Sunday, November 23, 2008

Nicotine replacement therapy, will it work for me?

By Kimberley Steffano

The whole concept of nicotine replacement therapy is that it gives your body a low dose of nicotine to help ease the cravings. By putting a small amount into your system your withdrawal symptoms are not as severe. One of the major drawbacks for nicotine replacement therapy is that you go through nicotine withdrawals twice. The first time when you initially quit smoking and the second time when you stop the nicotine replacement therapy. On the plus side you don't need to go to the doctor to get it.

Many people can find this very difficult, especially the second time around as that old familiar edgy feeling comes back and you basically have to go through a milder form of withdrawals for the next three days. People aren't really prepared for that second wave of withdrawal and often have a hard time letting go of the nicotine replacement therapy. Those that can, have made a very important step to becoming smoke free and changing their lifestyle.

There are several types of nicotine replacement therapy; the most common option used is the patch. Normally you start with a higher dose and gradually work your way down over a 6 to 12 week timeframe. One of the things that should be noted, is the amount of nicotine delivered over the 24 hours is often too much for the body to handle and side effects are very common.

Nausea and cold sweats is a common side effect of the patch. This can be an indication that the dose is to high for your system and you can try a lower dose the next day. It might be a good idea to look into another form of nicotine replacement therapy. Many people have had great success with the patch, but since the human body's chemistry varies from person to person not everyones body is able to adapt to the patch.

Now there are several forms of nicotine replacement therapy, and things have come a long way from simply just being a patch. There's nicotine gum, that I must say has improved in flavor immensely, long gone is that pepper taste it is left lingering in your mouth. Today comes in several fruit flavors that you can actually chew without feeling like you're going to throw up. You set your own dosing schedule, which is based on your own withdrawal symptoms.

There are also the nicotine lozenge, which now comes in a variety of flavors. You let the tablet slowly dissolve in your mouth and it delivers a low dose of nicotine into your system. Again, you set your own dosing schedule, normally about 2 to 4 hours in between tablets, depending on your personal withdrawals. As with all nicotine replacement therapy you will experience some form of secondary withdrawal symptoms when you wean yourself off of them but that is a very small price to pay compared to continuing to smoke.

Now if find yourself needing something in your hand then you can look to the nicotine inhaler to help curb that desire. This too will release a low dose of nicotine which you inhale through this device. I have never tried this myself but I have talked to several people who had success with it.

There are nicotine replacement options available without a prescription and readily accessible at any corner drugstore or supermarket. You will still have to expect to pay quite a bit for over the counter therapy. But many of the products provide online support and forums, which help keep you in touch with other people who are trying to quit smoking.

As mentioned before, some of the side effects of nicotine replacement therapy can range from: a slight headache, insomnia, to more severe symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea or constipation. Some of the side effects tend to be temporary, if they are too much you may want to think about changing your dose or about looking into other smoking cessation options, such as non- nicotine based medication. - 15343

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