Posted by Larry Hoover on September 28, 2004, at 8:07:26
In reply to MAOI diet » Larry Hoover, posted by Ilene on September 26, 2004, at 22:48:57
> When I started taking an MAOI I was worried about the diet, but the more I read, the less worried I got. The most authoritative sources reported the fewest food restrictions.
>
> What relaxed me was learning that 80% of reactions are due to aged cheese. I eat fresh but not aged cheese--I won't eat aged cheese under any circumstances, even though I used to eat it every day. I'm not going to worry about a food that was reported to trigger a reaction back in 1963.
>
> I've cautiously added certain foods. For example, I didn't eat soy sauce. Later I started adding small amounts to a recipe. Now I eat any amount I want. I use Kikkoman at home because it tests low in tyramine content, but I eat in Chinese and Japanese restaurants with no problem.
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> I wear a medical alert necklace and carry nifedipine as backup.
>
> I think MAOIs are underprescribed. I'm finally on a med regimen that works, after trying about a dozen drugs. I think too many people, doctors as well as patients, are turned off by the perception of onerous food restrictions.I agree 100%. I also fully support your decisions, as you carry both a medical alert medallion (necklace or bracelet) and emergency drug supply. No different than someone with a severe allergy to peanuts with a similar warning device and an Epipen.
I didn't realize, when I first posted, how flawed the "general wisdom" actually was. I'm glad that reanalyses of foods have occurred. A big part of my work is analytical chemistry, and modern equipment makes equipment from 20 years ago look like it came from the stone age, the changes are so dramatic.
The only warning that I might add is more general. You don't know how the food you eat has been handled after it was produced. Safe foods can be contaminated by bacteria, and become unsafe. High protein foods are most likely to lead to tyramine contamination. That's why cheese, soy products, and meats are so prominent in the lists of foods of concern.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:394544
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040927/msgs/396190.html