Depression Treatment with Pharmacogenetic Testing

How Pharmacogenetic Testing Supports Depression and
Treatment

Pharmacogenetic testing for antidepressants can help personalize treatment approaches with medication. By identifying how your genes influence medication response, this testing can help guide health care providers in selecting antidepressants that are more likely to benefit you, with a reduced risk of side effects.

Understanding Depression

Depression can have an impact on many aspects of life. These can include negative impacts on physical health, reduced quality of life, strained relationships, and difficulties carrying out usual activities of daily living.  Genetic variability, physiological factors and personal history are among the factors that influence how individuals respond to depression medication treatment. This is why two people with seemingly similar mental health struggles may have very different experiences when taking the same medication at the same dose.

Challenges in Treating Depression with Medication

Traditional approaches often involve what can be a lengthy, frustrating process of trial and error, whereby a specific medication is tried for a period (e.g., 1 month). This is because of the amount of time it takes for antidepressants to start working. Furthermore, some side effects experienced in the first few weeks of use can resolve on their own. Unfortunately, only about 1/3rd of individuals responds favourably enough to continue use. The other 2/3rds unfortunately must re-start the process, but with a different medication. This cycle can be even more difficult for individuals with treatment resistant mood disorders, where multiple medications may have already failed. By having pharmacogenetic testing results in hand right at the start of the process, trial-and-error can be reduced, leading to better outcomes, sooner.

How Genetics Influence Psychiatric Medication
Effectiveness

Using genetic testing for psychiatric medications can help uncover why specific individuals respond differently to the same medications. Variations in the genes that metabolize these medications can have a notable impact on how the body processes (and eventually removes) these medications. For example, key medications like venlafaxine, vortioxetine and many SSRIs (e.g., sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram) can be metabolized too slowly or too quickly, which can impact their effectiveness and/or risk of side effects [1] . This is why SSRI genetic testing can be valuable for understanding how well a person may respond to these commonly prescribed medications.

Antidepressant Effectiveness and Side Effect Challenges

It is not uncommon for individuals to experience benefit from their medication, but struggle with persistent side effects at the same time. In some cases, these side effects are so troublesome that the benefits are simply outweighed. These depression medication side effects may include weight gain, sexual difficulties, nausea and insomnia. Pharmacogenetic testing can help reduce associated trial-and-error by highlighting medications that align better with that person's unique genetic makeup.

Using Pharmacogenetic Results to Personalize Treatment

Pharmacogenetic testing for depression provides insights that truly support individualized care.  Test results may guide dosing strategies, suggest when to consider alternatives, highlight increased side effect risk, and flag those medications that align better with your genetics [2] . By combining these results with clinical experience, treatment guidelines and their patient’s history, healthcare providers can design a treatment plan that improves symptom relief [3] and reduces unwanted effects.

Is Pharmacogenetic Testing Right for Your Treatment?

Pharmacogenetic testing may be helpful if you are at the early stages of treatment, helping inform your health care provider's choices from the start. It can also be helpful if you have previously found that depression medication was not working and/or caused difficult side effects.

Discover how pharmacogenetic testing for depression can help you find the
right treatment faster.

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