Live Well With ADD

Most of the people who I know that smoke wish they had never started the habit. I know personally that it is difficult to stop. I tried several times, and one time I quit for over a year! Then, one stress laden time, plus one cigarette, meant that I was on the nicotine treadmill again! I finally quit my 18-year habit when our first child was born. That was 42-years-ago.

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I don’t know of any parent who wants their child to use nicotine. Parents agonize over giving medication to their kids who have Attention Deficit Disorder. Whether they do, or whether they don't, there is always that niggling doubt. Parents worry that giving stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin can cause a child to abuse substances.  However, some kids start self-medication, whether they know to call it that, or not, by using nicotine. Vaping is very popular with today’s youth. A youthful nicotine self-medication experiment can lead to adult nicotine addiction.

 

A NIH report states, “Research using clinical samples indicates that individuals with ADHD smoke at rates that are significantly higher than those of the general population and/or nondiagnosed controls among both adults (41%–42% vs. 26% for ADHD and non-ADHD, respectively) and adolescents (19.0%–46% vs. 10%–24% for ADHD and non-ADHD, respectively).”

 

ScienceDaily states that a study reported online in the journal Pediatrics crunched data from 14 longitudinal studies looking at smoking in the population of people with Attention Deficit Disorder. They found that lower smoking rates were associated with taking stimulant medication to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. There was not enough evidence to conclude that this was a causal link, however, people who had uninterrupted treatment for longer periods of time, were less likely to smoke. This information was also reported in a USA Today story, dated May 12, 2014.

 

Why could taking stimulant medications affect smoking behaviors? Stimulant medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin use the same brain pathways as nicotine.  When a person is treated with a stimulant medication, there might not be the same need to use tobacco as a means to improve focus. A youth who is getting an effective stimulant medication regimen might not start the nicotine habit.

 

One problem with using nicotine to stimulate the brain’s pathways for focus is the fact that over time larger amounts of nicotine need to be used to get the same effect. Adult smokers might recognize this in their personal nicotine use. A person might start out smoking a half of a pack a day, then progress to a pack a day, and continue to two packs a day. Over time, that nicotine buzz fades. Smoking more does not have the same effect, and a couple of other undesirable things are happening simultaneously. First, the smoker’s lungs are being negatively affected. For folks with a genetic predisposition to lung cancer, this could be catastrophic. The other thing that is problematic is the cost of purchasing tobacco products. Over time, this could have a significant effect on a family budget.

 

While one perception is that taking stimulants to improve focus for people with Attention Deficit Disorder could cause a child to abuse substances, this study found that the opposite appears to be true.  The researchers at Duke Medicine found a strong association between lower smoking rates and effective treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder with stimulant drugs.  While later studies found some contradictory information, this information should help parents to answer the question, "Should I get medication to treat my child's ADD/ADHD?"

 

When it comes to quitting an established nicotine addiction, ADDitude Magazine reports, “Adults with ADHD who use nicotine cigarettes to help manage their symptoms may find that with proper medication, they can quit.”  There are ways to help with the struggle to quit nicotine. “Person-specific behavioral therapies and counseling can also help people cope with any cravings associated with nicotine withdrawal.”

 

Resources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/nicotine-and-adhd#over

 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10826084.2017.1334066

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2758663/

 

Duke Medicine. (2014, May 12). ADHD treatment associated with lower smoking rates. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 4, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140512101304.htm