By Dr. Coleen Murphy, ND, LAc. | Natural Medicine Works
If you have been struggling to find a psychiatric medication that works, or one that doesn’t cause difficult side effects, you are not alone. Research suggests that more than 40 percent of patients discontinue psychiatric medication within 90 days due to adverse reactions or lack of improvement.*
At Natural Medicine Works, Dr. Coleen Murphy is a registered GeneSight test provider. She can order the test, guide you through the process, and help you and your prescribing clinician interpret the results so that medication decisions are informed by your unique genetic profile.
What Is the GeneSight Test?
GeneSight Psychotropic is a pharmacogenomic test that analyzes your DNA to determine how your body may metabolize or respond to more than 60 medications commonly prescribed for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions. The results are compiled into a color-coded report that categorizes medications into three groups: those unlikely to have gene-drug interactions (green), those that may require dose adjustments (yellow), and those with significant gene-drug interactions that could affect effectiveness or increase side effects (red).
The test is simple and painless. It requires only a cheek swab, and results are typically available within three business days.
Why It Matters
The GeneSight test is supported by multiple peer-reviewed clinical studies, including the PRIME Care trial, the largest pharmacogenomic study ever conducted in mental health. That study found patients whose clinicians had access to GeneSight results were 28 percent more likely to achieve remission from depression compared to standard care. More than three million patients have taken the test to date.
How Natural Medicine Works Can Help
As a registered GeneSight test provider, Dr. Murphy can order the test during an in-office visit in San Juan Capistrano or arrange an at-home collection kit for telemedicine patients anywhere in the United States. Once results are available, she will review your personalized report with you, explain what the findings mean, and help coordinate care with your prescribing provider to ensure medication decisions reflect your genetic profile.
This approach fits naturally within our naturopathic philosophy of individualized, root-cause medicine. For patients who require psychiatric medication, the GeneSight test helps replace guesswork with genetic insight.
Get Started
To learn whether the GeneSight test is right for you, call (949) 667-4436 or visit natmedworks.com/contact to schedule a consultation. Complimentary 15-minute phone consultations are available for new patients.
*Ontario Health Technology Assessment Series. “Pharmacogenomic Testing for Psychotropic Medication Selection: A Systematic Review of the Assurex GeneSight Psychotropic Test.” Ontario Health Technology Assessment Series, 2017;17(4):1-39. Available at: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28515818
Natural Medicine Works provides naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, and integrative primary care from San Juan Capistrano, CA, with telemedicine available nationwide. Learn more at natmedworks.com.