...or more accurately, approaching my doctor for a patch or other nicotine prescription.

I want some advice from the rest of you, because even I can see this is a stupid idea.

Repeat--this is a stupid idea. Only, maybe it isn't.

I know my GP would SCREAM (at least internally) at the idea, but really, my dx is going to take another year from the look of it, and every day untreated is another day wasted. I am in my late 50s and have never smoked, though my parents both did.

Some of the studies indicate that the nicotine patch has a desirable effect. I was searching Google Scholar yesterday [search nicotine + ADHD] and didn't find anything that didn't support the effect, in particular "Nicotine and attention in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" Conners, C.K. et al. 1996.

:confused:

Your opinions would be appreciated, especially you sciencey types.

Ducky

Well, I'm not giving any advice but about a year ago while undergoing a doppler-vascular study at the hospital I was talking with the doctor about arteries and veins and how they actually work. She explicitly said that nicotine actaully causes the smooth muscle that lines the arteries to get 'sticky' and impedes blood flow. Apparently arteries are quite flexible and are constantly expanding and contracting as part of their constant routine to to maintain flow and pressure. Nicotine impedes that function.

J

Too addictive. What would happen if you tried a single tab of Sudafed (the real stuff, not the new stuff), taken two times per day for a total of 8 hours? Lots of people with allergies take that amount on a regular basis. (And note, I'm no medical person here, just thought that that might be a close approximation...) Amen recommends AGAINST nicotine or caffeine. He says they'll actually make things worse, not better.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't recommend starting to smoke. I've been smoking just over two years now and it has all sorts of nasty effects: general fatigue, getting winded easily, not absorbing as much oxygen as normal, coughing, etc. (but the risk of getting lung cancer has been overplayed IMO. It may increase your risk by 8% over a non-smoker. (http://www.journaloftheoretics.com/Editorials/Vol-1/e1-4.htm))

I will say that smoking a cigarette increases my attention, but it's very short-lived(1h-1.5h), then you start 'jonesing' for another.

Like you said, a much better way to get the nicotine would be the patch. It's a constant, steady delivery of nicotine and this would eliminate the negative effects on your respiratory system.

hi there
the level of nicotine needed to reach therapuitic levels is close to toxic . why do you have to wait so ong until you can get meds ?

if i were you i wouldnt touch the stuff , you might end up smoking .....

dotan

"...the level of nicotine needed to reach therapeutic levels is close to toxic ..."

Apparently not. Conners cited a patch dosage of 7 mg /day for nonsmokers, and 21 mg/day for smokers in this study. Actually smoking, like a chain smoker, would deliver far more.

Though I'm inclined to agree with everyone here that it's a silly idea. Only frustration and depression would make me ever consider it.

I smoked off and on for nearly a decade. It did appear to help my mood at times, and more importantly it helped me concentrate. I probably wouldn't have passed certain math-intensive classes if it weren't for chain smoking while doing problems. However, I felt progressively less healthy until one day I was coughing while climbing a flight of stairs and I just said that's it, I'm done with this. I just quit.

Following that there was a two week "smoking vacation" during my divorce but I don't really count that. I couldn't sleep and was really out there. In addition I've smoked cigars before exams as a way to focus. Who knows if I will get cancer some day because of this stupid habit? I would discourage anyone from doing it.

It's a very, very bad idea. I understand that you're desperate, but the results you might get from smoking are not worth it. And once you're hooked, it's very hard to quit-even if you manage to quit, you'll keep returning to cigarettes whenever you feel bad.

.... I look at people who want to start smoking....and cry. My Dad has been smoking since age 13. He refuses to quit... but he's on oxygen... daily. He can't help himself half the time. He has to sit up in a chair to sleep...because it chokes him to lay down. He has to have inhalers... besides the breathing treatments.

He has emphysema and COPD......he's had numerous heart attacks.... and his legs have turned black.. from lack of oxygen. Recenly, his brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Even that, did not stop his *need* to smoke. I believe I have a photo in my album of my Uncle. You can see the ravages that cancer have put on him.

His walls and windows are so smoke covered that they need washed down several times to get them clean. It literally looks like the inside of the house was burnt at some point.

I read your last post.... even at that dosage.. if you stopped for any reason..you'd want to go buy cigarettes. My Dad has tried repeatedly to use the patch to quit...and literally would remove the patch and smoke half a pack of cigarettes before putting it back on.

Is there not any way to find a different doctor to work with.. to get your diagnosis quicker?

Hey I have a great idea, you could use a vaporizer to smoke tobacco, you would get all the same positive effects of tobacco but you would have no increased chance for lung cancer or any breathing problems what so ever, so basically all you would be getting into your pody would be nicotine vapors, so no smoke at all..

A vaporizer heats the tobacco to the point where the nicotine is released but not to the point where the tobacco is combusted and turned into smoke.

Just an idea, tell me what you guys think..

GOOD LUCK!

Hey I have a great idea, you could use a vaporizer to smoke tobacco, you would get all the same positive effects of tobacco but you would have no increased chance for lung cancer or any breathing problems what so ever, so basically all you would be getting into your pody would be nicotine vapors, so no smoke at all..

