Posted by Tony P on January 5, 2017, at 0:29:49
In reply to Why isn't nicotine gum used for mood disorders?, posted by Prefect on December 18, 2016, at 8:28:17
Not as powerful as the new generation ADs, and as someone said, not enough money to be made from it.
As a smoker (also suffering from major depression), trying to avoid the first-thing-in-the-morning smoke, I started taking a 4-mg nicotine lozenge immediately on waking and found it gave significant relief from the early morning blues. Non-smokers should use a lower dose.
It's worth noting that tobacco SMOKE contains other psychologically active chemicals, notably harmaline alkaloids, which are MAOI antidepressants. This may partly account for the limited success of NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) in quitting smoking.
My counselor once remarked that [in medical doses] nicotine is one of the safest drugs around, so by all means experiment with NRT for depression. For technical details of the effects of nicotine, see wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine.
In my experience, lozenges are the safest form, leading to the least risk of addiction. Inhalers work faster but are a bit more addictive. The spray (Nicorette quick-mist) is VERY fast acting, and in my experience quite addictive - best avoided.
poster:Tony P
thread:1093563
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20161215/msgs/1093829.html