As pharmacists, we are comfortable optimizing drug therapy through various medication therapy management programs by utilizing patient-specific information. The information from our patients and their doctors then helps drive patient-specific drug regimens. This could not be truer for our compounding pharmacists and applied clinical nutritionist here at Hill Country Apothecary, since their daily involvement with patients revolves around a patient-centered approach.
So, how do we continue to innovate with our patient-centered pharmacy practice?
Enter pharmacogenomics. It’s a big word; with big implications for the field of pharmacology. Simply put, pharmacogenomics is the study of the role of genetics in your drug response.
Pharmacogenomics can help strengthen medication therapy by enabling us to use your individual genetic code to tailor medicines for increased effectiveness or to decrease adverse effects. This personalized approach can also be more cost efficient for the patient. The tremendous progress in pharmacogenomic testing technology has made it possible for community pharmacies to conduct genetic testing. Hill Country Apothecary has partnered with IDgenetix to bring this extraordinary testing to our patients, making personalized medicine possible for everyone.
Once your genetic analysis is complete, your data is screened for factors that cover prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, herbal medications and environmental and dietary factors known to influence how you may respond to certain medications. We will work as a triad (patient, physician and pharmacist) to use the valuable data from your test results to help choose the right medicine and dose for you. Your test results enable us to determine if starting a new drug, changing the dose of your current medicine, or switching to another medication would be more beneficial depending on your unique genetic makeup.
At Hill Country Apothecary, we are excited that the accessibility of pharmacogenomic testing allows us to offer your the opportunity to try personalized medicine. In addition to testing and evaluating your results, we are committed to educating our customers about personalized medicine and the impact it can have on your overall well-being.
Patients should take steps to consider the entire picture of their healthcare and utilize the extraordinary advancement in tailored medication testing to improve drug therapy. To learn more, contact us at Hill Country Apothecary or visit us at one of our locations.
Check out our segment on We Are Austin, where Adam Metcalf chats with Chris Saldana on pharmacogenomics and how it’s revolutionizing personalized medicine.
