We're only on our first med with our 7 yo ADHD, and was just diagnosed in Oct 2017. Our Pediatrician just mentioned the GeneSight test as an option for us as we're possibly approaching our 3rd dose hike on our meds since we started. Just curious if anyone has given this a shot?? If so, what was your experience like? Did you get good results? How much did it cost? Was it covered by your insurance?
Thanks in advance!!
Good question. I’ve never heard of this.
Definitely not covered by insurance, but often the company will end up writing it off. I’m a therapist as well as a patient and my experience is that the information you get from it is not very helpful. It’s really only one piece of a very complicated puzzle that is the human body. Also just an FYI Finding the right medication for ADHD is an art and a science and often requires a lot of patience and trial and error, unfortunately!
I did it. Didn't know it wasn't covered.. but, wowza what insight it gave me. I learned her comt was high.. This breaks down dopamine. Also, her mthfr was high and she needs a folic acid supplement. There's more, but I'm. A data geek and I loved seeing in black n white what's going on to cause the adhd symptoms. It didn't change much though, just confirmed she was taking right meds. Good luck!
We had this done for our son. I found the information interesting, but take it for what it is: one piece of a very complex puzzle. We never got a bill for the test, and it has explained some of the things we saw with medications (like Advil works better than Rx pain medication). I think it’s worth having done while you’re searching for the right combination of medications, but it isn’t the holy grail of answers.
We had it done, and my son now takes generic Deplin. However, we see no difference in how effective the ADHD medication is, and insurance does not cover the Deplin - and it’s expensive!
For some, I’m sure the information can make a big difference. I think we are just dealing with such severe ADHD symptoms that one more factor does not make a noticeable difference by itself.
I agree with megan2483. The genesight test has more to do with how our body's metabolize medications rather than which medications work and don't work. The only good thing we found from this test is we couldn't figure out why my son wasn't responding well to ANY meds he was put on. His body does not metabolize any adhd good. There are 3 columns to the test. 1- normal 2- fair and 3- not good. My son had NONE- literally NO medications in the first column. We also found out my son does not metabolize folic acid into methylfolate (broken down folic acid) this also helps our neurological system which could be a contributing factor why he has adhd. We started him on a small does of methylpro (over the counter) along with his ADHD med and it has helped. Google L methylfolate.. Its pretty interesting....
Nelly, what is a "small dose"? My son takes 15 mg of pharmaceutical grade L-methylfolate, but it is expensive. I am interested in finding a cheaper option, but knowing which over-the-counter brands to trust is difficult.
There is a reduced response and a significant reduced response to converting folic acid. My son tested for the reduced and NOT the significant reduced so I started him myself on 5 mg of Methylpro (that is what the dr told me to start with-even though she said 15mg) I didn't want him to have a reaction. I plan on going up to 7.5mg next week and seeing how he does on that. Dr. Told me to check amazon and that is where I found his for like $30.00
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