Cardiovascular effects of zimeldine

Sinus tachycardia is common after zimeldine overdosage, but major changes in blood pressure, conduction defects, prolonged repolarization and arrhythmias appear to be much less of a problem than with tricyclic antidepressants. At therapeutic dosage, there is no evidence of significant impairment of myocardial contractility or conduction with zimeldine. A fall in blood pressure was reported in one study, but not in others, and postural hypotension, though it may occur, is not common. These findings suggest that the use of zimeldine may be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular toxicity than has been found with the tricyclic antidepressants.