Nicotine's magic !!!!!!!!
 

Dear comrades

I want to share with you the meeting i had with you with Dr Gabriel Villafane 3 weeks ago.
Dr Villafane is a brilliant and passionate scientist
,he is in charge of the Neurology department at Hopital Lionel Vidart in Creteil (France )
they have develloped since 9 years a protocol treatment for Parkinson using Nicotine patches.
They are getting very amazing results .
There,they told me,straight in the eyes,that the MINIMUM BENEFITS YOU CAN EXPECT IS TO STOP THE PROGRESSION OF PD !!
but this is the minimum,as for many patient,pd is stopped and the symptoms are very softened and even for some cases the symptoms ARE 90% REVERSED !!(it shows inversion of the disease on the DAT-SCAN)
my jaw dropped when i heard this .
this was the first time during my 7 years journey with PD ,that an "official" neurologist was not telling me PD as irreversible and degenerative .
I was really & happilly shocked

to enter the protocol,you must be on levadopa drugs .
I am on sinemet 100/10 .I take 1 pill 3 times/day presently.
you must NOT TAKE THIAMIN (vitamin B1 ) supplement ,as it would interfere with the nicotine.eating red meat is also a big No-no .
the patches have to taken everyday & for the rest of your life. (so this is not a cure but a treatment)
it takes about 9 months ti get some visible improvments,for some people less than 9 months

Here is the protocol they gave.
to respect the timing and graduality is crucial
you must patch yourself on a different part every 24 h
those parts are :under your belly button ,on the right,then the following day left,then the following day in the end of your back on the right,then the following day on left
you must change your nicotine patch every 24 h
Nicopatch was the brand recommended,but just because of the dosage

first 3 months : 3,5 mg nicotine patch per day (so you cut a 7 mg patch in half )
month 3 to 5: 7mg "" "" "
month 5 to 7 :10 mg " " "
then 14 mg for 6 months
then 17 mg for next 3 months
then 20 mg " "

I know Nicotine has a bad health image because of the cigarettes but it has medical properties.

*edit*

If you decide to consult Dr Villafane,there's 4 months waiting list,& you must come to your consultation with
-a DAT-SCAN
-recent electro cardiogram
-recent blood analysis

without these,you would have to come back & wait another 4 months
I personally have started the Nico since 2 weeks,and yes i am feeling better : )

may i ask how you are feeling better? how soon after starting did you notice an improvement?

we were on the patch for years...
 

This is awesome to hear....BUT.

We were on the nicotine patch for several years, starting with 14mg. It did really help with symptoms, yes, but we still progressed. What we found was that it started to wear off after awhile, we assumed we were building up a tolerance and needed more and more? Or burning out neurons? Don't know.

It did seem to make the "offs" much harder. But we are going to begin it again.

Search this forum as I have posted several times about the nicotine patch in the past.

Here's an idea: if this really works...I bet the tobacco companies would be more than willing to fund a trial/test. This would more than offset all the bad publicity they have gotten in the past from cigarettes IMHO, after all, you voluntarily decide whether or not you are going to smoke, at least in the beginning, but no one signs up for PD. If it really does work, this could help so many people and their families. Anyone know any bigwigs in the tobacco industry?

It would help to know more details about the protocol, such as how you do the patch with the levodopa, etc.

Seems like I remember MJF still smokes to this day, yes?

ok i felt better 5 days after starting !!!
much more energy,getting out of a chair,out of bed not a problem anymore......
All the vits & supplement ( i am following Annetta freeman's recommendations )i am taking seems to be more effective,my sinemet seems to last longer

I was surprised to feel improved that fast ,i attribute this to the fact that i am on a paleo diet,doing chi quong,taking vits .......it's a synergy

you have to follow this protocol and increase of 3,5 mg every 2 months .......until you reach 60 mg

you must be gradual (starting with a higher dosage would be counter prductive)
& place the patches on the body parts described (interesting to know is that those points ,under the belly button & end of your back are the two most important energy points in chinese acupuncture )

