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Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

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Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#131

Post by chipperyman573 »

SparkyMcUnicorn wrote: post #103
samx18 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO Vaping is a far safer alternative to smoking for getting nicotine.

Just to chime in. If you have concerns because you've heard that "vaping is bad", do some research into it. While there are billboards and other advertisements against vaping in the USA, Public Health England says that vaping is at least 95% healthier [1]. http://notblowingsmoke.org/ [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-le...

Just because it's better doesn't mean it's good. Inhaling large amounts of steam or smoke is bad for your lungs, even if it doesn't contain any carcinogens. Also, nicotine is addictive, so taking it "just because" is a bad idea (taking it to treat something is a different story, obviously). Of course, if you're looking to intake nicotine for some reason, vaping is vastly superior to smoking.

"5 people killed in riot" is still a 95% improvement over "100 people killed in riot" but that doesn't make it a good thing.

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#132

Post by sova »

agentgt wrote: post #122
anigbrowl wrote: post #48

“This defines a completely novel strategy for medication development,” says lead author As someone with schizoaffective problems and raging ADHD, I find quotes like this acutely annoying. I've told every psychiatrist I'eve ever dealt with about the experiential costs/benefits of smoking (and consuming various other recreational drugs). They all nod sagely and say things like 'but smoking is bad' (no shit Sherlock!) w…

I have never been addicted to cigarettes and do not smoke but I do chew nicotine gum all the time for ADD (and yes there is a difference between ADHD and ADD). I took me a while to figure out that nicotine is a superior stimulant over caffeine, adderall, ritalin and even chocolate extract (albeit chocolate was surprisingly effective). The big plus with nicotine is that it doesn't have the after downer that the above…

Thanks for sharing your experience. As a substance nerd I find all this info very helpful and illuminating. Are you familiar with Erowid?

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#133

Post by snoman »

nickysielicki wrote: post #118
77pt77 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Of all the medical professionals I've ever dealt with, psychiatrists are the laziest and least imaginative. Also the ones with the most power over patients. A dangerous combination in my opinion.

Even more dangerous when you consider this paper. [1] In particular, see point two, "Psychology is less politically diverse than ever". Academic psychology seems to lean Democrat by a ratio of 14:1! Fourteen to one! That kind of bias is ridiculous when you consider the power they have over their patients and the politically-infused repercussions of their diagnosis. Case in point: gun ownership. [1]: http://heterodoxa…

That site, the linked paper, the vague 'membership' definition, is complete trash.

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#134

Post by samirillian »

beambot wrote: post #92
anigbrowl wrote: post #48

“This defines a completely novel strategy for medication development,” says lead author As someone with schizoaffective problems and raging ADHD, I find quotes like this acutely annoying. I've told every psychiatrist I'eve ever dealt with about the experiential costs/benefits of smoking (and consuming various other recreational drugs). They all nod sagely and say things like 'but smoking is bad' (no shit Sherlock!) w…

Your psychiatrist runs a practice and you're mad that they are practicing rather than researching ? That seems like an unrealistic expectation. If your doc was doing more research, then they probably wouldn't be practicing as much. It's like asking you to be a professional developer and do cutting edge CS research -- that's pretty rare. Tracking nicotine vs your mood strikes me as being "research" -- especially since…

They're called analysts for a reason, their daily work is much closer to research than refactoring code for yet another form-based web app. Humans seem to innately require a kind of redemptive soteriology. For many cultures, this was the role of the shaman/medicine man. Insofar as therapists/psychologists/psychiatrists now fill that niche, it would seem right that they offer the analysand new/fruitful/exploratory possibilities, rather than mere regurgitation. A critic of capitalism might consider both the psychiatrist's laziness and your own dismissive tone products of an unexamined assumption that the "division of labor" optimally solves all problems economic and existential alike. The division of labor works well on the assembly line, but does it work well for the health of the human being, especially psychological?

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#135

Post by hmahncke »

Targacept was a biotech company that spun off from RJ Reynolds [1] with the goal of making drugs related to nicotine that would help with schizophrenia and other psychiatric/neurological disorders. They tried really hard, and it didn't work [2].

[1] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rj-reynolds-tobacco-...

[2] http://www.journalnow.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-targa...

