Understanding Your Medication Safety Report

Your Medication Safety Report from DecodeMyBio contains pharmacogenomic information that can help you and your healthcare provider make more informed medication decisions. Here's how to read and interpret each section of the report.

Gene Summary Section

For each pharmacogene analyzed, the report shows:

• Gene name — The pharmacogene (e.g., CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2C9).
• Diplotype — Your two star alleles (e.g., *1/*2). This represents the specific allele combination you carry.
• Metabolizer phenotype — The functional translation of your diplotype (e.g., Intermediate Metabolizer).

Drug-Gene Interactions

When your metabolizer phenotype has clinical implications for specific medications, the report lists each affected drug with:

• The medication name and drug class
• A summary of the clinical implication based on your phenotype
• The CPIC evidence level (A or B) and guideline reference

Only interactions with CPIC Level A (strong evidence) or Level B (moderate evidence) are included. This means every interaction in your report has substantial clinical backing.

What "Actionable" Means

An actionable finding means that clinical guidelines recommend considering a change to standard prescribing for that drug based on your genotype. This could mean:

• Using an alternative drug that is not affected by the gene
• Adjusting the dose up or down from the standard starting dose
• Monitoring more closely for side effects or lack of efficacy

Importantly, an actionable finding does not mean you must stop taking a medication. It means there is genetic information worth discussing with your prescriber.

Normal Metabolizer Results

If your result for a gene is "Normal Metabolizer," this means your genotype predicts standard enzyme function. Standard drug dosing guidelines apply, and there are no genotype-based adjustments recommended. This is still valuable information — it confirms that your genetics are not a likely factor in adverse effects for drugs metabolized by that enzyme.

Sharing with Your Doctor

The report is designed to be shared with your healthcare provider. When discussing your results:

• Bring the PDF export to your appointment or share it electronically.
• Focus on any actionable findings and the specific medications listed.
• Let your provider interpret the results in the context of your full medical history, current medications, and other relevant factors.
• Do not make medication changes on your own based solely on the report.

What the Report Does Not Cover

Your Medication Safety Report reflects pharmacogenomic information from your DNA only. It does not account for:

• Drug-drug interactions from your current medication regimen
• Phenoconversion (when other drugs alter your effective metabolizer status)
• Non-genetic factors like age, weight, organ function, diet, and smoking
• Rare or novel genetic variants not covered by your DNA testing array

For a complete picture, pharmacogenomic information should always be combined with clinical judgment. See our Limitations page for more details.

Get Your Medication Safety Report

Ready to understand your pharmacogenomic profile? Upload your DNA raw data to get your personalized Medication Safety Report — including results for genes like the CYP2C19 gene and the CYP2D6 gene, and drug-gene interactions for medications like clopidogrel and warfarin.