Acute comparison of clovoxamine and mianserin, alone and in combination with ethanol, on human psychomotor performance.

Objective and subjective effects on human performance of clovoxamine and mianserin were measured in 12 student volunteers who participated in 12 test sessions and received single doses of clovoxamine 50 mg, 100 mg and 150 mg, mianserin 20 mg, and placebo in a double-blind and cross-over manner. Each test drug was given twice, both in combination with alcohol 0.8 g/kg and with a non-alcoholic drink. The tests included tracking, body balance, flicker fusion, horizontal nystagmus, digit symbol substitution, recall memory, and subjective assessments on visual analogue scales. Mianserin and alcohol impaired objective performance in most tests, and their combination showed at least an additive effect. Alcohol counteracted rather than increased mianserin-induced subjective sedation. Clovoxamine neither differed significantly from placebo nor increased alcohol effects. On the contrary, clovoxamine 150 mg reduced significantly alcohol-induced body sway. No evidence of pharmacokinetic interactions were found between the study drugs and alcohol.