Genetics

[Zoomah]

Have some good news on my treatment. I was starting to lose hope as no medication was working and I was only going down down down. In December I decided to try the public system with mixed results... mostly negative. However, this has all changed now that I had an ACTUAL appointment with my psychiatrist. Before it was just with case workers and such. Turns out the psychiatrist I got was amazingly good at his job. My previous psych had tried the different types of drugs with no effect so this one went "Hmm, not effect. There must be a reason for that." So he got a genetic test... which was expensive for me. Turns out that normal medications will never help me because I have a mutation on my gene that prevents me from producing some chemicals properly. For me this is great news because now I have an actual treatment plan instead of guess work. I'm weaning off the drugs (not looking forward to the next 4 weeks... probably end up in hospital) and getting custom made supplements to give me the chemical my body can't produce. He's 80-90% sure this will let me get on with my life and respond to therapy.

Even better, people in my family with depression can now get the genetic test and hopefully it will help them. 

Isn't modern medicine great? Still a possibility for it not to work but at least there's some hope.

 The actual mutation is so unusual that he's taking my case to a guy in the US. Lots of people have the mutation on their gene but mine is in an unusual way. 

[geoff]

dear Zoomah, I see that you have have posted and/or replied a few times so that's great, but your story is one that I don't think anyone else has actually said, but it does seem logical.

If it's taken os to a chap who is interested in this gene mutation then I would bargain with them if they want you to go os for any reason, that is pay air flights, accommodation, tests and the list that goes on, so in actual fact you are the guinea pig for this new development, and by saying I mean no harm what so ever to you.

I think it's a fantastic idea and a new way of dealing with depression, so please let us know how it goes and good luck. Geoff.

[Beltane]

Hey zoomah, interesting! out of interest, was this the DnaDose Test? Did it test liver enzymes?

I too had a really rough trot with antidepressants, tried a handful of different ones and all of them made me really sick, migraines, brain zaps, vomiting, insomnia- you name it i had it. i'd try to stay on the meds for a few weeks but the symptoms only got worse not better.

Finally my doctor went "this is weird" and ordered me the DnaDose. It was expensive, like $300, but wow. Turns out i have a genetic enzyme deficiency. Theres nothing they can do, my liver is just not able to metabolise certain drugs. But wow am i so glad we've done that test. All the drugs id had such bad reactions to were all listed in this test as "do not have" which explained everything. And now i have those results for the rest of my life, they remain current forever obviously, so i'll always be able to know if i can metabolise a drug or not.

Luckily that test, plus a rediagnosis from depression to bipolar, led me to the drug i'm on now. Its not affected by the genetic enzyme deficiency, and it works for bipolar. Ive not had a single side effect from it.

There are definitely some switched on doctors out there and some really cool tests....

[damnit]

Hi Zoomah, Please be careful when it comes to genetic testing and novel therapies. I was told I had a chemical imbalance that caused my anxiety and depression and went on the antidepressant round about. I tried about 20 different ones with my "diagnosis" being changed every time something went wrong(Probably sounds familiar, right?) I questioned my psychiatrist about wanting to see the imbalance and was immediately dismissed as a patient. I have since found out that there is no science behind the "Chemical Imbalance" theory.  If there is something wrong with your liver, discuss it with your GP and go and see a specialist if they deem it appropriate. My depression was caused by a serious injury, nerve dammage and not being able to work anymore. I had genetic testing done as part of a medical trial looking at antidepressant usage that didn't cost me anything that showed liver enzyme irregularities but I showed the results to a hepatologists who told me that "defect" is present in about 30 - 40% of people. Please be careful, I have found thru personal experience that there are a lot of people willing to take advantage of people that are suffering and are willing to charge you a lot of money. If you are going to take natural supplements make Shure you tell all of your treating doctors, A lot of them contain chemicals that can react with other medications. Stay safe and don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions, I have found that this has helped me greatly and I have learnt a lot  about the way my brain works.

