MAOIs
Article
MAOIs is a recurring concept in the Astral Codex Ten archive, appearing 3 times across 3 issues between November 16, 2022 and September 06, 2024. The archive places it in contexts such as “combinations of MAOIs and stimulants”; “Does it include MAOIs, where eating cheese after use makes your blood vessels explode?”; “I researched the technical details of MAOIs, trawling for clues”. It most often appears alongside Adderall, cocaine, MeToo.
Metadata
- Category: Concepts
- Mention count: 3
- Issue count: 3
- First seen: November 16, 2022
- Last seen: September 06, 2024
Appears In
Related Pages
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- Adderall (2 shared issues)
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- cocaine (2 shared issues)
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- [[entities/concept/metoo|#MeToo]] (1 shared issues)
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- 21st century political dogmatism (1 shared issues)
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- @AutismCapital (1 shared issues)
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- ADHD (1 shared issues)
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- adrafinil (1 shared issues)
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- Advanced Tax (1 shared issues)
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- Alameda (1 shared issues)
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- Alameda CEO (1 shared issues)
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- Alameda Research (1 shared issues)
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- amphetamine (1 shared issues)
External Links
Source Context
Recovered passages from the original issue text. When the raw archive preserved outbound links inside the source passage, they are listed directly under the quote.
Also, Israel 2015, Combining Stimulants and Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors: A Reexamination of the Literature and a Report of a New Treatment Combination follows a patient who took selegiline and lisdexamfetamine at the same time, notes with surprise that they didn’t die, and concludes that:
MAOI expert Dr. Ken Gillman writes about MAOIs and amphetamines, but I think the lessons more or less carry over to MAOIs and modafinil:
Inline links: writes about MAOIs and amphetamines
One or two recent papers about the mechanisms of action of MAOIs and amphetamine at the molecular level suggest why the combination of amphetamine (with MAOIs) is not unduly risky as has been (mis)stated for so long. Care and experience are required but it can be done safely although small increases in dose do sometimes seem to have disproportionate effects.
And if we eliminate prescriptions, are all medications freely available at the corner store? Does this include warfarin, where getting the dose slightly wrong makes you bleed to death? Does it include MAOIs, where eating cheese after use makes your blood vessels explode? Obviously you put these things on the label, but is it in bigger or smaller print than “this blood-vessel-exploding medication contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer”? Don’t all reasonable people ignore labels because they’re useless? And who decides what side effects are so bad you need to put them on the label? (right now it’s the FDA)
In his youth, Wallace was beset by mental breakdowns. He dropped out of school multiple times, underwent electroshock therapy, and contemplated suicide. When in grad school, he was put on Nardil, an MAOI. MAOIs work by inhibiting Monoamine Oxidase, which in turn hoovers up monoamine neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. This double negative leaves the user with a more motivated, peaceful and energized brain chemistry.6
Inline links: 6
Of course I wished he wasn’t dead.16 I researched the technical details of MAOIs, trawling for clues in the beautiful mystery of his absence. I burned through his essays, until there were none left, and there never would be again.
Inline links: 16
MAOIs are by and large considered Old School. The very first antidepressant discovered was an MAOI, the antitubercular agent iproniazid, which, when administered in the tuberculosis ward, had patients rising from gloomy stumors to eat, and socialize, “dancing in the halls tho' they had holes in their lungs.” MAOIs fell out of vogue when it was discovered that they interfere with tyramine digestion, and require a carefully controlled diet, with risks of severe hypertensive reactions.