Lisag, thanks for raising such an important issue.
New drug prescribing technology available from Genelex, Labcorp, etc. -- P450 tests of drug metabolizing genes to determine if they are up or down regulated --may help. Some tests are cheek swab, at home , mail it in to the lab.
The 2C19, 1A2, 2D6, 2C9, 3A4,5,7 pathways metabolize the various HIV retrovirals.
Physicians can select drugs/doses depending on how a pathway is working; you may tolerate one drug better than another based on your genetics.
Insurance including Medicare is starting to cover P450 testing. As an aside, the FDA put a notice on the Coumidin label suggesting physicians do genetic testing before prescribing so they can determine the correct dose.
Infections are known to disrupt P450 enzymes.
Could chronic infections be causing the drug & chemical sensitivities seen in CFS/ME?
Would clearing an infection with antivirals cause drug & chemical sensitivities to disappear?
Maybe we're finally going to get answers to those questions with some drug trials.
P450 tests--something for patients with drug sensitivites to check out in the meantime.
Convenient for the homebound.
Gemini