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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ed_uk on December 22, 2004, at 17:36:24
Has anyone ever used a nicotine patch to treat their ADD?
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2002 Jul;3(3):150-5.
A pilot controlled trial of transdermal nicotine in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that transdermal nicotine would be efficacious for the treatment of children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, pilot trial that compared the effects of daily transdermal nicotine (5 mg/16 hrs) to placebo in children and adolescents with ADHD. There was a three-day washout period of all psychotropic medication followed by a one-week treatment period. RESULTS: All 10 subjects enrolled (six males, four females; mean age = 10 years, SEM = 0.8) completed the study. As assessed by the 48-item Conners Parent Rating Scale at endpoint and during the trial, there was a significantly greater reduction in ADHD symptoms on "Learning Problems" and "Hyperactivity" subfactors. Nausea, stomach ache, itching under patch and dizziness were the most frequently reported adverse effects associated with transdermal nicotine. CONCLUSIONS: While the results of this study support previous research indicating that nicotinic receptor modulation may be a potentially useful strategy for the treatment of ADHD, therapeutic uses of nicotine are limited due to side effects. Thus, future research should investigate ways of improving the therapeutic index of nicotinic ligands in the treatment of ADHD, such as testing selective nicotinic antagonists alone or in combination with cholinergic agonists.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998 Nov;140(2):135-41.
Transdermal nicotine effects on attention.Nicotine has been shown to improve attentiveness in smokers and attenuate attentional deficits in Alzheimer's disease patients, schizophrenics and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The current study was conducted to determine whether nicotine administered via transdermal patches would improve attentiveness in non-smoking adults without attentional deficits. The subjects underwent the nicotine and placebo exposure in a counterbalanced double-blind manner. Measures of treatment effect included the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Conners' computerized Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of attentiveness and a computerized interval-timing task. The subjects were administered a 7 mg/day nicotine transdermal patch for 4.5 h during a morning session. Nicotine significantly increased self-perceived vigor as measured by the POMS test. On the CPT, nicotine significantly decreased the number of errors of omission without causing increases in either errors of commission or correct hit reaction time. Nicotine also significantly decreased the variance of hit reaction time and the composite measure of attentiveness. This study shows that, in addition to reducing attentional impairment, nicotine administered via transdermal patches can improve attentiveness in normal adult non-smokers.
Posted by Iansf on December 23, 2004, at 16:17:42
In reply to Transdermal Nicotine for ADD, posted by ed_uk on December 22, 2004, at 17:36:24
Wouldn't nicotine be just as addictive when delivered through a patch as through smoking? Of course, I'm not at all sure of what the long-term implictions of nicotine addiction are when it's separated from smoking. Presumably there would no risk of oral or lung cancer or of emphysema, but are there other risks?
> Has anyone ever used a nicotine patch to treat their ADD?
>
> World J Biol Psychiatry. 2002 Jul;3(3):150-5.
>
> A pilot controlled trial of transdermal nicotine in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
>
> OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that transdermal nicotine would be efficacious for the treatment of children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, pilot trial that compared the effects of daily transdermal nicotine (5 mg/16 hrs) to placebo in children and adolescents with ADHD. There was a three-day washout period of all psychotropic medication followed by a one-week treatment period. RESULTS: All 10 subjects enrolled (six males, four females; mean age = 10 years, SEM = 0.8) completed the study. As assessed by the 48-item Conners Parent Rating Scale at endpoint and during the trial, there was a significantly greater reduction in ADHD symptoms on "Learning Problems" and "Hyperactivity" subfactors. Nausea, stomach ache, itching under patch and dizziness were the most frequently reported adverse effects associated with transdermal nicotine. CONCLUSIONS: While the results of this study support previous research indicating that nicotinic receptor modulation may be a potentially useful strategy for the treatment of ADHD, therapeutic uses of nicotine are limited due to side effects. Thus, future research should investigate ways of improving the therapeutic index of nicotinic ligands in the treatment of ADHD, such as testing selective nicotinic antagonists alone or in combination with cholinergic agonists.
>
>
>
> Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998 Nov;140(2):135-41.
>
> Transdermal nicotine effects on attention.
>
> Nicotine has been shown to improve attentiveness in smokers and attenuate attentional deficits in Alzheimer's disease patients, schizophrenics and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The current study was conducted to determine whether nicotine administered via transdermal patches would improve attentiveness in non-smoking adults without attentional deficits. The subjects underwent the nicotine and placebo exposure in a counterbalanced double-blind manner. Measures of treatment effect included the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Conners' computerized Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of attentiveness and a computerized interval-timing task. The subjects were administered a 7 mg/day nicotine transdermal patch for 4.5 h during a morning session. Nicotine significantly increased self-perceived vigor as measured by the POMS test. On the CPT, nicotine significantly decreased the number of errors of omission without causing increases in either errors of commission or correct hit reaction time. Nicotine also significantly decreased the variance of hit reaction time and the composite measure of attentiveness. This study shows that, in addition to reducing attentional impairment, nicotine administered via transdermal patches can improve attentiveness in normal adult non-smokers.
>
>
Posted by anxiety_free on December 23, 2004, at 16:41:18
In reply to Re: Transdermal Nicotine for ADD » ed_uk, posted by Iansf on December 23, 2004, at 16:17:42
Nicotine, unfortunately, is now suspected of being carcinogenic in its own right... as someone with adhd, i'll take adderall over nicotine or dervitatives anyday, until science comes up with a safe product that hits all the right receptors.
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