Nicotine as a treatment?

[Guest guest]

Background: Nicotine was effective in the treatment of skin disorders

attributable to neutrophils such as pyoderma gangrenosum and

orogenital ulcerations due to Behcet's disease. Objective: We

assessed the efficacy of nicotine for treating skin disorders with

prominent eosinophilic infiltration. Patients and Methods: A 67-year-

old man with Kimura's disease was treated for 2 weeks with nicotine

chewing gum (6 mg/day). A 50-year-old woman with erythema nodosum

with eosinophilic infiltration was treated for 4 weeks with

transdermal nicotine patches (5 mg/day). Results: Both patients

showed a dramatic clinical and histopathological improvement.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that nicotine may be useful for

treating skin disorders with eosinophilic infiltration as well as

neutrophilic dermatoses. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

[Guest guest]

Dear Sandy,

Thanks for that info! I have created a file and added it to our

Treatment Files. Actually, we have discussed the possability of

nicotine as a treatment for EN...a long time ago before you joined the

group. We even set up a poll question about nicotine and EN. I was

hoping that a researcher could do a simple double blind study using

the low dose nicotine patch (or gum), but so far we haven't attracted

a medical reearcher ;-( Gee we have the research idea, and we have a

simple and inexpensive patch (we'd need dummy patches (or gum) too to

do the experiment correctly), and we have lots of members willing to

participate in the experiment..all we need is a medical

researcher...This is what we are up against. As we know, one patient

is not enough....you need a larger study group. I am happy though that

somone did respond well to the nicotine patch! I wonder if the patient

had a related disorder as Crohn's or sarc.--from what I've read the

nicotine helps some but not others (depending on the underlying cause

of the EN). In the meantime, if anyone in the group wants to try

" self-medicating " , let us know your results . Be aware though that

there may be side effects, and that neither I nor the group can

endorse it. BUT WOULDN'T IT BE COOL IF IT WORKED!!!!

Love,

[Guest guest]

Sandy, Funny this subject came up...*lol*. Sometime ago, a year or

more I became very ill from an intense Crohns Attack. I had just

moved here (Tucson) from Oklahoma. I went to an ER, hospitalized and

instructed to follow-up with a Dr. I would be using, which was from

the Indian Health Clinic. Long story short...she was on me about

smoking but said NOT TO begin the process of quitting while being in

an Active Crohns Episode. One...would create more stress and THEN!!!

she said... " I have been doing my homework on Crohns Disese. I

shouldn't be telling you this but...smoking is actually GOOD for

people w/Crohns " . From what I understood her to say was it was a

relaxing activity and the smoke relaxes the GI Tract. Wild, huh?

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>

> Background: Nicotine was effective in the treatment of skin

disorders

> attributable to neutrophils such as pyoderma gangrenosum and

> orogenital ulcerations due to Behcet's disease. Objective: We

> assessed the efficacy of nicotine for treating skin disorders with

> prominent eosinophilic infiltration. Patients and Methods: A 67-

year-

> old man with Kimura's disease was treated for 2 weeks with nicotine

> chewing gum (6 mg/day). A 50-year-old woman with erythema nodosum

> with eosinophilic infiltration was treated for 4 weeks with

> transdermal nicotine patches (5 mg/day). Results: Both patients

> showed a dramatic clinical and histopathological improvement.

> Conclusion: Our results suggest that nicotine may be useful for

> treating skin disorders with eosinophilic infiltration as well as

> neutrophilic dermatoses. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel