Plasma nicotine levels produced by chewing nicotine gum
M. E. McNabb, R. V. Ebert and K. McCusker
Nicotine chewing gum is designed to maintain plasma nicotine levels during
a smoking cessation effort while the individual copes with the loss of the
repetitive behavioral components of smoking. The plasma nicotine levels
obtained with hourly gum chewing were compared with levels obtained with
cigarette smoking in nine patients with lung disease. Chewing 2- and 4-mg
nicotine gum hourly produced mean steady-state plasma nicotine levels of
11.8 and 23.2 ng/mL, respectively. This compares with a mean plasma
nicotine trough level during usual smoking of 15.7 ng/mL and a mean trough
level of 18.3 ng/mL with hourly smoking of a cigarette with a nicotine
yield of 1.1 mg. Few side effects were seen with the use of either the 2-
or 4-mg gum. In a short-term study, nicotine gum proved an acceptable
source of nicotine for aiding smoking cessation.
