New blood test may assist in helping to determine who might respond to antidepressant medication
Not everyone has a good response to antidepressants. Typically only around 70% might benefit from the first medication they try, with similar response rates for subsequent ones. Because it can take a several weeks of increasing the dose and then waiting for it to work, it can sometimes take a long time to find one that works.
Researchers in the UK have found a blood test that can help to determine whether there are some groups of antidepressants that a particular individal does not respond to. Whilst this is new research and not yet incorporated in to everyday clinic practice, this is a very exciting development that could potentially be very benefical to a lot of people.
You are advised not to make any changes to your medication without consulting your doctor.
To read more about this, please click here for an article from the BBC.