Nicorette Addiction

[Tips]

I've been chewing Nicorette for about ten years. I chew between nine and eleven pieces of the 2mg a day. What are the harmful effects of the gum (beside, obvious addiction). And, do you have any suggestions as to how to get off the gum?

[spook]

Not really any `toxic` effects to worry about,yet,unless you start chewing like about 50mg a day.I think you should get some normal chewing gum and every now and then have one instead,do it really slowly,but just try to get in the habit of taking a non nicotine chewy when you can,gradually you will swap over to the nico free chewing gum,but you may end up chewing for life,and this can lead to decreased tooth cavities,not such a bad thing really.
Their are pills that reduce nicotine craving,but your problem was originally smoking and the carcinogenic substances in tobacco smoke like tar,nickel carbonyl and others,also carbon monoxide is not good for your red blood cells oxygen carrying capacity.The pills are a bit suspicious,as they are Psychoactive and possibly worse than the gum(Nicotine).Of course you know Nicotine is a poison,with no known medicinal use.Should be Shedule 1 but the Govt aint got the balls,money talks,you know the rest.

[embliegus]

I was addicted to Nicorette 2mg. for about 2-1/2 years...however, I chewed 24 pieces a day!!! WAY too many.

I just wanted to warn you that I have a swallowing disorder now.
I was chewing sooooo much, (a lot more than you), that the
constant nicotine draining down my throat caused me all sorts
of esophagus problems.

Just watch yourself, living without being able to eat right really sucks!

P.S. I finally got off the gum by using the patch?!?!?!

Emblie

[spook]

Your advice is much appreciated,of course you got off the gum using the patch-because you stuffed up your throat and had to swap to a patch.I am hoping that she gets of the gum soon, as you have discovered for you nicotine can harm ones esophagus.It is excellent to hear such a report and I think it should become common medical knowledge,were their warnings on the pack??????.............

[Charden]

Hello.  
I have a question that does not have anything to do with nicorette addition.  HOwever, I have been unable to post a new question, as I am told it is full for the day.  Even early in the morning. I am hoping that someone can answer this for me.  

The other day, I caught a television commercial to watch the evening news for information on a new method to help smokers quit.  It was supposedly in the form of a shot behind the ear.
Unfortunatly, I could not catch the news that night, and have been since trying to find out information about it.

Does anyone know about this new method.  How it workks?, and it's effectivness.

Any reponses would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Chris

[spook]

I have never heard about it ,sorry I cannot help.But the key word here is it can "Help" stopping smoking.

[FormerNicCopeUser]

Hi,

I’ve been a Nicorette gum user for 5 years…I chewed about 12-18 pieces per day.  I used Copenhagen for 20 years prior.  Nicorette really helped me quit Copenhagen…but now I’m obviously addicted to the gum…The gum is obviously better than Copenhagen for many reasons..however..I can tell you that my blood pressure has risen, and I have a low white blood cell count because of the gum.  I get sick all the time due to this.  If I over chew it I’ll get a sore throat and eventually a sinus infection.  My doctor always asked me ..”do you smoke?”  I tell him no…he doesn’t  know I use any tobacco products.  He says “ you get bronchitis s a lot”.  
Bottom line the gum is no good for you…It will have long term effects.     So…I started Chantix last week…I quit that after 5 days…major side effect for me..I couldn’t sleep..and when I did I’d have nightmares all night…so I went out and bought 20 packs of every flavored sugarless gum and quit the Nicorette gum cold turkey last Saturday…I have to say the key is to set a quit date… throw out the gum (I have to flush down toilet otherwise I would search trash).  I can tell you this being Day 4 that is much much easier than quitting Cope or cigs…Right now I already feel confident I’m done with it…It has been extremely easy to do it…I already feel better…So give it a try cold turkey before using Chantix/zybin….Try to go 3 days…I think the Nicorette gum was making me depressed too..I always had that crashing feeling/lethargic feeling…Do you know what I mean?   Anyhow…I don’t have a lot of will power but canning the gum in not too hard..just set the date…throw all gum out….buy 20 packs of all flavors of sugarless gum…I had minor withdrawal symptoms but nothing that made me want to drive to store and buy nic gum.  Good Luck to all…


SW

[IBKleen]

Former...Hi!

You are posting on a thread from 6 years ago. I don't think these folks are here anymore.