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#136

Post by joyeuse6701 »

77pt77 wrote: post #55
anigbrowl wrote: post #48

“This defines a completely novel strategy for medication development,” says lead author As someone with schizoaffective problems and raging ADHD, I find quotes like this acutely annoying. I've told every psychiatrist I'eve ever dealt with about the experiential costs/benefits of smoking (and consuming various other recreational drugs). They all nod sagely and say things like 'but smoking is bad' (no shit Sherlock!) w…

> Of all the medical professionals I've ever dealt with, psychiatrists are the laziest and least imaginative. Also the ones with the most power over patients. A dangerous combination in my opinion.

Better to be lazy with your power than proactive. First do no harm.

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#137

Post by kr7 »

adbge wrote: post #43

This is at the intersection of several of my interests. The idea that nicotine improves cognition in schizophrenia is not new and, indeed, several drugs inspired by this idea (nicotinic agonists) are currently in the pipeline for the treatment of ADHD, schizophrenia, and depression. [1] In this paper, the researchers are focused on a polymorphism in the CHRNA5 gene. Pulling up my 23andme data, this mutation (rs169699…

If I'm reading it correctly, the 'A' genotype is bad, for those who want to check for themselves:

https://you.23andme.com/tools/data/?query=rs16969968

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#138

Post by DanielleMolloy »

qrybam wrote: post #38

Tangential self experimentation anecdote: I was intrigued by reports that nicotine can improve cognition in otherwise healthy people so I read through as many studies/articles I could find online. After deciding that I'd done enough research I took the plunge and began self experimenting with 2mg gum. I took it daily throughout the day at regular-ish intervals for around 2-3 months. The affects I experienced were as…

How many of those 2mg nicotine gums did you chew during a day? I am asking because the stimulating effects appear to exist during microdosing of nicotine, e.g. 1mg for those who have not been exposed to nicotine before.

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#139

Post by Alex3917 »

yarou wrote: post #109
mona_simpson wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take-away from that is to look up the literature /before/ carrying out the self-experimentation. It could have saved the nasty experience with the retina cyst which sounds very nasty. I guess we normally only get to hear of the self-experiments with great results and advances for science and medicine. The not-so-good results can tend to get buried both figuratively and literally. Hope you're fully recovered.

I'm sure someone who's never exercised before could die of cardiac arrest as soon as they step on a treadmill. I think it's slightly disingenuous to suggest that one should never take risks because there are possible downsides. Nicotine exists in tomatoes, potatoes, etc. Should I remove these from my diet because they contain nicotine, which might possibly cause a cyst in my retina? Surely, we would both agree that a…

> Surely, we would both agree that argument is nonsensical.

It's nonsensical because the dose of nicotine in either is basically zero, unless you're eating pounds of raw tomato leaves.

Re: Nicotine Normalizes Brain Activity Deficits That Are Key to Schizophrenia

#140

Post by agentgt »

sova wrote: post #132
agentgt wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never been addicted to cigarettes and do not smoke but I do chew nicotine gum all the time for ADD (and yes there is a difference between ADHD and ADD). I took me a while to figure out that nicotine is a superior stimulant over caffeine, adderall, ritalin and even chocolate extract (albeit chocolate was surprisingly effective). The big plus with nicotine is that it doesn't have the after downer that the above…

Thanks for sharing your experience. As a substance nerd I find all this info very helpful and illuminating. Are you familiar with Erowid?

I tried a bunch of supplements and herbs. Some worked, some had nasty side effects, and most did squat.

The short list is I tried: Piractem, GABA, Rhodila Rosea, Cocamine (chocolate extract), gluractone (red bull ingredient), various ephedrine like stuff, various methly caffeine things (ie green tea), Yohimbine (I highly recommend you never ever take this).

I used to have lab like jars of the stuff at work and my coworkers would call me "the mad scientist".

Nothing worked better than exercise, sleep, nicotine, staying hydrated, and coffee. Strategic fasting is also effective but you have to be careful with that as well (ie intermittent fasting).

The other issue with trying weird stuff is we know a lot (longitudinal study wise) about nicotine. We don't for lots of natural supplements (just my 2 cents). I also can't stress it enough... do not take Yohimbine.. (that stuff should be illegal).

EDIT for Yohimbine explanation (I can't reply to ducttapemaster):

Yohimbine made me extremely lightheaded, extremely anxious, extremely nauseous and I could not sleep for 3 days and I think it was only 5 mg of HCL. I would rather have kidney stones again than go through Yohimbine...

The sick part is I have tried it multiple times (I guess to be scientific about it :) ).

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