Posted by bobbiedobbs on October 10, 2009, at 21:09:09
In reply to new to MAOIs lots of food ?'s, posted by yah-yah on October 10, 2009, at 9:08:56
Sara:
I'll start with my own experience. Have been on and off MAOIs for some 30 years, have had parm, romano and mozzarella - fresh and non-fresh, countless times with not a blip of a reaction. My Nardil levels typically have been 30-45 mg, Parnate 10-30 mg.
Fresh (non-aged) cheese is definately NOT a problem. Parm is kind of an enigma; I'd have to go back and check the studies (see below) on that one. I think it falls in the category of sauerkraut - potentially troublesome but no documented reactions. There are theories why as to the sauerkaut.
Most of the so-called dietary restrictions are, to put in respectfully, old wives tales based on faulty science. I'd go by contemporary studies (read 1990's and later), which not only found negligible levels of tyramine in most of the forbidden foods but no validity to the literature on which the restrictions were based (in most cases). That said, AGED cheeses definitely are a no no - the problem is determining what is aged. Commercial pizzas with mozz and pepperoni and sausage have been vetted (as has all alcohol except beer directly from the tap and microbrew)
Among the foods which merit absolutely no concern are all other liquors (up to reasonable limits, e.g. four canned or bottled "commercial" beers, maybe two glasses of red or white wine daily) chocolate, bananas, yogurt, raspberries, etc. etc. Be particularly careful to avoid decongestants.
The only reactions I've had in my 30 years were from a decongestant and from anchovie paste.
I'd suggest you search through the various nardil/MAOI threads to find the more current studies. Most have been out of the Univ of Toronto. You can try searching on my user name, bobbiedobbs. If you can't find anything let me know and I can either send you something electronically or in print, or provide contacts.
The dietary restrictions unfortunately scare people who could really benefit from these medications.Good luck to you! Phil
poster:bobbiedobbs
thread:75408
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091001/msgs/920441.html