I've never been a smoker, but was wondering whether pouches could be a safer way of getting a nicotine hit to help with concentration etc.?
Do you use them? What benefits do you find with using them? Did you notice any adverse side-effects?
As a smoker, stay away from any nicotine products.
It's not safe, it's an addictive trap.
Cocaine is probably safer.
BMJ study conclusion:
Conclusion
Although nicotine pouches may potentially be a reduced risk alternative for cigarette smokers or users of some other oral tobacco products, nicotine contents of some pouches were alarmingly high. Presence of carcinogenic TSNAs in the nicotine pouches is of serious concern
From what I understand, nicotine is addictive, but perhaps less so than in cigarette form.
I've got a pack of nicotine pouches and wondered if they were a one-off hit like coffee, in which case I'd be interested in trying them, or more like cigarettes which can get you addicted and dependent on them, in which case i should probably avoid them.
Plenty of people have become hooked on meth for just looking for something to "help with concentration". Just saying.
I always thought that it was sating the nicotine withdrawal symptoms which allowed an addict to concentrate rather than the actual nicotine but that's the instant hit you get when inhaling smoke or vaping.
There is a link with improved concentration otherwise but do you want to take the risk? Nicotine is incredibly addictive and you may want a better vessel to give you a faster, better hit in future.
Slow release nicotine gum is designed to wean you off that fast hit but still sating your nicotine addiction which is dealt with by reducing the gum dosage over time.
Why not take the gum instead? Or just have a cup of coffee?
As a former nicotine addict I recommend just having a coffee.
Just about everyone that tries it gets hooked. You wake up, with your mouth feeling like a cesspool craving that first hit. Your breath stinks and you stink. And you can’t quit.
I’d record amphetamines before nicotine.
I think I read once that nicotine pouches can cause mouth cancer and that there are some other kind of dangers associated with them.
As others have said, I wouldn't suggest trying nicotine for any reason or in any form. It is highly addictive, and if you're not use to nicotine, it can cause you to have heart palpitations.
If you want to be more alert, I suggest taking B12 or having a coffee. Coop sells some B12 capsules -- Dr. Haushka's brand or something (in a green and white box) -- and just one of those seems to give me a lot of energy even though it is just 100% the daily amount. I also highly recommend Burgerstein's Multivitamin for energy and feeling more alert. It has a lot of vitamin C, vit D and B vitamins. I always feel like I have a lot more energy when I take them, and even my doctor recommends them:
Those are the ones containing tobacco. These new ones don't - they contain nicotine with some sort of carrier.
Nicotine is as addictive, or more so than heroin and cocaine so personally I wouldn't bother and find something else to aid concentration.
Getting up from one's desk and having a quick brisk walk before sitting down again can work wonders.
I think nicotine pouches do contain carcinogens, though.
And nicotine can make people very dizzy if they're not use to it, as well as heart palpitations. I guess nicotine usually increases heart rate and blood pressure.
That's one reason why they say people should not smoke cigarettes while wearing a nicotine patch (e.g. after getting off a plane).
Go and have a beer and think again !
Nicotine patches and similar stuff only help you concentrate when you are already addicted. Getting all itchy at work and you can’t bug out for a quick fag then I think nicotine patches can help. Not sure a non smoker will get the same effect.
@Phil_MCR: maybe you were asking at the wrong demographic (forum users) about nicotine pouches. Ask teenagers instead 
Archived article from TA
Boom thanks to bags: Teenagers consume nicotine now
Specialists and parents are alarmed: nicotine bags are popular with adolescents – and often have a much higher dosage of the nerve poison than cigarettes.
The products do not contain tobacco. Since they are not smoking, it spares the lungs. But in some cases they have very high amounts of nicotine – a nerve poison that enters the blood via the oral mucosa. And accordingly, with certain doses, it can lead to symptoms of poisoning.
The actual intake by the body could vary depending on the type of consumption, but the dosage of nicotine bags is much higher than that of cigarettes – an investigation of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment showed that nicotine bags may contain up to 47.5 milligrams of nicotine. According to the tobacco prevention Switzerland! the nicotine content is often between 2 and 30 milligrams. “This means that such products have a high potential for addictive,” says Luc Lebon. Unlike cigarettes 1 milligram per cigarette) and electronic cigarettes (20 milligrams per millilitre), Swiss law does not prescribe a maximum amount of nicotine for such products.
I’ve met people with links to Sweden that have their health destroyed by tobacco pouches. Circulatory system issues, continuous medication until death. But, this new generation of pouches contains tobacco-free synthetic nicotine. Since there’s no link to tobacco, less regulations. At least in Switzerland.
After reading the article, I realized I have seen the Velo logo in train stations around Switzerland. Then, I realized that the big logo on the side of the McLaren F1 car was not a cryptocurrency company, but nicotine pouches. Pic is from Monaco this year, in other countries they drop the logo because regulations.
So, this stuff is new. No up-to-date numbers on the prevalence of use of these thingies in Switzerland. Last survey from 2022 shows 2% of Swiss population using them. There are also no studies on the long-term use of nicotine pouches. One red flag is that that pouches have much less quality controls than nicotine patches sold as medical products. So, lots of nicotine and something else. The amount of something else is unknown.
This is very interesting. Anti-tobacco campaigns in the past put a lot emphasis in smoke. People complains about smoke in restaurant and bar terraces. Second-hand smoke is a scourge on society. But, what if you get rid of the smoke and keep printing money?
When I wrote the original post, I received a free pack of Velo pouches. It’s still sitting on my desk un-opened.
I also heard in a podcast that people are using them as a nootropic.
I don’t know whether nicotine on its own (without tobacco) has adverse health effects.
Yes it does. Nicotine is highly addictive and can increase heart rate and blood pressure, narrow arteries, and potentially lead to heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems.
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FFS just have a cup of coffee (also nootropic).
Nicotine is as addictive as heroin. Why would even consider going down that route?
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Best nootropic is not having financial concerns, steady supply of endorphins via exercise
& food, 6-9 hours of sleep per night 
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Podcasts are (IMHO) the Tiktok for 40+ – also full of sh*t and misinformation
Yes, of course nicotine is a nootropic, and the human body uses the same mechanism upon which the nootropism is based ( activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) to proliferate cell growth and survival, after genetically mutating them via their intermediate metabolites. The difference is that the intermediate metabolites act in different locations in the human body (brain vs tissues). I know what I’m talking about - nicotine was one of the molecules I worked with during my PhD.
And, if you want it more personal – My ex-boyfriend (55, snusser) and one of my best friends (62, smoker and then e-cigarrette user) are, as we speak, on stage II and stage IV (metastasized) of oral epitelial carcinomas.
@Phil_MCR – please throw that snuss (nicotine pouches) sh*t away.
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Just a point worth making - Velo pouches differ from snus in that whilst snus contains tobacco and can cause mouth cancer, Velo pouches only contain nicotine (and sweeteners etc) and no tobacco.
What Velo, as a company, is doing though is shocking, giving away pouches or offering them to new users at a massive discount.
As for e-cigarettes - a friend of my son is now thankfully out of intensive care after his lungs collapsed due to e-cigarette use.
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