Pharmacodynamics of nomifensine: a review of studies in healthy subjects.

A review of pharmacodynamic studies of nomifensine in healthy subjects indicates that nomifensine caused neither negative nor positive (euphoric) mood alterations and led to no impairments in various tests of performance and to some improvement in vigilance, attention, and psychomotor performance. Nomifensine was shown to alter the waking EEG in a manner similar to desimipramine. In marked contrast to nomifensine's pharmcokinetics, its CNS effects were shown to reach a maximum after 6 hours and to last for more than 8 hours. The sleep EEG was not altered significantly. Biochemical models confirmed nomifensine's noradrenergic and dopaminergic mode of action.