Tailoring Psychiatric
Treatment To Your Specific Biology
By Kira Stein MD
& Christine Tylka, MD, The West Coast Life Center, Los Angeles
Los
Angeles, CA – February 14th, 2014: When patients are frustrated when a
prescription causes psychiatric
medicationside effects or fails to work, experts commonly explain to
clients, that “we all process medications differently.” Doctors often ask
patients if family members are on medications, not because they are nosy, but
because they know that -- based on genetics --if one medication works well for
oneclose family member, it is more likely to work and be tolerated by another. Now, science
is getting closer to learning which medications might be tolerated or more
effective with psychiatric genetic testing.
A
Los Angeles-based integrative psychiatry group, The West Coast Life Center,uses
a genetic testthat involves putting a small amount of saliva (about a spoonful)
into a plastic tube. The expert then sends the sample off for analysis and
results are returnedwithin about two weeks. While such tests do not diagnose a
condition or illness, it does give helpful information about the way the brain
works and how the body processes medication.
Genes
are a two-pronged code of DNA that has one prong inherited from the father, and
the other inherited from the mother. Small pieces of DNA actually providethe
body with instructions on how to make various proteins. Proteins that affect
mental health include enzymes that exist in the digestive system and blood
stream, transporter proteins that pump chemical messengers into the areas
between brain cells (synapses), and protein receptors that bind to chemical
messengers, resulting in changes in signaling that effect mood, thought, and
behavior.
It
may be surprising to learn that may people have inherited genes that either
accelerate or slow the liver’s ability to break down certain medications.This
can lead to lower or higher-than-expected medication levels, and lead patients
to have lower response rates or higher risks of side effects, even at normal
dosages. Getting more information about a patient’s specific ability to
metabolize a medication can help doctors figure out how to choose and dose
medications more effectively and determine which medications, and which doses,
may be more tolerable for a client. This can be invaluable for patients who
tend to struggle with psychiatric medicationside effects.
Many
people at risk for depression have inherited a gene that results in inefficient
conversion of dietary folate into methyl-folate, which is a precursor to chemical
messengers that are vital to mental health and cognition: serotonin, norepinephrine,
and dopamine. Insufficient levels of these neurochemicals make it harder for many
psychiatric medications to do
their jobs.
These
are but a sampling of the genetic tests available in psychiatry. There are other genetic tests that can be used to
examine a specific individual’s biochemistry to further minimize psychiatric
medicationside effects and maximize various therapies.
Genetic
Testing is paving the way for more effective and tolerable medication treatment. This is an exciting time in psychiatry. Now
it is possible to go beyond the clinical interview and tailor a patient’s
treatment not only to their symptoms, but specifically to their individual body
chemistry.
About
West Coast Life Center
West
Coast Life Center, http://westcoastlifecenter.com/ is
a California based emotional wellness boutique. West Coast Life Center
integrates cutting-edge technology with compassionate psychiatric care for
effective treatment.
Media
Contact:
West
Coast Life Center
Chauna
Myles
818-990-5901
http://westcoastlifecenter.com/