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Nicotine and ADHD
Identifier
005286
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Psychopharmacol Bull. 1996;32(1): Nicotine and attention in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Conners CK, Levin ED, Sparrow E, Hinton SC, Erhardt D, Meck WH, Rose JE, March J. Duke University Medical Center, Duke University, Durtham NC, USA.
...Adults and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) smoke much more frequently than normal individuals or those with other psychiatric conditions, perhaps as a form of self-medication for ADHD symptoms.
Nicotine might therefore have some value as a treatment for ADHD.
The present study is an acute double-blind crossover administration of nicotine and placebo with smokers (n = 6) and nonsmokers (n = 11) diagnosed with adult ADHD. The drug was delivered via a transdermal patch at a dosage of 7 mg/day for nonsmokers and 21 mg/day for smokers.
Results indicate significant clinician-rated global improvement, self-rated vigor and concentration, and improved performance on chronometric measures of attention and timing accuracy. Side effects were minimal.
PMID: 8927677