NEW TEST PAIRS BEST DRUG FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION

Many patients come to Mayo Clinic hoping to find a more effective treatment for their depression. Often, they come to us discouraged by many unsuccessful experiences with a variety of antidepressant drugs.

Under Dr. Mrazek's direction, the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology worked with the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology to develop a new test that helps physicians pair the most effective and least harmful antidepressant drug with an individual patient.

The new test, called p450 microarray analysis, can reveal whether you have one or more genes that interfere with the body's metabolism of antidepressant drugs. In addition, it can give your physician information about which drugs are likely to cause you uncomfortable side effects.

Microarray analysis is a new technology that identifies genes that cause problems with drug metabolism. The test requires a single blood sample.