Discover your unique
response to medications
Unlock what matters most with genetics
Helping you & your doctor find the best medications, so you feel better sooner.
How can Pillcheck help you?
Canada Life has partnered with Pillcheck to provide this innovative health benefit for plan members and family members.
Using DNA analysis, Pillcheck helps identify medications and dosages that are likely to work best for you based on your unique genetic profile – helping you feel better sooner while limiting unwanted side effects or avoiding ineffective treatments.
It’s easy to share your results with your healthcare provider, who can optimize treatment based on your Pillcheck analysis. Pillcheck will help you achieve the best possible outcome for you.
How can I access the Pillcheck benefit?
The Pillcheck service is available to purchase at a preferred price of $499 ($100 savings).
This cost is paid by you but may be reimbursable through a health care spending account (HCSA) if your plan has one.
Coverage is available under certain circumstances for disability cases. Talk to your disability case manager to see if the test might be right for you.
Please check your drug coverage with your benefit provider as not all medications included in Pillcheck will be necessarily reimbursable under a drug benefits plan.
Pillcheck – the right choice
Your medications tailored to your DNA
Expert pharmacist review
Personalized insights for life
Find out which drugs are in the report!
Is Pillcheck for me?
With Pillcheck, you don’t have to worry about choosing a treatment area. We cover a broad range of medications in every test, making it useful now — and in the future. These are just some of the common health concerns Pillcheck helps with:
Pillcheck Tabs
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Mental health
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Pain management
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Heart health
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Digestive health
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Women’s health
Find the right mental health drug for you – Pillcheck is proven to help patients recover faster, with insights on over 70 of the most-prescribed mental health drugs for:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- ADHD (list of medications)
- Sleep disorders
- Addiction/substance abuse
Pillcheck helps you and your doctor find the right mental health medications for you. An independent Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) confirmed that people struggling with depression and anxiety recovered faster with the Pillcheck service.
Painkillers can be highly effective at blunting severe pain. However, even the most frequently used pain medications may fail to provide adequate pain relief for some people.
Whether you are managing pain from injury, arthritis, migraines, fibromyalgia, or other chronic pain conditions, Pillcheck offers valuable insights into your body's response to various pain medications, helping you and your doctor make safer decisions when choosing pain therapy.
You can also reference your Pillcheck results before painful procedures, such as surgery, to determine the most effective treatment to support your recovery.
Feel better sooner with the peace of mind that you’re on the right medications and dosages, especially if you’re taking painkillers long-term.
The Pillcheck report includes predicted response to medications for:
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Arrhythmia
- Blood clots
- Congestive heart failure
Many people take multiple medications to manage one or more of these conditions, increasing the likelihood that one drug isn’t working as intended, as well as leaving them at risk for a cardiac event.
Taking the right medications reduces your risk of heart attack, stroke, and avoidable side effects like muscle pain and bleeding.
Pillcheck’s pharmacists and DNA analysis guide your doctor in prescribing the right drug and dosage based on your unique genetic makeup.
Up to one in four people get no relief from the most common acid reflux and digestive system drugs, and many are at risk of serious side effects, like infection and fractures, due to their genetic drug metabolism.
The Pillcheck report includes predicted response to medications to help manage symptoms of:
- IBD (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease)
- IBS
- Acid reflux (GERD)
- Esophagitis
Pillcheck helps you and your doctor find the right drug and dosage for you. You can feel better sooner, avoid side effects, and improve the long-term safety of your treatment.
It's important to consider the age and hormonal activity of females when it comes to prescription medication.
Pregnancy, hormonal contraceptives, and hormone replacement therapies can alter drug metabolism.
When you take multiple medications or supplements, the likelihood of side effects or ineffective treatment increases. Fortunately, Pillcheck is a tool that can assist your doctor in understanding how your body metabolizes various medications, reducing the risk of rare but serious complications.
Why Pillcheck?
In an independent study, 78% of prescriptions were changed with insight from Pillcheck results.†
Pillcheck is the only pharmacogenetics provider to have proven through clinical study – that our service helps people with depression and anxiety to feel better sooner.
† Journal of the American Pharmacists Association 2017 Sep-Oct;57(5):624-629
4 simple steps
to a lifetime of the right medications
Order online
Submit sample
Access results
Share results
How much does Pillcheck cost?
Reimbursement
Canada Life members can access Pillcheck at the preferred price for themselves and their families. In addition, if your plan provides coverage or has a health care spending account, you may be eligible to have a portion of your test paid by your plan. Please contact your plan administrator or the Canada Life contact centre to learn if you have benefits available to cover pharmacogenetic testing. You can submit for reimbursement using the Pillcheck receipt provided upon completion of the testing service. A test requisition from a healthcare practitioner is not required.