The Institute of Living offers a specialized consultation service with a psychiatrist to help determine if you would benefit from a Pharmacogenetic test.

As a result of rapid advances in the last several years, it is now possible to better understand, in many cases, how our genetic makeup determines our response to medications. This exciting new field of medical science is known as Pharmacogenetics.

This new science helps us determine, in some cases, the likelihood of our body’s response to medications and helps us determine if we could be more prone to side effects from some medications. It could also help us determine if some medications will have the desired effect or not.

Pharmacogenetics

Who should consider Pharmacogenetic consultation?

  • If you have severe side effects from usual doses of psychiatric medications
  • If you need multiple medications to provide relief from psychiatric symptoms
  • If certain psychiatric medications don’t seem to work for you
  • If some medications seem to alter your body’s response to all other medications

If you are on the following psychiatric medications, or similar to these and any of the above seems to apply to you, then perhaps you should ask your psychiatrist to consider a Pharmacogenetic consultation for you:

Learn More About Pharmacogentics

For More Information

For more information regarding our Consultation Service, please contact:

Ali Shamsi MD, MS
Director, IOL Pharmacogenetic Consultation Service,
Institute of Living / Hartford Hospital
200 Retreat Ave.
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-545-7110
Fax: (860) 545-7218
Email: ashamsi@harthosp.org