MAOIs and Tyramine — NCLEX Cheat Sheet
The diet is the whole drug
👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team
🕐 Updated 2026-09-05
🏷️ Pharmacological Therapies
🔖 Free to read, print, and share
💡
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
✨Quick Tip
Focus on the highlighted numbers and the red-flag items — those are what the NCLEX tests most on maois and tyramine.
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