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MAOIs and Tyramine — NCLEX Cheat Sheet

The diet is the whole drug
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👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team 🕐 Updated 2026-08-31 🏷️ Pharmacological Therapies 🔖 Free to read, print, and share
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Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent MAOIs and Tyramine on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!

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📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet

🧪 The Drugs

  • Parnate · Nardil · Marplan
  • Two-week washout either side

📌 Avoid — Aged, Fermented, Cured

  • Aged cheeses; yoghurt and most dairy
  • Smoked, dried, cured or pickled meat and fish
  • Organ meats, salami, pepperoni
  • Bananas, avocados, raisins, dried fruit
  • Beer, red wine, soy sauce, chocolate

📌 Hypertensive Crisis

  • Sudden throbbing occipital headache
  • Severe hypertension, stiff neck, palpitations
  • Take the BP, hold the drug, get help now

📌 Also

  • No OTC medicines without checking
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Quick Tip

Focus on the highlighted numbers and the red-flag items — those are what the NCLEX tests most on maois and tyramine.

📖 Related Topics

Digoxin ToxicityHeparin TherapyWarfarin TherapyAcetaminophen Poisoning in Children
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