Hello there dear readers, and welcome to Part 3 of our series Right Drug, Right Dose? The Perspective Expands. And yes, after Part 2 I can hear the collective and very fun “whew” for you. It was indeed detailed and highly important that you were able to garner the wisdom presented by Dr. Ruslan Dorfman from GeneYouIn.
It is important for you to be aware that Pharmacogenetics is once in a lifetime test. It prompted me to go back to Dr. Dorfman to ask for further clarification on why the test only has to be done once in a lifetime as some of the things I have read that affect a person being able to metabolize a drug is age, diet, and a few others.
Dr. Dorfman’s response was:
“For 80% of the medications that are out there, the test indeed should be one only once in a lifetime. With age there is a decline in liver and kidney function, so people can metabolize less effectively even if they have no mutations in the cytochrome genes. However, the goal of PGx is to find out who is a “poor metabolizer” from birth. For these people age, diet and any other factors cannot make them “normal. Seasonal changes, and diet can have a minor impact on a small subset of medications.”
There you have it dear readers, the dialogue deepens as we venture further along the pathway.
Next week we will wrap this series by tying the pieces together and encouraging you to “open a docket” for yourselves that you can populate with the information that guides you to make prudent decisions in your own practice.
Have an amazing week and I look forward to your feedback.
For further information on this and other important topics, visit Glendinning Insurance Services