Electronic Cigarette For Quitting Smoking
There is another product that also contains nicotine, which is absorbed through the skin. This product is the nicotine patch. Each patch is worn preferably on the upper part of a person's body. A good place to put the patch would be the upper arm or upper chest. Wash the area and dry it thoroughly. Adhere the patch to the skin, putting pressure on it for 10 seconds to ensure its adhesion.
Step 1 is for smokers who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day. Each Step 1 patch contains 21 milligrams, which is delivered over the course of 24 hours. In some countries Step 1 can contain 15 milligrams, which is delivered in 16 hours. So read the package insert to see which type of patch is available in your area. It can take up to four hours before an optimum level of nicotine is absorbed through the skin. Therefore, this form of nicotine delivery is referred to as slow release.
However, once this optimum level is achieved, the nicotine patch will deliver a constant flow of nicotine. This will ensure that there is no further drop in the level of nicotine in your body. Each patch must be changed once every 24 hours, if the patch was designed to be worn for that period of time, or 16 hours if the patch was designed to be worn for that length of time. So read the package insert carefully.
After that time period, there is little or no nicotine that is being delivered. It is therefore important to change the patch regularly at the same hour once a day. Quitters who begin using Step 1 would do so daily for four to six weeks. After this period the user continues with Step 2, for an additional 2 weeks and then switches to Step 3 for an additional 2 weeks.
If you smoke around 10 cigarettes per day, start with Step 2, which contains 14 milligram per patch for a patch worn for 24 hours, or 10 milligrams for a patch worn for 16 hours per day. Continue with Step 2 for eight weeks. This is then followed by Step 3, which contains 7 milligrams for a patch worn for 24 hours, or 5 milligrams for a patch worn for only 16 hours per day. Continue with Step 3 for up to 4 weeks.
Since it can take up to four hours before the maximum nicotine level is achieved with the patch, this leaves the quitter vulnerable to discomfort from either withdrawal symptoms or craving during the first few hours in the morning, when these are often severe. Also, sleep disruption may occur because for those patches worn during the night, nicotine is delivered during sleep. Should this be an inconvenience, remove patch one hour before going to sleep.
Skin irritation is fairly common. These are usually mild, but if swelling occurs discontinue use.
These are some of the products that contain nicotine that have been approved by various health agencies around the world as well as the general medical communities.
The following individuals should not be using the nicotine gum, nicotine lozenge, the nicotine inhaler, the nicotine spray or the nicotine patch:
“Those with recent myocardial infraction (less than 2 weeks) or unstable or severe angina should use NRT only with caution and probably should first try to quit without NRT (Fiore et al., 2000). Nicotine replacement therapy may be contraindicated in critically ill patients in intensive care. Pregnant or lactating women should be encouraged to try to quit without medication. However, NRT may be appropriate in consultation with a physician if they increased benefits of quitting while using NRT outweigh the risks of continuing to smoke."
If you experience headaches, nausea, increased sweating, weakness, stomach upset, and diarrhea, use the gum or lozenge or inhaler or nasal spray less often. Or, if you experience these symptoms with the patch, you may want to switch to a lower level patch. These might be signs that you are taking too much nicotine, so cut back on the amount that you use.
Other medication that may help you quit
There are two other medications to help smokers quit that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, as well as other health agencies throughout the world.
Both these products require a doctor's monitoring and prescription.
These are Bupropion and Varenicline. If you are interested in knowing more about either one of these medications, consult your doctor. Be aware, though, that they are non-nicotine products with different side effects than those discussed with regard to NRT. To find out more, you can check out Electronic Cigarette For Quitting Smoking.
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