Interactions - antidepressants
Antidepressants can interact with a few other drugs and so you should talk to your doctor before starting or stopping any other medications, including over the counter medications such as pain killers.
MAOIs, in particular, can have severe interactions with medicines for coughs, colds and hay fever, so always talk to your doctor before taking any medication or herbal remedy. The interaction between antidepressants and other drugs, most commonly, will make you feel drowsier, so you should be especially careful about driving or operating machinery.
Sedation may be made worse with tricyclic antidepressants and alcohol. You should not drive or operate machinery in these circumstances.
Are there any foods I should avoid whilst taking an antidepressant?
MAOIs may interact with foods that contain an amino acid (protein) called Tyramine. The MAOI prevents the Tyramine being broken down so it builds up in your body. You need to be careful to avoid these. Foods that you should avoid if you are taking a MAOI include:
- Foods that are matured or may have started to go off;
- Cheese
- Meats that have been pickled, salted or badly hung, or which may not be fresh
- Liver that is not fresh (e.g. in liver pate)
- Banana skins and broad bean pods (but bananas and beans themselves are safe) and avocado pears
- Meat and yeast extracts, such as Oxo, Vegemite, Marmite or Bovril
