A simple test using a swab of cells from the inside of your cheek can dramatically improve your medical treatment. The test can predict whether a drug will help, if you need a different dosage, or if you are at risk of severe side effects. This testing is called pharmacogenetics or pharmacogenomics. This means studying the interactions of drugs (pharma-) and an individual’s genes (genom-). Genes control how drugs are metabolized and may be different in different people. Treatment can be personalized, or individualized for some classes of drugs. The test can help suggest dosing for some HIV medicines, psychiatric drugs, statins, opioids, cancer drugs, and anticoagulants, but not all…