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" What is it used for?  Relieving and preventing cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with tobacco dependence and giving up smoking.   If you have already quit smoking completely, you can chew Nicorette gum whenever you get cravings for a cigarette. If you are not yet ready to stop smoking completely, Nicorette gum can also help you to cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day, by chewing a piece of gum instead of having a cigarette. This can make it easier to eventually stop smoking completely. Nicorette gum can also be used to avoid cravings in situations where it is inappropriate to smoke. For example, in smoke-free environments, on a flight, in a car with children, while in hospital or before surgery. It can also be used in place of smoking to minimise the risk to others from passive smoking.   How does it work? Nicorette gum contains nicotine. It is a type of medicine known as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and is used to help smokers give up the habit. Nicotine is the addictive substance present in tobacco. Smokers who try to give up often experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and cravings for cigarettes, because they are dependent on the nicotine in tobacco. Withdrawal symptoms can include irritability, headaches, restlessness, insomnia and difficulty concentrating. These, combined with cigarette cravings, are why it is difficult for some people to give up smoking. Nicotine replacement therapies work by giving you a small amount of nicotine, but without the dangerous effects of inhaling tobacco smoke. This helps relieve the withdrawal symptoms and cravings for a cigarette that you get when you stop smoking, and allows you to get on with breaking the psychological habit of smoking. If you are physically addicted to nicotine, using NRT has been shown to almost double your chances of successfully quitting smoking. The nicotine released from chewing Nicorette gum is absorbed into the bloodstream from the lining of your mouth and provides quick relief from cravings. Nicorette gum is available in two strengths. The 2mg gum is suitable for people who smoke 20 or less cigarettes a day. The 4mg gum provides a larger dose of nicotine for people who are more dependent on nicotine, ie people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day. NRT comes in many forms. There are factsheets on all these linked at the end of this page. Nicotine patches can be used to help prevent cravings for cigarettes, while nasal sprays, inhalators, chewing gum, tablets that dissolve under the tongue and lozenges, are all forms that can be used instead of smoking when you get a cigarette craving. As well as breaking the physical addiction, you also need to break the smoking habits you used to have. Try to avoid situations where you will be tempted to smoke, and remember to seek help and support whenever you feel like giving in to your cravings.   How do I use it?   Follow the instructions provided with the gum.  Nicorette gum should not be chewed in the same way as normal chewing gum. Instead you should chew the gum slowly, until the taste becomes strong, and then rest it between your gums and your cheek. This should be repeated every time the taste starts to fade, until the gum has lost its strength (after about half an hour). You should then dispose of the gum.  The special chewing technique allows the nicotine to be absorbed into the bloodstream from the lining of your mouth. If you chew the gum continuously, the nicotine is released too quickly and may be swallowed. This can cause side effects such as throat and stomach irritation, indigestion or hiccups. The strength of gum and number of pieces of gum you use each day will depend on how much you smoke, what strength your cigarettes are and if you are cutting down or completely quiting smoking. Ask your pharmacist for advice. However, you should not use more than 15 pieces of gum daily.  When you feel ready, you should reduce the amount of gum you use until you have stopped completely.    Warning!  If you drink acidic drinks, such as coffee, sodas or fruit juices, in the 15 minutes before chewing Nicorette gum, this can reduce the amount of nicotine that is absorbed from your mouth.  Smokers who wear dentures may experience problems chewing Nicorette gum. The chewing gum may stick to, and may in rare cases damage dentures. If you wear dentures you may find that other forms of nicotine replacement, such as nasal sprays, sublingual tablets or lozenges, are more suitable. Make sure you do not leave unused or used Nicorette gum where children can reach it. Doses of nicotine that are tolerated by adult smokers during treatment can produce severe symptoms of poisoning in small children and may prove fatal. Dispose of Nicorette gum carefully.   Not to be used in  Non-smokers. Children under 12 years of age.   This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.   