Posted by King Vultan on December 25, 2004, at 10:51:43
In reply to I need a change and I need some guidance please, posted by Michael Bell on December 23, 2004, at 20:53:38
I've been on both Nardil and Parnate and think the risks of a hypertensive crisis are nil if you avoid the foods that have a genuine risk of containing tyramine, such as cheddar cheese, tap beer, and sauerkraut, and the prohibited drugs, such as most of the decongestants. The key is to become aware of which foods actually pose a risk versus which ones do not. Some of the lists I've seen contain large numbers of bogus items; for instance, wine, chocolate, and yogurt are all generally okay with MAOIs, as long as they're consumed in moderation. I carry 2 x 10 mg nifedipine, a powerful calcium channel blocker, in case I suffer a hypertensive crisis, but it is more for peace of mind. I really do not expect to ever have to use it. My experience has been that once I got going on the MAOIs, I realized that the hysteria surrounding the food restrictions is vastly overblown, and it's really not that big a deal to avoid the few foods that are truly problematic.
Todd
poster:King Vultan
thread:433578
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041223/msgs/433995.html