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The dangers of Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition

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G

GOD

Rising Star
The MAO system is a part of the bodys defence system . What are the dangers of turning it off ...... especialy for long periods of time like days or weeks at a time . What are those dangers ? How dangerous are they ?

I dont mean in combination with foods . I mean just the effects of turning that system off .

People report psychoactive effects . Are those effects realy poisoning ? Are they similar to the effects of a build up waste products in the body ? Like blood poisoning ? A toxic effect ?

Thoughts , ideas and explenations ? links please ?
 
Are you talking about harmalas? irreversible MAOIs? You have to be more clear.

If you are talking about harmalas, your idea of them working as a 'poison' seems misinformed. Did you look up "harmala pharmacology" or similar search terms in google or google scholar or the Nexus? Would be a good start before getting a thread discussion going.
 
If I interpret correctly, the logic behind the post is that MAO in our body are for a reason(s), and inhibiting that system, short or long term, might lead to consequences with some being negative.

Don't know the subject enough to give an answer but I think there were studies on long-term ayahuasca users like indigenous people. Their mental health was fine if that means anything.
 
The MAO system is a part of the bodys defence system
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MAO functions as more of a cleanup crew for neurotransmitters. Very basically, neurons use monoamine compounds to communicate. One neuron fires and releases a certain batch of neurotransmitters into the synapse between the cells, these neurotransmitters lock into receptor sites on the receiving neuron and it fires its own neurotransmitters, and so on down the line, then the first (sending) neuron will reuptake any extra usable neurotransmitter to reuse later. The role of Monoamine Oxidase is to come along and clean up any excess and used neurotransmitter remaining in the synapse.

What are the dangers of turning it off ...... especialy for long periods of time like days or weeks at a time . What are those dangers ? How dangerous are they ?

I dont mean in combination with foods . I mean just the effects of turning that system off .
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There are some dangers associated with inhibition of MAO in the body. However this is really only an issue with compounds that allow excess neurotransmitter to remain in the synapse such as amphetamines and SSRI's which both block the sending neuron from reuptaking the excess neurotransmitter. Many pharmaceutical MAOI's cause longer term and non reversible inhibition (it can last up to a couple weeks) so you have to be extra careful and watch out for certain foods and things like this in addition to contraindicated drugs. In general however, if you avoid contraindicated foods and compounds, inhibiting MAO tends to allow the receptors to make better use of your natural neurotransmitter stores, this is why MAOI's are sometimes prescribed to treat depression.

People report psychoactive effects . Are those effects realy poisoning ? Are they similar to the effects of a build up waste products in the body ? Like blood poisoning ? A toxic effect ?
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Certainly not! The psychoactive effects are a combination of extra neurotransmitter in the synapse which gives a mood lift, and the harmala alkaloids are themselves weakly active on the GABA receptors giving a kind of sedated drunken feeling similar to benzos.

Thoughts , ideas and explenations ? links please ?
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So in summary neuron A fires neurotransmitter, neuron B recieves as much as it can and passes the message on down the line to the next neuron, neuron A takes up any extra neurotransmitter that didn't get used to re-use later, and MAO comes in and cleans up the used neurotransmitter from neuron B and any extra that wasn't taken up by neuron A.

Here is a visualization that may help you understand the process a little better:

Here are a couple links with more in depth information on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these compounds:
en.wikipedia.org

Monoamine oxidase inhibitor - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Compare the antidepressant MAOIs and SSRIs in terms of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and mode of action.

arkadmedlab.blogspot.com arkadmedlab.blogspot.com
 
Great explanation Dreamer042!

I knew about cholinesterases (degradation molecules) destroying acetylcholine neurotrasmitter in the synaptic cleft of motor neurons, but to date never researched MAO's to know exactly what is going on at the cell level... interesting stuff.


