If you don’t have your mental health, you have nothing. I’m not ashamed that I have depression. I’m not ashamed if I burst into tears. It’s me.
It took a long time to get here, but after many years, and finally being on medication that makes me feel better – and feel human – I am in a good place.
I’m in my late 30s and have a number of mental health conditions – major depressive disorder, insomnia, anxiety, ADHD, and social anxiety.
My history with trial and error
On top of my decades-long struggle with mental health, I went through a significant trial-and error-period. I started in high school with different medications. I’ve taken 20 different medications – at various dosages and combinations – for many years. Certain ones worked, certain ones worked temporarily, and some didn’t work at all.
Some of the medications didn’t relieve any of my symptoms. Others gave me horrible side effects. I took one medication, went on vacation with my family – and they didn’t recognize me. I was so angry and started lashing out at people for no reason. My family was like: this isn’t you. On another combination of medications, I was a ZOMBIE. It was “knock, knock, nobody’s home.” I was sleeping all the time.
One medication for depression made my depression and anxiety worse. You know, the opposite effect it should have. So confusing and frustrating!
After talking with my therapist, she recommended the GeneSight test. She couldn’t order it because she can’t prescribe medications, but suggested I talk to my psychiatrist about it. My psychiatrist agreed, registered for the test, and then ordered it for me to take at home.
The GeneSight test collection kit arrived in a few days. The instructions were super easy to follow. In fact, it wasn’t like a COVID test where I was like “Am I doing this right? What if I get a false positive?”.
GeneSight results lead to results
When I got a copy of my test, I devoured it and wanted to understand every last bit of it. So, I started to research it, and then my provider scheduled an appointment to go through the results. She was very thorough and explained each of the pages.
What really surprised me is that my psychiatrist believed we should stop some medications and change the dosage of other medications. I worked with my doctor over a few months to adjust my medications and am feeling more like myself.
This is AMAZING!
Before the GeneSight test, when I would fail a medication, I would go down a rabbit hole of bad thoughts: Why didn’t this work? What’s wrong with me? Will I ever find something that helps me? Now, when I look at the results, I realize it wasn’t my fault. It was my body chemistry. I don’t feel like I failed.
It is a very valuable tool for my doctors. It’s got to be frustrating for doctors to put patients on medication after medication … only to hear the patient say it’s not working and where do we go now? After my psychiatrist explained the results of my GeneSight test, I emailed a copy to my entire care team – my neurologist, my rheumatologist and my primary care physician. They all have said the GeneSight report was very helpful.
In fact, I think the GeneSight test would be a very helpful and valuable tool for insurance companies. I used to work with a large insurer in the claims department, and I would see so much wasted medication. Wouldn’t it be better to have some information about a patient’s genetics before they had to cover a $700 medication?
I have told so many of my friends about the GeneSight test. In fact, one of my very close friends suffers from anxiety and depression and we have been on a lot of the same medications. When I told her about GeneSight, she went to the website and texted me: “This is AMAZING!!”
The best thing about the GeneSight test is that it has helped me (and my doctors) understand me.
This story is one patient’s personal experience. Other patients may not have the same experience or outcome. Do not make any changes to your current medications or dosing without consulting your healthcare provider.
The GeneSight test must be ordered by and used only in consultation with a healthcare provider who can prescribe medications. As with all genetic tests, the GeneSight test results have limitations and do not constitute medical advice. The test results are designed to be just one part of a larger, complete patient assessment, which would include proper diagnosis and consideration of your medical history, other medications you may be taking, your family history, and other factors.
If you are a healthcare provider and interested in learning more about the GeneSight test, please contact us at 855.891.9415. If you are a patient, please talk with your doctor to see if the GeneSight test may be helpful.
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