Nicotine - Extinguishing Your Habit

Extinguishing Your Habit

Are nicotine patches and nicotine gum an easy way to quit smoking?

The patch may offer hope to the four out of five American smokers who would like to extinguish their habit. Some one billion dollars’ worth of the bandage-like transdermal patches have been sold since they were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1991. They work by releasing nicotine into the body through the skin, which alleviates some of the withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, that are associated with quitting smoking.

The patch is obtained by prescription, and it costs significantly more than the pack of so of cigarettes that it replaces (the patches are changed every 24 hours). Usually, a doctor will start a patient with the largest, strongest patch, and then taper off to smaller patches within a coupe of weeks. Currently, four nicotine patches are on the market – Habitrol, Nicoderm, PROSTEP and Nicotrol.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that smokers who used the transdermal patch and had counseling were able to stop smoking more easily than those who had counseling without the patch. In the study, two groups of smokers were taken through a 12-week regimen. Half ad counseling and used a nicotine patch and the other half had counseling and no patch. After six months, 26 percent of those who used the patch and counseling were not smoking, while only 12 percent of those who were patchless stopped.

Some skeptics argue, however, that the patch’s effectiveness depends less on the patch than on the smoker. The more motivated a smoker is to stop smoking, the more likely he will stop for good. A recent report in the Medical Letter found that patches were effective in relieving initial withdrawal symptoms, but that their long-term effectiveness was “unimpressive.”

There can also be serious side effects for backsliders who smoke while using the patch, including headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, weakness, blurred vision, nightmares, and accentuated dreams. And some people have burning or itching in the area where the patch is placed on the skin.

One alternative to the patch is nicotine gum. Prescribed by a dentist, nicotine gum helps smokers quit the same way the nicotine patch does, by curbing the physical withdrawal symptoms. As with the patch, those who decide to use nicotine gum must first stop smoking.

You must get rid of the nicotine. Photo by Elena

Patients should chew the gum very slowly until they feel a tingling sensation in the mouth, which is caused by the release of nicotine. The gum should be chewed for 30 minutes at a time; patients should chew enough of it to stave off withdrawal symptoms. Typically, patients chew 10 to 15 pieces a day, but they should never chew more than 30 pieces a day. The gum should be chewed every day for a month or so, while the patient gradually reduces the number of pieces chewed. In three to six months, the patient should no longer need the gum. The effectiveness is the same as it is for patches, and it sometimes gives people an upset stomach.

Whether smokers choose gum, a patch, or sheer will power, the American Cancer Society recommends that they set a specific day, a Quit Date, to stop smoking. The day should be during a time when the smoker will be under little stress, such as during a vacation.

A week before the Quit Date, the American Cancer Society suggests that smokers begin a diary of their smoking habits by writing down in detail every time they reach for a cigarette, including the time, place, how the smoker felt, and why he or she decided to light up.

When the big day arrives, the smoker should tell as many people as possible that he or she is trying to kick the habit so they can give support when needed.