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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by sixdollardress on December 8, 2009, at 13:42:05
Hey everyone - I'm new here, but I've been reading these forums for a while now. :)
I was just wondering - I usually reside in Australia, but I'm visiting relatives in the USA for the holidays this year. When I'm Stateside, I always enjoy the novelty of eating such vile things as Taco Bell. However, this year I started taking 40mg/Day Parnate - and...well, the cheese thing. However, I've read that eating "fake" cheese, like Velveeta and nacho cheese stuff, is okay because there's no true aging involved in the process of making it. I've never run into fake cheese, down under, and I guess I was wondering if this was true or false? Does anyone have any experience in eating this stuff on the drug?
Also, as an aside, I was wondering if anyone had any info regarding Parnate and white wine. My family here don't really get the food restriction stuff, and keep pressuring me to have a glass of wine with them. I finally gave in and sloowly sipped a half-glass of this-year white chardonnay over an evening, thinking that if they had to drive me to the ER as a result, at least it would hammer in the seriousness of all this. However, it seemed to go down okay - in spite of what my doctor told me, re: wine. However, I'm worried that if I do this too often, I'm going to get some kind of systemic build up of tyramine and have a hypertensive crisis out of nowhere - rationally, I know this may be unlikely, but anyone who could offer some advice would be loved and adulated. :)
Thank you so much for any help you can give.
Posted by emmanuel98 on December 8, 2009, at 18:17:27
In reply to Parnate - 'Fake' Cheese, and other dietary stuff., posted by sixdollardress on December 8, 2009, at 13:42:05
"Cheese food" as it's called is fine to eat with MAOIs. I eat American cheese all the time and also mozzerella, which is used for pizza. Niether of these is aged. I also sometimes put a little bit of parmesan on pasta, which is supposed to be a no-no, but I've had no ill effects.
White wine is fine. I drink it several times a week with dinner. Most red wines are out though.
Remember, these food interactions are tendencies not certainties. You're probably not going to end up in the hospital because of a half an ounce of brie or pepperoni.
Posted by Nadezda on December 9, 2009, at 14:22:29
In reply to Parnate - 'Fake' Cheese, and other dietary stuff., posted by sixdollardress on December 8, 2009, at 13:42:05
One thing is, everyone differs in how much of what they can take, so on questionable substances, the best rule is either to avoid them, or, if not, to sample small amounts and see how you respond. Keep in mind though that Mao doesn't replace itself for about two weeks, so you can try a little and be okay, whereas a lot may eventually cross the threshold of your available mao, and cause a reaction.
About fake cheeses, a very reliable resource I have says that processed cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, etc are okay, and aged cheeses are not; pizza in commercial chain restaurants (which usually uses cheeses low in tyramine) are also okay. I don't know what's in velveeta, but it's as processed as you can get, so I'd say it's okay. I also used to eat this cheese wedge thing by Brown Cow, that you can get in supermarkets, that's really disgusting, but sort of good -- if you like that stuff-- and it's definitely okay. It's sort of velveeta-ish.
My pdoc said that certain red wines are a problem, and but even many red wines are okay. I did get a bit of a reaction to some red wine, so I was careful not to have it again-- but he also said I could experiment, within reason. Of course, you have to be very, very sparing and cautious if you go the experimental route.
There are some lists of problematic foods on pbabble somewhere-- but often these lists are over-inclusive. The key is whether something is aged, or not-- it's something about the chemistry of aging of foods that's a problem. That's why even normally safe foods are dangerous if they're spoiled or rotten.
Hope this helps.
Nadezda
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