Specific nutritional supplements, like tyrosine, have been extensively researched for their potential antidepressant properties. Studies regarding the efficacy of tyrosine as an antidepressant have had mixed results. However, using tyrosine with certain antidepressant medications can have dangerous side effects. Consult your doctor before using tyrosine if you take MAOIs, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
About Tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid your body produces from another amino acid known as phenylalanine You can also obtain tyrosine from dietary sources, including soy, chicken, fish, avocados and bananas. Tyrosine helps with the manufacture of certain mood-regulating chemicals, or neurotransmitters, including epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. Because of its effects on dopamine, researchers have examined the potential antidepressant properties of tyrosine, with mixed results. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the pleasure and reward center in your brain.
Effects
Evidence has shown that tyrosine depletion leads to symptoms of depression. A study published in 2004 in the journal, "Psychopharmacology," examined the effects of acute tyrosine depletion in healthy volunteers. The results of this study showed that study participants who were given a mixture deficient of tyrosine and phenylalanine experienced higher levels of apathy and sadness, compared with participants who received a balanced amino acid mixture. However, studies regarding the efficacy of tyrosine as an antidepressant have had mixed results. A study published in the June 1990 issue of the "Journal of Affective Disorders" found that administering tyrosine, when compared to placebo or imipramine, a conventional tricyclic antidepressant, did not have any antidepressant effect in outpatient study participants with depression.
MAOIs
Tyrosine should not be used in conjunction with certain prescription antidepressants called MAOIs. MAOIs are older, first-generation antidepressants that were prescribed in the past to patients resistant to tricyclic antidepressant medication. MAOIs are often effective for treating depression, but they have been replaced by newer antidepressants known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. People who use MAOIs generally have to follow strict dietary recommendations because these medications can cause very high blood pressure or increase your risk of stroke when taken with certain foods. Do not take tyrosine supplements if you take an MAOI. Your doctor may also instruct you to restrict your intake of foods containing tyrosine if you take an MAOI.
Other Medications
Tyrosine can interact with certain other medications. If you take prescription thyroid hormone pills, you should talk to your doctor before using tyrosine. Tyrosine can increase your body's production of thyroid hormone. Additionally, people who use levodopa, a medication used to treat Parkinson's disease, should avoid tyrosine supplements. Tyrosine can decrease your body's ability to absorb levodopa, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Tyrosine
- "Psychopharmacology"; The Effects of Tyrosine Depletion in Normal Health Volunteers: Implications for Unipolar Depression; A. McLean et al.; 2004
- "Journal of Affective Disorders"; Tyrosine for Depression: A Double-Blind Trial; A. Gelenberg et al.; June 1990
