Nicotine Tablets Side Effects: What the Labels Say
"Tablet" can mean a US lozenge, an under-the-tongue medicine sold abroad or a melt, and each comes with very different side-effect information.
Contents
The most common nicotine tablets side effects are hiccups, nausea, headache, and mouth or throat irritation. On the UK leaflet for Nicorette Microtab, an under-the-tongue nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) tablet, hiccups, nausea and headache each may affect more than 1 in 10 users.
US lozenge labels give no rates, and non-NRT melts have no list.
Three products get called "nicotine tablets"
Search this phrase and most answers are about lozenges. Cleveland Clinic's lozenge page even describes a lozenge as a small tablet. But the word covers three products, and what comes in the box is very different.
US lozenges are sold as NRT with a Drug Facts label. You place one between your gum and cheek and let it dissolve. We cover them on their own in nicotine lozenge side effects.
Sublingual NRT tablets, which dissolve under the tongue, are medicines sold outside the US. The Nicorette Microtab is one: a 2 mg tablet that takes about half an hour to dissolve. FDA's 2022 list of approved NRT names patches, gum, lozenges, a spray and an inhaler but no tablet. A DailyMed label search for one comes back empty.
Non-NRT melts and tablets are nicotine products that aren't sold as medicines. They don't come with a Drug Facts panel or a medicine leaflet.
Nicotine tablets side effects, from most to least common
Here is how the two lists line up. The US label names effects without saying how often they happen. The UK leaflet sorts them into bands: very common means more than 1 in 10 people, common up to 1 in 10, uncommon up to 1 in 100.
| Effect | US lozenge label | UK Microtab leaflet |
|---|---|---|
| Hiccups | Listed | Very common |
| Nausea | Listed | Very common |
| Headache | Listed | Very common |
| Mouth or throat irritation | Listed | Very common (throat), common (mouth) |
| Upset stomach | Listed | Common (stomach pain or discomfort) |
| Heartburn or indigestion | Heartburn listed | Common (indigestion) |
| Dizziness | Listed | Common |
| Cough | Not listed | Common |
| Dry mouth or extra saliva | Not listed | Common |
| Mouth ulcers or blisters | "Mouth problems": stop | Uncommon |
| Rash or itching | Allergy sign: stop | Uncommon |
Sources: Equate nicotine lozenge label, updated November 2026, and the UK Nicorette Microtab leaflet, prepared March 2026, which lists more effects than shown here.
The two lists start in the same place, but you can't compare them fairly. The US label gives no rates. And the Microtab rates aren't tablet-only: the UK prescribing document behind the leaflet says its side-effect table covers oral nicotine products as a group.
Its footnotes tie higher hiccup rates to mouth spray studies, and higher cough and throat irritation rates to inhaler studies. So these documents can't tell you whether a tablet bothers your mouth more or less than a lozenge. They also tie jaw pain to gum, which has its own list in nicotine gum side effects.
The product isn't always the cause
The Microtab leaflet lists dizziness, nausea, cough, bleeding gums and mouth ulcers among the effects of stopping smoking or vaping. So the same symptom can sit in two places on one leaflet.
It also has a section on too much nicotine: feeling faint, nausea and headache. It says you may also get these if you aren't used to inhaling smoke or vapor.
How you use a lozenge shows up on the labels too. The Equate label warns that using one right after another can bring on hiccups, heartburn or nausea. For those same three effects, the CDC says not to chew, suck or swallow the lozenge, and to try a lower dose or wait longer between doses.
Non-NRT melts and tablets: read the pack
Products that aren't sold as medicines have no Drug Facts panel or leaflet with rates to put in that table. That doesn't mean they cause no side effects, or that the lozenge list applies line by line. Read your product's pack, and take questions about your own health to a doctor or pharmacist.
When the labels say to get medical help
US lozenge labels from Equate and Nicorette give the same list. Stop using the lozenge and ask a doctor if you get:
Mouth problems
Indigestion that won't go away, or a severe sore throat
An irregular heartbeat or palpitations
Overdose symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, weakness and rapid heartbeat
Allergic reaction symptoms such as difficulty breathing or rash
Microtab's UK leaflet is more urgent. It says to stop and contact a doctor immediately for a racing or abnormal heartbeat, chest palpitations, shortness of breath or seizures. The same goes for allergic signs such as a swollen mouth, lips, throat or tongue.
It gives the same urgency to two other cases. One is using too many and feeling effects such as vomiting, sweating, dizziness or weakness. The other is a child under 12 using, chewing, sucking or swallowing a tablet. Contact a doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency department, and bring the leaflet and pack.
In the US, Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222. The Equate label prints that number beside this line: "In case of overdose, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away." The National Capital Poison Center says expert help is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.
If someone has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing or can't be woken, America's Poison Centers says to call 911 immediately. The Equate label also warns that a lozenge may have enough nicotine to make children and pets sick.
FAQ
How long do nicotine tablet side effects last?
The UK prescribing document for Microtab says most effects occur in the first 3 to 4 weeks after starting. It adds that most people adapt to mouth and throat irritation with ongoing use. That timeline comes from Microtab's document, so don't carry it over to other products.
Why do nicotine tablets cause hiccups?
The labels list hiccups without explaining them. A 2025 analysis of FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2022 linked hiccup reports to lozenges and, less strongly, gum. It had no results for under-the-tongue tablets, and reports like these can't prove cause.
Can nicotine tablets cause mouth sores?
The Microtab leaflet lists mouth ulcers or blisters as uncommon, and says ulcers can also develop after stopping smoking, for reasons unknown. A 2012 study of Microtab in 50 smokers checked the spot under the tongue over 12 weeks and put the mouth changes it saw down to friction. That's one small open study of one product.
Can nicotine tablets cause a rash or strange dreams?
Both are on the Microtab leaflet as uncommon, along with itching and hives. On dreams, the UK prescribing document says abnormal dreams were identified only with products applied during the night. Skin reactions where a patch sits are covered in nicotine patch side effects.
What if you swallow one?
Lozenge and Microtab directions both say not to chew or swallow. The EU copy of the Microtab leaflet says the poisoning risk is small if you happen to swallow a tablet, but that line is for Microtab only. A child swallowing one is different: follow the emergency advice above.
A note from BRST
BRST is a 2mg peppermint melt that dissolves under the tongue. It is not a cigarette and not FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy.
To see how a melt differs from gum, lozenges and pouches, read nicotine tablet vs. gum, lozenge and pouch. Adults 21+. Nicotine is addictive.
Which side effect sent you searching, and does the label on your product list it?
