The "patch" has long been an aid for people who are trying to kick the habit. But now, it is also helping a girl with a rare genetic disorder.
A 5-year-old girl with a rare form of epilepsy is now living virtually seizure-free, thanks to an unusual treatment.
After exhausting all other options, doctors at a Florida hospital discovered that a tiny dose of nicotine, administered through a commercially available nicotine patch, was just enough to do the trick.
5-year-old Karen Macon has energy to spare, but that wasn't always the case.
"She'd wake up tired every morning with dark circles under her eyes," says Annie Macon, Karens mother.
Doctors diagnosed Karen with a rare genetic form of epilepsy called autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy.
"Every single night, she was having an average of 20 seizures," says Ki Hyeong Lee, medical director for the epilepsy program at Florida Hospital for Children.
"We tried probably seven different anti-convulsive medications and none of them worked, adds Macon.
Dr. Lee says Karens genetic mutation appears to be linked to a nicotine deficiency in the body. Dr. Lee also found evidence that a nicotine patch helped stopped seizures in an adult with the same condition.
"The nicotine patch does not have all the bad issues associated with smoking itself," explains Lee.