Drug & supplement interaction

Tyramine + Lovastatin

Lovastatin brand names: Mevacor, Altocor.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Tyramine and Lovastatin in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Lovastatin states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Tyramine and Lovastatin

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Lovastatin and Tyramine in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Tyramine safety at a glance

Tyramine overall Use caution Tyramine in normal foods is fine for most people, but it can be harmful for those who are sensitive or taking certain drugs.
Pregnancy Use caution Tyramine from ordinary food is generally fine, but concentrated supplemental use is not recommended and not well studied.
Breastfeeding Use caution Tyramine from a normal diet is generally fine, but deliberately taking it in supplement form is not advised due to a lack of safety data.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Lovastatin and Tyramine? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Lovastatin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Lovastatin is filed under 8 classifications — including hmg-coa reductase inhibitors ("statins"), organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp), cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) inhibitors. Tyramine has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being antihypertensive drugs (major), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (maois) (major) and alcohol (moderate) — and none of Lovastatin’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Tyramine Does Interact With Other Medications

Tyramine has 181 major, 1 moderate, 171 minor known drug interactions in our database — Lovastatin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 181 Moderate 1 Minor 171 No known interaction 2,477 (incl. Lovastatin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Tyramine

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Tyramine. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Tyramine and Lovastatin May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Chest pain Worth acting on Additional detail

    Tyramine

    “Orally and intravenously, unspecified doses of tyramine have increased systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure. Intravenous tyramine is not used clinically but is commonly used to examine safety and interaction outcomes. A single dose of oral tyramine 400 mg has been reported to cause heart palpitations and elevations in systolic blood pressure in healthy volunteers.”

    Tyramine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in angina.

    6 sources cited
    1. 100189. VanDenBerg CM, Blob LF, Kemper EM, Azzaro AJ. Tyramine pharmacokinetics and reduced bioavailability with food. J Clin Pharmacol. 2003;43(6):604-9. DOI
    2. 100190. Meck JV, Martin DS, D'Aunno DS, Waters WW. Pressor response to intravenous tyramine is a marker of cardiac, but not vascular, adrenergic function. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2003;41(1):126-31. PubMed
    3. 101013. Colombo F, Porro T, del Rosso G, Bertalero P, Orlandi L, Libretti A. Cardiovascular responses to physical exercise and tyramine infusion in hypertensive and normotensive subjects. J Hum Hypertens. 1989;3(4):245-9.
    4. 101014. Pace DG, Reele SB, Rozik LM, Rogers-Phillips CA, Dabice JA, Givens SV. Evaluation of methods of administering tyramine to raise systolic blood pressure. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1988;44(2):137-44. PubMed
    5. 105519. Rafehi M, Faltraco F, Matthaei J, et al. Highly variable pharmacokinetics of tyramine in humans and polymorphisms in OCT1, CYP2D6, and MAO-A. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Oct 30;10:1297. PubMed
    6. 101018. Caston JC, Eaton CL, Gheorghiu BP, Ware LL. Tyramine induced hypertensive episodes and panic attacks in hereditary deficient monoamine oxidase patients: case reports. J S C Med Assoc. 2002;98(4):187-92.

    Lovastatin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lovastatin. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Blurred vision / Dry mouth / Numbness or tingling / Dizziness / Headache reported in 4.5% of FDA reports for Lovastatin Additional detail

    Tyramine

    “Orally, a single dose of tyramine 400 mg has been reported to cause dry mouth, restlessness, dizziness, and headache in healthy volunteers. In a case series, consuming foods thought to contain tyramine, including cheese, was associated with headache, dizziness, memory dysfunction, blurred vision, numbness, and tingling. However, tyramine levels of the implicated foods were not determined.”

    Tyramine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    2 sources cited
    1. 105519. Rafehi M, Faltraco F, Matthaei J, et al. Highly variable pharmacokinetics of tyramine in humans and polymorphisms in OCT1, CYP2D6, and MAO-A. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Oct 30;10:1297. PubMed
    2. 101018. Caston JC, Eaton CL, Gheorghiu BP, Ware LL. Tyramine induced hypertensive episodes and panic attacks in hereditary deficient monoamine oxidase patients: case reports. J S C Med Assoc. 2002;98(4):187-92.

