Today I took 1mg of nicotine from gum (split the 2mg gum in half). If you know me, I have tried everything that is being told on the internet that is supposed to be working for schizophrenia, including: sarcosine, theanine, choline, NAC, Fish oil, bacopa, … Besides taking Abilify 5mg. You can look up my previous posts to see what I have tried. These supplements did something for me, but it did not even come close to nicotine (which seems to increase acetylcholine)!
This is how I feel right now (after only 1mg): More energy, clear headed, focus, better memory, more confidence, makes me calm, less depression, people around me seem to notice it too. There are lot of stories that nicotine is addictive, while I’m not suggesting it is not, it does help me very much so far! Heck, caffeine is also addictive. So I came to the conclusion that if used in small amounts, there is not much that can go wrong. And so I just tried it out.
I have done a fair amount of research on the topic, there is some research available on the internet, some claiming that nicotine is beneficial for people with Schizophrenia:
Nicotine may help treat schizophrenia, study finds
The mice had decreased neural activity in a way that is similar to the hypofrontality found in patients with schizophrenia and addiction. Finally, researchers administered nicotine to these mice, which reversed the hypofrontality. By acting on nicotinic receptors in brain areas related to healthy cognitive function, chronic nicotine administration reversed the cognitive impairment.
Smoking and Schizophrenia
Nicotine — in cigarettes and other forms — appears to help normalize some of the cognitive and sensory deficits that people with this disorder experience. Scientists have looked inside the brain to uncover regions involved in deficits of schizophrenia and to learn how and where nicotine works to combat them. Now, enhanced knowledge is helping scientists develop drugs to treat this debilitating disorder.
Nicotine: A Powerful Nootropic?
Despite all the negative sentiments surrounding the word nicotine, more and more researchers are calling nicotine a powerful nootropic. Nicotine is abundant in the leaves of the tobacco plant. It has been found to have beneficial effects on memory, cognition, creativity, motivation, and executive functions in healthy subjects.
I’m not suggesting to start smoking, because smoking is proven to be really bad for you. But I just want to share my experience. It might not work for me (or you) long term, I don’t know. But how I feel right now is really incredible… I have not felt like this (from just 1mg of this stuff) for a very very long time!
And looking at the risks, I came to the conclusion that smoking causes some real damage, while nicotine in itself is not as addictive as smoking itself. But it is wise to do your own research on the topic…