Nicotine replacement therayp help

  Help With Physical Addiction: Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Other Medicines

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

As mentioned earlier, the nicotine in cigarettes leads to actual physical dependence, which can cause unpleasant symptoms when a person tries to quit. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) provides nicotine – in the form of gums, patches, sprays, inhalers or lozenges – without the other harmful components of tobacco. It can help relieve some of these symptoms so that a person can concentrate more on the psychological aspects of quitting.

How Nicotine Replacement Works

Nicotine substitutes treat the very difficult withdrawal symptoms and cravings that 70% to 90% of smokers say is their only reason for not giving up cigarettes. By using a nicotine substitute, a smoker’s withdrawal symptoms are reduced.

While a large number of smokers are able to quit smoking without nicotine replacement, most of those who attempt quitting are not successful on the first try. In fact, smokers usually need several attempts – sometimes as many as 8 to 10 – before they are able to quit for good.

Lack of success is often related to the onset of withdrawal symptoms. By reducing these symptoms with the use of nicotine replacement therapy, smokers who want to quit have a better chance of being successful.

Getting the Most From Nicotine Replacement

Nicotine replacement therapy only deals with the physical aspects of addiction. It is not intended to be the only method used to help you quit smoking. It should be combined with other smoking cessation methods that address the psychological component of smoking, such as a stop smoking program. Studies have shown that approach - pairing NRT with a program that helps to change behavior – can double your chances of successfully quitting.

The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Clinical Practice Guideline on Smoking Cessation recommends NRT for all smokers except pregnant women and people with heart or circulatory diseases. If a health care provider suggests nicotine replacement for people in these groups, the benefits of smoking cessation must outweigh the potential health risk. Smokers who are pregnant or have heart disease should consult with their doctor before using over-the-counter nicotine replacement.

The most effective time to start NRT is at the beginning of an attempt to quit. But often smokers first try to quit on their own, then decide to try NRT.

Nicotine replacement therapy should not be used if you plan to continue to smoke or use another tobacco product. The combined dose of nicotine could be dangerous to your health.

About the author:


http://www.cancer.org

More health information - More smoking information