Pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic adverse effects: Case studies and a literature review for clinicians

Adriana Foster¹, Zixuan Wang², Manzoor Usman¹, Edna Stirewalt¹, Peter Buckley¹

¹Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior and ²Department of Medicine and Pathology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

Abstract: There is a growing body of literature supporting the contribution of genetic variability to the mechanisms responsible for the adverse effects of antipsychotic medications particularly movement disorders and weight gain. Despite the current gap between research studies and the practical tools available to the clinician to identify such risks, it is hoped that in the foreseeable future, pharmacogenetics will become a critical aid to guide the development of personalized therapeutic regimes with fewer adverse effects. We provide a summary of two cases that are examples of using cytochrome P450 pharmacogenetics in an attempt to guide treatment in the context of recent literature concerning the role of pharmacogenetics in the manifestation of adverse effects of antipsychotic therapies. These examples and the review of recent literature on pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic adverse effects illustrate the potential for applying the principles of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine to the therapy of psychotic disorders.

Keywords: pharmacogenetics, adverse effects, antipsychotic drugs