Nicotine gum is a nicotine replacement product that helps tobacco users quit smoking. It provides a strong deterrent to smoking by delivering nicotine in a safe form so that the body can manage withdrawn symptoms, such as irritability and insomnia, when a person adapts to non-smoking. Nicotine gum is a type of chewing gum, and it shouldn't be swallowed. Common side effects reported when using nicotine gum, such as nausea and heartburn, are largely due to swallowed nicotine gum.
Respiratory Effects
It has been reported that nicotine gum may promote bronchospasm, which is an abnormal constriction of bronchioles, allowing little room for passage of air, in patients with preexisting reversible obstructive airway diseases, usually asthma, and block the bronchodilating effect of epinephrine, a hormone and neurotransmitter, according to Drugs.com. The transient respiratory effects can occur immediately after using a nicotine gum because in asthma patients the lining of airways becomes sensitive to things, such as nicotine.
Mouth Ulcers
Prolonged use of nicotine gum can cause mouth ulcers, notes Free Patent Online. Multiple short-lived vesicles or blisters usually form on the side of the tongue and the floor of the mouth. These vesicles rupture and form painful ulcers with an erythematous, which is an abnormal redness of the skin due to capillary congestion. Nicotine concentrates are processed into nicotine gum, which is considered safer than cigarettes as nicotine gum doesn't contain tars or poisonous gas. However, if nicotine gum is related to the etiology of mouth ulcer, then people must switch to other nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, products such as nicotine patches and nasal spray, according to the Patient UK website.
Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding
The prevalence of miscarriage, preterm birth and infant deaths, is higher among women who use nicotine gum in the early stages of pregnancy, according to Drugs.com. So a mother disregarding the danger of using nicotine gum during pregnancy puts her unborn baby at risk. Nicotine gum also inflicts harm on the fetus and stunts it growth. Nicotine gum also shouldn't be prescribed to a mother who is breast-feeding because nicotine can pass into breast milk, which increases the risk of infant exposure to nicotine, adds Drugs.com.
