Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomic testing can tell pharmacists how efficiently your body breaks down medications.  If you break down, or metabolize, a specific medication very slowly, you may be at risk for side effects.  If you metabolize a medication very quickly, it may be cleared from the body too quickly to do its job.  There is no test from any lab that can tell you whether or not a medication will work for you, but pharmacogenomic tests can give clues about how you might respond to medications.

Pharmacogenomic tests are common, but having access to a clinical expert in pharmacogenomics is quite rare.  Elise Durgin, PharmD, BCPS, is a board-certified, residency-trained clinical pharmacogenomics pharmacist.  Many people ordering these tests do not know how to correctly interpret them and may rely on information which is inaccurate or incorrectly applied.  Pharmacogenomic tests are not perfect, so meeting with a clinician who has a true understanding of the benefits and limitations of testing is essential.

Pharmacists are the experts in drug disposition in the body, which is a called pharmacokinetics.  We study the way that medications are absorbed into the body, distributed around the body, metabolized by the body, and excreted from the body.  Many physicians and advanced practice providers did not learn about pharmacogenomics at all during their training, so they rely on their pharmacist partners to help provide this care to patients.

Your primary care provider can refer you to the pharmacogenomics clinic for testing.  You will meet with the clinical pharmacogenomics pharmacist for two separate 40 minute appointments.  The first appointment includes education about pharmacogenomics, a review of your current medications and medication history, as well as a discussion regarding the benefits and limitations of testing.  If you decide you want to pursue testing, a simple cheek swab can be collected at that appointment.  Results take two weeks to complete.  At that point you will meet with Elise again to review your results in detail, which are then sent to the referring provider.   You and your provider can make decisions about your next steps at a follow-up appointment.  Virtual appointments are also available and the cheek swab can be mailed to you at your home address.