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Best place to put a nicotine patch: How to Use Nicotine Patches | Quit Smoking | Tips From Former Smokers

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How to Use Nicotine Patches | Quit Smoking | Tips From Former Smokers

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How to Use Nicotine Patches

  • For best results, make sure you start on the right dose. The nicotine patch comes in three strengths (7 mg, 14 mg, 21 mg). The right dose for you depends on how much you currently smoke. If you smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day, consider starting on the 21 mg patch. Don’t wear two patches at once unless directed to do so by your healthcare provider. Over time (typically after 8 to 12 weeks), you should lower the dose with the goal of stopping use of the patch completely.
  • The nicotine patch is typically worn for 24 hours. The patch can even be worn when showering or bathing. When you wake up, put a fresh patch on clean skin and wear it for a full 24 hours. If you find that you are having vivid dreams or that your sleep is disturbed, you can take the patch off before bed and put a new one on the next morning.
  • Put the patch on clean, dry, hair-free skin on the upper body. Usual places to put the patch are the upper chest, upper arm, shoulder, back, or inner arm. Avoid putting the patch on areas of irritated, oily, scarred, or damaged skin. Remove the patch from the foil package, peel off the protective strips, and immediately apply the patch to your skin. Press down to ensure the patch sticks to your skin.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water after you apply the patch to wash away any nicotine you may have gotten on your fingers when applying the patch.
  • To avoid skin irritation, put the patch on a different area of your upper body each day. Avoid wearing the patch in the same place more than once per week. If the patch loosens or falls off, replace it with a new one.
  • When changing your patch, remove the patch carefully and dispose of it by folding it in half with the sticky sides touching. Then apply a new patch to a different part of your upper body.
  • Keep out of reach of children and pets. Nicotine patches – even used patches – may have enough nicotine to make children and pets sick. In case of accidental use or ingestion, contact a Poison Control Center right away (1-800-222-1222).

Learn more about nicotine patches, including side effects and precautions.

How to Use a Nicotine Patch to Quit Smoking

The nicotine patch is an FDA-approved medicine that can help people quit smoking. It can be used daily by itself to control withdrawal symptoms, or it may be used with nicotine gum or lozenge which are taken as needed for strong cravings. This video offers step-by-step instructions on how to use the nicotine patch by itself. This video is part of the SmokefreeVET partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Cancer Institute’s Smokefree.gov Initiative.

For more help using medicines to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit CDC. gov/quit. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best medicine for you. Using medicine together with behavioral counseling gives you the best chance of quitting smoking.

No product endorsement implied.

  • Combine the patch with nicotine gum or lozenge to better manage cravings. You can start using both the patch and gum or lozenge, or you can add gum or lozenge later, if you continue to have withdrawal symptoms. Patches can provide a steady level of nicotine in the body to help lessen withdrawal, while the gum or lozenge can be used to more quickly relieve cravings as they happen.
  • If you have a lot of cravings while using the patch, you may not be using a strong enough dose. Consider stepping up to a higher dose. If you are already on the highest dose, talk with your doctor or other healthcare provider for help with dosing. You can also consider adding gum or lozenge, as described above.
  • What if I slip up and smoke while using the patch? You do not need to stop using the patch if you slip up and smoke while wearing it. Throw away your cigarettes and get back on track with your quit attempt. Keep using the patch as directed above.
  • For best results, use the nicotine patch as part of a program that includes coaching support. Talk with your healthcare provider and connect with your state tobacco quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) for help.

Nicotine Lozenge, Nicotine Gum, Nicotine Oral Inhaler, Nicotine Nasal Spray, Combining Medicines, Varenicline and Bupropion SR.

The quit-smoking medicines talked about on this website are approved by the FDA for adults to use to quit cigarettes. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or younger than 18, you should not use these medicines without talking to your doctor. If you use tobacco products other than cigarettes (like cigars, chew, snuff, hookah, or e-cigarettes), talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider or call the quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) to get help with quitting. All the ways to use medicines presented here are reviewed in Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General (Chapter 6) [PDF-1. 8 MB]. Some of the ways have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA.

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A Guide to Using the Nicotine Patch

If you’re trying to kick a smoking habit, the nicotine patch can be a powerful ally — if you understand how it works and know how to use it properly.

By Dennis Thompson JrMedically Reviewed by Sanjai Sinha, MD

Everyday Health Archive

Medically Reviewed

Getty Images

If you haven’t managed to quit smoking yet, don’t lose heart: It can take many people 30 or more quit attempts before they manage to stop successfully, according to a study published in 2016 in the BMJ journal.

