Iyer Ramya R
Public Health Dentistry, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, K M Shah Dental College and Hospital, Vadodara, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Apr 19;17(4):e82566. doi: 10.7759/cureus.82566. eCollection 2025 Apr.
Past smokers under nicotine replacement therapy, such as nicotine gums, may develop an addiction to nicotine gums. This case report presents a case of nicotine gum addiction. The mother of a 28-year-old male presented at a private dental & tobacco cessation clinic with her son's complaints of severe cravings after her son had reportedly gone cold turkey as an impulsive attempt to quit nicotine chewing gums. She reported that her son had a history of chewing >10 nicotine gums/day for the last three years. The mother reported that her son had been without nicotine for the last two days before he had agreed to seek professional help. She presented that her son had repeatedly failed to stop using nicotine gum use in the past. Detailed tobacco and nicotine gum history was recorded. Current nicotine dependence was assessed using a modified Fagerstrom scale for smokeless tobacco. The patient's withdrawal symptoms were more of a psychological nature than disturbances of physiology. As per the patient's preference, tele-counseling sessions were conducted daily. Additionally, supportive and interventional measures were recommended and reinforced through WhatsApp messages. As there were rebounds of anxiety attacks, in consultation with a psychiatrist, after a week of counseling, pharmacological management was included as an adjunct to help improve the patient's confidence. The patient had abstained from nicotine gums for one complete month from the date of reporting, with only negligible withdrawal symptoms. A one-month follow-up of the patient confirmed no signs of relapse. The report brings to light that dealing with going cold turkey in long-term nicotine gum addiction can be challenging and recommends a planned professional cessation therapy in order to minimize withdrawal symptoms.
接受尼古丁替代疗法（如尼古丁口香糖）的既往吸烟者可能会对尼古丁口香糖上瘾。本病例报告展示了一例尼古丁口香糖成瘾的案例。一名28岁男性的母亲带着儿子的严重渴求症状来到一家私人牙科与戒烟诊所，据她儿子称，他此前冲动地试图突然停止使用尼古丁口香糖后出现了这些症状。她报告说，在过去三年里，她儿子每天咀嚼超过10片尼古丁口香糖。这位母亲还说，在她儿子同意寻求专业帮助之前的最后两天，他没有使用尼古丁。她表示，她儿子过去多次尝试停止使用尼古丁口香糖均未成功。记录了详细的烟草和尼古丁口香糖使用史。使用改良的法格斯特龙无烟烟草量表评估了患者当前的尼古丁依赖程度。患者的戒断症状更多是心理方面的，而非生理紊乱。根据患者的偏好，每天进行远程心理咨询。此外，通过WhatsApp信息推荐并强化了支持性和干预性措施。由于焦虑症发作出现反复，在咨询精神科医生后，经过一周的咨询，加入了药物治疗作为辅助手段，以帮助增强患者的信心。自报告之日起，患者已完全戒除尼古丁口香糖一个月，仅出现轻微的戒断症状。对患者进行的为期一个月的随访证实没有复发迹象。该报告揭示，应对长期尼古丁口香糖成瘾的突然戒烟可能具有挑战性，并建议采用有计划的专业戒烟疗法，以尽量减轻戒断症状。
