Genesight testing

[Overcoming]

Has anyone had Genesight testing done, and was it helpful? I'm interested in having it done, because of some of the effects my current meds have had that are less than satisfactory.

 

[Deadman]

I haven't had it done but I offer a word of caution. Genesight and similar technologies are bleeding edge and not fully proven. If you have limited financial resources save your money. If money is not a limitation try it and see what they recommend for you.

 

[joeylittle]

Genesight and similar technologies are bleeding edge and not fully proven.

That's not quite true.

Which enzymes are coupled to which drugs is a known thing; no guesswork there.

If an enzyme is not present in the individual, or severely mutated, and it happens to be required in order to process Drug A - then there's a good chance the individual will not process Drug A as it is intended to work in the standard population.

The problem is, they don't have the full picture on how slight variations in the enzymes may effect things; they also have not fully catalogued how some mutations or deficiencies get made up for with other unique enzyme combinations. And of course, the majority of detailed research on a drug is connected to the original source - so, the brand formulation. In drugs that have been around so long, the generic is well-understood (very few meds), it's a bit more straightforward. But if a drug has only recently been released a generic, and has an especially unique action...the makers of that generic drug are not going to be creating an identical formulation. It's got to have bioavailability inside certain parameters...sometimes less, sometimes more than the brand drug. And that affects how the drug hits the individual, obviously.

So: the big basics of genetic testing are pretty solid, but those are simple, simple things. Like the e-z big-note piano music that you give to a 6 year old studying piano. They can play a song, and you will understand it's the Ode To Joy from Beethoven's fifth symphony - but it bears little resemblance to a world class orchestra plus chorus playing the exact same tune.

I'm a rapid metabolizer, and having it confirmed was reassuring for me. I already knew it was probably the answer to why very few drugs work for me, and why I have to take them at exceedingly high doses. But knowing there was some science to actually back that up, helped fill in some gaps.

For poor metabolizers, they do know enough to give you an understanding of what will likely make you feel quite ill; you can avoid those. You can also discover good reasons to start at what might be considered a sub-therapeutic dose, only it's quite enough for the poor metabolizer.

The test is useful just to give you a sense of:

• What to avoid
• Whether anything will work at all
• If you will respond better to lower or higher doses.

It's also very important to get it done with doctors who are experienced in interpreting the results. In the US, that's generally university hospitals and teaching hospitals.

 

[Fadeaway]

I didn't go through that company, but I did have a genetics test done recently and it worth it I would say. I have shared my results with my Dr which led him to add a different anxiety med as I am a slow metabolizer of bezodiasipam. Let's hope i never need a transplant because anti-rejections drugs and warrifin, a heart medications was also on that list.

It also allowed me to go and purchase some supplements like L-tryosine and 5-htp because I had genes that affected those. I only got my results a couple of days ago so I am still working on fully understanding the results.

 

[Abigail7]

Very interesting! I was gifted an ancestry DNA test so I'll start there. I have a history of needing small doses of meds. Once I was put on a sedating med and even the pediatric dose was way too much for my system to handle. One of my current meds is compounded into a suspension as I need only a very small dose in order to get benefits while avoiding side effects, and the capsules can't be accurately split. I'm lucky I not only have a doc who's willing to write the scripts for smaller suspension doses but also a compounding pharmacy right around the corner. It's good to know that there is now proof that there are those of us who cannot handle even "starter doses" of meds. (I can't even tell you how many times I've been told that I couldn't possibly get any benefit from such a small dose.)

 

[Fadeaway]

@abigail7 when you get your ancestry results back, upload the raw data to Prometheases. Ancestry won't provide you with that information but it is all there in your raw data. Prometheases charges $5 to read the raw data from ancestry. It is absolutely amazing!

Here is a snippet of one of my results.
External text from PDF:
"4244285 is a SNP in the CYP2C19 gene, potentially encoding the CYP2C19*2 variant. This variant is the most common reason for poor metabolism of compounds like mephenytoin (an anti-convulsant), some antidepressants, the anti-platelet drug Plavix, and some drugs used for ulcer conditions of various types.
The risk allele is rs4244285(A).
As a nonfunctioning CYP2C19, this variant would be expected to be a poor metabolizer of several commonly prescribed drugs, including anti-ulcer drugs like omeprazole (trade names Losec and Prilosec), esomeprazole (trade name Nexium), and lansoprazole (trade name Prevacid). "

The actually page is like a mile long and lists a treasure trove of information as well as a dozen or more links to various studies. Like this one here. The major genetic defect responsible for the polymorphism of S-mephenytoin metabolism in humans.

This is just to give you an idea of how much information you really get out of it. It is overwhelming, but if you find it fascinating like I do, and have had enough of the trial and error game, then I highly recommend it.

In just 2 days I am feeling better based on supplements I started taking as a result of this teat. Placebo effect? Maybe, but we will see.

 

[misswonderland]

I've done genetic testing to figure out why I was failing every SSRI it was like I wasn't taking anything. Come to find out I'm an ultra rapid metabolized for one of cytochrome as mentioned above. So I would never get to a stable concentration. It was helpful to know why.

 

[EveHarrington]

Yes!

I just sent mine in on Thursday so I’m waiting on the results.

Has anyone else done it?

My insurance covers it in full.

 

[Overcoming]

I had it done, and it was extremely helpful to narrow down the best drugs for my situation. I went from Zoloft which was a complete bust, to Lexapro that helped with anxiety but plunged me into deeper depression, finally to Pristiq which has been a lifesaver and gives me more energy than I had before. I would recommend it to anybody who can get it done. I believe that it would have taken me forever to find the right medicine and I likely would have given up without having a list of things that seem to work best with my body. The downside, is that there were only a few that were known to work well for me. so, I guess I didn't have too many choices to try

 

[Snowflakes]

@joeylittle Thank you for the explanation. My wife had the test and we’re waiting for the results. Her psychiatrist is still working on her meds and trying to find a good combination and dosage. I didn’t understand what the test was about; I appreciate your post about it.

 

[EveHarrington]

I got my results back!

The nurse was surprised that the meds I said I did best on were the ones the test said work best for me. He says that rarely happens? Lol.

It also got me on the right track for a mood stabilizer. The first one I tried works great! Now I’m just tweaking the dosing.