Comment by dgdnt

Nicotine is being explored to replace stimulants:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotinic_agonist#Drug_developm...

The development of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists began in the early 1990s after the discovery of nicotine’s positive effects on animal memory.[2][3] The development of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists has come a long way since then. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist are gaining increasing attention as drug candidates for multiple central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nicotine addiction.[24][25]

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130036

<i>Interestingly enough, some pharmaceutical companies (like Targacept) have caught onto this phenomenon, and they have already started manufacturing nicotinic drugs (agonists of nicotinic receptors), which are to be marketed for the treatment of ADHD. They are trying to make nictoine more "safe"...

These so called nicotinic drugs, such as AZD3480 (Ispronicline), are still in the clinical trial phase. In fact, the drug is in phase trial II, which means that it has passed the so-called primary "safety test", and there were no alarming adverse reactions. See: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00683462.

These nicotinic drugs are a refreshing new technology, because they indirectly act on dopamine through the release of another neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. These drugs are much unlike classic stimulants, which act upon the dopamine reward pathway directly, increasing abuse potential.

I decided to put the last question to the test. For the past week, I weaned myself of the Ritalin, and I bought transdermal nicotine patches. Bear in mind that I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, and none of my immediate family members smoke! So, what I did was highly risky as nicotine has been dubbed as a "highly addictive" drug. ...

On these so-called "dangerous" 5 mg patches, not only was I able to focus better and sleep better, but my mood was much more stable. Also, the "come-down" is nothing like that which I experienced with psychostimulants (more specifically, Ritalin). Now, I am not saying that we should all start smoking. But, I'm saying that we should keep an open mind and to keep our therapeutic options open.</i>