THIS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SMOKING

you 're not burning neurons with nicotine intake but building new ones,
they explained me that by taking nicotine ,your body will create new nicotinic receptors ,thus new dopaminergic receptors will be created

sleep
 

I notice in the protocol you were given that you wear the patch 24 hours at a time before switching to another. What about sleep? When we were using the patch, we would put the patch on first thing in the morning (this was before we started sinemet) and take it off a few hours before going to bed. If we didn't, boy were we up all night long. It takes awhile to get the nicotine out of your system so that you can settle down and sleep.

If you are on the patch 24 hours a day, I don't know how you can sleep. How is this affecting your sleep, if at all? Do you find it hard to get to sleep at night? I would be really interested in hearing how this is working for you in the sleep dept., thanks.

well i am patching since only 2 weeks & was afraid about sleeping problems too
right now,i am sleeping better with vivid dreams

you have to keep your patch for 24H,they insisted on that

insomnia might occur @ higher dosage but you have to keep on as your body,after a while will get used & adjust itself

Does smoking have the same effect ?
 

When diagnosed last summer I asked my neuro if I should give up smoking. He replied that there were studies as to possible beneficial impacts of smoking on PD, but qualified that with the obvious accompanying downsides and risks.
Is it necessary to be on medications for the nicotine patches to work ?

Article by Gabriel Villafane
 

THE NICOTINOTHERAPIE

Dr Gabriel VILLAFANE Dr. Gabriel VILLAFAÑE

Les observations cliniques après 8 ans de traitement par nicotine transdermale chez les Clinical observations after 8 years of treatment with transdermal nicotine in
Patients parkinsoniens. PD patients.
Gabriel VILLAFANE Gabriel VILLAFAÑE
Hôpital Henri Mondor – Créteil Hospital Henri Mondor - Créteil
Hôpital Rothschild – Paris Rothschild Hospital - Paris

http://www.mondefrancoparkinson.com/...rmations3.html -

Google Gabriel VILLAFANE for this link, or load direct, you can then use translate

same effect for us as adderall, strong coffee, etc.
 

I wonder if the improvement in symptoms is because nicotine is a stimulant? We experienced the same improvement in symptoms on the patch as we did later, after stopping the patch, by taking the following other stimulants:

1. adderall (doc gave us a script several years ago, warning it is highly addictive psychologically, so we take half of one or even a whole one when needed, rarely) it really does help but you feel like $#!@ after it wears off

2. very strong coffee...we never drank coffee before PD but once in awhile will, if very strong (gag) it has the same effect as a nico patch or adderall

3. those five hour energy drinks (called 5 Hour Energy Drink, how creative) also really help with symptoms....but again, it wears off and then you feel worse than you would have it you hadn't had it

We really wonder if the improvement is because these are all really stimulants and they are revving you up? I dont' get that taking a nico patch somehow makes your brain grow more nicotine receptors...which in turn makes your brain grow more dopamine receptors. This doesn't work for me. Maybe someone can explain it to me to where I can get it?

The other thing: I don't know that lack of receptors is the problem in PD. I thought it was the lack of dopamine producing neurons. Having all the receptors in the world will not help us if we lack the cell that makes what the receptor binds to, right? Or no?

I would really like to see some hard data of before and after PET scans or the DAT scans mentioned, I don't really know the difference between the two but if you could actually see higher concentrations of dopamine cells in the brain once the patch treatment was started, that would be something. Thanks very much for sharing this! Perhaps I should brush on my French, oui?

Nicotine appears to make the existing neurons produce more dopamine
 

[QUOTE=lurkingforacure;732144]We really wonder if the improvement is because these are all really stimulants and they are revving you up? I dont' get that taking a nico patch somehow makes your brain grow more nicotine receptors...which in turn makes your brain grow more dopamine receptors. This doesn't work for me. Maybe someone can explain it to me to where I can get it?

