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Depression (PDQ®)
Patient Version   Health Professional Version   En español   Last Modified: 05/01/2009
Table 4. Tyramine-Containing Foodsa

Class of Food and Beverage  Tyramine-Rich Foods and Beverages To Avoid  Acceptable Foods Containing Little or No Tyramine 
Meat, poultry, and fish Air-dried, aged, and fermented meats, sausages, and salamis (including cacciatore, hard salami, and mortadella); pickled herring; and any spoiled or improperly stored meat, poultry, and fish (e.g., foods that have undergone changes in color or odor or that have become moldy); spoiled or improperly stored animal livers Fresh meat, poultry, and fish, including fresh processed meats (e.g., lunch meats, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, and cooked sliced ham)
Vegetables Broad bean pods (fava bean pods) All other vegetables
Dairy Aged cheeses Processed cheeses, mozzarella, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt
Beverages All varieties of tap beer, and beers that have not been pasteurized so as to allow for ongoing fermentation As with other antidepressants, concomitant use of alcohol with selegiline is not recommended. (Bottled and canned beers and wines contain little or no tyramine.)
Miscellaneous Concentrated yeast extract (e.g., Marmite), sauerkraut, most soybean products (including soy sauce and tofu); OTC supplements containing tyramine Brewer’s yeast, baker’s yeast, soy milk, commercial chain-restaurant pizzas prepared with cheeses low in tyramine

OTC = over-the-counter.
aAdapted from the EMSAM Medication Guide.[44] The foods and beverages listed above should be avoided beginning on the first day of treatment with selegiline 9 mg/24 h or 12 mg/24 h and should continue to be avoided for 2 weeks after a dose reduction to 6 mg/24 h or following the discontinuation of selegiline 9 mg/24 h or 12 mg/24 h.

References

  1. Medication Guide: EMSAM. Princeton, NJ: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, 2006. Available online. Last accessed April 10, 2009. 


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