Nicotine and ADHD

Research has shown a positive correlation with nicotine and improvements in a commonly occurring problem, attention deficit disorder. While it may seem counter-intuitive to prescribe a substance like nicotine for this disorder, it can actually help a lot. It is believed that nicotine works with acetylcholine nerve receptors in the brain causes these receptors to be stimulated. When stimulated, there is a positive effect on the behavior and the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. It has been an amazing finding. Clinical studies have even been conducted with children. Children are sometimes prescribed small pieces of a nicotine patch to wear so that the nicotine is slowly absorbed into their blood stream. Many parents have reported quick and excellent changes in the behavior of their children who suffer with ADHD. One down side of using nicotine for this disorder is that it is a highly addictive substance. Do we want to cause an addiction in a child just to gain relief of behavior symptoms? There is no easy answer to this issue. On the bright side, studying nicotine administration in patients with ADHD may help us in the development of more medications in the future that are highly effective.

Jim Walters