If you have decided to quit smoking as your New Year's resolution, you can talk to your doctor about getting help to ease you through the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Your doctor may recommend that you begin chewing Nicorette DS gum for a short time to help you quit smoking more successfully.
Function
Nicorette DS gum is used as an aid in quitting smoking. It helps to ease the symptoms of withdrawal from the nicotine in the cigarettes you used to smoke.
You should begin to slowly decrease the amount of Nicorette DS gum you're chewing after two to three months. Reducing your usage of this gum slowly will further help to reduce your symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Significance
If you need additional help in quitting smoking, Nicorette DS gum can help provide the needed boost. Nicorette fills two functions--it provides a low dose of nicotine to the person chewing it and gives you something to put in your mouth. Many brands of cigarettes manufactured in the United States today contain 10 mg or more of nicotine, according to Nova Online. When a smoker inhales smoke, he ingests 1 to 2 mg of vaporized nicotine from each cigarette.
If you were a heavy smoker, meaning you smoked more than 25 cigarettes in one day, your doctor may decide to start you on the 4 mg gum, otherwise, he'll start you on the 2 mg gum.
Side Effects
If you use Nicorette DS, you could begin to experience headaches, jaw, teeth or mouth problems, sweating or heartburn. You also may develop diarrhea. If this happens, notify your doctor or pharmacist right away.
If you chew the gum too quickly, you could develop hiccups, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea or vomiting. You also may have trouble sleeping. Chew your gum more slowly if you notice any of these problems.
Do not continue to smoke while using Nicorette DS. You could develop symptoms of overdose and experience serious health problems.
If you notice these symptoms, discontinue your use of Nicorette DS: numbness and tingling or swelling in your hands, ankles and feet; severe dizziness; changes in mental state or your mood; trouble sleeping or vivid dreams; or irritability. Talk to your doctor right away if you experience chest pain, slurred speech, weakness on one side of your body, severe headache, confusion and fast or irregular and pounding heartbeat. Call your doctor right away if you experience the following allergic reaction symptoms: trouble breathing, rash or itching and swelling of the face, throat or tongue.
Drug Interactions
Tell your doctor if you're taking propranolol, imipramine, oxazepam, theophylline, insulin or pentazocine, as any one of these medications could affect how nicotine works on your body if your doctor decides to prescribe Nicorette DS. Use Nicorette DS exactly as your doctor prescribes.
Considerations
Nicorette DS is not chewed the way you chew regular gums. Instead, you chew slowly until you detect the taste of nicotine or a tingling sensation. At this point, you stop chewing and hold the gum between your cheek and gumline. When the tingling is almost gone, you resume chewing slowly until your mouth starts tingling again. At this time, you "park" the gum again. Repeat this procedure for 30 minutes with the same piece of gum. Don't chew more than one piece at a time, don't chew a new piece too quickly after chewing the first piece and don't change to a new piece of gum more often than your doctor prescribes.
Use Nicorette DS gum as an aid in reducing your withdrawal symptoms and log on to LiveSTRONG's Dare to Quit Smoking so you can communicate with others who are quitting when you need support.
