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973741 tn?1342342773

DNA test to help decide which Medication?

They now can do a DNA test with a cheek swab to take a look at which medications might be the best pick for someone.  Anyone have any experience in this?  It sounds intriguing.  I wonder how accurate it is.  I have a vulnerable teenager that may need medication and think this could be a good way to cut down on some of the trial and error of finding the best fit medication.  
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Avatar universal
Good input from Paxiled & specialmom. I’m not a Dr nor Psychiatrist , but did work in a Science & Medical-related field for many years (Pharmaceutical industry), so I think what happens with any kind of pre-screening testing is, you’re not dealing with ‘absolutes’, just probabilities. So if a test indicates you have a 65% chance a drug will work w/ minimal side effects, that still means there’s a substantial chance (35%) it won’t work for you. All it can do is MAYBE narrow down the choices a little. I think it’s worth trying, but just be aware that it’s not perfect. As always, every individual is different - one person can take a drug w/ minimal side effects, and someone else w/ nearly identical characteristics can’t tolerate it at all...
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Avatar universal
There have been in the far too many years I've struggled with mental illness more ways they claim enable them to tell which meds to give someone than I an count.  EEG tests.  Brain scans.  Tests of liver metabolites.  Blood type.  And then no matter what the book they then write about it says, everyone who reports what the treatment was like with that person turns out to be good old trial and error.  I don't know if this works or not, but none of the other ones did.
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Ya, I don't know.  It's been suggested that this is pretty good at determining fits for medication but am sure there is room for error.  With teens, it is troubling to think about the trial and error process.  What was just suggested to us is to go to his primary care doctor (who is pretty clueless, really) and have her be the prescribing physician while consulting with a pediatric psychiatrist.  While working with a psychologist.  I'm avoiding that.  I am wanting to SEE the psychiatrist instead for my child.  You would not believe how backed up the system is right now for kids.  Maybe the pandemic is depression and anxiety in kids. I'm starting to wonder.  
It's what I've been hearing, though data on mental illness levels is always suspect.  But anecdotally, I've seen many interviews with docs on TV saying people of all ages are reporting a lot of problems.  Again, problems aren't usually mental illness really, so as usual data in medicine is always suspect because the only consistent reporting comes from hospitals and most of us don't get our treatment at hospitals.  It probably also depends on where you live -- where I live, there are a ton of practitioners of all kinds, though almost no really great ones, but in many places there aren't as many.  I'm sorry it's come to this, but I do think if you are going to consider meds for someone so young -- or for anyone, really -- see a psychiatrist, but try to find one who specializes in pediatrics if you can.  You know we've gone different ways on this, but general docs just do so many different things it's really hard for them to truly monitor someone or get really good at using very difficult meds.  If it were my kid, I'd want to see the doc in person, too.  I lost my life to a quack psychiatrist so do indeed make sure the person actually works for a living and doesn't just show up and write prescriptions.  
Also, consider any mode of choosing a med.  Okay, blood type or DNA or hair color or whatever says take this med.  But it still might have too many side effects even if it does work for the patient to handle.  I just don't see how we escape trial and error when we're dealing with meds that don't cure the problem but only treat the symptoms of the problem.  A cure might have some bad side effects but there's an end game.  With meds for mental illness, since the problem will still exist, there really is no end game through medication, just maintenance until the patient finds a way back to something liveable.  Peace.
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