Although an estimated 70 percent of smokers want to quit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, stress, and associated weight gain can all thwart their ability to kick the habit. (Nicotine is a particularly addictive drug that’s an ingredient in cigarettes; withdrawal symptoms include headaches and anxiety. ) The good news is that there are many tools at your disposal to help you quit and stay that way — and when you combine them, they may be even more effective.

One of these tools is the nicotine patch, a type of nicotine replacement therapy that works by releasing a measured dose of nicotine into the skin, helping to wean smokers off their nicotine addiction and lessen the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Here’s what you need to know about trying it for yourself.

Where Can I Find a Nicotine Patch?

Before the Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of nicotine patches in 1996, they were available only by prescription; now you can buy a supply at a wide variety of stores, for about $4 a day.

Most nicotine patches are made for 24-hour use, says Humberto Choi, MD, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic. But some people may decide to take the patch off before they go to bed, so they wear it only around 16 hours a day.

Leaving the patch on for the full 24 hours can help provide you with a steady dose of nicotine, but you might be more likely to experience a side effect like skin irritation, too. The trade-off is that some people who don’t wear the patch overnight may experience more cigarette cravings in the morning.

The Right Way to Apply a Nicotine Patch

A nicotine patch looks much like an adhesive bandage and comes in a variety of sizes. You’ll put it on in the morning, on a clean, dry, and relatively hairless part of the body between the neck and the waist — for example, on the upper arm or the chest. The patch should be changed daily, and when you apply a new one, be sure to choose a different location to avoid any related skin irritation.

Once you apply a nicotine patch, you’ll wear it continuously throughout the dosage period. Because it takes a few hours for the nicotine in the patch to seep into the bloodstream, says Dr. Choi, you might want to combat any immediate cravings with a piece of nicotine gum or a nicotine lozenge.

Nicotine patches are generally used as part of an eight-week smoking cessation program, which may follow this pattern:

  • Weeks 1-4: You’ll wear a nicotine patch that delivers a strong dose of nicotine — for example, 15 to 21 milligrams (mg) per day.
  • Weeks 5-8: You’ll switch to a weaker patch, one that may deliver 5 to 14 mg per day.

Side Effects of the Nicotine Patch

Most smokers get real relief from the nicotine patch — but they can also experience some side effects. These may include:

  • Skin irritation Some people’s skin may become irritated under the patch. Choosing a new skin site each day usually helps alleviate this problem; if it continues, you can consider switching to another brand of patch.
  • Sleep disturbances Some people using the patch report disruptions to their sleep, such as vivid dreams, insomnia, and other disturbances. If your sleep is still affected after three or four days of using a nicotine patch, try taking the patch off after 16 hours to give your skin a rest.
  • Racing heartbeat and dizziness If this occurs, stop using the patch immediately and talk to your doctor about switching to a lower-dose patch. According to a research review published in 2012 by the Cochrane Collaboration, nicotine replacement therapy doesn’t increase a smoker’s risk of having heart problems if he or she has a history of heart disease. However, if you do have a history of heart disease, be sure to use a nicotine patch under your doctor’s guidance.
  • Pain and nausea This includes headaches, muscle aches, and vomiting.

Choi cautions, though, that some of these symptoms may not be due to nicotine replacement therapy but to nicotine withdrawal itself. So be sure to talk to your doctor about the symptoms you’re experiencing; he or she can help you pinpoint the cause.

Additional reporting by Maria Masters

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what ways to quit cigarettes really work

Why is smoking evil?

  1. About a kilogram of toxic resins settles in the lungs every year, their volume and elasticity decrease, and the risk of oncology increases many times.
  2. Nicotine is a poison that paralyzes the cilia of the bronchial epithelium, irritates and promotes inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, stomach and esophagus.
  3. The composition of the blood is deteriorating, and there are fewer white cells, so immunity falls.
  4. A person smoking a cigarette harms others. Passive smokers sometimes suffer more because they do not breathe cigarette smoke through a filter.
  5. Everyone who smokes has to be a hostage to this need. Wasting time on the process itself, money on tobacco, finding a place, sometimes hiding and lying to relatives.

Realizing these problems, many people decide to give up the addiction. Everyone is looking for their own, the same, correct and effective way to quit smoking, acting so as not to return to this issue in life. In this article, we’ll talk about the different methods of quitting cigarettes, how effective each one is, and how to find the one that actually helps.

