Nicotine Patches To Help You Stop Smoking

Can Nicotine Patches Help With Withdrawal Symptoms?

Smokers are addicted to nicotine. That's a fact. This addiction then leads to withdrawal symptoms like being irritable, insomnia, headaches and nausea. These withdrawal symptoms put most people off even trying to quit smoking. There is help and hope however.

Nicotine patches like Nicoderm CQ, Nicotin CQ, Nicotrol and Habitrol allow you to wean yourself off the nicotine by wearing a small patch that releases nicotine into your bloodstream. This steady release of nicotine removes your craving to the point where you don't want to physically smoke anymore because your body is getting the required "buzz" from the patch. Nicotine patches are part of what many people call Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) which also include the use of nicotine gum.

How To Use the Patch?

As with nicotine gum, Nicotine patches are available in various strengths. Heavy smokers are advised to start with the 21 mg patches, but moderate smokers should start with only 14 mg patches. These patches are used for 6 weeks and then are replaced with a lower strength patch to reduce your chemical dependency. The final patch is a 7mg one which is used for 14 days to end your treatment.

Patches are normally only worn during the day because nicotine can cause some very odd dreams if absorbed while you're alseep. The other factor is that you're asleep so therefore shouldn't crave a cigarette. There are 24 hour patches available for those people who get woken up by their craving for a smoke - although this is rare.

You should not smoke when using nicotine patches. You could easily give your body a double dose of nicotine which could lead to dizziness, fainting or potentially a minor heart attack. If you absolutely must smoke then remove your patch first and dispose of it safely.

Patches themselves should be placed on an area of the arm where there is as little body hair as possible and that is also free of scratches or cuts. To prevent skin irritation patches must be applied to a new area of skin every day, and each area should not be used more than once per week.

Side Effects and Effectiveness

If you suffer any reaction to the patches either on your skin or in any physical way then contact your doctor immediately for advice. The patch itself may be too strong for your body or you may need to use an alternative NRT such as nicotine gum or perhaps a nasal spray.

Nicotine replacement therapies have a relatively high rate of success but you have to really want to quit smoking for them to be succesful. You also have to be smart about your effort to quit by avoiding social and professional situations where smoking is common. Don't just fight temptation - avoid it completely.