What is VNS Therapy® and how does it work?
VNS Therapy® (short for vagus nerve stimulation therapy) is a neuromodulation treatment designed for people with drug-resistant epilepsy 4 years of age and older with partial onset seizures. It can safely lead to fewer and shorter seizures and better recovery after seizures.
Take our assessment to find out if VNS Therapy® could be right for you
Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
Medication alone isn’t the answer for 1/3 of people having seizures. Seizures that continue after trying at least two appropriately prescribed anti-seizure medications are considered drug-resistant epilepsy.
Studies have proven that adding more medications is not likely to control this kind of epilepsy. But despite this data and what we know about the risks of living with drug-resistant epilepsy, many people continue to be prescribed multiple medications instead of being evaluated for non-drug therapy options.
If you’ve tried multiple medications yet continue to have seizures, it may be time to consider alternative treatment options.
VNS Therapy has been used to treat more than 125,000 people with drug-resistant epilepsy, including 35,000 children, and has over 25 years of data to support it.
Benefits of VNS Therapy®
Designed for more seizure-free moments, VNS Therapy has proven to not only help reduce the number of seizures - it may also reduce the length and severity of seizures that do occur and improve post-seizure recovery. In studies that compared the effects before and after being treated with VNS Therapy, many people experienced:
Fewer Seizures
Shorter Seizures
Less Severe Seizures
Improved Post-Seizure Recovery
VNS Therapy has been shown to improve over time to help control seizures for years to come.
In a 10-year study that tracked the effectiveness of VNS Therapy at reducing the frequency of seizures:
N=65
Quality of Life Improvements with VNS Therapy
In addition to its seizure-reducing benefits, VNS Therapy® may offer meaningful quality-of-life improvements. These improvements may be related to the ability to think or communicate or could be related to one’s general outlook on life—all of which can go a long way toward helping reduce the constant fear of a seizure so you can focus on the things that matter most.
VNS Therapy has been shown to offer significant improvements related to:
(N=1194) *maximum achieved during follow-up period ≥ 24 months
"Life's really good. I'm back in school. I'm dancing. I'm smiling."
VNS Therapy® Delivers Stimulation in 3 Ways
Normal Mode
Helps Prevent Seizures
Stimulation is delivered at regular intervals all day, every day, to help prevent seizures.
Magnet Mode
Delivers On-Demand Treatment
Stimulation is manually delivered by swiping the included VNS Therapy Magnet over the generator to help stop or shorten a seizure once it starts
Customized Treatment
*Only available in Model 1000
Scheduled Programming*
Allows your doctor to program your device to automatically increase therapy settings at intervals he or she chooses in advance until you reach your targeted dose. This option can reduce the need for you to attend follow-up appointments for programming, giving you time back to live your best life.
Day/Night Programming*
Is an optional feature that allows your doctor to customize VNS Therapy based on your lifestyle preferences or side effect management. Your doctor can program your device to different settings for any two periods of time during a 24-hour period.