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Depression and cigarette withdrawal ST. LOUIS (June 10, 1998 01:39 a.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) -- It's tough enough to break a cigarette habit, but if you're depressed, too, it can be misery. A link between severe withdrawal symptoms and mood disorders or psychiatric illness has been identified in a study led by Dr. Pamela A.F. Madden, research instructor of psychiatry at Washington University, and Dr. Nicholas G. Martin, professor and senior research fellow of epidemiology at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia. The study covered 550 Australian women. The researchers looked at nicotine withdrawal symptoms in relationship to psychiatric history. The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. "When we looked at those associations, we found that, compared with non- smokers, only those who suffered from severe nicotine withdrawal were more likely to have psychiatric disorders," Madden says. "Those with mild to moderate levels of withdrawal were no more likely than non-smokers to be depressed, anxious or suffer from other psychiatric problems." Withdrawal symptoms evaluated included nervousness, trouble concentrating, depressed mood, nicotine craving, irritability, restlessness, headaches, drowsiness, upset stomach, slowed heart rate, increased appetite, shaky hands and trouble sleeping. In severe withdrawal, the most prevalent symptoms were those also characteristic of mood disorder. According to Madden, among study subjects with severe withdrawal, 84 percent reported depressed mood after quitting cigarettes, 82 percent suffered nervousness and 58 percent had insomnia. In contrast, only 20 percent of those with moderate withdrawal symptoms felt nervous when they stopped smoking. Madden says the study also turned up a connection between alcohol and nicotine dependence. Smokers in the study were more likely to be alcohol-dependent than non- smokers, and rates of alcohol dependence increased along with severity of nicotine withdrawal. "There was a global association between regular smoking and alcohol dependence that we didn't see with other psychiatric disorders," Madden says. "That could mean that drinkers will have more difficulty with nicotine withdrawal, or it may be that nicotine somehow contributes to alcohol dependence. That's a question we hope to study in the future." Copyright 1998 Nando.net Copyright 1998 The Associated Press janet paterson aka calendar control supervisor 51/10 - sinemet/selegiline/prozac - [log in to unmask] quotations: http://newww.com/cgi-bin/do_cal?c:newvoice pwp event calendar: http://newww.com/cgi-bin/do_cal?c:pwpc