There are several short- and long-term effects of nicotine.
Nicotine is a drug which is commonly found in cigarettes. Like many drugs there are short- and long-term health effects that come with the entrance of nicotine into your blood stream. Overall, nicotine is a dangerous drug that can accumulate in your system over time and cause major health problems. If you use any nicotine, consider stopping before any health problems become magnified.
Short-Term Effects
The short-term effects of nicotine actually come about quickly and can be felt almost immediately after smoking a cigarette. To have any effect, you need only ingest as little as 3 mg of nicotine. Once ingested, your arteries begin to constrict, causing an increased heart rate and high blood pressure. As the nicotine works its way into your system, your body slows down its urine production, trapping waste inside the body. This trapped waste is usually expelled eventually, but leaving it in your body can make you feel sluggish and tired. Also, since nicotine is generally combined with smoke, there are effects due to the two compounds working together. The most prevalent one is a feeling of light headedness, which is sometimes referred to as a "smoker's high."
Cancer
Although the short-term effects can come and dissipate quickly with each use of the drug, the long-term effects come on slowly and remain with you after you put the nicotine away. The most common one of these effects is cancer. Nicotine causes cell mutations which your body normally can heal. With enough nicotine in your system, however, the body can no longer heal those mutations, and they begin to multiply, causing tumors.
Heart Problems
Another long-term effect of nicotine is massive heart damage and heart attack. As the nicotine continually contracts your arteries, eventually they can't open back up completely, which causes a restricted blood flow back to the heart. Eventually this restricted blood flow may cause a weakened heart which can cause you to go into cardiac arrest.
Peptic Ulcers
Long-term use of nicotine can cause peptic ulcers to occur, which are small open sores that form on the interior of the stomach lining. Since these sores are open, stomach acid can get into them and cause irritation. While peptic sores are curable with medication, they can ultimately cause internal bleeding, infection and a buildup of scar tissue.
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