You should start your own post. Go to the top of this page and hit the "post a question" button. Take care.

[Kirssten]

Addiction to nicotine gum is real.  I quit smoking using the gum and the patch.  After weaning the patch after 2-3 months, I chewed various brands of gum for two years.  I developed gastrointestinal problems, mouth sores and decayed teeth.  The generic versions are notorious for stomach cramps and diarreha (sp?) which was resolved by switching to nicorette cinnamon. (which I love!)  The difference in my pearly whites is astronomical.  More cavities than ever before, gum seperation, teeth worn down and staining.  Finally after 12-14 pieces a day and over $100 in cost a  month (comperable to cost of cigarettes a month, why aren't these things cheaper? Nicorette must be raking it in at our expense) I'd had enough.  Additionally, the self-hatred you feel addicted to cigarettes is the same with the gum.  The constant need for a piece of gum is classic addiction.  I quit the gum using the patch - 21 for 14 days, 14 for 14 days and 7 for a week.  Boy it was hard though not as hard as giving up cigarettes.   And lots and lots of Orbit gum.  Brush your teeth constantly.  Carry ice cold water at all times.  Remember that after 3 years of giving up cigarettes I still think about it.  But the GUM DID HELP ME QUIT!  The gum will soothe your withdrawal symptoms.  You must stop the gum as soon as you can.  The mouth and hand association with nicotine is what you must conquer.   It is hard to accept that after giving up cigarettes the world does not suddenly become Nirvana.  The gum is only a step in a very long but worth it process.  If it makes you feel any better, I heard Obama is addicted to the gum too.

[acepilot]

i m 54 now n started smoking since was 13 and did about 30 cigs a day till 10 years ago , then shifted to nicorette, to which addicted for last 9 and half year, doing about 30 2 mg gum. tried many times tgo quit by reducing gradually and suceeded to reducing to 5 gums a day for months but would revert to 30 or so. my conclusion: whether i quit when used to 5 gum or 30 gum, pain would be same , so no sense in reducing it gradually and just have to go cold turkey on nicorette, same way went for ciggartees,. on a flight about 6 months ago, i decided impusivley and ask the stewardess if she could throw the nicorette and give me a beer. cheerfully she did that. for 3 nights, i kept myself drunk . it was terrible mainly on the 3rd dy , the first week and all the way upto 3 weeks. mainly survived by drinking 2-3 nights a week, go to sleep early . many times thought would come to have just one oiece and start a fresh tomorrow but somehow i managed. after 3 weeks, i knew , i have beaten it though the craving was there, strong albiet managable now. its 6 months . sometimes , there is a sudden strong flesh of craving but i think i got it made. ace

[Nicotinelady]

After I smoking for over 30 years, I became addicted to nicotine gum.  I have been chewing it for over 10 years and chew alot of it!  I want to stop.  I have started cutting the gum in half and seem to still chew alot.   Help!  Has anyone tried acupuncture?  Any other suggestions?

[Andy1965]

I quit smoking a half a pack about 4 years ago....the patches helped originally...but the nightmares were...well...a nightmare....Nicorette appears to have figured out how to make bank with all the new flavors and pretty packaging.....I buy the boxes of 100 or so pieces of gum...I have figured out that since the 2mg and 4mg boxes cost the same (40-55 bucks) I might as well buy the really tasty Fruit Chill 4 mgs...I chew half at a time and eat maybe 10 or so a day.......it's a &^%$#@ nightmare......if I dont have I feel exactly the same as I did w/o a cig.....good luck getting off of this people....trust me.....I need to buy stock in whoever makes this ****......I like the little booklet they provide in every box....goes straight to my recycling bin....at least one thing positive comes out of it...........think I'll start chewing.............

[aquitter]

I too ended up a gum/lozenge junkie.  After being a 'don't care who sees me smoking' person for years I quit smoking because of the health risks and because I was embarrassed.  Funnily, I became embarrassed about the gum/lozenge as well...I hid it for years.  I used the gum/loz for over 5 years & have finally quit because it was making me feel crappy.  Heart palpitations & severe bloating.  I quit after cutting down for a few months.  I did it cold turkey after feeling crappy one morning after a few drinks and a lot of the lozenges (would use them like ciggies when having a drink). I didn't feel like having any nicotine that day & just kept going.  Anyway, been off for about 2 months & am planning on staying that way.  Too long a struggle.....wish I knew then what I knew now about smoking...what a long long road to quitting...it's still a challenge.  Would also like to agree w/ earlier comment about cost...big pharma making lots off this stuff...happy to keep you addicted!!
Good Luck All

[MrSmartyPants]

I am currently addicted to Nicorette (Fruit) 4 mg. I quit New Year's Day 2009. I pop TWO 4 mg. pieces in my mouth about 8, 9 or 10 times a day!

