Posted by Mistermindmasta on April 4, 2005, at 13:34:23
In reply to Can Nicotine treat ADHD, posted by melspinyards on April 1, 2005, at 18:14:42
> mmmmm
>
> I've heard alot of controvery about this.
>
> Well compared to psychostimulants what is nicotine considered on scale 1-10.
>
> Is it reinforcing at higher doses?Definitely is reinforcing. It helps with measures of impulsivity, hyperactivity, memory, attention span, so I'd say it is a drug for ADHD. But how helpful compared to a stimulant like adderall? Let me just say that a few cups of coffee improves my ADD like symptoms far better than a few cigarettes do. But that's just me. I'm sure I'm getting enough nicotine, too, since I get dizzy and lightheaded and a little shaky sort of. So it's not an issue of not enough nicotine in my little 'experiments'. But what do I make of this??
As I recall, the studies that show nicotine is good for certain cognitive functions might have been funded by the tobacco industry. That's something to be aware of. In spite of this, I think nicotine does have a certain benefical effect maybe for the hyperactive ADHD subtype but not the underactive ADD subtype. I don't really have hyperactive ADHD, so I don't think that my story would be applicable. Hyperactive ADHD and underactive ADD may be caused by different neurochemical mechanisms, so the fact that nicotine would be a good drug for people with ADHD but not me makes a certain amount of sense.
I tend to have a low tolerance for boring things which then effects my actions. Like, studying for a test when I don't NEED to is impossible. Doing something monotonous takes a lot of willpower. With caffeine, though, I seem to be able to tolerate monotonous things much easier. With nicotine, I don't find much of a help. I guess that when it comes to reading, for example, I don't exactly have a LACK of attention, it's just that I can't adequately divide my attention to things I need to. I'm often playing guitar when I should be doing important tasks. Nicotine doesn't help this. I need something to make other tasks seem less boring. Oh, by way, alcohol in lower doses seems to improve my tolerance for boring things...
So why not try nicotine just to see what happens? Buy some gum or lozenges and see if it's helpful. I'd like to see how people here react. Getting addicted to a slow release pill/gum form of nicotine can be more difficult than the quick buzz of a cigarette, so the worry for addictiveness is a bit lower, but still there.
poster:Mistermindmasta
thread:478702
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050323/msgs/479681.html