In a recent post Dr Alexander referred to how people metabolize drugs with some of us being Poor metabolizers and therefore suffering many side effects. I would like to share my story on this. Back in 2002 I started trying to take hrt for menopause symptoms. Everything I took no matter how small the dose caused side effects severe enough to send me to the ER. No doctor understood this and some implied it was "in my mind." Well I saw an article about Poor metabolizers and I got tested. It is a recently developed gene test. And thanks to a defective copy of the gene from each of my parents, I have no enzyme 2d6. This is a pretty important enzyme in metabolizing many medications. I now wear a bracelet because if i am given certain drugs like codeine, I could die. So if you have a history of strong side effects to drugs you may be a poor metabolizer. And you might want to look into this. I had always known that I reacted to drugs so I stayed away from them when possible. I hope this is not off topic, but I think it is important especially when people were discussing anti-depressants in a recent post.
thanks EileenTM- a great example which highlights the individual differences in response to medications. For more info about this, see my website (www.drjamesalexander-psychologist.com), and find FAQ under the 'MORE' button- then go to the 'what is pharmacogenetic?' question.
Dr Alexander Liver Enzymes
Posted - 01/16/2013 : 20:37:53