I'm starting to feel a tightness in my throat, and really feel a sort of a "numbness" in it when I awake in the morning, and am getting paranoid that I'm giving myself either throat cancer or some esophagal problem...

I have GOT to stop this gum addiction NOW. It's been over 5 months now that I'm on it. Definitely NOT the recommended way of doing it, according to Nicorette's instruction booklet! (Although I'm sure that they do not mind in the slightest that I'm now addicted to using THEIR product now...!).

[Shaded07018]

       Since I'm the last post here for awhile-- This is for the next reader, as I've read all the post listed on this page.

First off, I'm 28 years old and had been smoking for more than 1/2 my lifetime. I quit, June 11, '09. I somehow managed to go a month while on the patches. And, because of it, I ended up having the first birthday, that I can remember, 100% smokeless. Incredible really...But, now this is all besides the point.

Now, I'm addicted to the nicotine gum. I got off the 21 mg patches on my 4th week because I have an outdoor job. And here in Houston, in the middle of summer, patches tend to sweat right off! I was going through 2 to 3 patches a day from sweating alone. I had to get an alternative.

Upon visiting my grandfather in San Antonio, I thought it'd be the perfect time to try out that alternative. Boy! Was I ever wrong! I wish I had never gone to that damn store!

I started off at the 4mg. I knew I should have started off at 2mg-- OR not gone at all and continued on with 14 mg patches. But... So, I did 4mg for only a week. I realized that 4 mg was too much for me as I was getting fatigued and kinda drowsy/ dizzy. So, the next week I hooked myself up on 2 mg.

I am sorry to say, I have yet to try the 1 mg. In fact, like a fear when I quit smoking-- as I had this phobia that I'll never be okay because I'll never be able to smoke again-- the same held true for the gum. Despite me quitting in June, I hardly say I quit-- as it's only been merely 3 months.. Or not even quite yet.

So I derived this feeling of, "but what if it's not enough?" with the 1 mg's... So, I've been on the 2 mg's for about a month now. I know I need to go down to the 1mg.. But, when I start craving that extra mg... what's that gonna do for me in the long run besides kill my wallet?

I can also not fathom what I have developed due to this gum. Hell, it's only been a month or so since I got on this stuff, and within the first few weeks, I realized I developed some serious TMJ. Everyday now, TMJ. Whenever I eat... TMJ. Go to bed.. TMJ. Have a social event.. TMJ. Jaw's freakin lock on me and you would think that'd do me in, but nope! My addiction to this product has shown well already.

This evening I also noticed I have some weird sore on the bottom of my mouth. It doesn't really hurt unless I poke at it with my tounge, but it was definately from the gum and the excessive chewing. I must chew at least 12 to 20 pieces 'a day. And it must be constant!

I think I will do as one of the other posters (above) listed. He/ she said they went to the store and bought 20 of every flavored pack of sugarless gum and incorporated more and more pieces in between nicorettes as time progressed.

--And I have thought about that idea. The problem I had was being in denial of such an addiction. What I have noticed though-- and this is suitable for me and may or may not be for you.. But, if you are like me and seem to catch yourself smacking away on the nicorette gum with it having no flavor, than perhaps the interchanging of gums will not be as drastic as you or I may think?

The only way to know for sure is to try. And by God, I'm doing just that from now on!

I know that when you read this, I will not be visible to you. Nor, am I sure that we will be able to contact one another. But, being as though we're both in possibly-- the same boat, perhaps we can understand eachother on similar terms with respect to this addiction.

I'm going to quit! I have already made that commitment! I know you can too! If both you and I were once tobacco users, and quit that, I have no doubt that we can rid this gum as well! There is no more time worth waiting. The sooner we do it.. The faster we'll get it over with! There ya go! Let it go!

