{"id":7696,"date":"2025-12-30T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7696"},"modified":"2025-12-30T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T15:30:00","slug":"matters-of-the-heart-a-pharmacogenomics-pgx-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7696","title":{"rendered":"Matters of the heart: A pharmacogenomics (PGx) success story"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-12-30T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Veteran\u2019s journey to better health with personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics <\/h2>\n<p>For years, Army Veteran Dariton Robinson had a big problem: high cholesterol.<\/p>\n<p>He tried everything his doctors suggested. He took different pills\u2014like pravastatin, atorvastatin and rosuvastatin\u2014but each one came with frustrating side effects. He experienced muscle pain and a fluttering heartbeat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing ever seemed to work right,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was starting to think maybe this was just how it had to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But his luck changed when he met Dr. Paula Newberry, a specialist and Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP). Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners are health care professionals who provide direct patient care, medication therapy management and patient counseling. They work closely with patients to optimize medication therapy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The power of personalized medicine<\/h2>\n<p>In VA health care, an exciting change is happening: a shift to personalized medicine. This means providers now have a tool they can use to better tailor medications for patients.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Newberry introduced Robinson to a powerful, cutting-edge tool: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/142488\/va-expands-precision-medicine-pharmacogenomics\/\">Pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is PGx? It\u2019s a special test that analyzes how a person\u2019s genes affect the way their body processes medications. Think of it as a roadmap that shows which drugs will work best and which ones might cause bad side effects.<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Newberry recently completed VA training on adding PGx testing to her practice. She was eager to use her new skill to help the Veteran.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cShe explained that this test could help us understand how my body reacts to statins,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just trial and error anymore. The plan would be more personalized to me.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A tailored success story<\/h2>\n<p>The test results were a game-changer.<\/p>\n<p>With the new genetic information, Dr. Newberry was able to carefully adjust his treatment plan, choosing a regimen that was personalized to how his body metabolizes medications.<\/p>\n<p>Robinson is now doing well. His cholesterol numbers have never been better, and he feels great.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI finally feel like we\u2019re on the right track,\u201d he shared. \u201cMy cholesterol levels have improved, and I am within my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This Veteran\u2019s success story shows how dedicated VA is to delivering precision health care. By using pharmacogenomics, VA health care providers are tailoring treatments to each Veteran\u2019s unique genetic makeup, reducing adverse drug reactions and improving outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>Because when it comes to your health,\u00a0personalized care isn\u2019t just better\u2014it\u2019s the care you deserve.<\/p>\n<p>Note: Managing chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol can feel overwhelming, but you don\u2019t have to do it alone. Ask your primary care team how you can partner with a clinical pharmacy practitioner on your journey to take charge of your health.<\/p>\n<p>Your health is a team effort and you\u2019re the most important member of the team.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/144240\/matters-of-heart-pharmacogenomics-pgx-success\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover how personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics testing helped Army Veteran Dariton Robinson manage his high cholesterol with fewer side effects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-veteran-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Matters of the heart: A pharmacogenomics (PGx) success story - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics testing helped Army Veteran Dariton Robinson manage his high cholesterol with fewer side effects.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7696\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matters of the heart: A pharmacogenomics (PGx) success story - 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