The other thing: I don't know that lack of receptors is the problem in PD. I thought it was the lack of dopamine producing neurons. Having all the receptors in the world will not help us if we lack the cell that makes what the receptor binds to, right? Or no?
QUOTE]

If I'm reading it correctly

http://www.macalester.edu/psychology...oholtobac.html

Details of his initial study in 2002
 

Fors, againsts, and those trying it
 

exactly what I got too
 

[QUOTE=krugen68;732146]I got that too, and we know nicotine makes us feel better because it makes the neurons still functioning to produce/release more dopamine, but that is not the same thing as actually growing more neurons or receptors. I read Villiers post to say that more were actually grown.

And of course a DAT or PET scan would see more dopamine in the brain after nicotine, because nicotine has that effect, making the neuron release more. But again, simply seeing more dopamine on the scan does not mean more neurons or receptors have been grown, just that there is more dopamine in the brain after a nicotine infusion.

Forcing an already stressed neuron to produce or release more dopamine may not be a good thing. This is why we stopped the patch, plus, the therapuetic benefit began to really dissipate and not last as long...and of course when it wore off those offs became increasingly harder.

what strength patch did you get up to ?
 

[QUOTE=lurkingforacure;732442]
In the clinical trial currently running in France they go to 90 mg, though some of his other trials went higher

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00873392

Apparently he took a patent out (with a n other ) for transdermal nicotine (patches) as opposed to the stop- smoking patches.

whatever......
 

i am just sharing my experience.......

i repeat what they told me

this is way more solid than just one individual own experiment
this is a 9 year research & protocol,financed by the public french health minister

i have tried 2 times to post a link to a thread of a parkinson french forum about this nicotine protocol ,with 40 comments from patients following Villafane's protocol
they rave about it ! it even worked for a 81 years old patient,

the moderator,because of posting rules,isn't alllowed to let me post that link

during my 2hr consultation,Dr Villafane received a phone call from a patient:she was travelling to India for the holidays and was asking stuff about her meds
I thought to myself "my god,this woman can stay seated in a plane for at least 8 straight hours ! this is something i cannot do anymore since 2 years "
he told me she was on nico since 5 years

of course,i wish there was a cure,something which will balance my body in a definitive manner

but guess what ?
i am already in such misery because of pd that i will do this protocol because it is working for hundreds of other people even if i don't understand everything they told me:winky:
and i personnally suspect,those scientists don't know 100% also why it works

Not normally the pooper
 

[QUOTE=krugen68;732453]OK, I'm normally not a party pooper but 90mg is one heckuva dose. We only got up to 14mg and when we tried the 21mg patch it made us sicker than a dog, could not tolerate the nausea.

There are cardiovascular issues with nicotine and seriously, those high doses could give someone a heart attack or worse. I know they monitored carefully and all, but a dose that high, for life, is untenable IMHO.

I don't think this therapy is what people think it is. I would love nothing more than for a patch to "fix" PD, but I dont' think this can do it. If it did, no smoker would ever get PD, yet they do. And if it did, we would not have progressed during the more than four years we took the patch, but we did.

I believe that the nicotine patch kicks the already stressed neurons into overdrive, forcing them to release dopamine. Nothing more. This is why you have to keep ramping up the dose: if nicotine were really growing new neurons, you would be able to reduce the amount of nicotine required to get therapeutic relief. But the fact that the researchers kept increasing the dose, to me, says that the participant(s) were continuing to decline and a higher dose nicotine was required to get relief.

you're probably right but .........
 

