Can You Eat Cheese With MAOI?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can you eat cheese with MAOI? What drugs interact with MAOIs? MAO inhibitors should be avoided with other antidepressants such as paroxetine fluoxetine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, bupropion; pain medications like methadone, tramadol, and meperidine; dextromethorphan, St. Johns Wort, cyclobenzaprine, and mirtazapine.

What can you not take with MAOI?

What drugs interact with MAOIs? MAO inhibitors should be avoided with other antidepressants such as paroxetine fluoxetine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, bupropion; pain medications like methadone, tramadol, and meperidine; dextromethorphan, St. Johns Wort, cyclobenzaprine, and mirtazapine.

What is the cheese effect MAOI?

An acute attack of hypertension that can occur in a person taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) drug who eats cheese, caused by an interaction of the MAOI with tyramine, formed in ripe cheese when bacteria provide an enzyme that reacts with the amino acid tyrosine in the cheese.

Is cheese high in tyramine?

Aged Cheeses


Types of cheese that undergo an aging process will be high in tyramine

. These cheeses include cheddar, blue, swiss, parmesan, feta, and Camembert. A study found that aged cheese contains a compound known as spermidine which can help prevent liver damage.

What foods to avoid while taking antidepressants?


Chocolate, red wine, and antidepressants

.

Along with many beers, aged cheeses, processed meats, and smoked fish, chocolate and red wine contain an amino acid derivative called tyramine. Mixing tyramine with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as selegiline and phenelzine can cause unsafe spikes in blood pressure.

Can you eat chocolate with MAOI?


It is safe to eat chocolate

. While taking MAOIs it is even more important than usual to eat food which is as fresh as possible and to handle food safely.

What is cheese reaction?

The tyramine-induced MAOI reaction also known as the “cheese reaction” is

a well-documented reaction that occurs in patients taking MAOI after they consume food with high tyramine content such as aged cheese, soy sauce, fava beans, and large amount of red wine

.

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How much tyramine is in cheddar cheese?

Extra-sharp, sharp, and medium Cheddar cheese samples con- tained average tyramine values of

0.27, 0.21, and 0.24 mg/g

, respectively. Average tyramine contents were lower in mild and processed Cheddar (0.09 and 0.11 mg/g, respectively). The highest Cheddar cheese tyramine content was 0.7 mg/g.

What foods do not contain tyramine?

  • grains, including pasta, bread, cereal, and rice.
  • non-aged packaged or luncheon meats (except for salami and other aged or cured meats)
  • non-fermented or pasteurized dairy, such as milk.
  • non-fermented or pasteurized cheeses, such as cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese.

What drugs cause cheese allergy?

… “cheese reaction” occurs when food and alcoholic beverages containing

t yramine

and other indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines are consumed along with MAOIs.

What cheese does not contain tyramine?

Strong or aged cheeses, such as aged cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan; blue cheeses such as Stilton and Gorgonzola; and Camembert.

Cheeses made from pasteurized milk

are less likely to contain high levels of tyramine — for example, American cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, farmer cheese and cream cheese.

Does mozzarella cheese have tyramine?


Mozzarella and provolone are considered lower in tyramine

. The cheeses with a higher tyramine content are cheddar, stilton, camembert, Swiss and blue (and the more aged the cheese, the higher the tyramine).

What cheese is OK for migraines?

Migraine sufferers should stick to fresh cheeses, like

mild cheddar, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, American cheese, Colby and Monterey Jack

. Aged cheeses, like Parmesan, Asiago, Mozzarella and sharp cheddar contain tyramine, an amino acid that can trigger headaches.

Does dairy interfere with antidepressants?


Dairy foods can interfere with absorption

. Thus, you won’t get the benefits of the meds you’re taking! IF you are taking cholesterol-lowering meds, blood thinners, blood pressure drugs, tranquilizers, or antidepressants. Enzymes in our digestive system destroy meds to a certain degree.

What oral medication should not be taken with dairy products?

  • certain antibiotics (e.g., tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin)
  • certain medications used to treat osteoporosis (e.g., alendronate, etidronate, risedronate)

What should I eat when taking antidepressants?

  • Whole grains (5-8 servings per day)
  • Vegetables (6 servings per day)
  • Fruit (3 servings per day)
  • Legumes (3-4 servings per week)
  • Low-fat, unsweetened dairy (2-3 servings per day)
  • Raw and unsalted nuts (1 servings per day)
  • Fish (at least 2 servings per week)
  • Lean red meats (3-4 per week)

Can you eat cheese with citalopram?

