Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T14:36:52.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Clinical Experience With Transdermal Nicotine Patch in Tourette Syndrome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Abstract

Stemming from the finding that nicotine potentiates haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats, nicotine in the form of nicotine gum and as transdermal nicotine patch (TNP) has been used in open-label studies to obtund motor and vocal tics of children (age≥8 years, weighi≥25 kg), adolescents, and adults. Reduction of tics was seen during chewing of nicotine gum; the improvement lasted no longer than 1 hour after chewing. With a TNP in subjects who were not responding well to a variety of dopamine blockers, with some also receiving clonidine or a variety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, motor and vocal tics were obtunded 45% over baseline in 85% of 35 subjects within 30 minutes to 3 hours after TNP application. Moreover, the relief of symptoms with a single 7-mg TNP, remaining on the skin for 24 hours, persisted for a variable period of time ranging from 1 to 120 days with an average of 10±2 days. Application of a second TNP for 24 hours when symptoms began to return resulted in a similar reduction in tic severity and frequency, which persisted an average of l3±3 days. Nicotine alone, without D2 blockers, was successful in reducing premonitory urges to tic. After follow-up of 3 to 5 years, 19 of 35 patients continued to use the TNP in gradually decreasing frequency and with gradual reduction in dose of D2 blockers. However, 16 patients (45%), as they grew into middle adolescence, discontinued use of the TNP, stating that they objected to the nausea induced by the patch. There was no evidence of habituation to nicotine. Side effects were not life threatenting; the most disturbing side effect was nausea, appearing 1 to 4 hours after the application of the patch and lasting 1 to 3 hours. There was no change in blood pressure; pulse rate increased from 5 to 10% within 3 hours but returned to baseline after 24 hours. Unsolved problems using TNP are mentioned and a putative mechanism for nicotine effectiveness in Tourette syndrome is briefly discussed.

Type
Feature Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Montgomery, SP, Moss, DE, Manderscheid, PZ. Tetrahydrocannabinol and levonatradol effects on extrapyramidal motor behaviors: neuroanatomical location and hypothesis of mechanism. In: Harvey, DJ, Paton, WDM, eds. Marijuana 84. Oxford, England: IRL Press; 1985:295302.Google Scholar
2.Sanberg, PR, McConville, BJ, Fogelson, HM, et al.Nicotine potentiates the effects of haloperidol in animals and in patients with Tourette's syndrome. Biomed Pharmacother. 1989;43:1923.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Emerich, D, Sanberg, P, Manderscheid, P, et al.Differential effect of nicotine on D1 vs D2 antagonist-induced catalepsy. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 1990;16:247.Google Scholar
4.Emerich, DF, Norman, AB, Sanberg, PR. Nicotine potentiates the behavioral effects of haloperidol. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1991;27:385390.Google ScholarPubMed
5.Emerich, DF, Zanol, MD, Norman, AB, McConville, BJ, Sanberg, PR. Nicotine potentiates haloperidol-induced catalepsy and loco-motor hypoactivity. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1991;38:875880.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Sanberg, PR, Emerich, DF, el-Etri, MM, et al.Nicotine potentiation of haloperidol-induced catalepsy: striatal mechanisms. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1993;46:303307.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Sanberg, PR, Fogelson, HM, Manderscheid, PZ, Parker, KW, Norman, AB, McConville, BJ. Nicotine gum and haloperidol in Tourette's syndrome [letter]. Lancet. 1988;1:592.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.McConville, BJ, Fogelson, MH, Norman, AB, et al.Nicotine potentiation of haloperidol in reducing tic frequency in Tourette's disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1991;148:793794.Google ScholarPubMed
9.Hatsukami, D, Huber, M, Callies, A, Skoog, K. Physical dependence on nicotine gum: effect of duration of use. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1993;111:449456.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Benowitz, NL. Pharmacokinetic considerations in understanding nicotine dependence. Ciba Found Symp. 1990;152:186200.Google ScholarPubMed
11.Gupta, SK, Okerholm, RA, Coen, P, Prather, RD, Gorsline, J. Single and multiple-dose pharma-cokinetics of Nicoderm (Nicotine Transdermal System). J Clin Pharmacol. 1993;33:169174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Silver, AA, Sanberg, PR. Transdermal nicotine patch and potentiation of haloperidol in Tourette's syndrome [letter]. Lancet. 1993;342:182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Silver, AA, Shytle, RD, Philipp, MK, Sanberg, PR. Transdermal nicotine in Tourette's syndrome. In: Clarke, PBS, Quik, M, Thurau, K, eds. The Effects of Nicotine on Biological Systems. Boston, Mass: Birkhauser Publishers; 1995:293299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Leckman, SF, Ridale, MA, Hardin, MT, et al.The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale: Initial testing of a clinician rated scale of tic severity. J AM Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1989;28:566573.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Dursun, SM, Reveley, MA, Bird, R, Stirton, F. Longlasting improvement of Tourette's syndrome with transdermal nicotine [letter]. Lancet. 1994;344:1577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Silver, AA, Shytle, RD, Philipp, MK, Sanberg, PR. Case study: long-term potentiation of neuroleptics with transdermal nicotine in Tourette's syndrome. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996;35:16311636.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Shytle, RD, Silver, AA, Philipp, MK, McConville, BJ, Sanberg, PR. Transdermal nicotine for Tourette's syndrome. Drug Development Research. 1996;38:290298.3.0.CO;2-2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Shytle, RD, Silver, AA, Sanberg, PR. Nicotine, tobacco and addiction [letter]. Nature. 1996;384:1819.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Toth, E, Sershen, H, Hashim, A, Vizi, ES, Lajtha, A. Effect of nicotine on extracellular levels of neurotransmitters assessed by microdialysis in various brain regions: role of glutamic acid. Neurochem Res. 1992;17:265271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Pomerleau, OF, Fertig, JB, Seyler, LE, Jaffe, J. Neuroendocrine reactivity to nicotine in smokers. Psychopharmacology. 1983;81:6167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Lukas, RJ, Ke, L, Bencherif, M, Eisenhour, CM. Regulation by nicotine of its own receptors. Drug Development Research. 1996;38:136148.3.0.CO;2-N>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22.Collins, AC, Marks, MJ. Are nicotinic receptors activated or inhibited following chronic nicotine treatment? Drug Development Research. 1996;38:231242.3.0.CO;2-1>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23.Lindstrom, J. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in health and disease. Mol Neurobiol. 1997;15:193222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Hsu, YN, Amin, J, Weiss, DS, Wecker, L. Sustained nicotine exposure differentially affects alpha 3 beta 2 and alpha 4 beta 2 neuronal nicotinic receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. J Neurochem. 1996;66:667675.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed