Pharmacogenetic testing for psych meds — scam or genuinely helpful? Looking for real experiences/opinions

Hi all,

I’m considering pharmacogenetic (genetic) testing to guide psychiatric medication choices and would really value real experiences and professional opinions.

I’ve tried 20–30 medications over the years, including antidepressants, mood stabilisers, and ADHD stimulants, with limited success. Trial-and-error is exhausting, but these tests are very expensive, and I’m unsure how useful they actually are.

I’m hoping to understand:

•	Has testing meaningfully helped with medication choice or side effects?

•	Are some tests more evidence-based or trusted by psychiatrists?

•	Are online/direct-to-consumer tests less useful than psychiatrist-ordered ones?

•	Is it pointless without a psychiatrist to interpret the results?

I know it’s not a magic solution — just trying to work out whether it can realistically narrow options or explain repeated treatment failures.

Thanks in advance for any insight.