Is MAOIs (e.g., Phenelzine, Selegiline) Safe with L-Tyrosine?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Do not take L-Tyrosine while on any MAOI medication. L-Tyrosine must be avoided during MAOI therapy and for at least 14 days after discontinuation. Report any sudden severe headache, neck stiffness, or chest pain to emergency services immediately.
Why this interaction occurs
L-Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. MAOIs prevent the breakdown of these catecholamines. Supplementing with L-Tyrosine while on an MAOI can cause dangerous catecholamine accumulation, triggering a potentially fatal hypertensive crisis.
Evidence
Evidence level: strong.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 36,403 reports mentioning L-Tyrosine. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the L-Tyrosine + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All MAOIs (e.g., Phenelzine, Selegiline) interactions → · All L-Tyrosine interactions →
Already checked this one — check your whole list
Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.