mygeneRx is available from DNAlysis. I took this test as a trade exchange.
Everyone will, at some time in their life, take some sort of pain medication. Some of us will have to take medication for chronic conditions: anticoagulants after heart ops, statins for cholesterol, medication to minimise organ rejection following a transplant, psychiatric conditions such as ADHD and depression.
When your doctor reaches for his prescription pad, is he giving you the medication that is best for you, or what is popular?
Early in February, DNAlysis approached me to undergo the mygeneRx test – a simple cheek swab test that is analysed and provides information about the medications that will work best for me, and those that won’t offer a significant benefit due to the way my body metabolises them.
Why I was keen to take the test
I studied Biomedical Technology for 18 months and I’m still fascinated by the intersection of medicine and technology. And since the focus of this test is pain management and psychiatric treatment, I was a good candidate.
I take a couple of pills daily for my depression and anxiety and often joke that I’m capable of relatively normal social interactions thanks to three aunties and an uncle. My daily script consists of an anti-anxiety, an antipsychotic, an antidepressant, and uncle mood stabiliser. About five months ago, I started seeing a new psychiatrist, and we set out on a mission to change my medication. The mood stabiliser I took at the time made me gain so much weight, while the increased dosage of the anti-anxiety medication my previous doctor prescribed didn’t seem to change much from the lower dosage.
While it can take up to two weeks for test results to be sent to your doctor, my test was analysed quickly. I should mention that it’s not common practice for the patient to receive the report, but due to my relationship with DNAlysis’ PR company, I was sent a copy of my results.
What my doctor said
The day before I received my results, I met with my psychiatrist. She was pleased with my progress because we changed from one anti-anxiety to another in the six weeks since my last appointment. We agreed that I’d make my next appointment in three months’ time, and she mentioned that she’d then like to slowly get me off the anti-psychotic because she doesn’t think it was making that much of a difference. When I told her about the test, her face lit up. This is the future of medicine, she said. But it would depend on how user-friendly and useful the report is.
When I received my report two medications were red-flagged: a pain killer I take frequently for my back pain but doesn’t kill the pain anymore and the anti-psychotic. I immediately sent it to my psychiatrist to find out if the information is useful. Soon after I got an excited response that it’s great to have this information at hand and that if I’m okay with it, I should start decreasing the anti-psychotic immediately.
This is what mygeneRx offers you: a lifelong tool to ensure the medication you take is best suited to you personally.
This non-invasive procedure is done once, and you reap the benefits for the rest of your life. I now know that I don’t respond to Tramadol or Codeine, that I have a slightly higher than normal risk to develop thrombosis (not too much of a surprise there; my gran battled with this a lot), and that I also have an increased risk for hyperlipidemia/atherosclerosis (basically cholesterol). Again, this wasn’t surprising, but fascinating as confirmation.
Should you take the mygeneRx test?
If you are taking chronic medication, and you feel that your treatment plan could use an update, yes. If you feel that your pain management medication doesn’t offer you the relief you need and that you’re just spending a lot of money trying anything and everything, yes.
Actually, I think everyone should have the test done. Take control of your health. However, you might have to save up. If DNAlysis didn’t approach me for this test, it’s unlikely I’d have done it, considering my financial situation. But I would’ve saved for it, just as ‘n plan to do for some of their other products.
An important consideration might be to chat with your doctor before you order the test. Old school GPs might make this out to be snake oil, and will write off the results as science fiction. If you have your mind set on taking the test, read up on it on the DNAlysis website, and maybe send the link to your doctor too, explaining why you want to do the test. S/he might say you’re just wasting your money, but if it’s your money to waste, you just need your doctor to consider the recommendations provided in the report and formulate any treatment plan accordingly.
Just by confirming that I should not be taking Risperidone, I feel empowered to make better decisions about my health and the medication I take. And I’m extremely grateful to have a medical practitioner who is open-minded and even excited for the opportunities mygeneRx provides for efficient and effective treatment.
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