[corin_]

Is nicotine gum actually not a health risk? Tobacco held in the mouth (for example Scandinavian 'snus') certainly has serious effects with long-term use, albeit they aren't exactly the same as smoking cigarettes. Gum is generally sold for short term use, so not sure if it's actually better, or just not generally used for long enough to see the effects.

[thelogos]

The gum poses risk to the gingival tissues. It can cause gum recession. Not to mention it also taste terrible and hard to control delivery. Chewing it too fast can leave you woozy and nauseous.

The reason I prefer nicotine over other stimulants, it's oddly relaxing and motivating at the same time.

Caffeine either leaves me jittery or anxious or it doesn't work at all after 2 weeks. There is a ton of research out there proving the positive effects of nicotine.

[vidarh]

I've never smoked, and tried nicotine gum to experiment with the cognitive effects. I managed two pieces of gum because of the taste and delivery control before I threw the rest in the trash... Haven't gotten around to trying a patch..

[thelogos]

The patch stops working much faster while ecig's effect never seems to wear off.

I can only assume that it is because the patch maintains a constant level of nicotine in your bloodstream causing tolerance to develop faster and it is unable to spike the nicotine concentration unlike ecig when you can take a deep drag.

Ecig gives a totally different feeling than patch. You'll definitely feel it hit when you take a long deep drag.

[simonster]

My understanding is that nicotine itself is not particularly carcinogenic (there are some studies indicating slight increases in tumorigenesis in conjunction with specific carcinogens, and others indicating no increases), but there are a lot of other compounds in tobacco (including chewing tobacco) that are highly carcinogenic. To my knowledge there are no studies of the carcinogenic potential of long-term nicotine replacement therapy in humans.

[ohwaitamin]

Tobacco aside:

Nicotine has several metabolites. NNN, NNK and cotinine. The first two are carcinogenic, but the risk is negligible (but not absent) for smoking cessation therapy. The effects of cotinine appear to be slightly negative on brain health, but of course there are dietary and lifestyle factors which play into the cash value of all this.

Nicotine also appears to be slightly deleterious for kidney and heart health, so it's not entirely benign. It also has to be avoided with female oral contraceptives (greater risk with age) otherwise the risk of stroke increases fairly dramatically.

Do I use nicotine knowing these risks? Yes as a cognitive enhancer, but under the assumption that I'll cease before the age of 40 or upon financial success, while in good health and maintaining a fruit and vegetable rich diet.