MAOIs are used to treat depression Monoamine oxydase inhibitors or MAOIs are antidepressants used to treat conditions like depression, insomnia (inability to sleep), panic disorders and anxiety. They work by inhibiting or reducing the levels of monoaomine oxydase or MAO. This in turn increases the levels of 'feel-good' neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, by preventing their breakdown in the brain.
MAOIs can be dangerous if taken with certain foods and drugs. Because MAOIs stop MAO, they also help build up other chemicals, such as tyramine, found chiefly in the gut to help digest food. Tyramine is found in cheese, pickled herrings, fermented soya products such as Marmite and Bovril, bean curd, broad bean pods, red wines, and anything aged or fermented, such as soups.
When foods containing high levels of tyramine are eaten, the build up can bring on severe headaches, high blood pressure, increased heart rate and even heart attacks. Users therefore have to be careful about what they eat when prescribed these drugs.
Drugs like ecstasy, amphetamines, SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, clomipramine (Anafranil) and OTC cold or cough medicines containing ephedrine and dextromethorphan, if taken with MAOIs, can also cause very high blood pressure, blackouts and vomiting.
There are three types of MAOIs, phenelzine, sold as Nardil, isocarboxazid and tranylcypromine, sold as Parnate. A third is moclobemide, a reversible MAOI, which acts by reversing inhibition. Moclobemide is less likely to cause tyramine problems, though its effects on mood are not as pronounced.
The drugs' effects can last up to two weeks after stopping the drug. Users should avoid stopping the drug abruptly. There is little evidence that these drugs are used recreationally though they can be used for long periods on prescription to prevent depression-like ailments.
