This level of personalization isn’t reliable yet.
The science:
At-home DNA tests can give you personalized skincare and diet recommendations. Now, some companies are claiming your results can also reveal which mental health medications will work best for you. These tests are marketed to people who either aren’t seeing results from their current prescription or those who would like to start taking meds for anxiety or depression.
Expert insight:
Tests made for this purpose, which you can buy on your own or through your doctor, analyze your DNA (usually via a saliva swab) to find out how your body will metabolize various meds, explains David Wexler, MD, a practicing psychiatrist in Los Angeles. The company uses that info to recommend which ones will be most effective and cause the fewest side effects.
But the at-home kits fail to look at other factors, like your medical history and current symptoms, that play a bigger role in which treatment is best, Wexler says.
The bottom line:
While these DNA tests could be useful in the future, there’s not enough research right now to support them, Wexler says. Your doctor will still be able to give you more well-rounded recs.