Which nicotine replacement treatment works best?

For people trying to quit smoking, there are several differenttreatments to replace nicotine, which can decrease withdrawal symptoms and helppeople get rid of this harmful habit. Some of them are OTC (over the counter)and for some you will need prescription from your doctor. Nicotine replacementtreatment can be found in the form of: nicotine gums, patches, sublingualtablets, lozenges and also as sprays and inhalers. All these products are foundto be safe and efficient, and people who used those haven’t smoked for a yearor even more after they quit.

For nicotine sprays and inhalers you will need aprescription and most people found these products to be more effective thanothers when it comes to urges to smoke. Some other smoking quitters stayedsmoke-free for longer time using nicotine patches.

Nicotine Replacement Study

Randomized and controlled study on people trying to quit smokingproved that people are more likely to use nicotine patches or nicotine gum(polacrilex) and stick with the treatment. Nicotine sprays and inhalers weren’tso accepted with the people in the study. Probable explanation is the cost ofthese nicotine replacements, since they were expensive and patients tried toeconomize, using sprays and inhalers less. Additionally, inhalers and spraysdesigned for people trying to quit cigarette were reported as more embarrassingto use than patches or the gum.

Patients who used nicotine patches reported that this wereeasy to use. Efficacy-wise, patients found gums to be more effective if theywere given for free, than if they had to pay for them.

All nicotine replacements were found out to similarly dealwith withdrawal symptoms and abstinence rates at 3 months. Also, all productsshowed similar weight gain in people who were included in the study.

Popular Nicotine Replacement Products

Nicotine gum should be chewed whenever the patient feels thecraving for cigarette. After some time, worked gum is supposed to be placed betweenthe gums and the teeth, and it should work for some 15 to 20 minutes. There arestandard and extra strength nicotine gums, and the later is known to causeaddiction to the gum, so it might be best to avoid. Also, people who used nicotinegums advise using mint gums too, to eliminate the unpleasant smell.

Nicotine inhalers are suitable for some situations where gumdoesn’t work. Drinking something in the bar is much easier when you don’t chewthe gum. Additional reason for nicotine inhaler might be the taste of the drinkwhen you chew the gum (people claim it is gross). There are some inhalerscontaining the pad which issues nicotine whenever needed, and these might besuitable for people ashamed to use nicotine inhalers in public.