Nicorette Gum

Drug name: Nicorette gum

Active Ingredients: Nicotine Polacrilex

Therapeutic actions: By allowing nicotine to be absorbed through membranes in the mouth, as opposed to inhaled through a cigarette, Nicorette reduces the impact of nicotine on your body while helping to suppress the symptoms of withdrawal.

Nicorette is not a normal chewing gum. Proper use of the gum involves a "chew and park" technique. The gum is inserted into the mouth, chewed a few times to break it down and begin the release of nicotine, then "parked" between the gums and cheek to allow the nicotine to release slowly into your body.

Chewing of the gum will cause a "peppery" taste. This indicates that the gum should be parked

Indications: Nicorette gum Studies show that up to 70% of smokers have the desire to kick their habit, yet the success rates remain relatively low. Nicotine gum helps to improve your chances of quitting by helping you to ease the withdrawal symptoms many smokers experience when trying to quit.

By helping you to fight cravings and suppress common withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking, Nicorette is sure to improve your chances of quitting successfully.

Contraindications and cautions: In patients during the immediate postmyocardial infarction period, patients with life-threatening arrhythmias, and in patients with severe or worsening angina pectoris; in patients with active temporomandibular joint disease; in pregnant women; in breast-feeding mothers, as nicotine is excreted in breast milk, and in nonsmokers and children under 18 years of age (see Warnings).

Adverse effects: Adverse reactions reported in association with the use of Nicorette include both local effects and systemic effects representing the pharmacological action of nicotine.

Local Side Effects: Mechanical effects of gum chewing include traumatic injury to oral mucosa or teeth, jaw ache, and eructation secondary to air swallowing. These side effects may be minimized by modifying chewing technique. Oral mucosa changes such as stomatitis, glossitis, gingivitis, pharyngitis, and aphthous ulcers, in addition to changes in taste perception, can occur during smoking cessation efforts with or without the use of Nicorette.

Systemic Side Effects: Although the type of systemic adverse drug effects seen in clinical trials are similar from one trial to the other, the incidence of individual effects vary considerably from trial to trial. In 2 well-controlled clinical trials (1 performed in the United States and 1 in England) designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Nicorette this variation was evident (see Table III).

Due to its inherent variability, the list of adverse event incidences can be used only as an indication of the relative frequency of adverse events reported in representative clinical trials. It cannot predict expected incidences of these effects during the course of usual medical practice.

In addition to the reported effects in clinical trials, the following events have been reported: Cardiovascular: edema, flushing, hypertension, palpitations, tachyarrhythmias, tachycardia, chest pain; CNS: confusion, convulsions, depression, euphoria, numbness, paresthesia, syncope, tinnitus, weakness; Dermatologic: erythema, itching, rash, urticaria; Gastrointestinal: alteration of liver function tests, constipation, diarrhea; Respiratory: breathing difficulty, cough, hoarseness, sneezing, wheezing; Other: dry mouth, systemic nicotine intoxication.

Reports of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident and cardiac arrest, including death have been received. A cause and effect relationship between these reports and the use of Nicorette has not been established.

Rare reports of miscarriage have been received and a relationship to drug therapy as a contributing factor cannot be excluded.

In addition, rare reports of an apparent severe allergic reaction have been received.

Interactions: Physicians should anticipate that the pharmacokinetics of certain concomitant medications may be altered by smoking cessation, with or without nicotine replacement. Therefore, the dosage of certain concomitant medications may require adjustment

Additional Information: DO NOT SHARE THIS MEDICINE with others. DO NOT USE THIS MEDICINE for other health conditions. KEEP THIS PRODUCT, as well as syringes and needles, if needed during treatment, out of the reach of children. Do not reuse needles, syringes, or other materials.