Appreciates column
The column on genetic testing for medication effectiveness was an eye-opener for me. My wife was born with epilepsy due to an accident at birth. Her current neurologist prescribed a seizure medicine that quickly destroyed her quality of life. We complained, and he changed to a different one, which was actually worse because it took effect more slowly and the side effects were masked by the UTI she developed as a result of other side effects. To make a long story short, we spent literally thousands of dollars on ambulance runs, emergency room visits, and multiple hospital stays when all that might have been avoided by a simple cheek swab for genetic testing to see if she has the right enzymes to properly and effectively break down the medications. She lay flat on her back for five months, barely aware she was even in this world, yet her neurologist was happy that she was having no seizures. She had not been having seizures, just panic attacks according to him! Hopefully Mississippi will see the advantage of genetic testing on people to ensure that the proper medications are being prescribed for individuals. Every drug has side effects, some good and some bad, and the same drug might have different side effects on different people. Doctors? What do you think?
Cameron Triplett
Brooksville
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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