How often does VNS Therapy need dose adjustment?
VNS Therapy is usually turned on about 2 weeks after the implantation procedure. Then the dose is typically increased once a week by a very small amount (0.25 milliamperes), as tolerated. Although we don’t yet know what the “best” dose is, 1.25 to 1.50 milliamperes is the suggested target dose, so it takes 4 or 5 dosage adjustments to reach the target. Research is still ongoing to determine the optimal dose of stimulation. In the clinical studies, the dosing used was 30 seconds of stimulation delivered every 5 minutes. Once the dose is adjusted, stimulation is regular and automatic, and typically unnoticeable.
