would definitely recommend it. He was on Medicare and covered under my insurance where I worked. We never had to pay anything. He still takes sinemet twice per day. Unfortunately for him he was put on medications for hallucinations and paranoia. He has dementia pretty bad. We have removed guns, pool cues & other dangerous items. After 20 years. Some days are good, some are bad. He is on the list to go to the VA Home in Cameron MO.

One thing I have heard from a surgeon specializing in DBS is that the symptoms that respond best to Parkinson's medication will be the ones that respond best to DBS. It's less likely to help in an area where the meds for PD were not affected. That doesn't apply for depression, I would imagine, since the meds you take for that aren't Parkinson's-specific.

My husband had the DBS surgery in 2016. It really help with his tremors and dyskinesia. The drawback is he can not have an MRI. He has had multiple strokes and the doctor is not able to pin point how severe the stroke is because they can not do a MRI. It’s just a guessing game to the doctors to treat him after a stroke. His recent stroke was November 8, 2020. Therefore, it is very frustrating, one thing is working for his Parkinson, but, the DBS is working against the other health issues he’s experiencing because he can’t have a MRI. I suggest you talk to your doctor to discuss the pros and cons of having the surgery.

Good Luck!

Ann

correction - where the meds for PD were not effective