Articles

ADHD medications can help children focus and control impulses, but side effects vary from child to child. Learn about stimulant and non-stimulant options, effects on growth and the heart, and how genetic testing helps choose safer treatment.

Hair loss can result from genetics, hormones, thyroid problems, stress, medications or autoimmune disease. Learn about the main types of alopecia, how finasteride, minoxidil, spironolactone and the newer JAK inhibitors work, which genes and drug interactions affect their...

Are antidepressants safe during pregnancy? Learn what studies show about birth defects and newborn effects, why stopping treatment often leads to relapse, and how pregnancy and your genes change antidepressant levels and doses.

Why can't some people tolerate antidepressants, even at low doses? Learn what serotonin syndrome is, how SSRIs can cause it, and how your genes affect the way you respond to antidepressants.

Bupropion (Wellbutrin) works differently from SSRIs and is often used when SSRIs cause side effects. Learn how it compares, which enzymes break it down, its drug interactions and how genetic testing can guide your choice.

Why would a doctor prescribe an antidepressant for irritable bowel syndrome? Learn how low-dose TCAs, SSRIs and SNRIs act on the gut-brain axis to ease IBS pain and bowel symptoms, and how genes affect which one suits you.

Postpartum depression affects many new parents and is treatable. Learn how antidepressants are chosen after birth and while breastfeeding, what the new pill zuranolone offers, when to seek urgent help, and how CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 results guide SSRI...

Multiple sclerosis has many treatment options, but they can cause long-term complications. Learn about MS disease-modifying therapies, why oral S1P receptor modulators may be preferred, and how CYP2C9 and other genes affect tolerability.

If your child or teen has depression, you may worry about antidepressants and suicide risk. Learn what the warnings mean, what a large Danish study found about CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 and suicide attempts in young people, why accurate...

The genes that control how you process medications come from your parents and may be shared with siblings and children. Learn what your DNA reveals and how one pharmacogenetic test can guide your whole family.

Finding the right psychiatric medication can take time, and some people can't tolerate antidepressants or antipsychotics. Learn which pharmacogenetic tests are best for psychiatric medications and how a pharmacist medication review helps find the right drug and dose.

Statin muscle pain is common, but serious muscle damage is rare. Learn how SLCO1B1, ABCG2 and CYP2C9 genes affect statin side effects and how current guidelines use them to choose the right statin and dose.

In a randomized controlled trial in three Canadian community pharmacies, people with depression and anxiety whose antidepressant treatment was guided by a Pillcheck pharmacogenetic test improved about twice as much over 6 months as those who received standard...

Only about one in three people reach remission with their first antidepressant, and many end up adding a second medication. Learn which add-on treatments work best, why some add-on antipsychotics depend on your CYP2D6 gene, and how pharmacogenetic...

Coffee and cigarettes can change how your body handles medications. Learn how the CYP1A2 enzyme and your genes affect caffeine metabolism, why heavy coffee drinking raises side effect risks with antipsychotics and pain medications, and what testing reveals.

Prescription drugs don't work the same for everyone, and trial-and-error prescribing drives up benefits costs. Learn five ways Pillcheck helps businesses save on drug plans, absenteeism, presenteeism, recruiting, and short- and long-term disability.

Migraine treatment is rarely one-size-fits-all. Learn which acute and preventive migraine medications work best, their common side effects and how pharmacogenetic testing helps find the right medications for you.

Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are highly effective for diabetes and weight loss, but they can cause stomach and bowel side effects, rare pancreas and gallbladder problems, and interactions with other treatments. Learn what to know about birth control,...

Tendonitis and Achilles tendon ruptures are not always caused by exercise. Learn which medications, including fluoroquinolone antibiotics, steroids and some heart and arthritis drugs, raise the risk, and how genetic drug metabolism plays a role.

Ancestry can affect how you respond to medications because drug-metabolism genes vary across populations. Learn why race is a poor guide for prescribing, what this means for diverse Canadians and how DNA-guided prescribing helps.