Health Hazards of Nicotine Gum

Dr. Purushothaman
December 15, 2019

Vaping is one of the most flourishing trends and a multibillion-dollar industry in today’s world and it is natural to have branching businesses and products associated with it directly and indirectly.
Vaping is such a popular thing because of the control it gives to vapers over the levels of nicotine along with the flavours and their mix in personalized ways with many available at the LongHorn Vapor Company. While people turn to vaping in trying to quit smoking, it is highly likely to develop a nicotine addiction along the way. To counter the nicotine addiction is another phase and there are products to help deal with that as well.
Nicotine gum is one of those alternatives. It is a smoking cessation aid in order to overcome the nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and obviously, the cravings associated with smoking that makes one go back to it over again.

Health hazards of using nicotine gum

  1. Hypertension
  2. The nicotine taken in any form-both in traditional cigarettes or through nicotine gum or patches available in the market increases the blood pressure and shrinks the blood vessels. This also increases the risk of heart attack and increased blood pressure at all times leads to weaker arteries and also puts the body at risk of hemorrhage.

  3. Increased heart rate
  4. Another side effect is the increased heart rate. This is also connected with the blood pressure and in turn, leads to heart attack risks in the long run. Shrinking of arteries and veins is also associated with this health hazard.

  5. Dizziness
  6. Dizziness associated with nicotine withdrawal has been very complicated yet common at the same time. It is linked to the anxiety that body relays as a tactic, if you may, to force you to give it the nicotine that it wants. Also dizziness can be a result of the dehydration as well. Taking showers, long soothing ones, can also help overcome dizziness. A lack of a balanced diet is also a very important factor in making the body all dizzy. Also, keep hydrated, as there is no substitute for water.

  7. Insomnia
  8. Associated with anxiety due to nicotine withdrawal, insomnia comes as a package deal. Insomnia while is symptomatic of compound issues, one is nicotine withdrawal. Using nicotine gum for nicotine withdrawal comes with this common issue as well. Anxiety and restlessness is another basis for insomnia.

  9. Irritability
  10. Nicotine gum comes with the disadvantage of irritability and mood swings. It is actually because of the nicotine withdrawal and the symptoms body shows because of that. Irritability and increased mood swings because the body is getting used to not being exposed to nicotine is common.

  11. Loss of appetite
  12. With all the above mentioned factors, loss of appetite is a common result. With body going physical as well as chemical rejuvenation, loss of appetite is a natural outcome. Anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure also result in loss of appetite and a temporary degeneration of health.

  13. Indigestion / heartburn
  14. The loss of appetite leads to longer hours of starving or empty stomach, which makes the insides acidic. This ultimately leads to indigestion and heartburn in most cases and symptoms other than nicotine gum as well.

  15. Dental Issues
  16. The dental may also be affected by nicotine gum. This includes a number of complications including pain, damage to teeth and oral cavity, joint dysfunction, oral blisters and many other complications.

  17. Children at risk
  18. The nicotine gum is highly fatal for children, possibly causing poisoning if inhaled, orally absorbed or ingested in any form.

  19. Diabetic patients
  20. It is highly dangerous to use for patients with insulin-dependent insulin as nicotine contains chemicals that counteract the effects of insulin related compounds and thus can cause severe damage to health.

Pregnancy and Lactation

  • Nicotine gum is advised to patients during pregnancy only in life threatening situations when there is no other option than to use nicotine gum and it is equally important to take nicotine. It should be avoided to last possible limit as there is scientific evidence of the human fetal risk due to the use of nicotine.
  • Nicotine, be it in traditional cigarettes or vaping and nicotine gums/patches, has been known to cause low birth weight, abortion, perinatal mortality and general abnormalities during birth.
  • It is not advised to the pregnant and lactating patients to use nicotine in any form as nicotine and the chemicals in it pass up to breast milk hours after maternal smoking. So it is even more dangerous as it is normally considered safe, but actually the baby becomes exposed to secondhand smoke which is as detrimental as first hand smoking. Nicotine is also known to increase the infants’ heart rate as well like grown human beings. In babies, however, this can be fatal.

While it is all the hype in the modern world, nicotine gum may not be as safe as it is thought to be. Because it apparently does not release smoke or does not use equipment for ingestion, it is thought to be safer. In reality, things may be a whole lot different.

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