Smoking cessation aids and pills are products designed to help you diminish your addiction to smoking and eventually learn how to live nicotine-free. Typically, you will use these products in combination with counseling, education and support as part of a larger approach that combats nicotine addiction while providing suitable replacement behaviors and activities.
Nicotine Replacement
Nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, is a term used to describe a group of products designed to curb your physical cravings for nicotine, according to the American Cancer Society. Available forms of NRT include transdermal nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalers, nicotine lozenges and nicotine nasal spray. These products allow you to wean yourself from smoking by providing lower doses of nicotine than those found in cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. Over time, you lower either the dosage or potency of NRT until you eventually overcome physical addiction.
Replacement Forms
You may receive nicotine patches in either prescription or nonprescription forms, the ACS notes. Nicotine sprays and inhalers are only available by prescription, while you can get nicotine gum and lozenges over the counter. In some cases, you may gain superior results by combining different forms of nicotine replacement, according to the National Cancer Institute. For instance, combined use of a nicotine patch with nicotine gum may provide a greater decrease of withdrawal symptoms than either product in isolation.
Replacement Usage
Because NRT products contain some amount of nicotine, you should begin using them after you stop smoking to avoid increasing your nicotine intake, the ACS reports. If you wish to try NRT while still smoking, consult your doctor first and continue to make regular doctor's visits during treatment. In many cases, your dosage of a given NRT product will depend on your level of smoking before quitting. If you smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes a day, you will typically be considered a light smoker, the ACS explains. Heavy smokers use a pack or more a day, while average smokers fall between these two extremes.
Stop Smoking Pills
Smoking cessation pills are anti-smoking products that do not contain nicotine, the NCI reports. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two medications in this category. Varenicline, commercially available as a product called Chantix, achieves its effects by diminishing your symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and decreasing your responses to nicotine if you start smoking again in the future. Buproprion, commercially available as Zyban, is an antidepressant that also diminishes withdrawal symptoms and decreases your desire to smoke. In some cases, your doctor may also prescribe two additional medications called clonidine and nortriptyline as anti-smoking treatments, the NCI notes.
Considerations
The ACS lists potential side effects of nicotine replacement products that include headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, sleep disturbances, skin irritation, coughing and heartburn. The type and degree of side effects vary according to the form and dosage of the product you use. (See References 1) The NCI lists potential side effects of varenicline that include nausea, vomiting and constipation. Potential side effects of buproprion include headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbances and skin rash. Consult your doctor for more information on these products.
