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By Mayo Clinic staffFor cytochrome P450 tests, a sample of your DNA is taken for laboratory testing. It can be retrieved in one of two ways:
- A blood test. Blood is drawn from a vein in your arm. You may feel a slight prick when the needle is inserted.
- A cheek swab. Your doctor or other health professional will rub a cotton swab inside your cheek to retrieve a skin cell sample.
After the procedure
Getting a cheek swab or having a blood sample drawn should take just a few minutes, and there's virtually no risk involved. If you have blood drawn, you may have slight swelling or redness at the puncture site. Whichever type of test you have, your sample will be sent to a laboratory, where doctors will examine your DNA to look for specific genes.
- Mrazek DA. Psychiatric pharmacogenomic testing in clinical practice. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2010;12:69.
- Li X, et al. Clinical utility of microarrays: Current status, existing challenges and future outlook. Current Genomics. 2008;9:466.
- Zandi PP, et al. The promise and reality of pharmacogenetics in psychiatry. Psychiatry Clinics of North America. 2010;33:181.
- Black JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 4, 2010.
- Evaluation of genomic applications in practice and prevention (EGAPP) working group. Recommendations from the EGAPP Working Group: Testing for cytochrome P450 polymorphisms in adults with nonpsychotic depression treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Genetics in Medicine. 2007;9:819.
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