Nicotine gum for Self-medicating. *Important Safety Information*

**Before I start, nicotine use for a self medicating reason is, in my opinion, 100% contraindicated for:
*Women who are pregnant or breast feeding
*Anyone who is addicted to cigarettes
*Anyone who has quit cigarettes
*Those with heart conditions
*Anyone on any catecholamine agonists and/or enhancers
*Anyone on catecholamine antagonists
*Anyone on MAOIs
*Anyone with cytochrome P450 deficiency
*Anyone with Human Coronary Artery Disease
*Anyone already using a nicotine agent, including cigarettes
*Anyone with cancer with special concern for cholinergic and adrenergic related cancers.**

I started using nicotine gum for pain. Though I can't prove a causal relationship, this is what I found:

I am nicotine naive so take that into consideration as well. I would chew 4mg to 8mg of nicotine gum no more than 8mg per every 4 hours. I would not use it for an extended time back to back to prevent tolerance. I am also on 350mg of Wellbutran ER. I found that for mild to moderate pain, nicotine produced analgesia within 5 minutes. For mild and moderate pain, the analgesic effect was found to be superior to morphine. I also found lasting stimulant affects as well as a *very potent anorexic affect.

It is worth noting that a 4mg gum will cause a stimulant effect for around 10 minutes before turning to a depressant effect. 8mg will start off in the depressant phase.

Again, I can't prove a causal relationship, but since I started nicotine my pain has dropped to the lowest levels in 4 years.

*Side effects for a nicotine naive person include, but not limited to: Anorexia, nausea, pallor, sweating, excess saliva, racing heart rate with or without panic, stomach pain, tremor, and headache.

**The side effects that need the closest monitoring and are of greatest concern are:
*Moderate to severe ataxia
*Lose of balance
*A mental state similar to benzodiazepine intoxication
*Mild to moderate confusion
*Light headedness
*Increase or decrease in respiration with or without air hunger
*Tachycardia
*Microvascular injury
*Muscle fasciculations
*Bradycardia
*Seizure
*Hypertension.**

*Please note that I am in no way a fully trained medical doctor. This test was only conducted on one person, me. Self medicate with nicotine at you're own risk.