[QUOTE=lurkingforacure;732492]My neuro told me out of his 500+ PD patients I was the only smoker :D

I figure my current pack plus a day is 20-25 mg of nicotine, so I'm debating what patch to add - smoking more is impractical ! :Red eyes:

Got confused on this but I think it makes cells
 

In a 2007 collaboration with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Colorado at Boulder, Lester postdocs Raad Nashmi and Cheng Xiao and staff biologists Purnima Deshpande and Sheri McKinney created mice with fluorescent a4b2 receptors, and watched the results as the rodents received nicotine doses equivalent to a person smoking two to three packs per day. Over the course of a week or two, the mice sprouted significantly more a4b2 receptors in the midbrain, which processes rewards and is the seat of addiction. (Interestingly, Parkinson’s disease causes some dopamine-producing nerve cells within the midbrain to slowly die off.) When these cells were sprayed with nicotine, they fired about twice as often as cells from “nonsmoking” mice. “We’re essentially taking movies of events inside the neurons during the first minutes, hours, and days of nicotine addiction,” Lester says.
It appears that nicotine acts like a chaperone, a matchmaker, and a traffic cop inside the cell—a combination of roles that maximizes the odds that each nAChR the cell produces will actually reach the cell’s surface. As a chaperone, nicotine binds to nascent receptors’ subunits as they are being synthesized, preventing them from being chewed up by the cell. The details are still being worked out, but “the simple idea is that nicotine stabilizes the receptor in a conformation that does not appeal to the cell's mechanisms for eliminating poorly folded proteins,” says Lester. And, because the receptor’s binding box is made from amino acids on two of the five subunits, nicotine the matchmaker expedites their assembly by binding to the two free-floating halves of the box and holding them in the correct orientation. This gives the remaining three subunits something firm to latch onto, helping them fall into place. And finally, as the cell transports the newly assembled nAChRs to the neuron’s surface, the nicotine molecules bound to the receptors could act like a police escort, once again protecting them from the cell’s protein-digesting machinery.

http://eands.caltech.edu/articles/LX...r_Nicotine.pdf

Dear brothers and sisters in misery

I wanted to update you about my results with the Nicotine protocol ,that i am following since 14 months now.

I am currently on 21 mg Nicotine patch + 1mg 1azilect per day +1 Sinemet LP 100/25 that i take 4 times per day

My life has improved in a very consistent way,shaking has almost disappeared (i still shake sometimes but quite rarely),my fatigue has gone away,i used to sweat continuously,sweating has totally disappeared.foot dragging days are over .

Stiffness is still present,but i would say i'm 50% less stiff .

I started Sinemet 2 months before starting the Nicotine,and i don't think my wonderful improvements are only the results of levadopa...it seems the nicotine improved the "on time" in a spectacular way !!
on off time,it depends...i would say better in general...sometimes excellent ,sometimes not good,very variable

I still have bad days ,this is not a miracle unfortunately but i have a lot and a lot of good days .

Very often,friends i had not seen for 1 year or many months, tell me that i seem to be way better than before .

the bad side effects ? i would say that i sleep with more difficulties,sleep hours are shorter and that i am more paranoiac and susceptible .

when i reached the 14 mg level,it took me 2 months to be able to get used to it,a lot of sleep problems,so i had to stay 6 months on the 14 mg level .

But the overall quality of my life has so muuuch improved ,it's worth it for me .

2 months ago,i met up with my Neuro,who i had not visited since 9 months...it was a very good day (meaning that day,my on time was working very nicely ),it took him 10 mn to understand,to recognize who i was,he was a bit shocked and his words were "if this was the 1st time,i saw you in my office,i am not sure i could detect you as a PD person!!"

this was wonderful to hear,but i am not gonna lie,there is days where my PD is quite flagrant still.

this year,i have been able to go back to brazil(12 hours of flight ! ),to go back to clubbing with friends,to make love ,to have long walks ...

i am very grateful to Prof Villafane...i told him that i did not understand why his protocol was not more wide spread...he told me straight in the eyes ,that this Nicotine protocol was not very expensive,easy to teach,easy to receive,all things Big Pharma labos are not very interested in !

Voila dear comrades,the results i wanted to share with you.

kind regards

A response from Parkinsons UK on this ...
 

fascinating subject.

"Hello all

This is a really intriguing area of research.