    Lovastatin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lovastatin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Anxiety or restlessness Additional detail

    Tyramine

    “In a case series, consuming foods thought to contain tyramine, including cheese, was associated with panic attacks with palpitations. However, tyramine levels of the implicated foods were not determined.”

    Tyramine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in panic disorder.

    1 source cited
    1. 101018. Caston JC, Eaton CL, Gheorghiu BP, Ware LL. Tyramine induced hypertensive episodes and panic attacks in hereditary deficient monoamine oxidase patients: case reports. J S C Med Assoc. 2002;98(4):187-92.

    Lovastatin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lovastatin. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Tyramine but not commonly for Lovastatin: a heart attack, a fast or pounding heartbeat, raised blood pressure and dehydration.

Effects for Lovastatin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Tyramine come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 25,528 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Lovastatin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Lovastatin Products Have a Food Rule — Tyramine Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Lovastatin says to take it with food. If you take Tyramine on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Lovastatin with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Lovastatin products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Lovastatin tablets USP should be given with meals.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Lovastatin — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Tyramine or Lovastatin

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Tyramine or Lovastatin, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Lovastatin

This page covers Tyramine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lovastatin page lists 184 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 8 major · 140 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lovastatin page

“Lovastatin (Mevacor) lowers cholesterol, and the liver clears it through an enzyme called CYP3A4, which is where most of these 184 supplements collide with it. This list deserves careful attention.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lovastatin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Tyramine as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 20 real supplement products containing Tyramine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Tyramine. Even though Tyramine itself has no known interaction with Lovastatin, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Tyramine and Lovastatin Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Tyramine
Top half

#579 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Lovastatin
Steady interest

#1,746 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Tyramine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Tyramine and Lovastatin records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Tyramine

What is Tyramine?

  • Studied for effects on blood pressure
  • Discussed in relation to migraine and headache triggers
  • Of interest in food and diet science
  • Subject of research on the nervous system

Tyramine is a natural compound formed when certain proteins break down, and it is found in aged cheeses, cured meats, fermented foods, and some other items. It is not a typical health supplement and is best known for the problems it can cause—such as dangerous spikes in blood pressure—in people taking certain medications or in those who are sensitive to it. If you have been told to follow a low-tyramine diet, talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes.

Not a plant part; tyramine is a naturally occurring compound found in many foods · Naturally present in aged and fermented foods; not commonly sold as a stand-alone supplement

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Tyramine is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Tyramine record says about it on its own.

Tyramine: dosing

There is no recommended supplement dose for tyramine, because it is not meant to be taken as a health product. Instead, the main guidance is about how much tyramine to allow in the diet for people who are sensitive to it.If you have been placed on a low-tyramine diet, the goal is usually to limit aged, fermented, cured, or spoiled foods rather than to count exact milligrams. Your pharmacist or doctor can give you a food list suited to your situation.Do not try to take tyramine on purpose.

From our Tyramine monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Tyramine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lovastatin

What Is Lovastatin Used For?

Brand names: Mevacor, Altocor

Lovastatin is used to lower high LDL ("bad") cholesterol and total cholesterol in people whose levels have not improved enough with diet alone. It is also used to slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries (coronary atherosclerosis) in people who already have coronary heart disease.

In adults without existing heart disease but with high cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol, lovastatin tablets are approved to reduce the risk of heart attack, unstable angina, and the need for procedures to open blocked arteries. Lovastatin tablets are also approved for adolescents aged 10–17 with a specific inherited condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH), when diet changes alone haven't been enough.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Lovastatin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (25,528 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 1,535 reports
Nausea 1,401 reports
Diarrhea 1,275 reports
Dyspnea 1,226 reports
Dizziness 1,159 reports
See full Lovastatin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Tyramine

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Tyramine — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

181Major
1Moderate
171Minor
2,476No known interaction
181 Major 1 Moderate 171 Minor 2,476 No interaction
Major

181 interactions

Showing 60 of 181 major interactions — see all 181 on the Tyramine page.

