Articles

COVID-19 can damage the heart and lungs and affect mental health, and recovery often needs several medications. Learn how pharmacogenetic testing helps choose safe, effective treatments and avoid side effects and interactions during recovery.

Depression and anxiety are common with asthma and can be linked to medications. Learn about the FDA warnings on montelukast (Singulair), how genes affect asthma medications, and how to choose antidepressants safely when you have asthma.

Side effects such as nausea, drowsiness and sexual problems lead many people to stop their antidepressant. Learn how common these side effects are, how CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 affect antidepressant levels in your body, and what genetic testing can...

Medical marijuana is a popular option for chronic pain, but the evidence is limited. Learn who may benefit, how cannabis interacts with other medications, and how CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 genes can affect your response to THC.

G6PD deficiency is one of the most common inherited conditions and can cause sudden anemia after fava beans, infections or certain medications. Learn which medications are high risk, why most common antibiotics are safe, who is affected, including...

Between one in five and one in three older adults fall each year, and medications are a common, preventable cause. Learn which medications increase the risk of falls, why benzodiazepines and sleeping pills are a special concern, how...

Are benzodiazepines safe? Yes, when taken short term as directed. Learn the risks of daily use, dangerous combinations with opioids and alcohol, how to stop safely, and how genes such as CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 affect your response.

Up to 80% of women have nausea during pregnancy, and severe cases need treatment. Learn which treatments are recommended first, what large studies show about ondansetron and why Health Canada does not recommend it in pregnancy, how CYP2D6...

When antidepressants don't work, the cause may be the drug or dose, another health issue, or a missed diagnosis such as bipolar disorder. Learn the four guideline-recommended options for bipolar depression, other next steps for depression, and how...

The same antidepressant and dose can help one person and cause side effects or no benefit in another. Using tricyclic antidepressants as an example, learn when these medications are still used, what side effects to watch for, and...

In this 2017 Plans & Trusts article, Veronika Litinski and Ruslan Dorfman explain how pharmacogenetic testing can help plan members get safer, more effective medications and help plan sponsors control costs, with a community pharmacy study, a real-life...

Low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) and depression share symptoms such as tiredness, low mood and weight gain, and they can occur together. Learn how thyroid tests are read, when low thyroid is treated, tips for taking levothyroxine, how thyroid...

Why do some medications work well for one person and not at all for another? In this Global News segment, Pillcheck CEO Veronika Litinski explains how a simple DNA test can show how your body is likely to...

Ancestry DNA tests are a great introduction to genetics, but can their raw data guide your medications? Learn how ancestry tests differ from clinical pharmacogenetic tests, why raw data can contain false results and miss important drug-response variants,...

High blood pressure is one of the main modifiable risk factors for dementia. Learn what large studies show about blood pressure in midlife and later life, why blood pressure that drops too low can also matter, how preventing...

Why do older adults respond differently to medications? Learn how aging changes the liver, kidneys and body composition, why seniors are more sensitive to many drugs, how genes such as CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 interact with age, and which...

For some people, the winter blues become seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depression that returns every fall and winter. Learn the symptoms, how to use light therapy safely, how it compares with cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants, what...

Can genes adapt to a vegetarian diet? Learn what a study found about FADS2, a gene that helps the body make long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fats from plant foods, why a variant that boosts this pathway is common...

Millennials are diagnosed with depression and anxiety more than any other age group. Learn how mental health affects work in the modern labour market, and how pharmacogenetic testing helps employees find effective medications faster.

What are the best medications for anxiety? Learn how CBT and first-line medications such as SSRIs, SNRIs and pregabalin compare, when benzodiazepines, buspirone or beta-blockers are used, and how genes affect antidepressant choice.