Tyramine Rich Food Products: Interaction between citalopram and tyramine-rich foods like cheese, milk, beef, chicken liver, meat extract, avocados, bananas, canned figs, soy beans and excess chocolate can result in sudden and dangerous increase in blood pressure.

What should you eat when taking medicine with food?

To reduce side effects of stomach irritation, including indigestion, stomach inflammation or ulcers. Some medicines can irritate the stomach, and taking them with food will reduce this effect. Things such as

biscuits or a sandwich, or a glass of milk

, are usually enough.

What happens if you eat chocolate while taking metronidazole?

Alcohol, avocados, bananas, chocolate, salami

Alcohol and metronidazole together could cause

nausea, stomach cramping, and vomiting

.

How do you neutralize tyramine?

  1. Choose fresh meats, poultry, or fish. …
  2. Tyramine levels go up when foods are at room temperature. …
  3. Eat fresh produce within 2 days.
  4. Don’t eat leftovers you’ve kept in the refrigerator for more than a day or two.
  5. Toss spoiled, moldy, or overripe foods.

Does yogurt have tyramine?

Foods such as yogurt, buttermilk and sour cream are

somewhat low in tyramine

, so you can consume them in limited amounts. Restrict your consumption of these items to 1/2 cup per day.

What is a tyramine reaction?

Tyramine is a vasoactive amine that

promotes blood pressure elevation, resulting in pain

. Tyramine leads to cerebral vasoconstriction and subsequent rebound vasodilatation that causes a migraine attack in susceptible persons. Episodes can be accompanied by nausea and visual abnormalities.

Does pepper jack cheese have tyramine?

Young Monterey Jack is somewhat perishable, and should be eaten within a few weeks of purchasing. There is an aged variety of Monterey Jack called Dry Jack that has a longer shelf life.

Monterey Jack has lower levels of tyramine

, a compound in many cheeses that is associated with headaches, than most cheeses.

Is banana high in tyramine?

But

significant amounts of tyramine are also found in bananas

(especially overripe ones because the tyramine becomes higher as the fruit ages), avocados, onions, chocolate and, you guessed it, alcohol. The more tyramine-rich foods you consume, the worse your pain may be.

Is chocolate high in tyramine?


Chocolate has only small amounts of tyramine

but does contain dopamine and serotonin – two biochemicals much more likely to have a positive rather than negative effect on migraine

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Does goats cheese contain tyramine?

storage day,

the tyramine content was higher in the fermented goat’s milk than in the fermented cow’s milk

, reaching the levels of 337.11 and 249.55 mg kg À1 , respectively.

Why does cheese give me a headache?

If eating cheese makes your head hurt, it’s likely an aged-type like Swiss, Parmesan, Brie or cheddar.

Aged cheeses are high in tyramine, a natural chemical found in some foods. Tyramine can cause headaches by constricting and dilating blood vessels

.

Does avocado have tyramine?


Avocados are a source of the amino acid tyrosine, which naturally breaks down into tyramine in the body

. The tyramine in avocado is linked with causing migraine headaches, as tyramine in high levels can trigger headaches and elevate blood pressure, studies show.

How do I raise my MAO enzyme levels?

What is a MAOI drug list?

  • Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
  • Phenelzine (Nardil)
  • Selegiline (Emsam)
  • Tranylcypromine (Parnate)

How do you know you’re allergic to cheese?

Skin prick test: A small drop of liquid containing the dairy allergen is placed under your skin on your forearm or back.

If a raised bump surrounded by itchy red skin appears, a dairy allergy is likely

.

Is canned tuna high in tyramine?

Does white chocolate contain tyramine?



White chocolate is produced with powdered milk which introduces biogenic amines like tyramine and phenylethylamine

; however, it is generally a better choice than milk and dark chocolates, since it does not use cocoa powder in its production.

Do blueberries contain tyramine?

Recommended Blueberries


Fresh, frozen and canned blueberries are low in tyramine

and are allowed for people on a low-tyramine diet.

Does peanut butter have tyramine?

Peanut butter is one of the worst foods for migraines because

it contains an amino acid known as tyramine

, which is found in many aged or other high protein foods.

Does Turkey have tyramine?

Because among other foods,

you can find tyramine in turkey

. Not to worry, though. If you do suffer from tyramine headaches, you can do something to reduce tyramine in your diet.

James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.