AAP FACTCHECK – Nicotine can be used to reverse the effects of Parkinson’s disease and other conditions, according to claims online.
This is false. Experts told AAP FactCheck there is no evidence nicotine is an effective cure for Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system.
The alternative health treatment is being shared on social media.
“Did you know nicotine patches can heal Parkinson’s, MS, Myocarditis, Autism,” one Facebook post claims, while another says: “Nicotine can prevent, reverse, cure alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis…”
Lyndsey Collins-Praino, head of the Cognition Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease laboratory at the University of Adelaide, said the claim may have originated due to an observed link between smoking and Parkinson’s.
“I think the story here is an old story, in the sense that studies dating back 20 to 30 years have found that smoking is associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease,” she said.
“These studies have shown a 20 per cent or greater reduction on average, with some studies showing as high as a 50 per cent reduction, particularly in men.
“However, this is looking at nicotine reducing risk, rather than using it as a treatment.”
Griffith University professor of neurodegenerative disease George Mellick agreed.
“Association studies have shown that people who have regularly smoked are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease,” he said.
Dr Collins-Praino said the reason for the association is undetermined but it could be linked to nicotine’s effect on pathways in the brain.
“In support of this, in a small study, even passive exposure to tobacco smoke in the home environment was associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease,” she said.
“The consumption of foods containing nicotine has also been linked to reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
Dr Collins-Praino pointed out that we don’t know if people who develop Parkinson’s disease may have altered reward pathways in their brain and could therefore be less likely to smoke in the first place.
“The seemingly beneficial effects of nicotine could actually be due to underlying biological differences, rather than the nicotine itself,” she said.
However, Prof Mellick said nicotine being used to cure Parkinson’s disease is “not a treatment option that has any evidence base”.
“In fact,” he said, “there have been clinical trials that show no benefit.”
Dr Collins-Praino said a 2023 study looked at transdermal nicotine as a treatment, but that one year of the treatment “didn’t lead to any benefit and did not slow progression in early Parkinson’s disease”.
Other studies testing nicotine as a treatment also found it ineffective.
Scientists believe the neurodegenerative condition is caused by the death of dopamine-producing cells in the brain.
The most common treatment is dopamine replacement therapy using the drug levodopa, although some people also undergo deep brain stimulation surgery.
“There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s disease,” Dr Collins-Praino said.
“All of the available treatments provide symptomatic benefit, reducing motor changes.”
While a cure is yet to be developed, scientists are hopeful one will be discovered in our lifetime.
Currently, there are no known cures for multiple sclerosis (MS), autism or Alzhimer’s disease, which are also mentioned in the post.
Nicotine is not recommended to treat myocarditis, which is addressed through medication and therapies depending on the symptoms.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
All information, text and images included on the AAP Websites is for personal use only and may not be re-written, copied, re-sold or re-distributed, framed, linked, shared onto social media or otherwise used whether for compensation of any kind or not, unless you have the prior written permission of AAP. For more information, please refer to our standard terms and conditions.
