5 Nicotine Replacement Therapies
Nicotine Patch
Nicotine patches are small patches worn on the body that administer small doses of nicotine through the skin. A patch is applied in the morning to areas of skin with minimal hair below the neck and above the waist. Over the course of a few weeks, higher-dose patches are switched for those that contain less and less nicotine. There are two types of patches available: one for heavy smokers that’s worn for 24 hours and one for light to average smokers that’s worn for 16 hours. Which patch is right for you depends on how often you smoke and your body type. Side effects include skin irritation, dizziness, racing heartbeat, insomnia, headache, nausea and muscle stiffness. If you experience any of these side effects, talk to your doctor about any changes you should make. Although nicotine patches can be purchased without a prescription, it’s best to talk to you doctor or pharmacist before beginning treatment.
Review Date:
December 8, 2015Citation:
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “Tobacco Facts and Figures” U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Nicotine Replacement Therapy”, 2015 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “FDA 101: Smoking Cessation Products”, 2015 American Cancer Society, Inc, “What are the types of nicotine replacement therapy?”, 2014 National Institutes of Health | U.S. National Library of Medicine “NICOTROL- nicotine inhalant”, 2013 National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cess U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “ Electronic Cigarettes (e-Cigarettes)”, 2015 All images appear courtesy of Dreamstime Last Updated:
December 8, 2015
