On the Antiarrhythmic Effect of Some Thymoleptics (Amitriptyline, Imipramine, Trimepropimine and Desmethylimipramine)

Abstract

Imipramine, desmethylimipramine, amitriptyline and trimepropimine showed an antiarrhythmic effect in arrhythmia elicited by aconitine in rats. This effect is considerably stronger than that of quinidine. The drugs also produced this effect in arrhythmia due to Ca Cl2 and in arrhythmia produced by electric stimulation in dogs. The compounds prolong in rats the atrial and ventricular conduction time. The investigated thymoleptics have a positive chronotropic effect in reserpine-bradycardia while on bradycardias, due to other drugs as bretylium and guanethidine, they do not exert any similar effect. A certain duality can therefore be observed also in the effect of thymoleptics on the impulse formation of the heart.