A review of the clinical safety and tolerability of nomifensine.

The tolerability and safety of nomifensine in clinical practice are reviewed in the context of relevant topics for the second-generation antidepressants. Nomifensine is nonsedating and impairs neither psychomotor nor cognitive performance. It has minimal anticholinergic-like properties and is nontoxic to the heart and cardiovascular system at therapeutic dosage. It is nonepileptogenic. There are few relevant drug interactions, and overdose data to date show no serious sequelae resulting from the drug itself. Side effects include sleep disturbance, restlessness, and nausea; rare adverse reactions are in keeping with other antidepressants. Nomifensine's profile differentiates it from other commonly used antidepressants; the implications of this for treatment of both common depressions and specific at-risk patients are discussed.