science

Nomifensine

Nomifensine is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nomifensine rather than just read about it. In short: Nomifensine, formerly sold under the brand names Merital and Alival, is a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) drug that was developed in the 1960s by Hoechst AG (now Sanofi-Aventis), who then test marketed it in the United States. Nomifensine was considered an effective antidepressant that lacked sedative effects.

Key takeaways

Nomifensine belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nomifensine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nomifensine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nomifensine, formerly sold under the brand names Merital and Alival, is a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) drug that was developed in the 1960s by Hoechst AG (now Sanofi-Aventis), who then test marketed it in the United States. Nomifensine was considered an effective antidepressant that lacked sedative effects. It did not interact significantly with alcohol and lacked anticholinergic effects. No withdrawal symptoms were seen after 6 months treatment. The drug was, however, considered not suitable for agitated patients as it presumably made agitation worse. In January 1986 the drug was withdrawn by its manufacturers for safety reasons. Some case reports in the 1980s suggested that there was potential for psychological dependence on nomifensine, typically in patients with a history of stimulant addiction, or when the drug was used in very high doses (400–600 mg per day). In a 1989 study it was investigated for use in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and was proven to be effective. In a 1977 study it was not proven of benefit in advanced parkinsonism, except for depression associated with the parkinsonism.

Medical uses Nomifensine was investigated for use as an antidepressant in the 1970s, and was found to be a useful antidepressant at doses of 50–225 mg per day, both motivating and anxiolytic.

Adverse effects During treatment with nomifensine there were relatively few adverse effects, mainly renal failure, paranoid symptoms, drowsiness or insomnia, headache, and dry mouth. Side effects affecting the cardiovascular system included tachycardia and palpitations, but nomifensine was significantly less cardiotoxic than the standard tricyclic antidepressants.

Withdrawal from market Due to a risk of haemolytic anaemia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew approval for nomifensine on March 20, 1992. Nomifensine was subsequently withdrawn from the Canadian and UK markets as well. Some deaths were linked to immunohaemolytic anemia caused by this compound, although the mechanism remained unclear.

Synthesis Nomifensine was a progenitor to Gastrophenzine. See also: Isatin derivatives.

The alkylation between N-methyl-2-nitrobenzylamine [56222-08-3] (1) and phenacyl bromide (2) gives CID:15326127 (3). Catalytic hydrogenation over Raney Nickel reduces the nitro group to give CID:15113381 (4). The reduction of the ketone group with sodium borohydride to alcohol gives [65514-97-8] (5). Acid catalysed ring closure completes the formation of nomifensine (6).

Research

Motivational disorders Nomifensine has been found to reverse tetrabenazine-induced motivational deficits in animals. It shares these pro-motivational effects with other NDRIs like bupropion and methylphenidate and with selective dopamine reuptake inhibitors like modafinil and its analogues. Conversely, selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like desipramine and atomoxetine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like fluoxetine and citalopram have not shown pro-motivational effects in animals.

Wakefulness Nomifensine shows wakefulness-promoting effects in animals and might be useful in the treatment of narcolepsy.

See also Amineptine Diclofensine Perafensine Tesofensine The combination of Clobazam / nomifensine is called Psyton [75963-47-2].

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nomifensine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nomifensine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nomifensine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nomifensine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nomifensine

In research: Nomifensine appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nomifensine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nomifensine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anilines, Antidepressants, Hepatotoxins, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nomifensine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nomifensine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nomifensine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nomifensine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nomifensine in simple terms?

Why does Nomifensine matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nomifensine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nomifensine.