Epilepsy

Are you taking or considering anti-epileptic medication?

Have you experienced side effects?

Has the medication not had the desired effect?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider DNA testing. Personalized medication mangement including DNA testing is extremely important for the proper treatment of epilepsy because finding the right drug and dose is so vitally important. This is not surprising to people that study genetics - research shows that of all the clinical factors such as age, sex, weight, general health and liver function that alter a patient's response to drugs, genetic factors are the most important.

Many medications including the majority of anti-epileptic medications are metabolized by two enzymes in the liver: CYP2C9 and CYP2C19. Your genes are the main factor determining the level of these enzymes in your liver- if you have too much of the enzyme, you process the medication too quickly, too little of the enzyme and the medication builds up in your bloodstream potentially causing adverse reactions or side effects. Without knowing your genetics, your physician may need to go through months of trial-and-error prescribing to find the right drug and dose for you.

Population Frequency of Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Metabolizer Types

Affected Anti-Epileptic Medications

Valium® (diazepam)
Mesantoin® (mephenytoin)
Solfoton®, Gardenal® (phenobarbitone, phenobarbital)
Dilantin®, Phenytek® (phenytoin)
Mysoline® (primidone)

Now you can help your healthcare provider optimize your response to epilepsy drugs and many other medications by ordering DNA testing. Your results will be entered into our personalized medication management software, GeneMedRx You or your healthcare providers can log in to see if current or future medications are predicted to cause drug-drug or drug-gene interactions so dosage and selection can be catered to your needs. You receive a 90-day subscription free with your testing; additional one year extensions are available for a nominal fee. Of course, your DNA never changes so the testing only needs to be done once in a lifetime.

Click here to view a list of drugs for which DNA testing will be helpful.

The Testing Process

The process is simple. You order testing and receive a cheek swab collection kit with directions by mail. Use the return mailer to submit samples and receive results in ten days or less. Faster testing is available for an additional charge. Call a DNA testing consultant at (800) 523-3080 for details and to order.

Note: Testing is currently not available to New York residents and can only be ordered through a physician in Maryland and California.