Nicotine acts as both a stimulant and a depressant to the central nervous system. Nicotine first causes a release of the hormone epinephrine, which further stimulates the nervous system and is responsible for part of the "kick" from nicotine-the drug-induced feelings of pleasure and, over time, addiction.
Nicotine is a stimulant drug that speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and body. It is the main psychoactive ingredient in tobacco products and so this Drug Facts page will focus on the effects of nicotine when consumed by using tobacco.
It also increases the bioavailability of serotonin, acting in a similar manner to some antidepressant drugs. Nicotine has some positive effects, which may be of benefit in depression. It can improve attention and cognitive function, reduce stress and act as a distraction.
However, research has shown that smoking actually increases anxiety and tension. Nicotine creates an immediate sense of relaxation, so people smoke in the belief it reduces stress and anxiety. This feeling is temporary and soon gives way to withdrawal symptoms and increased cravings.
A study of more than 2,500 people ages 13-24 found that nicotine-only vapers, THC-only vapers and dual vapers (of nicotine and THC) were more likely to report anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts when compared with their peers who did not use electronic cigarettes or vape THC.
Finally, nicotine, and therefore vaping, can affect the user's mental health by causing insomnia, depression, and mood swings. Though vaping has been considered a safer alternative to cigarettes and can help some people quit smoking, it can still negatively affect mental health.
Nicotine stimulates the brain in similar ways and can help a person focus on a task and boost concentration levels. A 2016 study suggests that nicotine has beneficial effects on the concentration, attention, and emotional regulation of people with ADHD. However, the effects are short-lived.
Nicotine is known to briefly elevate mood. When smokers inhale or otherwise ingest nicotine and tobacco products, the brain's endogenous (internal) opioid system is triggered, leading to an increase in “feel-good” neurochemicals called endorphins and enkephalins.
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
Nicotine binds to nicotinic receptors in the brain, augmenting the release of numerous neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and glutamate. Cigarette smoke has other psychoactive properties apart from nicotinic receptor stimulation.
However, nicotine exhausts serotonin creation levels in the cerebrum, and smoking cigarettes can drain serotonin generation level by as much as half.
In the short-term, vaping nicotine may feel good by stimulating production of the “feel good” chemical in the brain called dopamine which can create feelings of pleasure and relaxation. Vaping nicotine also creates social opportunities to connect with other people and provides a distraction from stressful situations.
Smoking, anxiety and mood
Most smokers say they want to stop, but some continue because smoking seems to relieve stress and anxiety. It's a common belief that smoking helps you relax. But smoking actually increases anxiety and tension. Smokers are also more likely than non-smokers to develop depression over time.
Nicotine has been proven to be as addictive as cocaine and heroin and may even be more addictive. Many people who smoke develop nicotine dependence, which makes quitting all the harder, especially when they try to stop smoking on their own.
How does nicotine affect the brain? As a neurotransmitter, nicotine increases the brain's levels of dopamine, stimulating its reward centers and making the person ingesting it feel good. It takes just 10 seconds for nicotine to reach the brain after it is inhaled or ingested.
It enhances memory and learning by increasing the level of the brain chemical acetylcholine. Paradoxically, nicotine has the potential to act as both a stimulant and a relaxant. It can make you more alert when you're tired, and calm you down when you're anxious.
The long-term effects of vaping are unknown but vaping has been estimated to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking. Colin Mendelsohn was a Sydney GP for 27 years with a special interest in smoking cessation and now works exclusively in tobacco treatment, helping smokers to quit.
Under state and territory laws, it is illegal to possess, supply or sell nicotine containing e-cigarettes, except: in specific circumstances. and when they are being supplied or accessed through a prescription.
A smoker typically puffs on a cigarette around 10-15 times before putting it out, so let's be conservative and estimate that puffing on a vape 15 times is approximately equal to smoking one cigarette. If that's the case, then a disposable vape that delivers 600 puffs is equal to about two packs of cigarettes.
Compared to non-smokers, current smokers were more likely to increase on neuroticism and to decline on extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness over time.
We're not going to sugarcoat it – quitting vaping is hard, but the benefits are well worth the struggle. Giving up nicotine can actually lead to reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. It's true.
Summary: Nicotine administration in humans is known to sharpen attention and to slightly enhance memory.
One explanation for why quitting is more difficult for people with ADHD is because smoking may serve a self-medicating role, or what is sometimes referred to as the self-medication hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, cigarette smokers with ADHD smoke to regulate their ADHD symptoms.
“An appealing short-term effect of nicotine is that it helps with the ability to focus. This is conceivably one reason why many people with ADHD smoke,” says Lirio Covey, PhD, professor of clinical psychology in Columbia's Department of Psychiatry.
We know that people with ADHD smoke at rates that are significantly higher than their non-ADHD peers. And some use nicotine as a form of self-medication for ADHD symptoms. 1 Therefore, it is possible that identifying and treating ADHD earlier may prevent the onset of smoking altogether.