From wiki: (not sure how reliable, as some citations are needed on the page)

Serotonin, melatonin, noradrenaline, and adrenaline are mainly broken down by MAO-A.
Phenethylamine and benzylamine are mainly broken down by MAO-B.
Both forms break down dopamine, tyramine, and tryptamine equally.
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Because of the vital role that MAOs play in the inactivation of neurotransmitters, MAO dysfunction (too much or too little MAO activity) is thought to be responsible for a number of psychiatric and neurological disorders. For example, unusually high or low levels of MAOs in the body have been associated with schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, migraines, and irregular sexual maturation.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are one of the major classes of drug prescribed for the treatment of depression, although they are often last-line treatment due to risk of the drug's interaction with diet or other drugs. Excessive levels of catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) may lead to a hypertensive crisis, and excessive levels of serotonin may lead to serotonin syndrome.

In fact, MAO-A inhibitors act as antidepressant and antianxiety agents, whereas MAO-B inhibitors are used alone or in combination to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

PET research has shown that MAO is also heavily depleted by use of tobacco cigarettes.
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Stay safe everyone!
 
@ endlessness

I dont know big words but i think what i did is called asking a rhetorical question = One i already know the answer to ......... one that introduces an idea that i think after reading what some people say here needs asking . That way the people who dont know the answer or have the answer wrong get to see what others say . Then someone like dreamer042 answers = people who havent done any research learn .

I asked the question because i am shocked at the level of some peoples " knowledge " and when i see that some people have done no real research . My intention is to help people to understand what they are doing = Harm reduction and spreading knowledge instead of hokus pokus .

@ John Smith ......... High John ......... good to meet me . How am i ? I'm OK here . Yes thats what i am talking about . Thanks .

@ dreamer042 . Thank you very much . Any comments on this please ? ---- >

Evil-ution ---- > An organism has a function . That function must be nesecery to the well being of that oganism or it wouldnt be there . The brain needs to get rid off excess neurotransmitters . When we take MAOIs it doesnt do that anymore . That means that turning it off ...... in an act of ego ...... should be done with care ....... especialy when done long term .

Those excess neurotransmitters also have an effect on our consciousness ...... while we are tripping and afterwards untill the effects of the MAOI has worn off .

Next ....... that MAO system isnt just in the brain . Its in the gut to . That means that the organism feels a need to defend itself against the oral intake of neurotransmitters and other chemicals that can dock on their receptors . When we turn that system off it allows those things to get to the brain .


That needs to be undestood and weighed up = positive effects against negative effects .

I undestand about the recomended use of MAOIs . I understand that the information that we used to believe is wrong ....... because i was one of the people who first talked about it in the net 6 - 8 years ago and got hounded and mobbed on " certain " web sites ...... one of them was psychonaut ...... by people who had done no research and were preaching the standard doctrin . A doctrin that was based on ...... nothing = They werent talking about naturaly ocuring MAOIs they were talking about tests done by pharma companys on long term / acting pharmasutical MAOIs .


@ --Shadow ...... Thanks . I like the word ...... " Vital " ........
 
"I asked the question because i am shocked at the level of some peoples " knowledge " and when i see that some people have done no real research"

You have not said anything here that is not already in countless threads on the subject.
 
In addition to cleaning up neurotransmitters, there are some monoamine compounds that we are exposed to through food that can be dangerous in high levels. MAO enzymes break these down before they reach critical levels. This is way things like the MAO diet exist: if you're inhibiting your MAOs, you want to limit your exposure to these compounds (such as tyramine).

For revisable MAOIs (like the kinds found in Ayahuasca), this isn't quite as big a deal as it is for those who take pharmaceutical-grade ones.

And before you say that I haven't done any research, I'm 3 years into a 4 year MS in neuroscience, with a special focus in neuropsychopharmacology.

Blessings
~ND
 
" I'm 3 years into a 4 year MS in neuroscience, with a special focus in neuropsychopharmacology. "

Wonderfull . Well done . I wish you sucsess and wish that moe of us would / could do what you are doing . Our scene needs more experts , expert knowledeg and explanations .
 
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