A friend told me about a nicotine Long Covid trial last year in October. I looked up the research (search: 2013 Long Covid Covid 19 nicotine treatment impact Sars CoV 2) and found multiple papers. One publication was in January or February and had the mode of action (at least two) of nicotine on Sars CoV-2 virus and how the nicotine modulated cytokinin and blocked the ACE receptors. The other papers provided additional information and one was a study (August publication as I recall) in which 100% of patients with Long Covid recovered to symptom free in 7 days.
These were all refereed journal publications.
I started taking nicotine immediately. I found that the patch (7 mg) had no impact. With medications I have found that most are metabolism-weight dose reponses. So, I used two patches an additional 7 days (7 mg each). The adhesive bothered my skin, but I began to see a response. I augmented gum (4 mg, no sugar) one piece then two pieces, mid afternoon. I began to see very significant responses. Positive. After 28 days I had "found my dose-response" and began to see Long Covid symptoms dissappear including brain fog, attention issues, analysis and deep thinking issues, major short term memory, nerve jerks, nerve shooting pains, sweating, and control after one day of my Covid Viral Reactive Arthritis, etc...
Astounding. I am not nor have I ever been a smoker. Nicotine is bad..... this is all we have heard from medicine all our lives. No, smoking is bad. Nicotine comes from plants in the Solanaceae family. This family includes tomato, potato, pepper, egg plant. Two other plant species not in this family produce nicotine, cellery and cauliflower.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199308053290619
No, you do not have an addiction to tomatoz potato, pepper, eggplant, cellery, or cauliflower. It is not the nicotine which is additive. My family and I have all been using nicotine since October as needed. I have been diagnosed with Long Covid over five times, never recovering from it before I was reinfected by Sars CoV-2 again.
This is a game changer. My daughtef had Covid in January. After one gum treatment, her head woozy from the 4 mg dose, in 8 hours she had her smell returned and by the next morning her taste returned.
The issues: stigma, lack of knowlegde of medical professionals and researchers of truth, nicotine is a plant phytochem which protects the plant, fruit, and seed from pathogens and insects. I have a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and Microbiology.
A green tomato, at maximim (50 mg nicotine reported), has more than 35 times more nicotine than a cigarette. The nicotine drops in ripe vegetables to lower quantities. Seed desimination by animals, birds, or insects would be eliminated if the nicotine remained high.
Returning to "the bad", the side effects are mostly minimal to none. Nausea seems to be the worst side effect for some, or the light headed effect.
I have no issues. I had Covid, Flu A, and bronchitis in December - January. I began treatment again after the Flu was over. It took about 14 days to see major improvement on my dose-response. I continued to take nicotine another three weeks and continued to see positive impact. I have not had covid again and the Long Covid was mostly gone in 28 days.
Justin
Using a combination of nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges, I recovered from many LC symptoms, including severe daytime sleepiness, fatigue, brain fog very quickly. I also developed chronic bronchitis post covid, which is improving with the nicotine, but taking longer. The issues remaining are: very labile, often dangerously low pulse oximeter values, and (I think related) extreme heart rate variability. The issues are, I believe, caused by central apnea (I also had to graduate from CPAP to BIPAP post covid for severe central sleep apnea and nighttime oxygen desaturations) and some diaphragmatic weakness. I currently need home oxygen for activity and when resting during the day. I am disappointed that the nicotine hasn't been helpful for this life limiting issue.