Signs, Symptoms, and Nicotine Overdose

Nicotine:

By definition, nicotine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant. Nicotine behaves in the body much in the way caffeine does, and when used in small doses, it is about as harmless as a cup of coffee. Mainly, it gives you focus and concentration, accelerates your heart and breathing rate, and increases blood pressure.

Too much of anything has the potential to become harmful; most substances should be used in moderation. What makes nicotine different is that it's not easy to control how much you use through sheer willpower. It is highly addictive and, therefore, difficult to use in moderation. Think twice before using this substance! People say that once you're addicted to nicotine, the substance can be as hard to quit as nicotine, if not harder.

The fact that nicotine is so addictive is a big part of why the substance is illegal for the minor. It is also possible to overdose on nicotine. Cigarettes, gum, patches, and e-liquid containing nicotine could all potentially cause an overdose if taken in large enough amounts. Never drink e-liquid, and never ever combine smoking with patches, or gum, or any other combination of nicotine-containing products. Doing so could result in death.

Nicotine only makes up approximately 0.6–3.0% of dry weight in tobacco, which is the main ingredient of a tobacco cigarette, primarily because of its addictive qualities. On average, a cigarette manufactured in the United States contains about 9 mg of nicotine, but this is not the amount of nicotine that is ingested by a smoker. When cigarettes are burned, the smoke is inhaled by the user, so the nicotine enters the lungs and absorbs into the body before entering the bloodstream. The amount of nicotine actually entering the body is typically less than 1 mg.

Our bodies give us a lot of warning signs and signals when we are being poisoned. Poisoning from nicotine is generally seen in two stages:

1st Stage

Nausea

Vomiting

Abdominal pain

Sweating

Hypertension

Tachycardia, or a dangerously fast heart rate

Ataxia, or a lack of muscle coordination that may affect speech, eye movements, and the ability to swallow or walk

Headache

Dizziness

Shaking and tremors

Seizures

2nd Stage:

• Bradycardia
• Hypotension
• Central nervous system depression
• Coma
• And finally, breathing and respiratory failure