A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found pharmacogenetic testing was linked to nearly a two-fold (89%) increase in remission rates compared to treatment as usual.
The study is published in the journal Translational Psychiatry and was conducted by Dr. James Kennedy et al.
Pharmacogenetics is based on the premise that each person may metabolize or respond to medications in different ways based on their own individual genetic profile.
That can mean that patients given the same dosage of an anti-depressant medication may have very different levels of it in their bodies, or that some patients may be able to tolerate higher doses of a drug without debilitating side effects based on their genetics.
Through customized genetic testing via a cheek swab, pharmacogenetics can help select appropriate drugs and dosages for each patient with the fewest side effects in the shortest period of time.
In the study, the team compared pharmacogenetic testing guided treatment to treatment as usual and involved 276 patients who had been previously diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression.
These people’s condition had not improved after trying at least two antidepressant medications.
The team says using pharmacogenetics for treatment-resistant depression doctors can be much more precise about exactly which drug will suit each person’s unique blueprints for the bodily systems that usher the drug into the brain and enable it to fight depression
It’s very personalized to each individual.
While the findings of this Canadian study are considered preliminary because of the sample size, they mirror the results of a much larger American pharmacogenetics clinical trial that reported a 51% increase in remission rates for major depression compared to treatment as usual.
The team says these study findings should be considered by health policy decision-makers.
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Previous research has found several drugs can help reduce depression effectively.
In a study from the University of Exeter, researchers found ketamine therapy has a swift short-term effect on reducing symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts.
They analyzed evidence from 83 published research papers. The strongest evidence emerged around the use of ketamine to treat both major depression and bipolar depression.
Symptoms were reduced as swiftly as one to four hours after a single treatment, and lasted up to two weeks.
Some evidence suggested that repeated treatment may prolong the effects, however more high-quality research is needed to determine by how long.
Similarly, single or multiple doses of ketamine resulted in moderate to large reductions in suicidal thoughts.
This improvement was seen as early as four hours following ketamine treatment and lasted on average three days, and up to a week.
This research is the most comprehensive review of the growing body of evidence on the therapeutic effects of ketamine to date.
The findings suggest that ketamine may be useful in providing rapid relief from depression and suicidal thoughts, creating a window of opportunity for further therapeutic interventions to be effective.
It’s important to note that this review examined ketamine administration in carefully controlled clinical settings where any risks of ketamine can be safely managed.
For other psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders, there is early evidence to suggest the potential benefit of ketamine treatment.
Moreover, for individuals with substance use disorders, ketamine treatment led to short-term reductions in craving, consumption and withdrawal symptoms.
A number of questions remain unanswered in the research field, including the optimal dose, route of administration and number of doses of ketamine treatment.
There is also a need for further research on the added and interactive benefit of psychotherapy alongside ketamine treatment.
If you care about depression, please read studies about a major cause of depression in older people, and one dose of this drug may lower anxiety and depression for 5 years.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies that eating too much sugar may lead to dangerous mental problems, and results showing this mental problem can help predict dementia years before memory loss.
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