Do you or a loved one take tamoxifen? If so, read on! Tamoxifen has been approved for both the treatment of breast cancer and the prevention of breast cancer. I recently spoke with a patient with a family history of breast cancer who was going to meet with an oncologist and consider starting tamoxifen for […]
Jeri
Genetic knowledge can prevent medication side effects
What if I told you that pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing could have potentially prevented ibuprofen from causing a spontaneous femur fracture? Years ago a patient began taking 400mg of ibuprofen at night. Eventually the patient developed low hemoglobin due to ulcerations in the stomach. The patient was placed on omeprazole to help the ulcers heal. The […]
Waiting for cocoa…
“She waited 400 years for a hot chocolate!” A hospital employee uttered this with a very incredulous tone when I stepped forward to pick up my hot chocolate from the Lakota counter. I just smiled under my mask. My first thought, what the heck is wrong with hot chocolate? I love it! Anytime I am […]
PGx and Children
Did you know that you do not have to be an adult to have pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing? There are health systems across the US, such as St. Jude’s and Boston Children’s Hospital that routinely offer testing in children with complex health issues. “Preemptive” PGx testing can help avoid bad side effects from certain medications and […]