“My friend and I recently tried nicotine pouches and both had an unpleasant experience. After about 10 minutes I felt like I was going to be sick and my friend actually vomited. It felt like the first time I ever vaped and back then we called it ‘nic-sick’. Is that a real thing?”
‘Nic-sick’ refers to nicotine poisoning, i.e., you’ve consumed more of the drug than you’re able to tolerate. Although feeling unwell after using the drug is not a new phenomenon, the term ‘nic-sick’ has only recently become popular mainly due to its use via social media. Typically used to describe a range of adverse effects experienced after using nicotine products, particularly vapes, those who post content on various platforms discuss a range of symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, dizziness, rapid or uneven heartbeat, burning sensation in throat, headache, and fatigue.
Feeling unwell after using nicotine, particularly for those who’ve never used it before, is not new. Many of those who tried smoking a cigarette for the first time would report dizziness and unpleasant headspins, often resulting in them choosing to never smoke again. However, due to the introduction of a range of new nicotine products, some of which contain very high levels of the drug, there’s been an increase in the number of more serious adverse effects, including hospitalisations.
When vaping first came onto the scene, many young people reported experiencing ‘nic-sick’ after first experimenting with the devices. We’re now seeing similar problems with oral nicotine pouches. A recent journal article reported on two incidents of acute nicotine poisoning, one concerning a 15-year-old boy and the other, a 13-year-old girl. Both were hospitalised after experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness after using pouches. Some of these products have up to five times more nicotine than found in cigarettes and are capable of delivering high and rapidly absorbed doses of the drug through the mucous membrane in the mouth. This has been found to cause significant toxic effects even after short-term use.
Although deaths are rare, nicotine poisoning can be fatal, with babies and small children at much greater risk due to their lower body weight. Nic-sick can be unpleasant but if a person is experiencing symptoms of more severe poisoning, such as seizures or respiratory failure, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately.
First published: April 2026
