Pharmacist assessment of drug-gene interactions and drug-induced phenoconversion in major depressive disorder: a case report

BACKGROUND: Response to antidepressant therapy is highly variable among individuals. Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing presents an opportunity to guide drug selection while optimizing therapy outcomes and/or decreasing the risk for toxicity. CASE PRESENTATION: A patient with multiple comorbidities, including severe major depressive disorder (MDD), experienced adverse drug events and undesirable response to multiple antidepressant medications (i.e., bupropion, escitalopram, and venlafaxine). A clinical pharmacist assessed significant drug-gene, drug-drug, and drug-drug-gene interactions as well as other clinical factors to provide recommendations for antidepressant therapy optimization. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of PGx testing and the key role of pharmacists in identifying and mitigating drug-related problems and optimizing drug therapy in patients with MDD. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-021-03659-4.