3 ms·

I'd love to see more research about nicotine and schizophrenia. Something like 80% or schizophrenics smoke, and they do so heavily. This is 3 or 4 times the ra

I'd love to see more research about nicotine and schizophrenia. Something like 80% or schizophrenics smoke, and they do so heavily. This is 3 or 4 times the rate of the general population. The question is: does smoking cause schizophrenia, is it self-medication, or both? Scott Alexander has an interesting summary [1]. For what it's worth, my schizophrenic brother says smoking makes his mind feel much clearer. I think mental hospitals should have a strategy to provide nicotine to patients (in the high dose they need) to minimise the harm of the strong cheap rubbish that schizophrenics inhale all day. Maybe e-cigs should be promoted to smoker patients. [1] http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/01/11/schizophrenia-no-smoking-gun/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/01/11/schizophrenia-no-smokin...

M_Grey 10y ago
There is theorized to be some synergistic effects between tobacco smoking and the antipsychotic medications that people such as your brother often require. IIRC it really isn't known why that is, but it seems relatively well accepted among people who routinely work with schizophrenia.
- tcj_phx 10y ago
  > There is theorized to be some synergistic effects between tobacco smoking and the antipsychotic medications that people such as your brother often require. "Antipsychotics" are palliative medications that do not address the cause of the problematic symptoms. They have repeatedly been shown to cause a very poor long-term prognosis for the unfortunate patients who are put on them. Nicotine is somewhat similar to Vitamin B3 (Niacin), which has been shown to help schizophrenics recover. Niacinamide supplementation helps my girlfriend reduce her tobacco use. ... Here, we propose a model that a subset of schizophrenia can respond to niacin augmentation therapy better than other subsets because these patients have contributions in their psychotic manifestations from the neural degeneration resulting from niacin deficiency. We present a short description of our case report which showed rapid improvement in schizophrenic psychotic symptoms subsequent to administration of niacin as an augmentation therapy. We, thus, propose that niacin deficiency is a contributory factor in schizophrenia development in some patients and symptom alleviation in these patients will benefit from niacin augmentation, especially in some particular psychotic features." - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25855923 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25855923
  - tominous 10y ago
    I've read your story submissions and let me first say that I admire your courage and dedication. I hope this comment is useful and not too blunt. It sounds like you've gained two passions from your experience: (1) finding the right treatment for mental health issues, instead of long-term palliation, and (2) addressing casual abuses of power and ignorance of the law. My advice to you is to focus on one passion at a time. You can't make progress on both fronts at once. Regarding (1), there's a word for people who try to go around the medical establishment and run a business selling a cure-all pill. It's "quack", not "hack". Even if you're right you'll have no credibility and make zero difference to psychiatric treatment, mainstream or otherwise. The credible approach is to write a case report plus literature review and get it published. I suggest the topic of the literature review should be "low-cost, low-risk interventions to assist in diagnosing subtypes of schizophrenia". You can't do this on your own: you'll need a friendly PhD co-author to edit it brutally and guide you through publication. (By subtype here I mean the different etiologies, which is an emerging area of study, not the traditional grouping by symptoms) Regarding (2), your focus should be local and specific, and honestly your best bet may be donating or raising money for existing organisations that work in this area.
    - tcj_phx 10y ago
      Thanks for your comments - they are quite helpful. > Regarding (1), there's a word for people who try to go around the medical establishment and run a business selling a cure-all pill. It's "quack", not "hack". I manufactured a supplement once, then I realized it was a legal minefield. I have plans to apply for FDA approval for a claim for a device. This would provide legal protection against the status quo, while destroying their harmful business at the same time. I gave a bottle of my supplement to a young woman who'd just been not-helped at the hospital. I called her a few days later - she said, "THAT STUFF REALLY WORKS!" I called a few months later, and her sister said she was in the state mental hospital. People need more than a supplement to become truly well. > The credible approach is to write a case report plus literature review and get it published. I suggest the topic of the literature review should be "low-cost, low-risk interventions to assist in diagnosing subtypes of schizophrenia". "... for the Emergency Room physician." Yeah, I like that idea. I have some ideas of people to work with. Robert Whitaker has pointed out to the psychiatrists that their "science" is paid for by the industry whose products they use [1]. He hasn't gotten very far in the last 15 years. [1] http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/09/confessions-of-a-trespasser/ http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/09/confessions-of-a-trespas...

