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Just speculating here OP so take it for what it's worth. I am clearly not a professional but I certainly have been a patient.
Considering that managing clinical depression involves more than medication, how effective any antidepressant might be probably can't be completely predictable using genetic testing. There's more to it than chemical neurotransmitter manipulation. There's a cognitive aspect to relief too. A huge and constantly shifting variable. As the patient learns better ways to manage via counseling and behavior modification, that changes the brain. Just as the chemicals they might be using do.
In my own immediate family for example. Everyone but my mother has dealt with clinical depression for a significant portion of their lives. The same antidepressant that worked for one person didn't for another. One hasn't gotten any benefit from any of them and believe me they've probably tried all the options approved for use in the USA. I would bet testing would reveal that each of us are pretty similar genetically. Unless the genetic testing used is very, very fine scale (down to exactly how much influence one combination of a parent or ancestor's DNA influences the rest), it might not be sensitive enough to suggest which meds might have worked better. That certainly could change in future, but I doubt the technology exists right now.
Then there's the reality that it is still unclear exactly how some chemicals contained in antidepressants influence the brain. Sure, they have been shown to be effective for many people but not exactly why. How much of the benefit is hope, suggestion, or assumption on the part of the patient and how much is chemical? Then there are combinations of meds that seem to compound each other and end up working better together than any of them alone.
Last edited by Parnassia; 03-01-2024 at 04:05 PM..
the gut microbiome plays a role. so genetic testing would miss that. coincidentally, gut dysbiosis and/or leaky gut are the most common causes of depression/anxiety/panic.
fixing gut health could reverse the condition....forever.....and without the toxicity of pharma
Just speculating here OP so take it for what it's worth. I am clearly not a professional but I certainly have been a patient.
Considering that managing clinical depression involves more than medication, how effective any antidepressant might be probably can't be completely predictable using genetic testing. There's more to it than chemical neurotransmitter manipulation. There's a cognitive aspect to relief too. A huge and constantly shifting variable. As the patient learns better ways to manage via counseling and behavior modification, that changes the brain. Just as the chemicals they might be using do.
In my own immediate family for example. Everyone but my mother has dealt with clinical depression for a significant portion of their lives. The same antidepressant that worked for one person didn't for another. One hasn't gotten any benefit from any of them and believe me they've probably tried all the options approved for use in the USA. I would bet testing would reveal that each of us are pretty similar genetically. Unless the genetic testing used is very, very fine scale (down to exactly how much influence one combination of a parent or ancestor's DNA influences the rest), it might not be sensitive enough to suggest which meds might have worked better. That certainly could change in future, but I doubt the technology exists right now.
Then there's the reality that it is still unclear exactly how some chemicals contained in antidepressants influence the brain. Sure, they have been shown to be effective for many people but not exactly why. How much of the benefit is hope, suggestion, or assumption on the part of the patient and how much is chemical? Then there are combinations of meds that seem to compound each other and end up working better together than any of them alone.
Pharmacogenetic testing is not interested in your relatives. It looks for genes that can identify how an individual metabolizes different drugs. If you metabolize the medication more rapidly than the average person, it may not work because the drug is eliminated before an effective blood level is reached. If you are a slow metabolizer, higher than needed blood levels can accumulate, increasing the risk of side effects. In the first cse, a higher dose may work. In the second, the dose needs to adjust downward.
Testing can be expensive but helpful for people having a hard time finding the right med and dose.
Pharmacogenetic testing is not interested in your relatives. It looks for genes that can identify how an individual metabolizes different drugs. If you metabolize the medication more rapidly than the average person, it may not work because the drug is eliminated before an effective blood level is reached. If you are a slow metabolizer, higher than needed blood levels can accumulate, increasing the risk of side effects. In the first cse, a higher dose may work. In the second, the dose needs to adjust downward.
Testing can be expensive but helpful for people having a hard time finding the right med and dose.
The correlation between gut microbiota and both neurotransmitters and mental disorders: A narrative review
Gut microbiota has multiple effects on many body organs, including the brain. There is a bidirectional connection between the gut and brain called the gut-brain-axis, and these connections are formed through immunological, neuronal, and neuroendocrine pathways.
In addition, gut microbiota modulates the synthesis and functioning of neurotransmitters. Therefore, the disruption of the gut microbiota in the composition or function, which is known as dysbiosis, is associated with the pathogenesis of many mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, and other psychiatric disorders.
more at link....and a TON of related scientific papers/trials available at the pubmed website
google this: depression microbiome pubmed
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