Is There Any Harm If Swallowed A Piece Of Nicorette Gum?

Posted on Sun, 22 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 22 Dec 2013 Answered on

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : While lying down, I swallowed a piece of nicorette gum, but it seems to be stuck at the base of my throat. I'm worried it might cause the same kind of burning that happens if you leave it at the same place in your mouth too long. Is there something I can do to dislodge it? A peanut butter sandwich with a glass of milk did not help.

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (19 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Hi Detailed Answer: Hi Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX From your description it seems that you were chewing nicorette gum and it has gotten stuck in lower throat. In such a case you need to go to emergency room and get it dislodged. Any foreign body may cause irritation and swelling at the place it is stuck. Usually a cough reflux will throw out any impacted foreign bodies. In your case it seems that cough wasn't effective. In the meanwhile you can try the following: - Drink cold fluids to reduce the local swelling and hope that the gum dislodges - If you can see the gum stuck, you can remove it yourself with a blunt scalpel like object but do not over-do it as you may worsen the swelling by hurting the area repeatedly Apart from this there is nothing much that you can do at home. Take care Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar