Nicotine helps brain disorders

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I have known for years that nicotine helps my ADD. As long as I'm puffing on an evil cigarette I can think clearly and coherently. Without nicotine I am a brain addled twit.

Today I saw an article that confirms my hypothesis:


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/artic ... disorders/

I understand how you feel. I've been battling nicotine addiction most of my adult life. For a lot of the same reasons. I also read a news article about it possibly helping the symptoms of Tourettes, which I don't have. I have all kinds of LDs along with probable AS, and it helps all my symptoms. I started smoking at about age 12 because I noticed it helped my trembling and stuttering and helped me to concentrate. I wonder if people like us would benefit from using nicotine gum or lozenges. I haven't tried them because they are expensive, but then so is smoking.
I have read that nicotine is a stimulant. This has always puzzled me, because it seems to have a sedative effect on me. Do you experience this also?

does weed work the same way?

Yes, I do find that nicotine has a sedative effect. I quit for three years and I found that I had to take a break from working on my degree, put aside all my books and give up my attempts to write a novel. As well, my anxiety increased quite alot. I became very anxious during this time and my intelligence decreased quite dramatically. Despite all of that discomfort and difficulty, I did manage to stay off cigarettes for three years. I know I can tolerate the withdrawal, but I can't tolerate the decrease in my ability to think clearly and coherently. I don't want to go through life as an idiot.

Oh NO!! ! I didn't just read this article! How does life make any sense when something you KNOW you should never take up because its harmful for you, is now shown to be, HELPFUL?! Are you sure this article wasn't just made up by the tobacco company to get people to smoke? *sigh*

I've always been a non smoker and always stayed away from it. I'm pretty sure that is the right choice and that I should continue on as a non-smoker. but..... I have savere concentration and memory problems, I may even have Attention Deficit, or if AS has some traits of AD, I have no idea, but my concentration/procrastination, and memory, is all big problems that leads me to no success and no happiness in my life. If Nicotine were to help me with all that, and I actually became something and became happy..... would the harmful aspects of Nicotine really matter all that much by comparison? I don't know what to do here....

A high percentage of tobacco user have ADHD. I've posted on another site
on ADHD and nicotine. Here is what I learned:
1) Yes nicotine will reduce ADHD
2) other stimulants are more effective
3) nicotine has a short half-life so use a patch if you use it.
4) nicotine will boost your blood pressure.(check your pressure)
5) nicotine replacment products cost More than tobacco!

The article I've posted above reports that nicotine assists people with ADD because it mimics the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a chemical transmitter that helps the brain to process information.

I can't find the study on medical marijuana, but it has been proven that weed is also effective in the treatment of ADD. Weed has a different effect on the brain though. Weed has been shown to increase a brain chemical that works to counteract the levels of dopamine in the brain. That is, abnormally high levels of dopamine have been correlated with ADD and ADHD and weed helps to decrease the dopamine.

The problem with smoking weed is, of course, that it is illegal. Many of us cannot risk the possible legal repercussions of a daily "wake and bake" and therefore have to find a legal solution.

I hope that weed is legalized one day, and I think it's a dirty shame that people who need it cannot have legal access to this beneficial herb.

Which stimulants were more effective than nicotine? If there is something that is legal that works better than nicotine I'd love to know about it.

NO! Definitely, do not take up smoking tobacco. I didn't post to persuade anyone to take up smoking tobacco. As you get older you'll see that your friends who smoke will start to drop dead like flies when they reach middle age.

The stimulants are legal but controlled.
1) amphetamines
a) dextroamphetamine
b) levoamphetamine + dextroamphetamine
c) methamphetamine (rarely used and expensive in your country)
2) ritalin
3) other agents

addforums.com

They smell as bad as skunks.

I'd read something along these lines on Yahoo news last year, so I searched for a similar article.
"Does nicotine help Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients ?" (Nov. 2005) link:
http://www.vermontcynic.com/home/index. ... ad6f9b5465
I quote only a few bits so as not to get in copyright trouble:
"However, nicotine can be helpful for people with pathological disease states such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia."
"The nicotine has a detrimental effect on the performance of the individual, while those who are impaired tend to show improvement when given nicotine."
"Too much or too little nicotine has a detrimental effect on the brain. The conclusion reached in this study is that nicotine has the greatest effect on tasks requiring attention."
I smoke cigarettes & admit I'm addicted-though I've never wanted to quit. I don't suggest anyone start smoking, of course. It's bad for me physically, but I enjoy it mentally. If healthier coping skills seemed effective, maybe I'd feel less need to smoke. Oh well.

dang I was just about to ask that

but they probably don't smell as bad as cigarettes...

I meant cigarettes.

Oh. Well, I was confused because years ago I took amphetamines, illegal ones, for rapid weightloss and they stink too! But not literally.