Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, but they don’t work for everyone. What’s more, patients must often try several different SSRI medications, each with a different set of side effects, before finding one that is effective. It takes three to four weeks to see if a particular antidepressant drug works. Meanwhile, patients and their families continue to suffer.
Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered a gene that may reveal whether people are likely to respond well to SSRI antidepressants, both generally and in specific formulations. The new biomarker, once it is validated in clinical trials, could be used to create a genetic test, allowing doctors to provide personalized treatment for depression.
Read the full, original story: Personal Antidepressant for Every Genome