--God Bless

--Rob USMC

[oldwreck]

Please free us poor creatures!  I also am addicted to Nicorette and so depressed all the time. Chewing and sucking lozenges and still missing cigarettes and always have to have something in my mouth. One tooth already affected. Just crazy. I can't afford the gum, but I keep charging it on the credit card.  I will not go back to cigarettes. I find each quit harder and this last one is still going on. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I start smoking again, but some days I find it so hard that I don't want to live like this either. We're on a pension and I'm spending way too much on nicotine replacement and it's just a mess.  Sorry for the rant.

[cathy637]

I quite smoking when i was 35 and started on nicorette gum (probably when it first came out), I'll be 50 this Aug. and I was addicted to 2 mg. nicorette for up to 1 year ago, I quit nicorrette in Jan. 09, and would you believe I still struggle every day with not having it, is that not crazy?  I started smoking when i was about 13 years old, so I guess anything that you did for so long is not going to be easy to shake, I think it has a lot to do with my dopamaine levels, the reason i say that is because i'm not a big drinker but after i quit nicrorette to my surprise alcohol gave me a similiar effect that the nicotine did, it actually gave me some relief, i asked my dr. and my dr. said that the two are strongly related in regard to raising dopamaine levels, so now i try not to drink so that i don't become an alcoholic, and i'm also trying to lose those last 15 pds. from giving up nicotine so i'm on a diet, man, life is tough ... so I pray .. a lot, I can't fight this battle on my own ...

[cfgauss]

I quit smoking in January 2006.  I have smoked for 26 years, 1-2 packs a day.  Since many "experts" on the web claimed that it would be too hard top quit cold turkey, I decided to use Nicorette products to help me quit. First, I used the gums. After 3 months I discovered the Nicorette inhalers which are very similar to cigarettes. With NRT it was easy to stay away from cigarettes, but then I was hooked to Nicorette. This addiction was as expensive as smoking.  Finally, after 18 months I finally managed to quit Nicorette. Looking at all these posts I can understand your addiction very well.  In my opinion Nicorette addiction is simply nicotine addiction, just like tabocco addiction. I don't think you can quit nicotine addition by using nicotine replacement products. It is very difficult to quit nicotine addiction by gradually decreasing the intake of the amount of nicotine every day, as these NRT companies want to you to believe, because the less nicotine you get, the more precious it is to you.  In the end to quit Nicorette, I still had to go cold turkey.  So I wondered what's the point of first spending thousands of dollars on Nicorette, and then having to go cold turkey anyway? In hindsight I truly believe cold turkey is the best way to quit. The hardest part in quitting nicotine is to deal with thought of having to live without nicotine. The tought really scared me.  Of course, it's very tough in the first three day, tough for the first 2 weeks. But after that, it really is not that bad. Well, I just want to share some of my experience, and hope this may be useful to some.

[albatross10]

I am pleased to have read all of these coments. I thought it was just me. I am chewing 20pcs of nicorette a day. I hide it from others. I am embarrassed about this addition. I also fear the loss of nicotine. I also buy it with a credit card and worry how much I owe at the end of each month. I smoked for 40 yrs and quit when I had a heart attack. I need to just quit. I think writing this here may help me finally get this out in the open. I wish you all well and hope you and I can finally have a normal life free of nicotine. God that would be a blessing.

[omstrat]

Ive been chewing nicotine gum non stop ( i mean NON STOP ) for about 5 years . I never had any health problems until I started with th egum. I can't say for sure it was all because of the gum but ..I now have high blood pressure and had to go just today to find out I need an additional medication to keep it down. My teeth are TOTALLY shot. I had serious stomach problems about a year into chewing the gum ,  was in the hospital for test , no one ever found anything. I have heart palpitations as well the lst year.  It scared me to the point of going to an emergency room on two occasions. I also had some bowel problems and pain down there that no one could find an answer to . Only one doctor mentioned my heavy nicotine gum addiction and said it may be th eroot of a lot of the troubles I have.
I wont move without knowing I have  20 pieces with me and i have it stashed all over the place in case of emergency.When I went on vacation I took about 300 pieces with me for the week , just in case I couldnt find any in Europe.
I HAVE to stop , this is too crazy. I'm glad I saw this blog and if anyone else has any suggestions to quit let me know.

