Antidepressants Get Personal, So Be Happy
"Within a few years," says The New York Times, personalized depression drugs will be the norm. A recent study published in Science suggests that certain identifiable genetic mutations may predict reactions to common antidepressants. "Nearly all drugs are metabolized by a group of enzymes that vary greatly in activity from person to person. If patients have a genetic mutation that results in either deficient enzyme activity or none, they would be likely to have serious side effects if exposed to the drug that is metabolized by the enzyme."
This is particularly heartening in light of recent stories about a greater suicide threat for some teens on Prozac. This is exactly the sort of pharmacological incompatibility that may be solved in the near future:
Instead of the hit-or-miss approach…it will soon be possible for a psychiatrist to biologically personalize treatments. With a simple blood test, the doctor will be able to characterize a patient's unique genetic profile, determining what biological type of depression the patient has and which antidepressant is likely to work best.