Urinary adrenaline concentrations during 10 days of smoking abstinence

Abstract

Urinary adrenaline concentrations were measured in 17 subjects during 10 days of cigarette abstinence. Adrenaline concentrations dropped significantly in the first 3 days of cigarette withdrawal. This was followed by a significant rise. More subjects showed a U-shaped function of adrenaline over time than would be expected by chance. The evidence suggests that the drop in urinary adrenaline concentration following cigarette withdrawal does not merely constitute a return to a non-smoking state, but includes an element of rebound resulting from loss of a component of smoking, probably nicotine, to which adaptation has occurred.