[annabelle56]

Hi everyone,
I am sitting here chewing away as I have been chewing the last four a half years since giving up smoking. I smoked most of my life since the age of 13 in fact. I started using the gum 6 years ago when I was in situations where I coud'nt smoke,work etc. It did in fact help me give up,I started with 4mg then got down to 2mg,after I had heart surgery I use 1mg by biting the 2mg in half. I can't get off it,every piece( I chew constantly) gives me a kick.

I hate spending the money on it,I am embarrased in work constantly fumbling in my pockets and bag for a piece, I fall asleep sometimes with it in my mouth,I also use my credit card to pay for it,what a waste.

After my heart surgery 2 years ago I asked the consultant if it will do me any harm,he did say that it was better than smoking,but eventually it could have an effect on my heart disease.
I know the answer is cold turkey,but how do you pick a time to do it and stop yourself running out to the shop for more when the withdrawel becomes too much.

I am really pleased with this site,I dont't feel so alone with this problem now,good luck to everyone.

[Chewchew]

I love Nicorette. I always have a piece in my mouth. I have been a chewer for about 8 years now. I haven't had any kind of medical issue as a result of chewing. I would like to quit due to the cost of the product. The generic brands just don't cut it for me. The empty shells the gum is contained in can be found all around my apartment, in my desk drawers, and my pocketbook. Wads of gum lurk on my bed post as I chew a piece before bed and don't always remember to take it off in the morning. It's disgusting. It doesn't help that Nicorette has an incentive program in which you earn gift cards and coupons. I've completed the rewards time line three times now, using different email and mailing addresses. I mean, why not? After this last box is finished, I plan on quitting for good. I don't even like to smoke anymore. I actually prefer the gum. Cold turkey is definitely the way to go...I've tried to chew regular gum, but it just doesn't work. Willpower is something I lack, but hopefully with the support of these forums, I will be able to quit for good.
Good luck everyone!

[pharma9]

I also got used to the little bite that nicorette gives,but I quit using it after 1 month only.I cut the highest strength in 1/4 pieces and mixed it with regular gum or candy.That way one piece stretched 4 ways and I was able to decrease my use in this way.In fact I quit using only 1 box and that was over 25 years ago.
Try weaning off by cutting the gum in peices and only chewing small pieces as i did.Just mix it with regular gum that you like .

[Addicted859]

I chewed the nicorette gum happily-always worried about it-for twelve years.  I chewed a ton, at least 12 pieces of the 4 mg per day.  I loved it.  It was great, but there is no way it's safe.  My blood pressure is much higher than normal.  My blood circulation isn't nearly as good.  I've had esphogus problems, I don't eat now for hours before bed-sometimes five hours.  
I started with nicotine because it helped me work, whether it was a mundane project or whatever, pop in a piece of nicorette and I could sit and work for hours no problem, it was enjoyable.  Slowly, the nicorette didn't help me work as hard, in fact, it probably helped ease any anxiety I had about taking it easy.  With the main reason gone for my nicotine abuse and health problems I quit.  But, even at this moment, it's been a couple of months, I feel like chewing some.  
I find it takes a herculean effort to quit initially.  I've relapsed before, but what happens is this huge guard you've built up to stop slowly goes away after months.  And then you think to yourself why not?  I should just have a piece.  It'd be good for me, I'd get this work done or whatever.  But, we have to remeber to keep that guard way up, forever.  A few months after you've quit the guard has to be kept up.  
That's where I'm at...trying to keep that guard up so I don't relapse.  It's super easy to relapse.  I've done it multiple times for a couple of years now.  
I hope everyone who wants to is able to quit for good and that no one has any ill effects from the gum.  
I figure it's like smoking sixty years ago, sure nobody had cold hard evidence that it was not healthy for people, but anyone with common sense knew it was.  It's the same with nicorette gum.  Common sense says it's definitely bad for you...I don't care what some doctors say...you should see all the old advertisements with doctors smoking cigarettes saying how "healthy" they are.  
There's plenty of evidence just in the few forums online that nicorette gum isn't good for any one.  

[cfgauss]

The fact that there haven been so many posts recently indicates that Nicorette addiction is very real. As a former Nicorette addict my advice to is the following: if you are serious about quitting nicotine, then you have to face the inevitable sooner or later. If you want to be free from nicotine, you have to go cold turkey - there is no other way.  The whole concept of NRT is really ludicrous.  How can you use nicotine to quit nicotine?