MAOI vs COMT

[DrTacoElf]

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So if someone is on MAOI and eats food high in tyramine they get hypertension. Why does COMT not take care of this excess catecholamine load. Does anyone have a good explanation for the difference between the two enzymes?

Thanks!

 

[MilkmanAl]

My best guess is that the methylated catecholamines still have some activity, but I can't tell you for sure off the top of my head. If I recall, tyramine is also degraded by MAO, so it'll continue to trigger catecholamine release, giving you a build-up of vasoactive stuff.