These early studies using nicotine patches are showing some encouraging results. But we need much larger and longer studies before we know for sure whether nicotine patches are safe and effective for people with Parkinson's to use as a long term treatment.

Until then, people should not start using nicotine patches without the explicit recommendation of their doctor.

Studies have shown that smoking slightly lowers risk of Parkinson's - but it doesn't prevent it absolutely. This suggests that the effects of nicotine may be quite subtle.

The research we're funding at the University of Oxford (which Ezinda highlighted) is investigating the potential of nicotine to treat Parkinson's. The hope is that we can develop treatments that can harness and boost the beneficial effects of nicotine. Such treatments would help reduce distressing side effects such as impulsive and compulsive behaviours, and may even slow the development of the condition.

Hope this helps to answer your questions.

Best wishes

Claire
Senior Research Communications Officer"

Take care,
Neil.

Wikipedia states that Tyrosine Hydroxylase "is increased acutely (minutes) by phosphorylation and chronically (days) by protein synthesis. ... The phosphorylation can be sustained by nicotine for up to 48 hours."

"Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). . . . It does so using tetrahydrobiopterin as a coenzyme. DOPA is a precursor for dopamine, "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrosine_hydroxylase

John

Villers contact me
 

Hi Villers I hope you are doing good my friend. I was wondering if you could give me an update on how you are doing with the nicotine patch. I haven't heard from you in over a year on the subject. I'm am thinking about doing it myself but that depends on you experience to date. Please reply to your thread or send me a message. Take care my friend.

That's right joint,
 

And look up " nicotinic receptor agonists" for the whole spiel of the theory of the acetylcholine esterase story, if you are into that sorta rot.!

You have to go up to 60mg. Do you know if there is a brand of nicotine patch that the dosages are that big. The biggest patch I've seen is 21mg. Does that mean I'd have to put on 3 21mg patches ? Do you have a name of a brand that is used in the US.

[QUOTE=krugen68;732493]i find that hard to believe since PD usually affects us in our 60s and 70s. that age group now was the one when almost everyone smoked. he must mean that his 499 other patients don't smoke NOW.

hi drevy

where did do you read that you have to reach 60mg ....i never wrote that
you must start at 3,5mg and add 3,5mg every 2 months......
starting at a bigger dose is counter-effective

yesterday,i had my appointment in the afternoon with Dr villafane ,i was very happy as it was my first meeting in 3 years since i started the Nicotine therapy , where i went without any Sinemet in my system...
i was functioning extremely well !
he was glad but not surprised...i asked him if there is a Dose to reach,he answered me that there is not such thing...i have currently reached the 35mg nicotine level since 2 months
he said that he has patients doing very well at lower doses and other where bigger doses are needed,every case is different...
he said also that Nicotine therapy has still a lot of problems to get recognition as the Big pharma labs are not so interested as they won't make big profits with it,and nicotine still has a very poor image as nicotine is falsely associated with cigarette diseases
but nicotine in itself is not bad, it's the other additives in cigarettes which are provoking health problems .
So for me,i should stay at 35 mg for the upcoming months .
Drevy,let me apologize about the 60 mg,i had forgotten i had given (and was given ) this info 3 yrs ago...
i am always scared if some PD comrades decide to do the Nicotine therapy by themselves and decide to start at a big dosage, which might not work .

Nicotine Patch
 

Hello Villiers,

I am new in this forum but I read almost all threads about Nicotine patch therapy.

I have read your comments and reply and I have also search on a PUBMED,

There are few studies with Nicotine patch therapy and everyone used different does,

Can you please let me know how are you and how is your Parkinson since you have started (2010 as per your post) Nicotine patch therapy?

What does of Nicotine are you on after 4 years?

Does protocols allowed to go only up to 20 mg per day of Nicotine?

Few studies I read - they have increased does much faster than the one you have mentioned and reached almost up to 105 mg per day,

Your comments and experience is much appreciated,

Thanks in advance,

Nicotine Patch
 

Request for a reply from any experienced user of Nicotine Patch,

What next - once you have reached 20mg?

