MAOIs approved to treat depression

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also called the FDA, has approved these monoamine oxidase inhibitors to be taken by mouth to treat depression:

• Isocarboxazid (Marplan).
• Phenelzine (Nardil).
• Tranylcypromine (Parnate).

Another MAOI, selegiline (Emsam), is available as a skin patch. Using a skin patch may cause fewer side effects than MAOIs taken by mouth. If you're using the lowest dose patch, you may not need to limit foods that have the amino acid tyramine. But ask your healthcare professional to be sure.