The efficacy of a dose-escalated application of transdermal nicotine plus sulpiride in Tourette's syndrome.

The addition of a dose-escalated regimen of transdermal nicotine patches (TNP) improved tics of a non-smoker patient with Tourette's syndrome, whose tics did not respond to sulpiride. This improvement, as assessed by the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale, lasted for up to 8 weeks, but not 16 weeks. An explanation for the efficacy of TNP is presented.