Nicotine Is An Anti-Depressant And Reverses Learned Helplessness

[Dopamine]

Nicotine in Acute and Chronic Usage Has Antidepressant Effects and Reverses Learned Helplessness.

Antidepressantlike effects of chronic nicotine on learned helplessness paradigm in rats
Antidepressantlike effects of chronic nicotine on learned helplessness paradigm in rats. - PubMed - NCBI
"These results suggest that chronic nicotine may act as an antidepressant, probably via nicotinic receptors."

Antidepressant-like effects of the acute and chronic administration of nicotine in the rat forced swimming test and its interaction with flouxetine
"Results showed that Nicotine induced a significant reduction of the time in immobility during the forced swim test (antidepressant effect), with a concomitant increase in swimming activity after acute administration. These effects remain the same after subchronic and chronic administration."

Antidepressant Effect of Ingested Nicotine in Female Rats of Flinders Resistant and Sensitive Lines
This study shows nicotine has antidepressant effects on depressed rats independent of their genetic pre-disposition to depression. It also shows depressed rats that self administer nicotine show decreased immobility in the forced swim test. Depressed rats will relieve their symptoms with nicotine.

It is common for those with depression to smoke cigarettes/self administer nicotine. Rats do the same thing as it improves their situation. Nicotine must be seen as a tool sought by the user to reverse their helplessness.

How Does Nicotine Reverse Depression/Learned Helplessness?
The mechanisms through which nicotine reverses depression are complex but similar to the mechanisms through which caffeine reduces depression. I wrote an article on nicotine that compared many of its effects to those of caffeine:
Nicotine [Through A Peat Prism?]

Notable antidepressent effects of nicotine derive from its effect of lowering serotonin and increasing dopamine/neurosteroids/and energy expenditure:

-Chronic nicotine increases expression of tyrosine hydroxylase which is the enzyme that converts tyrosine to dopamine. This effect lasts up to 7 days after cessation of nicotine administration. Chronic nicotine decreases expression of tryptophan hydroxylase which is the enzyme that converts tryptophan to serotonin. Basically more dopamine and less serotonin is being produced.

-Nicotine increases uptake of serotonin- reducing its levels in the brain. Nicotine also decreases the intake of tryptophan into the brain. Estrogen increases serotonin and nicotine strongly decreases estrogen.

-Nicotine increases the levels of neurosteroids- pregnenolone, allopregnenolone, and progesterone in the brain. increases of these neurosteroids can have anti-depressant effects.

-Nicotine increases mitochondrial uncoupling, thermogenesis, and the energy expenditure of the organism. Caffeine and thyroid work similarly. This increased energy expenditure is the opposite of the energy conservation seen in states of hibernation, fasting, chronic stress, and depression.

 

[NathanK]

The irony of this is a lot of depressed people use nicotine already

 

[dookie]

I like nicotine patches, 10 mg/day works well and lifts me from a depressed mood in a few hours

 

[ecstatichamster]

I like nicotine patches, 10 mg/day works well and lifts me from a depressed mood in a few hours

Do you find it habit-forming?

 

[Parsifal]

I've noticed that a nicotime gum is more vasoconstrictive for me than coffee. At first when I take it it seems to increase bile flow a lot like coffee did at first when I started to drink it again and also stomach acid (could be painful). Is that because it increases cortisol at first?

 

[Drareg]

Cocaine will also reverse learned helplessness and depression. This does not make it good.

Ray Peat does not currently recommend nicotine for depression or learned helplessness, it's highly likely because it has severe withdrawals. He recommends many other safer substances for learned helplessness and depression.

Severe withdrawals from anything will increase risk of suicide and depression.

 

[Tenacity]

The irony of this is a lot of depressed people use nicotine already

If nicotine has antidepressant properties, this isn't so ironic. I wonder if those more strongly addicted to nicotine are more depressed...

 

[dookie]

Do you find it habit-forming?

Yes somewhat. I only used it occasionally or during emergencies, maybe once per week or less. There definitely is a crash the day after using it, with a bit of anxiety and depression. But still, it's safer than many other drugs people do.

Cocaine will also reverse learned helplessness and depression. This does not make it good..

Nicotine can't be compared with cocaine, since it's much weaker. But even cocaine may have some merit, since it raises progesterone levels:

"Female Fischer rats injected with cocaine in a "binge" pattern (15 mg/kg, IP, three times a day, at 1-h intervals) for 1 day had significantly higher levels of progesterone than saline-treated controls (p < 0.001)."
Cocaine affects progesterone plasma levels in female rats. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Drareg]

Yes somewhat. I only used it occasionally or during emergencies, maybe once per week or less. There definitely is a crash the day after using it, with a bit of anxiety and depression. But still, it's safer than many other drugs people do.


