Disease × agent evidence record

Nicotine for Epilepsy: evidence, trials and status

Nicotine has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Epilepsy. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit.

1 registered trials 0 recruiting 9 publications Evidence tier A · Strong Score 51.5
Research Tracker › Pairs › Epilepsy › Nicotine
Research map, not treatment advice. This page aggregates registry and literature records. It does not evaluate efficacy, dosing or safety for any individual. Discuss any treatment decision with a qualified clinician.

Summary

Nicotine has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Epilepsy would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Epilepsy. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Nicotine to Epilepsy: 1 has completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 33 participants. Registered activity dates to 2024. The literature layer holds 9 publications for this pair: 2 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 3 systematic reviews and 3 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2003 to 2026. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.

The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Epilepsy ranks 187 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 60-85% achieve seizure freedom on medication; of those, 50-75% remain seizure-free after withdrawal (varies by syndrome and duration of freedom).

Open in Repurposing ExplorerEpilepsy hubEpilepsy biomarkers & interventionsChEMBLOpen Targets

Evidence table

Evidence tierA · Strong
Evidence score51.5 (trials 2.5, literature 29.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0)
Registered trials1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 0 other
Linked publications9 (3 systematic reviews, 3 clinical trial publications, 2 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis)
Agent typeDrug (Small molecule)
Development stage (any indication)Approved
Mechanism / classNot recorded
Data sourcesChEMBL
Linked via biomarker / targetAARS1
How the evidence score is calculated
  • Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
  • Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
  • The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
  • Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
  • The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.

Registered clinical trials

NCT IDTitleStatusPhaseEnrolment
NCT06427967A Novel Social Emotional Learning Curriculum for Youth With Epilepsy
2024
completedNot applicable33

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Published literature

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Mechanism and notes

No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.

OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target AARS1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nicotine approved for Epilepsy?

Nicotine has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Epilepsy would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Epilepsy. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.

Is Nicotine in clinical trials for Epilepsy?

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Nicotine to Epilepsy: 1 has completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 33 participants. Registered activity dates to 2024.

What does the evidence show for Nicotine in Epilepsy?

Nicotine has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Epilepsy. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target AARS1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Cite this page

Open Source Medicine Foundation. Nicotine for Epilepsy: evidence, trials and status. OSMF Research Tracker. Updated 2026-07-05. https://research.opensourcemed.info/pairs/epilepsy/nicotine.html

Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.

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This is a research map, not treatment advice. Evidence tiers and scores summarise what has been studied, not whether a treatment works or is safe for you.