title: Study of the effect of nortriptyline and fluvoxamine on psychomotor functions in healthy volunteers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Today, many antidepressants are available, but they often cause adverse effects, particularly psychomotor and cognitive. It leads to patient maladjustment and may impair psychomotor performance. Fluvoxamine is a newer antidepressant and hence the present study was planned to investigate its effect on psychomotor functions and compare with nortriptyline and record their adverse reactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 26 healthy volunteers were included in this double-blind, placebocontrolled, crossover study. Single oral doses of fluvoxamine 50 mg, nortriptyline 50 mg and placebo were administered following a Latin square design. The objective parameters-six digit cancellation test, digit symbol substitution test, critical flicker fusion test, arithmetic ability test, hand steadiness test and subjective parameters such as visual analogue scale 1, 2, 3 were tested at 0, 2 and 4 h. The side-effects were also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nortriptyline impaired all subjective and objective psychomotor functions while fluvoxamine did not show any significant effect on objective tests. However, on subjective parameters, there was a significant effect. The side-effects observed were dryness of mouthwith the nortriptyline and nausea and headache with fluvoxamine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fluvoxamine is a better antidepressant drug in comparison with nortriptyline as it causes a less impairment of psychomotor functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad, AP, India.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khade
authors.forename: Mohammed Shakeel Mohamemed
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kale
authors.forename: Avinash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turankar