Desipramine: an overview.

It is proposed that factors including a long "track record," perceived lack of anticholinergic effects, suggestions of earlier onset of action, and the concept of noradrenergic specificity have contributed to the widespread clinical use of desipramine. Recent studies bearing on these clinical beliefs are reviewed, with a focus on desipramine side effects, specificity, and speed of onset as compared to other tricyclics and to new generation antidepressants.