Do you want some Cheese with that MAOI?

In this past century, neuroscientist have discovered many details involved in psychiatric and neurological disorders. They have also worked hard at developing pharmacological options with mechanisms that effectively cause “antidepressive” feeling in patient suffering disorders like depression and anxiety.  We have all heard about these drugs: the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), tricyclics (TCAs), and the designer drugs like Prozac.  One other drug, the monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOIs, will be the topic of this post.

One of the interesting facts about MAOIs is that although they are generally as effective as SSRIs and TCAs, they are used less frequently because of adverse reactions when mixed with certain foods containing tyramine.  Tyramine is a naturally occurring monoamine compound that acts as a catecholamine. As you may have guessed from the title of this post, this amino acid is found in cheese.

MAOIs act by inhibiting the activity of monoamine oxidase, thus preventing the breakdown of monoamine neurotransmitters and thereby increasing their availability.  When you combine the endogenous levels of increased monoamines with amino acids found in certain foods, you can quickly cause an overload of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin known as the “Cheese Effect.”

This can cause a storm of problems resulting in migraines and high blood pressure, just to name a few.  In the worst case scenario, a hypertensive crisis occurs that results in a hemorrhagic stroke. Ouch!

So tell me, how about it ... Do you want some cheese with that?