Medication Metabolism
The enzyme family that processes roughly half of all prescription drugs. Your version determines whether standard doses work perfectly, cause side effects, or barely register. This prevents the trial-and-error prescribing that leaves people cycling through medications, wondering why nothing works right.
What this measures
How your DNA shapes medication metabolism.
The CYP450 enzyme family — particularly CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP3A4 — handles the clearance of roughly half of all commonly prescribed medications. Each enzyme has its own variant set and its own phenotypic spectrum from "poor" to "ultrarapid" metabolizer. The combination across enzymes shapes an individual's overall pharmacogenomic profile.
Carriers of CYP2C19 reduced-activity variants are associated with poor activation of clopidogrel (Plavix) and longer exposure to PPIs and certain antidepressants. CYP2D6 phenotype shifts response to opioids, beta-blockers, and many psychiatric medications. CYP2C9 variants shape warfarin dosing alongside VKORC1. Each variant is consequential; the combination is more so.
Drug-drug interactions through these enzymes are extensive and often unpredictable without knowing the genotype. Grapefruit juice, St. John's wort, smoking, and many over-the-counter supplements all shift CYP activity. Liver function, age, and acute illness produce further variability.
The "this medication didn't work for me" or "I had a strong reaction at a low dose" pattern often tracks to a CYP variant the prescriber didn't have visibility into. Which combination you carry is information worth providing to clinicians — particularly before starting any psychiatric medication, anticoagulant, or anti-platelet drug.
Medication Metabolism is one specific finding in this system. Your Genomic Lifestyle Optimization Report shows where your variants place you on the detoxification pathways spectrum — and what you can do about it: it renders as a dark card with a color marker calibrated to your variants, opening with the gene mechanism and closing with a practical, mechanism-led recommendation.
Want to see what a real Mosaic dark card looks like? Walk through a sample report →
In context
Phase I: the 4-insight cluster.
Medication Metabolism is one finding in a tightly-related cluster. Mosaic sequences the other 3 alongside it so you see the whole biology — not an isolated data point.
Questions people ask
About Medication Metabolism.
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