What is the Cytochrome P450 Test?

I have written about the possibility in the future of having tests that will tell doctors the most effective drug to give their patient. The future has arrived.

Genetic factors are a big influence on the way that certain medications affect people and the possible side effects they may cause.

There is a test today called the cytochrome P450. This is a test that will tell the doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist, the best medication to give a patient specifically with respect to depression.

What is the cytochrome P450 test?

The cytochrome P450 is a blood sample obtained to determine how any given person metabolizes certain drugs.

There is no special preparation required for the test. The blood is taken from a vein.

A doctor will order this test because he or she has determined that treatment needs to be specific. It has been determined that a doctor doesn’t feel it is good idea that a number of residual side effects occur.

The cytochrome P450 test is a genetic test that reports how your body metabolizes drugs. Genes, stationed within cells, determine how proteins are produced and how they grow. The cytochrome P450 is really an identification process that shows which genes are those that are a catalyst for certain chemical reactions.

What is the value of the cytochrome P450?

Of course one benefit is that after running the test the doctor can pick the best drug for you. There are other benefits as well.

The other benefits are that the testing may show what happens if your body metabolizes a certain drug too slow or too fast.

If a drug gets out of your system too quickly it won’t have time to work. If it remains in your system too long it may have a negative or even toxic impact.

This cytochrome P450 becomes a part of a person’s permanent record. No doubt in the future, as new tests become available for different body systems, a person’s medical record will be made up of several keys that will guide doctors in specific and effective treatment.

The nice thing is that when new medications come out it will be possible to measure their composition and actions with the data that has been compiled in a person’s file.

For example, if you are being treated for depression based on a test you have taken, that means you are taking the best possible medication.

If a new breakthrough occurs, your doctor will be able to determine without trial and error if it makes sense to switch you to the new medication.

This type of testing aids primarily in effectively getting medical discoveries into use in the most efficient way.

The cytochrome P450 represents effective testing that leads to specific treatment

References:

Understanding the Cytochrome P450 Test,” Brochure, MC5155, Mayo Clinic

www.mayoclinic.com

Reference:

• “Understanding the Cytochrome P450 Test,” Brochure, MC5155, Mayo Clinic
• www.mayoclinic.com