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Nicotine nasal spray
Pronunciation
Definition 1
A nose spray that contains a small dose of nicotine, which enters the blood by being absorbed through the lining of the nose. This helps stop nicotine cravings and relieves symptoms that occur when a person is trying to quit smoking. A prescription is needed for nicotine nasal spray. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
A nasal spray composed of an aqueous solution containing the alkaloid nicotine with nicotine replacement activity. Upon administration of the spray into the nostrils, nicotine is taken up from the nasal mucosa into the bloodstream. Although nicotine binds to nicotinic cholinergic receptors at the autonomic ganglia, adrenal medulla and at neuromuscular junctions as well, the binding of nicotine to the receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) appears to be responsible for the addictive nature of nicotine. Binding to CNS nicotinic acetylcholine receptors causes the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine which appears to be responsible for the addiction of nicotine. Administration of nicotine may prevent nicotine craving and may help with the withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking cessation. (NCI Thesaurus)
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