[wi_fighter]

So I'm reading through the headlines on MSN this morning and there's one about the benefits of nicotine. It goes on to say that it can help depression, ADHD, Parkinson's and a couple of other things that I can't remember. It mentioned how it helps with focus and concentration.

So me in all my non-smoker brilliance decides to go buy some patches. I check out the info and it says if you smoke 10 cigarettes or less a day, get the 14 mg ones, which I did. I ended up with all the symptoms of nicotine poisoning that were listed in the pamphlet. Not fun, let me tell you.

So for anyone who's a nonsmoker and gets the "brilliant" idea like I did to try patches, don't get the 14 mg. I should have followed my instincts and only gotten 7 mg strength, but noooooo.

That was $58 down the drain. It sure made me type fast when it first kicked in though. LOL

[BlueFaith]

LOL.. oh me, oh my.. I'm sorry you felt like crud, but this sounds exactly like something I'd do. And I had no clue that nicotine actually has benefits.

[wi_fighter]

It finally wore off around 2:00 or so, but I sure felt awful for about four hours. I couldn't hold anything down, not even water, and the doctor said I had to push fluids to flush the nicotine out of my system and to take Benadryl for the nausea. That didn't stay down either.

So much for self medicating. Sheesh.

Sorry to laugh at your expense but that was funny.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for you though. All I know is that a few years ago-I was smoking and wanted to quit so I tried the patch. I smoked a cigarette while wearing the patch and I got so dizzy and sick that I had to leave my clients house to go home. (Which is something I almost never do.)
I'm glad you're okay and stay away from nicotine!!!

[DaveyJones]

Nicotine is a dopamine agonist--that's why it helps with those conditions. It's also why buproprion (Wellbutrin and Zyban) can help people quit smoking, the extra dopamine keeps the nicotine from binding to the dopamine receptors in the brain. (Wellbutrin kicked my 30-year habit in about two days).

On the other hand, nicotine is something like 19 times as addictive as heroin...it's not a really good thing to put in your body to help with depression. You think antidepressants have side effects? You ain't seen nothin' yet! (Except for wi-fighter, of course)!

I hope you're feeling better!

DJ

> On the other hand, nicotine is something like 19 times as addictive as heroin...

Nicotine or smoking?

(I think the '19 times as addictive' is calculated on the basis of people trying to give up smoking / taking heroin and rates of success with total abstinence)

If it was nicotine that was addictive rather than the method of delivery then people shouldn't have trouble substituting smoking for the equivalent dosage of nicotine in patches, gum, or sprays.