A vaporizer heats the tobacco to the point where the nicotine is released but not to the point where the tobacco is combusted and turned into smoke.

Just an idea, tell me what you guys think..

GOOD LUCK!

That *might* work.

I think you know the answer to your question, so I won't comment there...

I did once tell my family doc a similar thing, because I found that smoking really calmed me down. He laughed. Go figure.

It may increase your risk by 8% over a non-smoker. (http://www.journaloftheoretics.com/Editorials/Vol-1/e1-4.htm))

According to the article you linked to, it increases your risk factor by 8 times. That is, a smoker chance of dying of lung cancer is 8 times that of a non-smoker. That's 800%, not 8%.

And that's assuming the author of the "Journal of Theoretics" (?!) has his facts straight anyway. I mean, if you're going to quote a source of scientific information, c'mon, it's not _that_ hard to find a reference source that is vaguely reputable.

There is a peer-review system in place for real scientific publication for a reason. Differentiating serious scientific reporting from the crackpot self-publication ventures like the "Journal of Theoretics" is the reason.

Here somethings to consider:

1. Nicotine has a short half-life (30 minutes ?) So a patch is the only practical
deliver system.

2. Nicotine patches are extremely expensive(all nicotine products are in the US).

3. Nicotine can/does boost blood pressure.

4. Smoking has a MAO-B that provides a bigger boost than nicotine alone.

So that means if money and blood pressure is not a problem you could try
a patch but the patch may not be as effective as smoking. I understand your
desperation though. I would start smoking in a second if it helped me but I was not impressed with the gum, have high blood pressure, little money and have strong memories of vomiting after smoking a few cigarettes as a teen.


He has emphysema and COPD......he's had numerous heart attacks.... and his legs have turned black.. from lack of oxygen. Recenly, his brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Even that, did not stop his *need* to smoke. I believe I have a photo in my album of my Uncle. You can see the ravages that cancer have put on him.


I know some old women with COPD she stopped smoking and it nearly killed her so her doctor has her on a few a day till she dies.

Hey I have a great idea, you could use a vaporizer to smoke tobacco, you would get all the same positive effects of tobacco but you would have no increased chance for lung cancer or any breathing problems what so ever, so basically all you would be getting into your pody would be nicotine vapors, so no smoke at all..

A vaporizer heats the tobacco to the point where the nicotine is released but not to the point where the tobacco is combusted and turned into smoke.

Just an idea, tell me what you guys think..

GOOD LUCK!


I smoke and I have a very good vaporizer (Storz und Bickel's Volcano), and I sometimes vaporize tobacco. Oddly enough, it kind of tastes like graham crackers this way, although many blends of tobacco also take on unpleasant "wet dog" notes in a vaporizer unless you're using a really pure Virginia blend.

This can work, and sometimes I will vaporize tobacco when I am working (I write for a living).

Anyway, I am in the process of being diagnosed for ADD. It has been obvious to me for years that I have ADD, but only recently have I come to appreciate the extent to which it is interfering with my life in ways that may be treatable and, therefore, worth the time and trouble of a proper diagnosis.

I bring this up because in the last two or three years my problems have been coming to a head, and during this time I took up smoking, and looking back I realize that I have been smoking to compensate for my ADD. At the time, I was being treated for depression, and the psychiatrist was having trouble finding the right antidepressant for me. I told him that I had recently tried smoking and really liked the affect it had — far better than the antidepressants I was taking at the time. Based on that he switched me to Wellbrutrin, which is used to treat ADD as well as nicotine addiction. But it wasn't really the same or as good as smoking itself.

I have quit all my antidepressants but I still smoke. Only now is it becoming obvious that depression is a consequence of the untreated ADD, and taking up smoking was indeed more effective than that doctor's prescriptions.

But since I, too, am in the process of getting Dx-ed and Rx-ed, what are the alternatives for those of us tired of twisting in the wind? Sudafed? Does this actually work for people? It hasn't, so far, for me.

I've been wearing a 14mg nicotine patch for the last week and I'm impressed with the results. The biggest impact I've noticed is that I've been following through with things at work much more than I usually do. My productivity and organizational skills have increased noticeably as well.

I am in the Military and any long-term psychiatric medications are likely to cause you to be separated from the service. I'm not sure what the implications of long-term nicotine use are, but I can't imagine they are terrible because tons of people smoke their whole lives (yes I know smoking is bad for you, but nicotine is only one component of the cigarette chemical mix).

I've been wearing a 14mg nicotine patch for the last week and I'm impressed with the results. The biggest impact I've noticed is that I've been following through with things at work much more than I usually do. My productivity and organizational skills have increased noticeably as well.

I am in the Military and any long-term psychiatric medications are likely to cause you to be separated from the service. I'm not sure what the implications of long-term nicotine use are, but I can't imagine they are terrible because tons of people smoke their whole lives (yes I know smoking is bad for you, but nicotine is only one component of the cigarette chemical mix).

Only one I'm personally concern with is increased blood pressure. So you might want to monitor that.

(My bad I see I allready mentioned this in this thread. )