Posted by Elizabeth on June 3, 2001, at 21:18:38
In reply to Re: MAOIs, posted by SLS on June 2, 2001, at 17:07:13
> *** including those with double pepperoni ***
Yup. It's bizarre. I think it's because the pepperoni on pizzas from chain restaurants is so, you know, lame. < g > There were also other factors that might have contributed in your case.
> Here is a good example of how elusive this whole MAOI diet thing is.
It is elusive. That's why you have to consider *both* measured tyramine content in foods and well-documented case reports. (And be careful not to get all worked up over badly-documented case reports!)
> I suffered a robust MAOI-food reaction when I accidentally ate one and one-half (1½) thin slices of pepperoni at the end of a slice of pizza. I was taking Parnate 60mg combined with desipramine 125mg at the time.
Some thoughts:
* Where did the pizza slice come from?
* Parnate potentiates tyramine at clinically used doses to a much greater degree than other MAOIs, and 60 mg is a fairly high dose.
* Although MAOI-TCA combinations are generally safe (exception: clomipramine), desipramine is a pretty selective NE reuptake inhibitor, and 125 mg is within the therapeutic dose range (for normal metabolisers) even by itself
* Although by your description you clearly had an elevation in blood pressure, it's not known how high your blood pressure got. Different people have different levels of sensitivity to BP elevation.So there were multiple contributing factors, and we don't know how bad the reaction was (although I'm assuming you didn't suffer any major hemorrhaging).
> I used the term "MAOI-food reaction" because it might not have been dependent exclusively upon tyramine.
You're right. There are other biogenic amines that have pressor effects. Fava bean pods, for example, contain DOPA, a direct precursor to dopamine. It's possible that other amines, such as putrescine and cadaverine (I swear I didn't make those names up!), occur in certain meats in the presence of certain bacteria.
BTW, does anyone know of *any* MAOI-associated reaction to a mozzerella cheese pizza (no meats or other cheeses)? I don't.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:64764
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010530/msgs/65296.html