Acute effects of different antidepressant drugs on saliva secretion and accommodation range

In a double blind controlled cross-over trial on 20 healthy volunteers, the anticholinergic side-effects of single doses of amitriptyline (75 mg), zimelidine (100 mg), maprotiline (75 mg), and placebo were compared. Anticholinergic side-effects were determined by means of self-rating of dryness in the mouth (visual analogue scale), determination of unstimulated and stimulated saliva secretion rate and accommodation range. There were no significant effects recorded after intake of placebo, which supports the test-retest reliability and the validity of the methods. Amitriptyline produced the most pronounced anticholinergic side-effects followed by maprotiline and zimelidine in decreasing order. There were no significant correlations between self-rating of dry mouth and saliva secretion rate or between accommodation ability and saliva secretion rate.