Antidepressants, alcohol and psychomotor performance

The acute psychomotor effects of moclobemide, a reversible inhibitor of MAO-A antidepressant (100 and 300 mg) compared with amitriptyline (25 and 75 mg) showed that moclobemide caused no significant impairment in contrast with amitriptyline, which caused significant impairment at both doses. Two other studies are reviewed. One study reported the acute effects of moclobemide (100 and 300 mg), trazodone (100 mg), placebo, and alcohol (0.5 g/kg) or placebo in an elderly group: moclobemide caused little impairment or alcohol potentiation and may reverse some alcohol impairment, whereas trazodone caused substantial impairment and alcohol potentiation. Another study of the acute and chronic effects of moclobemide (200 mg 3 times daily) or clomipramine (25 mg twice daily) and their interactions with alcohol (blood alcohol concentration 0.6 g/l) showed that alcohol caused significant impairment, whereas clomipramine tended to enhance and moclobemide to reduce some impairment. Moclobemide appears to be an antidepressant with few psychomotor effects and minimal alcohol potentiation and may reduce some alcohol impairment.