Moderate

1 interaction

Minor

171 interactions

Showing 60 of 171 minor interactions — see all 171 on the Tyramine page.

No interaction 2,476 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Tyramine against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,476 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Tyramine list.

See the full Tyramine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Lovastatin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Tyramine References

The 15 references that drive our Tyramine monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Pawar RS, Grundel E. Overview of regulation of dietary supplements in the USA and issues of adulteration with phenethylamines (PEAs). Drug Test Anal 2017;9:500-517. PubMed
  2. Smedema JP, Müller GJ. Coronary spasm and thrombosis in a bodybuilder using a nutritional supplement containing synephrine, octopamine, tyramine and caffeine. S Afr Med J. 2008;98(5):372-3.
  3. Gilliam LK, Palmer JP, Taborsky GJ Jr. Tyramine-mediated activation of sympathetic nerves inhibits insulin secretion in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92(10):4035-8. PubMed
  4. VanDenBerg CM, Blob LF, Kemper EM, Azzaro AJ. Tyramine pharmacokinetics and reduced bioavailability with food. J Clin Pharmacol. 2003;43(6):604-9. DOI
  5. Meck JV, Martin DS, D'Aunno DS, Waters WW. Pressor response to intravenous tyramine is a marker of cardiac, but not vascular, adrenergic function. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2003;41(1):126-31. PubMed
  6. Peet M, Yates RA, Carroll JA, Middlemiss DN. The interaction of tyramine with a single dose of tranylcypromine in healthy volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1981;11(2):212-4. PubMed
  7. Del Rio B, Redruello B, Linares DM, et al. The dietary biogenic amines tyramine and histamine show synergistic toxicity towards intestinal cells in culture. Food Chem. 2017;218:249-255. PubMed
  8. Linares DM, del Rio B, Redruello B, et al. Comparative analysis of the in vitro cytotoxicity of the dietary biogenic amines tyramine and histamine. Food Chem. 2016;197(Pt A):658-63. PubMed
  9. National Institutes of Health. Dietary Supplement Label Database. http://www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov/dsld/rptQSearch.jsp?item=tyramine&db=adsld. Accessed October 23, 2019.
  10. Rapaport MH. Dietary restrictions and drug interactions with monoamine oxidase inhibitors: the state of the art. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;68 Suppl 8:42-6.
  11. Colombo F, Porro T, del Rosso G, Bertalero P, Orlandi L, Libretti A. Cardiovascular responses to physical exercise and tyramine infusion in hypertensive and normotensive subjects. J Hum Hypertens. 1989;3(4):245-9.
  12. Pace DG, Reele SB, Rozik LM, Rogers-Phillips CA, Dabice JA, Givens SV. Evaluation of methods of administering tyramine to raise systolic blood pressure. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1988;44(2):137-44. PubMed
  13. Caston JC, Eaton CL, Gheorghiu BP, Ware LL. Tyramine induced hypertensive episodes and panic attacks in hereditary deficient monoamine oxidase patients: case reports. J S C Med Assoc. 2002;98(4):187-92.
  14. European Food Safety Authority. Scientific opinion on risk based control of biogenic amine formation in fermented foods. EFSA Journal. 2011;9(10):2393. DOI
  15. Rafehi M, Faltraco F, Matthaei J, et al. Highly variable pharmacokinetics of tyramine in humans and polymorphisms in OCT1, CYP2D6, and MAO-A. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Oct 30;10:1297. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Tyramine and Lovastatin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Tyramine with Lovastatin?
We do not list a known interaction between Tyramine and Lovastatin. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Tyramine and Lovastatin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 7 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Tyramine and Lovastatin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Lovastatin says to take it with food. If you take Tyramine on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Lovastatin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Lovastatin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Tyramine and Lovastatin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Lovastatin is filed under 8 classifications, and Tyramine has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Lovastatin's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Tyramine interact with any other medications?
Yes. Tyramine has 353 documented drug interactions in our database — Lovastatin is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Lovastatin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Lovastatin has documented interactions with 184 supplements in our database — Tyramine is not one of them. The Lovastatin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Tyramine monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Lovastatin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Lovastatin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Lovastatin, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 15 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Lovastatin and Tyramine?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.