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How Does Genesight Testing Improve Outcomes in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment?

Medically Verified: 2/1/24

Medical Reviewer

Chief Editor

All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.

If you have ever had a mental health condition and needed medication, you may be aware of how difficult it is to find the right medication for you. Oftentimes, it can take months (and in some cases, years) to find the perfect medication, dosage, or combination of medications that provide you with relief from your mental health symptoms.

This is due to three factors:

  1. there are many different types of medication
  2. each medication works differently
  3. every person’s brain reacts differently to a specific medication

While we understand why finding the right medication can be difficult, it is still incredibly frustrating. You may find yourself wishing that there was a way to avoid the seemingly endless trial periods with varied medications and treatments. Well, Genesight Testing, also known as pharmacogenomic testing, might be the answer.

Pharmacogenomic tests like Genesight assess how your genes affect the way you will respond to certain medications. If you suffer from mental health or addiction, utilizing one of these tests could prevent you from having to “try out” medications that may not work for you.

Let’s take a look at how Genesight testing improves outcomes in mental health and addiction treatment.

Why Is it Difficult to Find the Right Medication for Mental Health Conditions?

Factors affecting the Medication for Mental Health Conditions

Finding the right medication for mental health and addiction can be difficult because each medication will affect different people in varied ways. There are many reasons why doctors have a hard time finding the perfect medication for a specific patient, ranging from the type of condition they have to the DNA in their bodies.

Let’s take a look at a few factors that complicate the prescribing process.[1]

Genes

The DNA that you inherit from your parents affects you a lot more than you think. Genes are responsible for more than your hair color, eye color, and height. Your genes will affect which medications will work, how quickly they work, and which side effects you will be most sensitive to.

Allergies

Some people are allergic to certain medications. While you may know what you are allergic to, you may have never been exposed to a certain medication before receiving mental health treatment. If you are allergic to a medication, you may have side effects that cause the medication to be more detrimental than helpful. Because of this, it can be difficult to know which medication will work the best.

Body Composition

Depending on your individual body composition, certain medications may affect you differently than expected. For example, some medications are stored in fat cells. If you have higher levels of fat in your body, the medication may stick around longer.

What is Genesight Testing?

The Genesight psychotropic test is pharmacogenomic, meaning it analyzes the way a person’s genes will affect mediation outcomes. This test works by assessing important variations in your DNA to determine how specific medications will affect them. In other words, the results of this test will show your doctor how your body will respond to certain medications used to treat depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions.

Genesight testing will evaluate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic genes. Pharmacokinetic genes tell you what the body does to certain medications, allowing doctors to determine how you will break down certain medications. On the other hand, pharmacodynamic genes tell you what the medication does to the body. This allows doctors to understand which side effects you may have from certain medications.[2]

Genesight testing allows your doctor to skip the guesswork and find the right medication for your mental health conditions on the first try.

How Does Genesight Testing Work?

To begin, healthcare providers will collect a DNA sample from you. The doctor may swab the inside of your cheek to collect this sample, or you can opt to do this at home using a patient collection kit.

Next, healthcare professionals will send your DNA sample to a lab for analysis. During this time, a technician will study the changes in your DNA that may alter specific enzymes that help your body process medications.

Once the results are in, your doctor will evaluate the findings and determine which medications have the correct chemical compounds to work smoothly in your body.

The Benefits of Genesight Testing for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment

Pharmacogenetic tests like Genesight testing provide many benefits for mental health and addiction treatment. By medically assessing DNA and genetic data, doctors can cut down your treatment time significantly. Instead of having to try 10 different medications before finding the right one, Genesight allows you to begin a beneficial medication right away. This allows individuals recovering from mental health conditions and addiction more time to focus on therapy.

The benefits of Genesight testing for mental health and addiction treatment include:[3]

  • Avoiding medications that will cause you to experience unwanted side effects
  • Avoiding medications that will not work at all
  • Having safer prescriptions, as doctors know which drugs and dosages their patients will respond to
  • Developing new and more effective medications for specific conditions due to gene testing and evaluation
  • Saving you time, money, and the stress of trying multiple medications before finding the right one for you

See The Difference With Genesight Testing at Carolina Center for Recovery

If you or a loved one have had issues finding the right medication for mental health or addiction issues, Genesight testing may be right for you. When you decide to take mental health medications, it can be extremely disheartening when they do not provide you with any relief. By utilizing a pharmacogenetic test like Genesight, you will avoid the process of trying multiple medications and skip to finding one that works for you. Contact us today for more information on pharmacogenetic tests, Genesight testing, and whether this is right for you.

References:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736946/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4729205/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299179/

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