Genetic Testing with Genesight
“No drug delivers “one size fits all” promise. Pharmacogenomics is study of how a person’s genetic make-up determines his or response to pharmaceutical drugs.”
GeneSight is a genetic test that helps health professionals take a personalized approach to prescribing medicine for individuals. Since genes influence the way a person’s body responds to specific medications, the medicine may not work the same for everyone. Using DNA gathered with a simple cheek swab, GeneSight analyzes a patient’s genetic content and provides individualized information to help prescribers select medications that better match their patient’s genes or other molecular or cellular information. When applied to psychiatry, Genesight affords the psychiatrist a more individualized approach to the treatment of individual clients.
Personalized medicine will create a more unified treatment approach specific to the individual and their genes. In our practice we have utilized genetic testing with Genesight whenever there was a need for it, and thereby sparing individual clients of the frustration of trying multiple inefficacious medications.
From AssureRx Health, the GeneSightRx utilizes a cotton cheek swab. Their CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory returns a report detailing the patient’s genetic variants, the most prescribed medications and corresponding color-coded cautionary levels depending on the patient’s genes, and a drug interaction table indicating potential conflicting substances.