Drugs are widely used and highly effective in the treatment of heart disease. Nevertheless, in some instances, even drugs effective in a population display lack of efficacy or adverse drug reactions in individual patients, often in an apparently unpredictable fashion. ~ncbi
Drugs used to treat cardiovascular conditions are among the most widely prescribed therapies worldwide. So what if they aren’t working? What if your body doesn’t have the ability to metabolize them the way the drug manufacturer intended? When would you find out?
Unfortunately, in some cases, you may not know your medication isn’t working until you have a cardiac event.
Now you can use a simple tool called pharmacogenetics and know if your body can metabolize critical cardio medications including clopidogrel, warfarin, simvastatin and other statins.
A number of providers are using pharmacogenetics testing as a ‘preemptive’ approach in which multiple genotypes relevant to the action of many drugs are inserted in electronic medical record systems long before the specific drugs such as clopidogrel, warfarin or tacrolimus are prescribed. By being proactive, you can help in long-term patient care and not only use patient-specific information for medications they are taking today but use pharmacogenetics testing as a roadmap for the future.
Pharmacogenetics is being used in clinics, pharmacies, and long-term care communities across the country. By being proactive and leaving the “trial and error” way of prescribing behind, the future of healthcare has some exciting changes ahead and patients are going to see more personalized care and patient-centered decisions being made concerning their individual health.
For more information on implementing pharmacogenetics, or to schedule a free educational webinar, contact: PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.