Use with caution in  People with disease involving the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease). Using NRT is much less hazardous than continuing to smoke. However, if you are in hospital because you have recently had a heart attack or stroke or you have severe irregular heartbeats, you should ideally try to stop smoking without using NRT. Seek advice from your doctor. Diabetes. If you have diabetes you should monitor your blood sugar more closely when starting NRT. People with a peptic ulcer. People with inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis), foodpipe (oesophagitis), or mouth and throat. This is because swallowed nicotine can aggravate these conditions. People with an uncontrolled overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). People with a tumour of the adrenal gland (phaeochromocytoma). People with severely decreased kidney function. People with moderate to severely decreased liver function.   Pregnancy and breastfeeding Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.  Nicotine in any form should ideally not be used during pregnancy, as it has been shown to adversely affect the development of the baby, both in the womb and after birth. However, for pregnant women who are unable to give up smoking without a smoking cessation aid, NRT may deliver less nicotine (and none of the other potentially disease-causing agents) than would be obtained from cigarettes. As a result it is considered that NRT poses less of a risk to the baby than continuing to smoke. Pregnant women who smoke should discuss the risks and benefits of NRT with their doctor as early as possible in their pregnancy and only use this medicine on their advice. The aim should be to stop using NRT as soon as possible, preferably after two to three months. Nicotine taken in any form passes into breast milk and is harmful to the nursing infant. However, for women who are unable to give up smoking without a smoking cessation aid, NRT may deliver less nicotine (and none of the other potentially disease-causing agents) than would be obtained from cigarettes. It is also less hazardous than the second-hand smoke that the infant would be exposed to if the mother continued to smoke. This medicine can therefore be used during breastfeeding. Wherever possible, the gum should be chewed immediately after breastfeeding and not in the two hours before breastfeeding, in order to reduce the amount of nicotine that the infant is exposed to.    Side effects Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Many of these are similar to the effects of smoking nicotine in tobacco, or withdrawal symptoms after stopping smoking. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.  Very common (affect more than 1 in 10 people)  Headache. Feeling sick. Stomach discomfort. Hiccups. Sore mouth or throat. Jaw muscle ache. Increased salivation.   Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)  Dizziness. Vomiting.   Uncommon (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)  Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations).  Skin reactions such as redness and nettle-type rash.   Rare (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)  Allergic reactions including swelling of lips and throat (angiodema).     Very rare (affect fewer than 1 in 10,000 people)  Irregular heart beat (atrial fibrillation).   The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine&amp;#039;s manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.   How can this medicine affect other medicines? Nicotine replacement itself does not affect other medicines. However, the components of tobacco smoke can cause certain medicines to be removed from the body faster than normal. This means that when you stop smoking, they could be removed slower and so their blood levels may increase. You should tell your doctor that you are giving up smoking if you are taking the following medicines, as when you stop smoking your doses may need to be changed:   aminophylline  chlorpromazine  cinacalcet clozapine dextropropoxyphene flecainide  fluphenazine  haloperidol olanzapine pentazocine  ropinirole tacrine theophylline.  People with diabetes who smoke normally need more insulin, as smoking reduces the amount of insulin that is absorbed into the blood from an injection under the skin. Therefore if people with diabetes give up smoking, they may subsequently need a reduction in their insulin dose. People with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar levels more closely when stopping smoking. Discuss this with your doctor.  Using nicotine replacement therapy in combination with bupropion (Zyban) or varenicline (Champix) is not currently recommended. You can, however, use a combination of different NRT products if you find this is helpful. Ask your pharmacist for advice.   Other medicines containing the same active ingredient  Boots NicAssist lozenges, nasal spray, patches, inhalator, microtabs and gum. Nicorette inhalator. Nicorette lozenges. Nicorette microtab. Nicorette nasal spray. Nicorette invisi patches. Nicorette quickmist. Nicotinell gum. Nicotinell lozenges. Nicotinell TTS patches. NiQuitin gum. NiQuitin lozenges. NiQuitin patches. NiQuitin strips.  Last updated 20.05.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/a8029/nicorette-gum-nicotine/>