Effects of a tyramine-enriched meal on blood pressure response in healthy male volunteers treated with selegiline transdermal system 6 mg/24 hour.

Background: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are well recognized as effective antidepressant agents but are rarely used due, in part, to the risk of hypertensive crisis following the ingestion of foods high in tyramine ("cheese reaction"). A selegiline transdermal system (STS) was developed to provide antidepressant concentrations of selegiline in the brain, while preserving the gastrointestinal monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) barrier. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of the STS 6 mg/24 hour on cardiovascular safety following the ingestion of approximately 400 mg of tyramine consumed as a component of aged cheeses.

Tyramine pressor sensitivity during treatment with the selegiline transdermal system 6 mg/24 h in healthy subjects.

The oral tyramine pressor test was administered to healthy males during treatment with a selegiline transdermal system (STS; 6 mg/24 h). The tyramine sensitivity factor (TSF) was calculated from the ratio of baseline and on-treatment tyramine pressor doses. The tyramine sensitivity factor value following 9 days of treatment with the selegiline transdermal system was 1.