Newsroom

October 05, 2015

David On Healthspek PGT

Like most people in their 40s and 50s, Franklin resident David M. was being exposed to medication suggestions by his primary care physician more frequently as he reached middle age.

Frustrated with the guessing game of prescribing new medications, and with the drawn-out trial and error he experienced trying to find the right Statin, David turned to Healthspek Pharmacogenetic Testing (PGT) to help streamline the process and aid his doctors in prescribing new medications.

David explains that for him, a tool that would help eliminate inappropriate medications was a no brainer:

As someone who’s over 50, I’ve become subject to taking a few medications, and I’ve always observed that the initial conversation when approaching my medication options begins with, “Hm, which one should we try?”

When I heard about Healthspek PGT and genetic testing I thought, “What a logical and sensible way to begin that process.”

The actual PGT was remarkably easy to order. I didn’t know what to expect, but it took less than 15 minutes to go through the ordering process—and it only took me that long because I thought it was interesting to read through everything and learn more about genetic testing.

The test arrived quickly. The saliva rinse test was obviously painless and I sent it back in the pre-paid packaging. Within three or four days, I got an email that my results were in my Healthspek account.

During the follow-up call with a genetic counselor to go over my results, we found that lo and behold in the Statin area, the specific Statin I’ve been taking for the last few years was the only Statin that had been red flagged. All of the other Statins were in the yellow area and only one Statin was flagged as green.

I took the logical next step and immediately approached my doctor with the test results and we got my Statin changed to the one that would be more beneficial to me. At the end of the day, it’s still the doctor who’s prescribing medications and it’s important to use the test as a platform from which to have meaningful conversations with your doctor.

It’s really empowering when you receive the results. These tests are with you for life and can be used for all future doctor visits. Now that I have my PGT results, I look forward to the confidence my doctor and I should have with future prescription decisions.

Go here to learn more about pharmacogenetic testing. Because your genetic makeup doesn’t change throughout your lifetime, neither do your results. Follow the link here to order a test for you and your family today.

Healthspek is a free personal healthcare tool run on a mobile Web platform. It is available for iPads through the App Store and accessible at our website for all PC and other mobile devices. To learn more, visit www.healthspek.com.