PGx Genetic Testing

$0.00

Pharmacogenetic (PGx) Testing for Medication Safety and Effectiveness.

Description

Pharmacogenetic Testing for Those 65 and Older

Clear Bridge Biomedics Lab offers PGx Testing!

Clear Bridge Biomedics Pharmacogenetic Testing will help you narrow down treatment options for a wide range of medications and treatment plans. These medications include

  • Warfarin (for excessive clotting disorders)
  • Thiopurines (such as Azathioprine, Mercaptopurine, and Thioguanine for autoimmune diseases and childhood leukemia)
  • Clopidogrel (for cardiovascular medication)
  • Irinotecan, Tamoxifen, 5-Fluorouracil (cancer treatments)
  • Abacavir (HIV treatments)
  • Carbamazepine, Phenytoin (Epilepsy medication)
  • Antidepressants and Antiepileptics (Phenytoin, Phenobarbital, Carbamazepine, Valproic Acid)
  • Antipsychotics (Haloperidol, Mephobarbital, Thioridazine)
  • Methylphenidate (attention deficit disorder medication)
  • Opioids (pain management medications)
  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (depression medications)
  • Statins (simvastatin, for high cholesterol)

To order, please select Pharmacogenetic Testing and place the free kit in your cart. Once you complete the free checkout, you will be prompted to find your local medical professional and begin the shipping process.

What is Pharmacogenetic Testing (PGx)?

Pharmacogenetic Testing, abbreviated as PGx, is a genetic test that helps someone understand how their body will react to certain types of medication. Our bodies break down all types of materials, be it food, vitamins, or medications, through several types of enzymes. With certain substances however, such as opioids or Warfarin, each individual might have different levels of enzymes. Because of this, one person’s perfectly safe medical dosage of an opioid might be very dangerous for someone else to take.

Pharmacogenetic testing tests genes specifically related to the individual drug in order to understand how an individual can break down and process that drug in a safe manner. The information gained from a pharmacogenetic test can help doctors and patients make informed decisions about what medications to take and safe dosage approximations to begin on.

PGx Testing also helps prevent cross-drug interactions. If you are unaware about how your current medication might react to a new drug introduced to your system, a PGx test can help show what, if any, harmful side effects combining drugs might have.

 

I’ve Heard about Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics. What’s the difference?

Pharmacogenetics is the study and examination of individual genes or smaller gene pools related to a single drug expression or interaction. In simpler terms, PGx testing looks at how a single drug is impacted by a person’s genes. Pharmacogenomic testing, on the other hand, is a much larger focus. Pharmacogenomic testing examines how someone’s entire genetic makeup can affect their medications and outcomes. Put simply then, pharmacogenetics looks at small picture, while pharmacogenomics looks at large scale big picture.

While it might be tempting to choose pharmacogenomic testing over pharmacogenetics, there are positives and negatives to both. In general, experts recommend pharmacogenetic testing for most patients. This is because the limited scope of PGx testing helps keep costs low and the speed of the tests high. There is less information to trawl through when a PGx test looks exclusively at a smaller set of genes, so a patient can be medicated quicker and more efficiently. On the flip side, however, a pharmacogenomic test might be recommended for a patient on several different medications. The large scale of pharmacogenomic testing can help show how these different medications will interact with each other to prevent any harmful side effects for the patients.

Types of Pharmacogenetics.

There are many different types of pharmacogenetic tests. The most common type is for Warfarin testing. This type of test examines the VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes to find a safe dosage for anyone beginning to take the drug. Warfarin is a drug that helps prevent excessive clotting.

Some other drugs include,

  • Thiopurines (azathioprine, mercaptopurine, and thioguanine), for Autoimmune disease and Childhood leukemia, testing the TPMT gene
  • Methylphenidate, for attention deficit disorder, testing DRD4
  • Opioids for pain management , testing OPRM1

Who should take PGx Testing?

Most professionals recommend pharmacogenetic testing for anyone who has been prescribed a genetically reactive drug. These are drugs that are affected by genes, such as Warfarin. Additionally, PGx testing is potentially helpful after a different genetic test, such as a cancer or cardiac genetic test.

How much does Pharmacogenetic Testing Cost?

Pharmacogenetic testing often costs between $250 and $500. Often, these tests are partially or entirely covered by insurance. Clear Bridge Biomedics Lab offers at-home Pharmacogenetic testing at low costs or free.

Pharmacogenetic Test FAQ

How are Genetic Samples Obtained

Some PGx tests are blood samples, with blood being drawn with a needle in the arm. Other tests are saliva based. Clear Bridge Biomedic’s at home PGx test is a saliva based test that can be a quick and painless swab of the cheek.

Is there anything I should do before getting a PGx test?

Most experts recommend receiving genetic counseling before and after any major genetic test. While PGx is primarily a supplementary test rather than a diagnostic, results still often require professional interpretation to be helpful or otherwise useful.

Should family members be tested if I have a pharmacogenetic test?

While any medical decision should be discussed with your primary care physician, in the case of PGx testing, the family is not often strongly recommended. This is because unlike diagnostic genetic tests like a cardiac genetic test or neurological genetic test, while the genes that determine how medication reacts to our bodies are passed down from parent to child, these genes do not actually cause problems. They are not malignant or harmful. They simply determine how our body reacts to medication.

A doctor might recommend other family members get tested if they are on the same medication for the same diseases.

PGx Diabetes

There are PGx diabetes tests to help determine the correct dosages and uses of diabetes medicine. Talk to your doctor to see if PGx diabetes testing is right for you.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “PGx Genetic Testing”