Foods to avoid when taking methylphenidate

[Melody Martin]

My 11 year old son was diagnosed ADHD at age 7 and has been using
ritalin for the past 3 years. Just in the last month or two I have come
across a medical reference book listing a number of foods which should
be avoided when taking this medication. Apparently all the foods
mentioned have a chemical called tyramine which increases blood pressure
(excessively when ritalin is also present). The list of foods include:
aged cheeses of all kinds (cottage, cream and processed ok); avocado;
banana skins; bean curd; bologna; "bovril" extract; broad bean pods;
chicken liver (unless fresh and used at once); chocolate; figs, canned;
fish, canned; fish, dried and salted; herring, pickled; liver, if not
very fresh; "marmite" extract; meat extracts; meat tenderizers;
pepperoni; raisins; raspberries; salami; shrimp paste; sour cream; soy
sauce; yeast extracts; beer (unpasteurized); chianti wine; sherry wine;
vermouth.

Since I did not get this information from our doctor, I can only assume
at this point that this information is not well distributed. Hope it
helps.

Melody Martin

[UgDugSmug]

In article <s7d7mil...@garner.cs.indiana.edu>, jo...@garner.cs.indiana.edu (John B. Zuckerman) writes:

> Melody Martin <mart...@cyberspc.mb.ca> writes:
>
>>
>> My 11 year old son was diagnosed ADHD at age 7 and has been using
>> ritalin for the past 3 years. Just in the last month or two I have come
>> across a medical reference book listing a number of foods which should
>> be avoided when taking this medication. Apparently all the foods
>> mentioned have a chemical called tyramine which increases blood pressure
>> (excessively when ritalin is also present). The list of foods include:
>> aged cheeses of all kinds (cottage, cream and processed ok); avocado;
>>

>> Since I did not get this information from our doctor, I can only assume
>> at this point that this information is not well distributed. Hope it
>> helps.
>>
>> Melody Martin
>

> You have indeed given a list of high-tyramine foods, Melody. But the
> only medication for which such foods must be avoided is the class of
> MAOI antidepressants (monoamine oxidase inhibitors). I suspect that
> it was these medications to which the reference book was refering.
>
> It is not necessary to avoid these foods when taking Ritalin
> (methylphenidate) or any other stimulant medication.
>
> - John Z.
>
>

This occured to me as well. I'm not sure about all the biochemistry
that is involved, but i'm curious as to why Tyramine is ruled out
in either case.

Though, isn't there some theorizing that ADD/ADHD could be an
expression of low dopamine levels? As i understand it monoamine
oxidase is a destruction pathway (enzyme) for dopamine, and MAOIs
would cause a gradual increase in levels (and resulting balances in
other chemicals and... and whatnot). Just an interesting
connection. I have no idea how ritalin works.

doug

[Karen Copper]

Melody Martin <mart...@cyberspc.mb.ca> wrote:

^My 11 year old son was diagnosed ADHD at age 7 and has been using
^ritalin for the past 3 years. Just in the last month or two I have
come
^across a medical reference book listing a number of foods which
should
^be avoided when taking this medication. Apparently all the foods
^mentioned have a chemical called tyramine which increases blood
pressure
^(excessively when ritalin is also present). The list of foods
include:
^aged cheeses of all kinds (cottage, cream and processed ok); avocado;
^banana skins; bean curd; bologna; "bovril" extract; broad bean pods;
^chicken liver (unless fresh and used at once); chocolate; figs,
canned;
^fish, canned; fish, dried and salted; herring, pickled; liver, if not
^very fresh; "marmite" extract; meat extracts; meat tenderizers;
^pepperoni; raisins; raspberries; salami; shrimp paste; sour cream;
soy
^sauce; yeast extracts; beer (unpasteurized); chianti wine; sherry
wine;
^vermouth.

^Since I did not get this information from our doctor, I can only
assume
^at this point that this information is not well distributed. Hope it
^helps.

^Melody Martin

Melody--

When my son first started taking Ritalin, the counselor gave us a book
that said this, too. So, we asked the psychiatrist and he phoned the
pharmaceudical company, who said that the book was old and the facts
not born out statistically.

The list of foods to avoid didn't include much my son liked to eat
except avacodos, soy sauce, and raspberries, which he doesn't get very
often, anyway.

Karen

P.S. The book was specific about the reaction to Ritalin...not some
other drug...and said the danger was that the combination might cause
strokes in sensitive individuals.

[John Palmer]

Melody Martin (mart...@cyberspc.mb.ca) wrote:
: My 11 year old son was diagnosed ADHD at age 7 and has been using
: ritalin for the past 3 years. Just in the last month or two I have come
: across a medical reference book listing a number of foods which should
: be avoided when taking this medication. Apparently all the foods
: mentioned have a chemical called tyramine which increases blood pressure
: (excessively when ritalin is also present).

BING!

That's the magic word for MAOIs, MonAmine Oxidase Inhibitors.
Tyramine must be avoided when taking an MAOI. Ritalin might well have been
suspected of being an MAOI (no one is really sure why it works, so there
might have been that guess!) but it's not. . . that information is probably
outdated.

[John Palmer]

UgDugSmug (kee...@hartwick.edu) wrote:

: In article <s7d7mil...@garner.cs.indiana.edu>, jo...@garner.cs.indiana.edu (John B. Zuckerman) writes:
: > Melody Martin <mart...@cyberspc.mb.ca> writes:

: > You have indeed given a list of high-tyramine foods, Melody. But the

: > only medication for which such foods must be avoided is the class of
: > MAOI antidepressants (monoamine oxidase inhibitors). I suspect that
: > it was these medications to which the reference book was refering.

: This occured to me as well. I'm not sure about all the biochemistry

: that is involved, but i'm curious as to why Tyramine is ruled out
: in either case.

For MAOIs, it's because tyramine and MAOIs can case a huge blood
pressure jump, which can cause a stroke. Ritalin doesn' have this problem.

: Though, isn't there some theorizing that ADD/ADHD could be an

: expression of low dopamine levels? As i understand it monoamine
: oxidase is a destruction pathway (enzyme) for dopamine,

I'm pretty sure you're right. . . though I think MAO is also a
destructor for seratonin and norepinephrine.