Should we continue 20 mg per day or there are few studies on a pubmed which says about going up to 100 mg per day for few months, though no long term study available,

Kindly reply, I am now about to reach 20 mg per day does.

I suggest you follow Villiers directions closely. Everything you need is in there.

If your at 21mg now or will be soon. Wait as per his instruction for the next

titration which will be 24.5mg and so on. Follow his patching instructions and

diet guideline.

It takes a while to reach 21mg. How long have you been on N.T?

Nicotine Patch
 

I have started few months back and now at 14 mg per day. And next step for me is to reach 21mg per day as that,s commercially available patch.

Can you share your experience?
How long have you been applying Nicotine Patch and what are your observations?

Nicotine Patch
 

Hi Badboy, thanks buddy for reply.

I live half world away from Dr Gabriel Villafene and there is a waiting period of almost 6 months and then doing follow up on a regular basis with him would have been a big challenge for me.

So I started NP by my own after reading a lot about it on a pubmed (scientific studies) and there are lots of positive discussions about NP in one the french nicotine forum (Thanks to google translate so I can understand their discussions),

My current confusion is, no where I can find Dr Villafen,s general guidelines for NP except some hints from communications by Villar in past.

What did Dr Villafen recommends you? If possible, please share as there must be many like me who doesn,t have a direct access of Dr Villafen and looking forward to live a better life with PD.

You will not find the guidelines you seek. Villiers post is all you need sans a visit to France. You can also join the GP29 group.

I am on NT two years and have been up to 28mg. It works, stick to the titration schedule.

Nicotine Patch
 

Thanks for reply.
This is titration schedule given by Villiers,

first 3 months : 3,5 mg nicotine patch per day (so you cut a 7 mg patch in half )
month 3 to 5: 7mg "" "" "
month 5 to 7 :10 mg " " "
then 14 mg for 6 months
then 17 mg for next 3 months
then 20 mg " "

Was thinking what next after 20 mg, as no further schedule is given,
I was reading forum and according to one of the post, it can go up to 60mg.

Any comments?

And your comment, IT WORKS is very comforting.

After 21mg every 3 months...

If you feel like it you may hold/stall for as many months as you want...

You'll have to figure out your upper limit by yourself...

Nicotine Patch
 

Thanks Buddy,

Very helpful.

Badboy - i didn't realize you had been following this protocol for 2 years. How is it working for you? Are there particular symptoms that it improves? or is it improving all of them?

Nicotine Patch
 

Anagirl,
Thanks for asking Badboy this question. I was intending to write same.
Let me share my experience as I am now few months with Nicotine,

Actually I started three things together,
1) NP
2) Accupuncture followed by Accupressure
3) Ayurveda

Currently facing five main symptoms,
1) Frozen shoulder
2) Slow movements
3) Rigidity - Annoying one is in a neck
4) Started having involuntary movements in Rt Index finger (During SMS typing) and Rt Leg whenever I am anxious or excited
5) Chronic fatigue

Currently I have stopped Ayurveda due to Nausea (Though I have read many people had good experience with it)

But since I have started Acupressure my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has improved a lot. I can fill energy within my body. And I assume It has got also assistance from NP.

What,s your story?

Nicotine Patch
 

I started the Nicotine Patch on 10/19/14. I am at the 3.5mg level. I have had PD for 7yrs. I am currently on 25-100 Sinemet every 2hrs. I would like to start a dialogue with others on my progress as it relates to the Nicotine Patch. I will be following the schedule as indicated by the French Neurosurgeon on Neurotalk. Are there others that would like to share their experiences throughout the progress of using the Nicotine Patch.
So far my only symptom change during the brief time I have been on it is severe nasua. I did eat red meat (a no-no) and experienced severe shaking the following day so I shall heed the warning in the future on not eating red meat while on the patch. I promise to limit my shared experiences to the facts and not waste your time if you chose to maintain a dialogue.