126. There's a Reason Your Meds Aren't Working: Pharmacogenetic Testing with Kristen Ruth Davis126. There's a Reason Your Meds Aren't Working: Pharmacogenetic Testing with Kristen Ruth Davis
Together S.O.B.E.R.
Kristen Ruth Davis shares how pharmacogenetic testing explained years of failed treatments and led to lasting remission from severe depression. The conversation looks at genetics, medication choices, and self-advocacy as key parts of mental health and sobriety support.
1:01:03•27 Jul 2026
Genetics, Meds and Feeling "Not Crazy" with Kristen Ruth Davis
Episode Overview
- Genetic testing can show why certain psychiatric medications don’t work and point towards options your brain can actually use.
- Some people have baseline biochemical depression that lifestyle changes alone cannot resolve without targeted medication.
- Understanding the science behind your meds makes it easier to stay consistent and resist the urge to stop when life feels stable.
- Supportive, informed clinicians and family advocacy are crucial when you’re too unwell to fight for yourself.
- Pharmacogenetic testing may help reduce years of trial-and-error treatment, especially for conditions like bipolar disorder.
“It was like in that moment, I just thought, oh my God, I'm not crazy.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between host Louise Barnett and guest Kristen Ruth Davis shines a light on how genetics can completely change the story around mental health and medication. Kristen shares her long history with severe clinical depression, suicidal ideation, multiple hospitalisations, self-harm, and even electroconvulsive therapy, despite having two physician parents and doing everything "right" academically and professionally.
She talks about years of being labelled "treatment resistant" and encountering providers who shamed or dismissed her, including a neuropsychologist who told her, "Suicide is this to your family," while jabbing his middle fingers in her face. The turning point comes when a forward-thinking psychiatrist orders pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing and full blood work instead of guessing based on symptoms alone. The cheek swab results finally explain why so many medications failed and why some made her worse.
As Kristen recalls, "It was like in that moment, I just thought, oh my God, I'm not crazy." She learns her brain produces only around 60% of typical serotonin, meaning lifestyle tweaks alone were never going to be enough. With data in hand, her psychiatrist builds a targeted mix of antidepressant and supplements that has kept her depression in remission for a decade.
Kristen now works as a speech-language pathologist and runs the "I'm Not Crazy" project, sharing her story to help others get the information she and her family never had. Louise and Kristen also chat about costs and access to PGx testing, why understanding the "why" behind meds boosts compliance, and how this science could reduce years of trial-and-error for people with bipolar disorder and other conditions.
If your meds feel hit-or-miss, or you’re scared to stay on them forever without understanding why, could pharmacogenetic testing be the next question you ask your care team?
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