Key result
Desipramine is associated with increased blood pressure and reduced RR interval variability in young subjects.
Why the study?
Does desipramine affect autonomic control of the heart (blood pressure, RR interval, and RR interval variability) in subjects younger than 30 years old?
Observational (n=13)
Does desipramine affect autonomic control of the heart (blood pressure, RR interval, and RR interval variability) in subjects younger than 30 years old?
In young subjects, desipramine alters autonomic cardiac control by decreasing parasympathetic input and increasing the sympathetic-to-parasympathetic ratio, which may increase the risk of arrhythmia.
May increase arrhythmia risk in young desipramine users; leaves open need for prospective safety trials.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of desipramine (DMI) on autonomic control of the heart. METHODS: Blood pressure, RR interval (the time between successive heart beats), and RR interval variability, a noninvasive measure of autonomic control of the heart, were assessed in 13 subjects younger than 30 years old. RESULTS: DMI treatment was associated with an increase in blood pressure, a decrease in RR interval, and a decline in low and high frequency RR interval variability. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that, in young people, DMI treatment produces a substantial decrease in parasympathetic input to the heart and an increase in the ratio of sympathetic to parasympathetic input, changes that in certain circumstances have been associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia. In exploring the cardiac effects of the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) in young people, the impact of TCAs on autonomic input to the heart should be examined.
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Walsh et al. (1994) reported an observational. Desipramine was evaluated on Blood pressure, RR interval, and RR interval variability. Desipramine treatment in young subjects was associated with an increase in blood pressure, a decrease in RR interval, and a decline in low and high frequency RR interval variability.
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