Guidance of pharmacotherapy in a complex psychiatric case by CYP450 DNA typing

To illustrate the utility of CYP450 genotyping to guide clinical psychopharmacological treatment decisions and minimize or avoid harmful and costly adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

DNA was extracted from a whole blood sample from the case study subject and tested for CYP450 gene polymorphisms in the CLIA certified Laboratory of Personalized Health at Genomas, Inc. Clinical data were obtained from patient records and clinician observations.

We present a case in which the ascertainment of multiple CYP450 isoenzyme deficiencies resulted in a dramatic change in psychotropic treatment approach. Shortly after making these adjustments, the patient saw a significant improvement in most of her debilitating psychiatric symptoms.

In complex cases, CYP450 DNA testing can guide pharmacotherapy by exposing innate hepatic metabolic deficiencies as a result of DNA polymorphism. In such cases, clinicians can favor treatments that target functional isoenzyme pathways rather than deficient or null pathways thus leading to decreased risk of ADRs and improved patient response.