Nicotine can't be compared with cocaine, since it's much weaker. But even cocaine may have some merit, since it raises progesterone levels:

"Female Fischer rats injected with cocaine in a "binge" pattern (15 mg/kg, IP, three times a day, at 1-h intervals) for 1 day had significantly higher levels of progesterone than saline-treated controls (p < 0.001)."
Cocaine affects progesterone plasma levels in female rats. - PubMed - NCBI

Nice find with the study.
Cocaine was the drug of choice for elites for years, I'm not saying it it still is but if politicians were drug tested regularly..........

 

[Parsifal]

Cocaine will also reverse learned helplessness and depression. This does not make it good.

Ray Peat does not currently recommend nicotine for depression or learned helplessness, it's highly likely because it has severe withdrawals. He recommends many other safer substances for learned helplessness and depression.

Severe withdrawals from anything will increase risk of suicide and depression.

Cocaine is also a SSRI and SARI according to haidut.

 

[Dopamine]

I like nicotine patches, 10 mg/day works well and lifts me from a depressed mood in a few hours

Yes somewhat. I only used it occasionally or during emergencies, maybe once per week or less. There definitely is a crash the day after using it, with a bit of anxiety and depression. But still, it's safer than many other drugs people do.

If nicotine is making you crash then the dosage is probaly way too high.

I believe people quitting smoking often start out using patch dosages of around 14-15mg... these are people with high nicotine tolerance.
10mg dosages as a non-smoker is likely too high and would cause somewhat of a stress reaction hence the crash and subsequent poor mood.

 

[Dopamine]

Cocaine will also reverse learned helplessness and depression. This does not make it good.

Ray Peat does not currently recommend nicotine for depression or learned helplessness, it's highly likely because it has severe withdrawals. He recommends many other safer substances for learned helplessness and depression.

Severe withdrawals from anything will increase risk of suicide and depression.

Cocaine has not been demonstrated to reverse learned helplessness... whats more- your comparisons of nicotine to cocaine are unfounded and fear mongering.
Nicotine in isolation is not particularly addictive and thus highly unlikely to lead to "severe withdrawals." You are confusing nicotine with cigarettes in regards to addictive potential...

 

[Drareg]

Cocaine has not been demonstrated to reverse learned helplessness... whats more- your comparisons of nicotine to cocaine are unfounded and fear mongering.
Nicotine in isolation is not particularly addictive and thus highly unlikely to lead to "severe withdrawals." You are confusing nicotine with cigarettes in regards to addictive potential...

The only thing unfounded is your understanding on the current and past research on nicotine, your ignoring the fact that it's highly addictive and not recommended by Peat.
I'm not fear mongering, I trying to bring balance to your crusade for nicotine.

Nicotine is highly addictive, this is why you continually use the term ,"particularly addictive". Nicotine acts as a potent hdac inhibitor and cocaine is a potent demehthylating agent. They are behaving the similarly.
I'm not confusing nicotine and cigarettes , your cherry picking research. Many research papers administer nicotine in there studies on smoking, some use the actual smoke.

You try this regularly in your posts,dismiss facts put in front of you.

 

[dookie]

According to this graph: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/comparecht.gif ( from this site: Addictive Properties of Popular Drugs | Drug War Facts )
Nicotine causes more dependence than heroin, and more withdrawal symptoms and tolerance than cocaine.

Ok, that site was probably made by some idiots, I don't even know if they are referring to tobacco smoking or the active substance nicotine. But just goes to show what information is out there. We can only rely on our own judgment and experience guys! :)

 

[dookie]

The only thing unfounded is your understanding on the current and past research on nicotine, your ignoring the fact that it's highly addictive and not recommended by Peat.
I'm not fear mongering, I trying to bring balance to your crusade for nicotine.

Nicotine is highly addictive, this is why you continually use the term ,"particularly addictive". Nicotine acts as a potent hdac inhibitor and cocaine is a potent demehthylating agent. They are behaving the similarly.
I'm not confusing nicotine and cigarettes , your cherry picking research. Many research papers administer nicotine in there studies on smoking, some use the actual smoke.

You try this regularly in your posts,dismiss facts put in front of you.

So you are saying nicotine is bad, but caffeine is good? They have quite a few overlapping effects though..

 

[Dopamine]

The only thing unfounded is your understanding on the current and past research on nicotine, your ignoring the fact that it's highly addictive and not recommended by Peat.

-You have failed to demonstrate that nicotine in isolation is highly addictive. Convince me.
-I don't care if it's "not recommended by Peat," Peat actually has recommended nicotine to improve cognitive function in older people which suggests that he is at least open to it's usage. There are many substances used here that aren't directly recommended by Peat such as methylene blue and individual amino acid usage. Just because he hasn't acknowledged the potential of these substances doesn't mean we can't...

