What is "amineptine"

n. An atypical tricyclic antidepressant.

Amineptine was developed by the French Society of Medical research in the 1960s. Under the trade-names (Survector, Maneon, Directim, Neolior, Provector, Viaspera) amineptine was used as an atypical tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) that selectively inhibits the reuptake of dopamine and to a lesser extent norepinephrine, in turn producing an antidepressant effect.

Introduced in France in 1978 by the pharmaceutical company Servier and marketed under the trade name Survector, amineptine soon gained a reputation for abuse due to its short-lived, but pleasant, stimulant effect experienced by some patients. (This is to be distinguished from its antidepressant effect, which appears in approximately seven days after commencing treatment.)

After its release into the European market, cases of hepatotoxicity emerged, some serious. This, along with the potential for abuse, led to the suspension of the French marketing authorization for Survector in 1999.

Amineptine was never approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing in the United States, meaning that it is not legal to market or sell amineptine for any medical uses in the US.