[Beltane]

Just wanted to say that the DnaDose genetic testing i did is an actual legitimate medical test done by legitimate doctors, not by any sort of natural medicine or other alternative doctor.

Also i have a similar story, i tried about 7 or so antidepressants that all made me extremely ill. Turned out all along i was misdiagnosed: i had bipolar, not depression. The bipolar medication i'm on has zero side effects to me. None. Zilch. Nada. And it helps me alot.

But I do agree with damnits post in general; there is a lot of really dodgy stuff out there. Lost of alternative medicine sellers with potions and mixes. Now i'e been to a naturopath for my irritable bowel syndrome and found them a wonderful help, but i wouldnt be going off my bipolar meds for their herbs any time soon. and damnit is right, you have to be really careful with natural medicine if youre taking any other sort of medication. people always think that natural herbs are harmless, but they're not- they can react really badly with other medications and even other herbs. St Johns Wort, for example, is one often prescribed by natural medicine practitioners for depression but it has terrible reactions with many common medications such as the birth control pill and common painkillers.

I personally am sticking with my doctor and psychiatrist when it comes to my medications. The genetic testing i did is a legitimate thing, there really is that problem with my liver. And my severe reactions to antidepressants were partly due to that liver problem as well as the fact that i was simply misdiagnosed.

As to the chemical imbalance thing... i'm no scientist, or doctor, but as far as i know there are many many complex reasons why people have depression or anxiety, and 'chemical imbalance" is only one potential reason out of the many possible reasons. i think in some ways depression and anxiety is still not completely understood- why it happens, how to treat it, what meds work and WHY some meds work.
We just dont have all the answers yet, which sucks, but we just gotta do what we can do to treat it as we can. Treatment for mental illness has progressed in leaps and bounds- it wasnt so long ago that ECT and insulin shock treatment were the only real options. or what about when lobotomies were the popular treatment!!! That was only 50-60 years ago!! research and treatment is progressing FAST, and i think we'll have a lot more answers in the coming years.

[Zoomah]

Well it's not a naturopath doing this but a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist got all the tests since none of the medications were working. My only issue is that he is an expert in this field and it may be he's just looking for links to something he already knows a lot about. But my GP is very cluey and I always give her the results too.

 The actual gene test is MTHFR Gene Test. I had a double mutation. Basically it's less a chemical imbalance and more that my body doesn't have the recipe to turn zinc, vitamin B, etc into the appropriate new chemicals efficiently. So unless the whole world is bliss the chemical production can't keep up. I have all the ingredients but my body has no idea what to do with it. Like a 5 year old being given sugar, flour and milk and being asked to make a cake. The test also revealed I have an increased risk for thrombotic diseases, which my grandmother died from.

 The supplements aren't going to be made by a naturopath but in a pharmacy. I could take it all individually and save a bit of money but there would be so many different ones to take it would be hard. This way I'm only taking 6 tablets a day full of the activated chemicals needed to have a normal working brain.

 I don't have to worry about being taken advantage of by this guy since he's a public hospital psychiatrist. He gets paid either way.

[BeeG]

Hi, I just joined and stumbled upon your post. I have a MTHFR gene mutation and am looking for any info on MTHFR doctors in Australia, or any Dr that has even heard of it. Can I please ask where is the psychiatrist you saw? Thanks so much!

[Sophie_M]

Hi BeeG, we are unable to provide recommendations for health professionals here on the forums. Please give our support service a call on 1300 22 4636.

[MissMMS]

Hi I have been looking into the testing but I have had no luck finding a place in Australia that does the testing, I live in Hobart Tasmania. I have called up many places but they have all had no idea about the testing.

Where did you get it done ?

I really hope you reply to my message.

I hope you are doing well.

[Cynz]

Hi Zoomah,

Your post is so interesting I'm new to this forum

Where do I start by looking for treatment and the testing. As well as the natural compounded supplements.

I keep getting put on different meds and tell the psychiatrist that they make me feel awful

I look forward to hearing from you or anyone else on this topic

Thank you