From: Lamont Granquist
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,alt.psychoactives
Subject: Re: MAO Inhibitors
Date: 2 Aug 1994 04:19:01 GMT
Message-ID: <31khfl$lh5@news.u.washington.edu>

[quoted text deleted -cak]

MAOIs -- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors.

They are antidepressants which are effictatious in the treatment of
atypical depression (vegitative symptoms, anxiety, initial insomnia,
etc), panic disorder, anxiety and (recently discovered) borderline
personality disorder.

MAO metabolizes serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.  By inhibiting
this, MAOIs increase levels of those neurotransmitters.  Phenelzine (Nardil)
and tranycypromine (Parnate) are the two popular MAOIs.  moclobemide
(Aurorex -- called something else in canada) is a recently introduced
MAOI which is slightly different and apparently not as effictatious, although
it eliminates the hazards associated with the earlier MAOIs.

Tyramine is an amino acid which is normally metabolized by MAO in the
gut.  After taking tranylcypromine or phenelzine (but not, apparently,
moclobemide) this MAO is inhibited and any dietary Tyramine will not be
metabolized and will cause an increase in tyramine levels in blood.  This
is bad due to tyramine's effect on norepinephrine and leads to a 
hypertensive crisis.  Blood pressure goes up to 180+ over something,
heartbeat goes to well over 100 bpm, and people who suffer one of these
typically report getting the most painful headache of their lives.  Sometimes
a Ca-blocker like nifedipine is prescribed for the user of the MAOI to
take to combat this effect should it occur.  

Tyramine is in cheese, wines, and anything aged or fermented.  Also,
symptathomimetic drugs (MDMA, amphetamines, OTC cold meds like ephedrine,
dextromethorphan, etc) can cause a hypertensive crisis.

MDMDA, LSD, EtOH, chocolate, yohimbine, etc, etc, etc are *not* MAOIs.  At
least they are not MAOIs in any way which would be useful to discuss in
this context without giving a thesis that i really don't feel like writing
tonight...  For the purposes of 99.9% of the people reading this message,
and based on the description i've givin above of MAOIs, they are not MAOIs.
These are the chemicals to avoid when you are on a MAOI.  People have
a tendency to confuse these two categories.

-- 
Lamont Granquist 
"And then the alien anthropologists - Admitted they were still perplexed - But
on eliminating every other reason - For our sad demise - They logged the only
explanation left - This species has amused itself to death" -- Roger Waters

=============================================================================

Newsgroups: alt.drugs,alt.psychoactives
From: Nicholas Saunders 
Subject: Re: MEO Inhibitors
Message-ID: 
Date: Wed, 3 Aug 1994 08:11:25 GMT

Just a note to add to the very clear explanation from Lamont Granquist.
Some drugs such as the South American tribespeople's Ayahuasca or Yage
contain a mixture of two plants, one containing DMT and the other the
inhibitor which prevents the DMT from being metabolised. So, for the
reasons given by Lamont, it could be dangerous to mix Ayahuasca with
MDMA. And I have heard that seesions involving just that mixture have
been on offer in California.
еееееееееееееееееее
Nicholas Saunders
(nicholas@neals.demon.co.uk)
Author, _E_for_Ecstasy_  ftp://ftp.hmc.edu/pub/drugs/mdma/e.is.4.x.*
Read/Search it for information on Ecstasy (MDMA), inc Alexander Shulgin's
Bibliography.  Updated 1994, please send me any new information.

=============================================================================

From kupec@husc4 Tue Mar  8 08:43:54 1994
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 08:32:47 -0500 (EST)
From: christopher kupec 
To: kupec@husc
Subject: MAO Inhibitors

This is something I got from a nutritionist at the local student health 
center, which answers some of the questions one might have about MAO 
-inhibitors.
Since I don't know the book this comes from, it's of course being 
presented without the author's permission. Sorry :-)
--Chris	(kupec@husc.harvard.edu)

 Low-Tyramine Diet
Purpose: To prevent the onset of adverse reactions such as severe headaches,
tachycardia, and hypertensive attacks by persons receiving monoamine 
oxidase (MAO) therapy and consuming foods high in tyramine content.
Use: This diet is used to assist counseling of persons receiving 
monoamine oxidase (MAO)inhibitors for treatment of anxiety and 
depression.  Foods containing small amounts of tyramine
(< 6 mg) can cause a mild crisis, while consumption of foods high in 
tyramine (10-25 mg) can produce severe headaches with intracranial 
hemorrhage and acute hypertensive attacks.
The foods listed with moderate to low tyramine content should be used 
with caution in limited amounts that do not exceed 5 mg.
Related Physiology: Tyramine is an amino acid that is formed by the 
decarboxylation of tyrosine, which occurs during the process of 
fermentation, aging, spoiling, or pickling of food.
Under normal circumstances, the enzyme MAO (monoamine oxidase) 
inactivates tyramine,preventing the release of excess norepinephrine.  In 
the presence of MAO inhibitors, tyramine is activated, causing 
norepinephrine to be released from nerve endings. Hypertensive reactions
and other side effects may occur due to excess release of norepinephrine.

Foods High in Tyramine  (to be avoided) :
All aged/mature cheese
	(exception: cottage cheese, cream cheese)
Dry and fermented sausage
	(bologna, salami, pepperoni, corned beef, and liver)
Pickled herring and salted dried fish
Broad beans and pods
	(lima, fava beans, lentils, snow peas, and soy beans)
Meat extracts
Yeast extracts/brewer's yeast
Beer and Ale
Red wine
	(chianti, burgundy, sherry, vermouth)
Sauerkraut
Banana Peel

Foods Moderate to Low in Tyramine:
	(to be used in limited amounts, i.e., 1/2 cup, 4 oz. or less)
Fruits
	(bananas, avacados, canned figs, raisins, red plums, raspberries)
Cultured dairy products
	(buttermilk, yogurt, and sour cream)
Chocolate
Caffeine
	(coffee, tea, and cola drinks)
White wine, port wines
Distilled Spirits
Soy sauce
Peanuts