I normally don't publicly endorse anything, but as a psychology junkie and from my personal experiences, it would be selfish of me to not attempt to share this with as many people as I can.
(There is a lot here, so please bear with me.)
Since about the age of 10, I have dealt with major depression and anxiety disorders. I went back and forth, changing therapists as I aged with no avail and was prompted a few years ago to seek help from a psychiatrist.
Again, I went from doctor to doctor, trying dozens of medications. Although taking this step could potentially result in being a huge help, there is no "one size fits all" form of psychological drug. Because there hasn't been a viable way to determine the exact cause, there are a ridiculous amount of medications available that can do a lot to you, ranging from having absolutely no effect, to giving adverse and worsening effects. These medications take at least 4-8 weeks to begin working at the minimum dosage and are often increased after some time in attempt to help the problem. Now, if you are dealing with depression, the idea of waiting months with no promise of relief can seem daunting. After trying one after the other, waiting months in between, and going through the withdrawal symptoms that accompany them when you are trying to switch these medications, your mental health can be compromised more and more. With my experiences, some showed no effect at all, while others made me vomit every day, made my existing chronic migraines unbearable, made my symptoms worsen, or made me feel as though my brain was shut off. I decided to stop taking these because I felt that what I was losing did not make up for the potential benefits.
Recently, I visited a new psychiatrist who introduced me to something that blew my mind; a test that uses 10 critical genes to determine how your body metabolizes different antidepressants and how they will react to your brain. Your DNA is taken from a swab on the inside of your cheek and within weeks, your doctor will receive information on how these genes work according specifically to your DNA, allowing them to have a higher insight on which medications will have the best ability to help you.
Dealing with psychological disorders is a stressful and draining battle, whether it is you or someone you love. Unlike diabetes, cancer, certain deficiencies that cause physical problems, etc. that can be identified through blood or urine tests, it has been almost impossible to detect and determine the causes of disorders that stem from the brain. This makes it difficult for sufferers, not only from the negative stigma that some disorders come with, but makes the challenge exceptionally harder when you finally give into a medical approach, only to result in the draining trial and error process. This test has the ability to do so much in the world of psychology, finally giving sufferers of depression a promise that relief may be closer than they once imagined. Currently, it is only available with certain offices and (I was told) is administered for those who have a history and who have tried different approaches for treatment.
The existence of this test amazes me because it has the ability to save lives. No longer will sufferers have to go trial and error with medications, only to find the process grueling, expensive, and causing more problems. This test gives so much information and can ultimately lead those to relief in the easiest way possible.
I received my results today and am amazed at what this testing was able to tell. For example, one thing that I learned was that the reason the medications I have previously tried did not work is because of a mutation in MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), causing the conversion of amino and folic acids into serotonin to be hindered. This makes my serotonin production very limited, resulting in medications, like SSRI’s, to be inefficient since they have nothing to work with. I have also been diagnosed with adult onset ADHD. I started taking Adderall, which definitely gave me an "lift" in my mood. This was very temporary and I had to increase my dosage multiple times. Through this test, I also found that the CYP3A4 enzymes in my liver were overactive, causing a certain type of medication (Adderall, Vyvanse, etc.) to be metabolized too quickly, resulting in a potential heightening of side effects and making doses that should have worked for 9+ hours to only work for 2.
I believe there are a few different tests out there like this, but they are so new that you'll need to find where you can receive it. Ask your general practitioner, psychiatrist, or check the website/contact one of the few developers.
My results were determined by the Genecept Assay from Genomind. Here's a link to the page on their site that explains the test.
http://genomind.com/the-science-behind-the-test/
I urge anyone who reads this to share this information with anyone who they think can benefit from this.
Honestly, I cried tears of happiness when I was told about this test...and again when my doctor discussed the results with me.
(There is a lot here, so please bear with me.)
Since about the age of 10, I have dealt with major depression and anxiety disorders. I went back and forth, changing therapists as I aged with no avail and was prompted a few years ago to seek help from a psychiatrist.
Again, I went from doctor to doctor, trying dozens of medications. Although taking this step could potentially result in being a huge help, there is no "one size fits all" form of psychological drug. Because there hasn't been a viable way to determine the exact cause, there are a ridiculous amount of medications available that can do a lot to you, ranging from having absolutely no effect, to giving adverse and worsening effects. These medications take at least 4-8 weeks to begin working at the minimum dosage and are often increased after some time in attempt to help the problem. Now, if you are dealing with depression, the idea of waiting months with no promise of relief can seem daunting. After trying one after the other, waiting months in between, and going through the withdrawal symptoms that accompany them when you are trying to switch these medications, your mental health can be compromised more and more. With my experiences, some showed no effect at all, while others made me vomit every day, made my existing chronic migraines unbearable, made my symptoms worsen, or made me feel as though my brain was shut off. I decided to stop taking these because I felt that what I was losing did not make up for the potential benefits.
Recently, I visited a new psychiatrist who introduced me to something that blew my mind; a test that uses 10 critical genes to determine how your body metabolizes different antidepressants and how they will react to your brain. Your DNA is taken from a swab on the inside of your cheek and within weeks, your doctor will receive information on how these genes work according specifically to your DNA, allowing them to have a higher insight on which medications will have the best ability to help you.
Dealing with psychological disorders is a stressful and draining battle, whether it is you or someone you love. Unlike diabetes, cancer, certain deficiencies that cause physical problems, etc. that can be identified through blood or urine tests, it has been almost impossible to detect and determine the causes of disorders that stem from the brain. This makes it difficult for sufferers, not only from the negative stigma that some disorders come with, but makes the challenge exceptionally harder when you finally give into a medical approach, only to result in the draining trial and error process. This test has the ability to do so much in the world of psychology, finally giving sufferers of depression a promise that relief may be closer than they once imagined. Currently, it is only available with certain offices and (I was told) is administered for those who have a history and who have tried different approaches for treatment.
The existence of this test amazes me because it has the ability to save lives. No longer will sufferers have to go trial and error with medications, only to find the process grueling, expensive, and causing more problems. This test gives so much information and can ultimately lead those to relief in the easiest way possible.
I received my results today and am amazed at what this testing was able to tell. For example, one thing that I learned was that the reason the medications I have previously tried did not work is because of a mutation in MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), causing the conversion of amino and folic acids into serotonin to be hindered. This makes my serotonin production very limited, resulting in medications, like SSRI’s, to be inefficient since they have nothing to work with. I have also been diagnosed with adult onset ADHD. I started taking Adderall, which definitely gave me an "lift" in my mood. This was very temporary and I had to increase my dosage multiple times. Through this test, I also found that the CYP3A4 enzymes in my liver were overactive, causing a certain type of medication (Adderall, Vyvanse, etc.) to be metabolized too quickly, resulting in a potential heightening of side effects and making doses that should have worked for 9+ hours to only work for 2.
I believe there are a few different tests out there like this, but they are so new that you'll need to find where you can receive it. Ask your general practitioner, psychiatrist, or check the website/contact one of the few developers.
My results were determined by the Genecept Assay from Genomind. Here's a link to the page on their site that explains the test.
http://genomind.com/the-science-behind-the-test/
I urge anyone who reads this to share this information with anyone who they think can benefit from this.
Honestly, I cried tears of happiness when I was told about this test...and again when my doctor discussed the results with me.
