Pharmacogenetic testing is the study of how an individual’s genes can affect the body’s response to certain medicines. Your genes are a part of the DNA that is passed down from your parents (biological mother and father). In addition to carrying information about your unique traits, like height and eye color, your genes can also help indicate how safe and effective a particular drug could be for you. Genes may be the reason why some individuals have a bad reaction or side effect to a certain medication, while others have none.

Genes may be the reason why some individuals have a bad reaction or side effect to a certain medication, while others have none.

Pharmacogenetic testing is often used to:

– Find out whether a certain medication may be effective for a patient
– Find out what the best dosage may be for the patient
– Predict whether the patient will have any serious side effects from the medication

Pharmacogenetics uses the patient’s genetic profile to accurately predict the drug’s efficacy, dosage, and safety of the treatment. The expansion of scientific evidence in the field of pharmacogenetic has offered a well-established group of guidelines for doctors and pharmacists to follow since it began over 70 years ago.

A simple cheek swab collects the genetic material needed by a certified clinical laboratory to process the DNA, and produce a digital format. From there, the patient’s genetic markers are scanned against a list of known genetic variants that vary the responses to medications. Genetic testing provides your doctor with critical information about how your body will metabolize certain medications if prescribed

From there, the patient’s genetic markers are scanned against a list of known genetic variants which vary the responses to medications.

Genetic testing provides your doctor with critical information about how your body will metabolize certain medications if prescribed.

Pharmacogenetic testing is completed to help streamline a person’s treatment path to the appropriate medication and dosage, reducing the trial-and-error method that can occur with real-world situations.

Candidates that are ideal for pharmacogenetic testing are:

– Individuals worried about developing side effects to medicines or those who already have had significant side effects to other trials of psychiatric medicines
– Individuals with multiple conditions. Adding additional diagnoses can complicate treatments. Doctors are familiar with drug to drug interactions, but advanced testing with pharmacogenetic testing offers more accurate results.
– Individuals with certain lifestyle factors that may affect medication (such as drinking coffee or smoking tobacco. These can influence the individual’s drug blood levels and can manipulate drug tolerability and response)
– Individuals who are interested in learning more about their biology and themselves. An individual’s genes do not change, so the results from one pharmacogenetic testing are good for life.

Whether it is age, lifestyle choices, dietary habits, or environmental influences – all of which can impact how an individual responds to a particular medication, many patients can benefit from pharmacogenetic testing.

Benefits of pharmacogenetic testing include:

– Pharmacogenetic testing encourages postoperative pain relief
– Pharmacogenetic testing improves the efficacy of mental health conditions
– Pharmacogenetic testing promotes the individual’s adherence to medications

Particular limitations for this type of testing include small sample sizes due to rare adverse drug reactions and the difficulty of replication.

There may be a lack of sample size or a rare or even less common variant that is showcased on the microarrays, and heterogeneity of drug response.

Pharmacogenetic testing is so important as it may be used to:

– Figuring out whether a certain medicine could be effective for each individual
– Figuring out the best dosage for the individual that is being tested
– Predict whether the individual being tested will have a serious side effect from a medicine