Diclofensine is a stimulant

Stimulant

Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...

 drug which acts as a triple monoamine reuptake inhibitor

Serotonin-noradrenaline-dopamine reuptake inhibitor

A serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor , or triple reuptake inhibitor , is a drug that acts simultaneously as a reuptake inhibitor for the monoamine neurotransmitters, serotonin , norepinephrine and dopamine , by blocking the action of the serotonin transporter , norepinephrine...

, primarily inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine

Dopamine

Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...

 and noradrenaline. It was found to be an effective antidepressant

Antidepressant

An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...

 in human trials, with relatively few side effects, but was ultimately dropped from clinical development, possibly due to concerns about its abuse potential

Drug abuse

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...

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Diclofensine is chemically a tetrahydroisoquinoline

Tetrahydroisoquinoline

Tetrahydroisoquinoline is a secondary amine with the chemical formula C9H11N.-Reactions:Like other secondary amines, tetrahydroisoquinoline can be oxidized to the corresponding nitrone using hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by selenium dioxide....

 (THIQ) derivative, as is nomifensine

Nomifensine

Nomifensine is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor developed by a team at Hoechst AG in the 1960s.. The drug was test-marketed in the United States by Hoechst AG , i.e. a drug that increases the amount of synaptic norepinephrine and dopamine available to receptors by blocking the dopamine...

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