THE EFFECTS OF THE ANTIDEPRESSANTS OXAPROTILINE, MIANSERIN

Antidepressant drugs are widely used for treatment of ambulatory depressed patients. Many investigations have been undertaken to determine the efficacy and mechanisms of therapeutic action of such drugs, but few to establish their CNS side-effects which might impair capabilities to perform critical and common tasks such as automobile driving. The present study compared the effects of oxaprotiline, amitryptiline, mianserin, doxepin and a placebo using a standard test of actual driving performance in the real traffic environment. The major conclusions were as follows: (1) oxaprotiline is generally without adverse acute effects upon driving performance, but may produce either impairment or improvement in particular individuals. (2) amitryptiline, mianserin and doxepin, in that order, have adverse acute effects on driving performance. (3) some individuals suffering impairment as a consequence of antidepressants' acute effects can recognize the implications for driving safety and will cease driving while others apparently cannot and will continue driving with progressively deteriorating performance until their safety is seriously compromised. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0968070061
• Corporate Authors:

  State University of Groningen, Netherlands

  Traffic Research Centre, P.O. Box 14
  9750 AA Haren,   Netherlands 
• Authors:
  • LOUWERENS, J W
  • Brookhuis, K A
  • O'Hanlon, J F
• Publication Date: 1984-6

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 65 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Antidepressants; Behavior; Dispersion (Statistics); Driver performance; Drivers; Driving; Drugs; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Impaired drivers; Personnel performance; Placebos; Research reports; Speed; Test procedures; Traffic safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Side
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver impairment
• ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 6512: Dispersion (stat); 1855: Driving (veh); 2242: Drugs; 2222: Fatigue (human); 8078: Netherlands; 8559: Research report; 9074: Side; 5408: Speed; 6288: Test method
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00394255
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
• ISBN: 09-6807-006-1
• Report/Paper Numbers: VK-83-05 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1985 12:00AM