Changa and MAOI dangers

[monty p]

My cat is very interested in trying some changa, she has caapi leaves and freebase but is slightly concerned about the MAOI aspect of caapi.
She has never taken any MAOI of any sort and has read that caution is needed.

The question is, does one need to be careful of interactions with certain food groups when vaping caapi changa or not? :?

Thanks for any help

 

[SnozzleBerry]

The short answer is no...harmala alkaloids are actually Reverse Inhibitors of Monoamine Oxidase (RIMAs) and differ from pharmaceutical MAOIs in that their mechanism of action can be reversed. The MAOI food issue stems from foods containing tyramine, the breakdown of which is inhibited by MAOIs. However, RIMAs are displaced from MAO-A in the presence of tyramine, rather than inhibiting its breakdown in the liver as general MAOIs do, so there is little to worry about diet-wise when taking harmalas.

 

[monty p]

Thanks, that has put my mind at rest

 

[Myco]

You do, however, need to pay attention to warnigs on medication you may be taking. Adderal is one example.

 

[Psikotrope]

So to clarify, there is no need to worry about the MAOI diet when harmalas are used i.e. Changa? But should be with the oral route i.e. Ayahuasca? Or is this information specific to Caapi leaves? What about extracted harmalas or Passion Flower?

I'm asking for the clarification because in all the forum posts and other information available I can't seem to find any definitive answers about MAOI inhibition and Changa blends. But there is a lot of info on MAOI and Ayahuasca which leads one to believe they need to be cautious with Changa as well.

 

[endlessness]

Food should anyways not really be a problem with harmalas, for example

Regarding MAOIS in general:

FAQ: MAO Inhibitors

Search (Headers: MAOI DIET or similar)

and they are a problem with SSRIs/amphetamines

Same is valid for changa/vapped harmalas:

Changa+Amphetamines = SERIOUS DANGER

Thread: How real is harmala MAOI danger

 

[BananaForeskin]

Well, the necessity of careful diet with oral harmalas has been debated,

but you do NOT need to worry about it with vaped/smoked caapi.

 

[Psikotrope]

Well thanks for making me look like the lazy googler Endlessness! Appreciate the links I actually read the Faq but must have passed over any reference to Changa, rereading now.

Thanks for your definite answer BananaForeskin (love the name).

 

[Shaolin]

end: Rename ? "Changa and MAOI dangers" maybe ?

 

[Psikotrope]

end: Rename ? "Changa and MAOI dangers" maybe ?

I second that recommendation. Would be nice to search the forum for "Changa" "MAOI" and have this pop up first. However this thread still popped up with similar terms anyhow.

 

[endlessness]

Renamed OP, indeed please next threads try to make the thread title clear so that it helps other searching for the answers

 

[Dorge]

I concur with the above statements...
We also did a little page on the subject on the Changa website

http://changaevolution.blogspot.com/p/myth-busting.html

 

[Psikotrope]

Thanks for chiming in Dorge.

 

[Dorge]

I can't help it it's a compulsive disorder... That and I spend as much time avoiding my work as possible.