Catechol-O-Methyltransferase
COMT inactivates the brain's catecholamines — dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine — especially in the prefrontal cortex. A very common variant (Val158Met, rs4680) reduces enzyme activity about three- to four-fold. Met/Met carriers maintain higher prefrontal dopamine, which has been linked, with varying effect size, to differences in stress response, working memory, and pain sensitivity.
Gene2Rx reports your COMT genotype across 2 named alleles, built from 1 variant curated by PharmVar.
COMT alleles are named by the underlying DNA variant rather than a star number — for example c.61C>T describes a single base change at position 61 of the coding sequence.
You inherit one allele from each parent, and the pair determines whether your COMT activity is normal, decreased, or absent.
PharmVar is the international registry that curates these names. Gene2Rx tests every variant needed to call each cataloged COMT allele.
Gene2Rx covers 3 medications with published pharmacogenetic guidance for COMT, drawn from CPIC and FDA sources. Each drug links to its full pharmacogenetics page.
This page lists drugs affected by COMT. A Gene2Rx report tells you which metabolizer group you fall into, and what that means for every medication on this list.
Get your report Look up a medicationInformational only, not medical advice. The presence of a COMT pharmacogenetic guideline does not mean every patient needs to change their dose. Never start, stop, or change a medication without talking to your prescribing clinician.