TV commercials, OTC medication labels, and even supplements almost universally say that they cannot be taken in combination with an MAOI. Even basic cold medications, decongestants, advil, and tylenol have this warning.
I’m sure there’s justification for everything, but it seems bizarre to me that something with such high interactivity would be taken by anyone. Would being on an MAOI prevent someone from receiving life saving medication in an emergency?
What is it about this class of medication that makes it need to be taken so exclusively? I’ve never heard of anything else remotely like it.
In: Biology
MAOI stands for Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor, and Monoamine Oxidase breaks down many chemicals in your body. When you inhibit it, it is very easy for these substances to reach toxic levels. In particular, the most dangerous ones can cause your blood pressure to spike to lethal levels when combined with certain foods or medications.
It seems strange to take such a dangerous medication because it is, MAOIs are one of the last medications we turn to for anti-depressive effects these days specifically because they are so dangerous. Unfortunately everyone needs a different combination or type of med to combat depression effectively and for some people, an MAOI is the only thing that works. It’s better to be at risk of a hypertensive crisis than dead by suicide.
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