Sirs:
I have been a cigar smoker for almost 20 years and recently I tried another brand and it made me nauseous and physically ill. I did not smoke for a few days and tried a small milder cigar and within a few minutes became nauseous again. Have a developed some sort of allergy or intolerance to tobacco or nicotine? Have you heard of this happening before? The onset seemed terribly sudden and without warning. I don't want to give up my smokes but I can't tolerate the nausea. Can you offer any insight or suggestion? Thanks for your help.

While you're waiting for the editor's answer. Here is some information I happen to have on the subject :

There are cases of true tobacco allergy, but they always involve physical contact with the raw leaf. Tobacco smoke can make you cough, sneeze and wheeze, but it’s not an allergy - and nausea is not an allergic simptom.

However, the alkaloid nicotine (even absorbed through skin or mucous membranes) is a virulent poison producing nausea and great disturbance in the digestive and circulatory organs. It can innervate the heart, causing palpitation and cardiac irregularities and vascular contraction. Nicotine is very like coniine and lobeline in its pharmacological action, and the pyridines in the smoke modify very slightly its action.

Might be some form of nicotine poisoning, which doesn't explain your sudden sensibility to it... Anyway, sorry to have barged in.

If it were an allergy you would drool and your mouth would swell. An allergy causes the breakdown of MAST cells which release HISTAMINE. This can cause anything from itching to skin eruption to all out anaphalaxis.

Sounds like the nicotine in the new cigar caused you to become ill. It may be causing you to have a similar reaction to other cigars now, or you could have something else wrong such as a stomach ulcer.

If it continues I recommend you see a doctor.

Chain smoking JDNs?