M_Grey 10y ago

There is theorized to be some synergistic effects between tobacco smoking and the antipsychotic medications that people such as your brother often require. IIRC it really isn't known why that is, but it seems relatively well accepted among people who routinely work with schizophrenia.

tcj_phx 10y ago
> There is theorized to be some synergistic effects between tobacco smoking and the antipsychotic medications that people such as your brother often require. "Antipsychotics" are palliative medications that do not address the cause of the problematic symptoms. They have repeatedly been shown to cause a very poor long-term prognosis for the unfortunate patients who are put on them. Nicotine is somewhat similar to Vitamin B3 (Niacin), which has been shown to help schizophrenics recover. Niacinamide supplementation helps my girlfriend reduce her tobacco use. ... Here, we propose a model that a subset of schizophrenia can respond to niacin augmentation therapy better than other subsets because these patients have contributions in their psychotic manifestations from the neural degeneration resulting from niacin deficiency. We present a short description of our case report which showed rapid improvement in schizophrenic psychotic symptoms subsequent to administration of niacin as an augmentation therapy. We, thus, propose that niacin deficiency is a contributory factor in schizophrenia development in some patients and symptom alleviation in these patients will benefit from niacin augmentation, especially in some particular psychotic features." - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25855923 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25855923
- tominous 10y ago
  I've read your story submissions and let me first say that I admire your courage and dedication. I hope this comment is useful and not too blunt. It sounds like you've gained two passions from your experience: (1) finding the right treatment for mental health issues, instead of long-term palliation, and (2) addressing casual abuses of power and ignorance of the law. My advice to you is to focus on one passion at a time. You can't make progress on both fronts at once. Regarding (1), there's a word for people who try to go around the medical establishment and run a business selling a cure-all pill. It's "quack", not "hack". Even if you're right you'll have no credibility and make zero difference to psychiatric treatment, mainstream or otherwise. The credible approach is to write a case report plus literature review and get it published. I suggest the topic of the literature review should be "low-cost, low-risk interventions to assist in diagnosing subtypes of schizophrenia". You can't do this on your own: you'll need a friendly PhD co-author to edit it brutally and guide you through publication. (By subtype here I mean the different etiologies, which is an emerging area of study, not the traditional grouping by symptoms) Regarding (2), your focus should be local and specific, and honestly your best bet may be donating or raising money for existing organisations that work in this area.
  - tcj_phx 10y ago
    Thanks for your comments - they are quite helpful. > Regarding (1), there's a word for people who try to go around the medical establishment and run a business selling a cure-all pill. It's "quack", not "hack". I manufactured a supplement once, then I realized it was a legal minefield. I have plans to apply for FDA approval for a claim for a device. This would provide legal protection against the status quo, while destroying their harmful business at the same time. I gave a bottle of my supplement to a young woman who'd just been not-helped at the hospital. I called her a few days later - she said, "THAT STUFF REALLY WORKS!" I called a few months later, and her sister said she was in the state mental hospital. People need more than a supplement to become truly well. > The credible approach is to write a case report plus literature review and get it published. I suggest the topic of the literature review should be "low-cost, low-risk interventions to assist in diagnosing subtypes of schizophrenia". "... for the Emergency Room physician." Yeah, I like that idea. I have some ideas of people to work with. Robert Whitaker has pointed out to the psychiatrists that their "science" is paid for by the industry whose products they use [1]. He hasn't gotten very far in the last 15 years. [1] http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/09/confessions-of-a-trespasser/ http://www.madinamerica.com/2016/09/confessions-of-a-trespas...