Pharmacogenetic Testing Specialist
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Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry
Outpatient Psychiatric Mental Health Clinic located in Near University Mall, Orem, UT & Lehi, UT
Pharmacogenetic testing can point your psychiatric prescriber in the direction of a medication that will work well for you. At Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry in Orem and Lehi, Utah, our providers can offer pharmacogenetic testing to guide treatment for treatment-resistant depression and other disorders. To learn more about how pharmacogenetic testing works, call Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry.
Pharmacogenetic Testing Q&A
What is pharmacogenetic testing?
Pharmacogenetic testing is a service that studies how you’ll react to certain medications based on your genes. Your genes affect your body’s response to various medications, and that includes psychiatric medications for various mood disorders and other mental health conditions.
Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry offers pharmacogenetic testing, where appropriate, to make it easier to find a medication which is less likely to cause adverse side effects and more likely to be effective.
With pharmacogenetic testing at Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry, your care plan becomes more personalized and precise. Information from pharmacogenetic testing is also used to develop new drugs and treatments for mental and behavioral health conditions.
Who should consider pharmacogenetic testing?
Pharmacogenetic testing can benefit nearly anyone who takes medications for a psychiatric disorder. Your providers at Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry can provide the tests to help identify appropriate and effective medications for:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Bipolar disorder
The service is particularly accurate in identifying medications for managing treatment-resistant depression and other mood disorders. Your provider can prescribe antidepressants, antipsychotic medications, mood stabilizers, and others based on their findings.
How does pharmacogenetic testing work?
Your body has 20,000 to 25,000 genes, which determine how you look, your health risks, and other aspects of your being. Pharmacogenetic testing focuses on identifying a medication’s:
Pharmacokinetic effects
Pharmacokinetic effects include how your body metabolizes the medication. Certain genetic enzymes control the metabolic processes. If you metabolize the medication too quickly, you may not experience its effects; too slowly, and you might experience side effects or toxicity.
Pharmacodynamic effects
A medication’s pharmacokinetic effects can be analyzed by reviewing a small sample of specific genes and looking for certain genetic mutations. Your provider weighs the results of this analysis against your medical history and current symptoms while choosing a medication.
To schedule an appointment for a psychiatric evaluation with consideration for pharmacogenetic testing, call Alliance Behavioral Psychiatry, or book your visit online today (coming soon).
