• nocturne@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    1·
    8 months ago

    This may be a joke but nicotine treats symptoms of adhd

    Is this for real? It would make sense why my adhd feels like it is getting worse as I age. I quit speed, then smoking, then caffeinated drinks.

    Edit: yes, thank you all for adhdsplaining stimulants to me. I know about speed and caffeine. I was simply asking about nicotine.

    • The Picard Maneuver@lemmy.worldOP
      0·
      8 months ago

      Nicotine is a mild simulant, yes. All of those things are frequently used by people to “self-medicate”, but the downsides are obviously pretty steep.

      • Trollception@sh.itjust.works
        0·
        8 months ago

        I was under the impression nicotine was on a similar risk profile to caffeine. Are you referring to the tobacco plant in general?

        • braxy29@lemmy.world
          0·
          8 months ago

          this is my impression as well regarding nicotine. however, i have noticed people are not interested in examining that and continue to conflate nicotine with cigarettes (high risk) and vaping (misconstrued risk).

          i also believe many view a nicotine addiction through a sort of moral lens they don’t apply so readily to caffeine.

  • Mohamed@lemmy.ca
    0·
    8 months ago

    It is true, it seems, that Nicotine treats ADHD. There is at least one study that showed nicotine patches (18h and 24h ones) provide a mild to moderate relief for ADHD in people that do not use nicotine otherwise (e.g. nonsmokers). So, it doesn’t just treat the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

    Cigarette smoke is known to contain a clinically significant amount of MAO inhibiters that are not nicotine. MAO inhibiters are regularly used to treat depression and anxiety, and theoretically could treat ADHD since MAOI’s generally prevent breakdown of dopamine. There is some nuance here.*

    • For example, there are different types of MAO (monoamine oxidase - an enzyme that breaks down monoamines. Dopamine is an example of a monoamine), like MAO-A vs MAO-B, which break down different monoamines, and MAOI’s (MAO Inhibitors) differ on whether they inhibit A, B or both. Furthermore, there are reversible vs irreversible MAOI.