Desipramine subsensitizes nicotinic mechanism involved in regulating core temperature.

Desipramine HCl, 10 mg/kg i.p. twice daily, produced subsensitivity to the hypothermic effects of nicotine, 1 mg/kg, after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment in male Sprague-Dawley rats, Phenelzine sulfate, fluoxetine HCl, and bright artificial light produced the same effect. The capacity of three chemically distinct classes of anti-depressants and bright artificial light (a treatment for seasonal depression) to produce this result suggests that effects on nicotinic mechanisms may be involved in the mechanism of action of these treatments.