Loyola Research: Blood Test May Predict Paxil Efficacy in Some Patients
New research conducted by scientists at Loyola University Medical Center suggests that scientists may have found a new way to test the potential quickness of the efficacy of antidepressant medications like Paxil on an individual basis.
This new Loyola study has discovered that using a blood test that detects a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be able to help predict successful treatment. The researchers discovered that among depressed patients with above-average levels of VEGF, more than 85 percent of them experienced some relief from their symptoms after they took Lexapro, another antidepressant medication. They also discovered that less than 10 percent of the patients that had low VEGF levels actually responded positively to the drug.
“This would be the first time we would have a predictor for how well a patient would respond to an antidepressant,” said Angelos Halaris, M.D., Ph.D., first author of the study.
The researchers also learned during the study that 60 percent of the patients suffering from depression did not fully respond to the Lexapro, which means that doctors continue to have to use a trial and error method when prescribing medications. Halaris admits that “it would greatly benefit our patients if we could predict ahead of time whether a given medication would be effective for a certain patient.”
The Loyola study monitored 35 patients who were taking SSRIs like Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac as a treatment for their depression. SSRIs have proven to be dangerous to patients in that the drugs have been linked to birth defects, aggressive and suicidal thoughts and behavior. It is for this reason that the current trial and error game is too dangerous. The drugs are also known to be habit-forming. This new blood test may be able to cut down on the guess-work for doctors and their patients, which could lessen the adverse side effects patients experience when trying to find the right medication.
