Plot Twist

EP09: The Prescription Plot Twist - It's Not Just About Getting the Right Pill

Episode Summary

Episode Notes

In this episode we chat with an amazing guest - Stacey D'Angelo. Stacey is a Toronto-based pharmacist behind Your Simple Health, a practice offering personalized medication support to clients virtually across Canada. Her work focuses on medication optimization and deprescribing: helping people safely reduce or stop medications when appropriate. She supports people navigating side effects, complex medication routines, antidepressant tapering, and benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Stacey combines her clinical expertise with attention to each person’s health, lifestyle, and goals, helping them feel more informed and supported in decisions about their care. She shares super interesting and helpful insights into how genetic testing can personalize medication management, reduce trial-and-error, and improve mental health outcomes. She discusses the future of personalized medicine, deprescribing, and empowering individuals to take control of their health.

Key Topics

• Pharmacogenomics and its role in medication response
• How genetic testing can reduce trial-and-error in prescriptions
• The importance of deprescribing and safe medication withdrawal
• Genetic influences on hormone therapy and mental health
• The future of personalized medicine and integration into healthcare systems

Sound Bites

• "Your genes influence how you respond to medications"
• "Genetic testing can help reduce trial and error"
• "Feel empowered to take control of your health"

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Stacey D'Angelo and her background
• 02:02 Her journey from pharmacy owner to personalized health advocate
• 07:04 Understanding pharmacogenetics and how it influences drug response
• 14:59 The impact of genetic testing on mental health medications
• 24:02 Using genetic information to guide ADHD medication and dosing
• 32:54 Genetics and hormone therapy: what you need to know
• 40:02 Deprescribing: safely reducing and stopping medications
• 50:00 The future of personalized medicine and healthcare integration

Resources

Stacey’s website: https://www.simplehealthpharmacist.com/