Nicotine is highly addictive, this is why you continually use the term ,"particularly addictive". Nicotine acts as a potent hdac inhibitor and cocaine is a potent demehthylating agent. They are behaving the similarly.

Caffeine is also a HDAC inhibitor... HDAC inhibition isn't what makes substances addictive anyways- I don't see how this is relevant.

 

[Drareg]

So you are saying nicotine is bad, but caffeine is good? They have quite a few overlapping effects though..

Yes I agree.
I never said nicotine is bad, Peat speaks about it several times. It's not as coherent a substance as others he currently recommends.
The current fact that it's a hdac inhibitor on the level of phenylbutyrate points to the logic. There is more research to come on this, there is also a massive industry for gums and e cigarettes, they are filling the Internet with nothing but positives.

The past research on nicotine is not just using smoke in studies ,some are isolated nicotine. It's also showing to increase nitric oxide in many studies.
Anyone new to Peats ideas should not take nicotine imo, withdrawals are no joke for someone already under immense pressure.

 

[Dopamine]

Yes I agree.
I never said nicotine is bad, Peat speaks about it several times. It's not as coherent a substance as others he currently recommends.
The current fact that it's a hdac inhibitor on the level of phenylbutyrate points to the logic. There is more research to come on this, there is also a massive industry for gums and e cigarettes, they are filling the Internet with nothing but positives.

The past research on nicotine is not just using smoke in studies ,some are isolated nicotine. It's also showing to increase nitric oxide in many studies.
Anyone new to Peats ideas should not take nicotine imo, withdrawals are no joke for someone already under immense pressure.

What is a "coherent substance" and why is nicotine not one? Nicotine raises dopamine, lowers estrogen, lowers serotonin, lowers prolactin, raises progesterone and pregnenolone, reverses learned helplessness, increases cognitive function etc... Sure it can be harmful just like caffeine can be harmful- raise stress, elevate FFA etc... this only happens in a particular context such as low blood sugar. In general I would consider nicotine potentially just as useful if not more useful than caffeine in certain contexts.

 

[Drareg]

-You have failed to demonstrate that nicotine in isolation is highly addictive. Convince me.
-I don't care if it's "not recommended by Peat," Peat actually has recommended nicotine to improve cognitive function in older people which suggests that he is at least open to it's usage. There are many substances used here that aren't directly recommended by Peat such as methylene blue and individual amino acid usage. Just because he hasn't acknowledged the potential of these substances doesn't mean we can't...




Caffeine is also a HDAC inhibitor... HDAC inhibition isn't what makes substances addictive anyways- I don't see how this is relevant.

I'm not here to convince you of anything, I post on your threads on nicotine to create balance and inform people that Peat currently recommends far better adaptive substances than nicotine.

You are rigid , you consistently show this in your posts, you create starwman,ad hominem and the illusion of superiority based on your own opinion. In you previous thread on nicotine research has been provided, if you look with an open mind on pubmed you will find more.
You continually ignore the hdac inhibitor implication.

You have said you don't care about Peats opinion in several posts in the past, I'm convinced you don't but you should try ,it might help your rigid point of view.

Many things recommended on here are based on Peat as a fulcrum to discuss. Many times in the amino acid threads it is mentioned that he does not recommend them, more often not by the op.

Peat doesn't recommend Methlene blue ?

 

[Dopamine]

I'm not here to convince you of anything, I post on your threads on nicotine to create balance and inform people that Peat currently recommends far better adaptive substances than nicotine.

You are rigid , you consistently show this in your posts, you create starwman,ad hominem and the illusion of superiority based on your own opinion. In you previous thread on nicotine research has been provided, if you look with an open mind on pubmed you will find more.
You continually ignore the hdac inhibitor implication.

You have said you don't care about Peats opinion in several posts in the past, I'm convinced you don't but you should try ,it might help your rigid point of view.

Many things recommended on here are based on Peat as a fulcrum to discuss. Many times in the amino acid threads it is mentioned that he does not recommend them, more often not by the op.

Peat doesn't recommend Methlene blue ?

I believe Haidut promotes methylene blue not Peat... I may be wrong though my point was that we advocate many substances that he has never directly recommended or acknowledged. Your posts here have done nothing but stir up controversy which is fine if you actually had substance behind your claims. You have failed to back up any of your claims... Nicotine is severely addictive, Nicotine is comparable to cocaine, Nicotine causes severe withdrawals... empty claims until you can back them up. You are just scaring people away from the topic hence my claim of fear mongering.