What is called withdrawal symptoms in drug addiction treatment is also present in smokers, although to a lesser degree. This is nicotine withdrawal, a state of irresistible craving, desire to smoke. Without a cigarette, the state of health worsens and irritation, weakness, and decreased attention appear. Therefore, the most important obstacle to failure is a lack of willpower. People who can force themselves to quit smoking “I can’t,” but there are only a few of them. For the rest, such attempts end in breakdowns, soul-searching and depression. Therefore, the average person who wants to quit smoking needs methods and means that will alleviate the state of psychological dependence and gradually reduce it to zero.

Medical methods

Assistance of a certified narcologist

Those who prefer traditional medicine and really trust doctors can theoretically go to the clinic, where I will advise them on the optimal regimen, prescribe sedatives and stress pills. However, this method often turns out to be useless, because pills cannot suppress the desire to smoke, and they also do not add willpower.

Nicotine patches

They ensure that small doses of the desired substance enter the cells. It is believed that they are needed for those who find it difficult to endure the period of removing the poison from the body. The unequivocal minus of this method is that it solves only the problem of the degree of dependence, but cannot get rid of it by itself. Having weaned from a cigarette, it is necessary to wean and from a band-aid.

Anti-smoking sprays

A modern development containing addictive substances in a lower dose than in a cigarette. There is an effect, but there is also harm from toxins and poisons. In addition, this does not solve the problem of addiction: a person now needs to wean himself from sprays, and this is not easy to do.

Nicotine gum

Just like the patch, it contains a small dose of the substance, reducing cravings for cigarettes as a source of nicotine. Another disadvantage is its disgusting taste, because of which this remedy is often abandoned and, without overdoing the addiction, they return back to smoking.

What smoking causes

Realizing these problems, many people decide to leave the addiction. Everyone is looking for their own, the same, correct and effective way to quit smoking, acting so as not to return to this issue in life. In this article, we’ll talk about the different methods of quitting cigarettes, how effective each one is, and how to find the one that actually helps.

How to quit smoking on your own? The statement that quitting smoking on your own, without the help of specialists, is not effective, is wrong. If a person is resolute, he has a special fortitude, then he will definitely be able to give up smoking, in favor of health, this is what real men do.

Wanting to quit smoking, you should not reassure yourself that from tomorrow, you will begin to give up the addiction. When the desire to quit smoking appears, do it immediately, do not delay, you do not need to put the problem on the back burner, then you can achieve the desired result, you can be sure. It is necessary to inform relatives and friends that you are determined, real men begin to complex when they do not keep their word, and this is a good and effective motivation that will definitely get rid of the problem. There is no need to be shy about asking for support from relatives and friends, there is nothing shameful here. Ideally, if you have an assistant who will help you quit smoking, then you can do it without any problems, and it’s best that he gets rid of the same problem, because it’s more fun together.

On a note! In practice, many smokers begin to think seriously about their health only when they face various problems, dangerous diseases. Not wanting to let this happen, there is an opportunity to solve the problem right now, enjoying life, and direct the money spent on cigarettes in the right direction, for example, make a gift to children, wife. If you want to quit smoking on your own, you must get rid of all the trappings of the habit. The bottom line is that there are no longer those attributes around you that could remind you of smoking, there is a risk that allows you to break loose. Those people who are decisive in life, with a strong character, able to be responsible for their actions, words, skillfully quit smoking in a matter of time, as promised.

Smoking hits the budget hard. If you carefully calculate how much money is spent per month on smoking, and put them in an envelope, then at the end of the month you will get a serious amount that can serve as a reward for you for the hard work done. If you are interested in the easiest way to quit smoking, then know that it is that you just need to get up and stop smoking. If the problem is serious for you, you can use nicotine gum, which you need to chew in your mouth slowly, while retaining saliva, and then swallow slowly. Such gum has an unpleasant taste, smell, and various problems associated with the gastrointestinal tract are possible. All this will make it clear that you need to immediately get rid of smoking, so as not to cause even more harm to your body.

In addition to medications that can solve the problem of smoking, there are also non-traditional methods, such as hypnosis, acupuncture, psychological suggestion, and various folk remedies. Of course, it is better to turn to specialists, namely to a professional and experienced narcologist, who will certainly help in resolving this issue. How to Quit Smoking Using the Allen Carr Method? This method is one of the most relevant and effective, aimed at ensuring that each person can skillfully deal with the habit of smoking, realizing that this addiction cannot lead to good, as a result, there is a risk of facing a huge number of problems.

The main idea of ​​the method is that the smoker can get rid of the fear of giving up such a negative disease. Moreover, this must be done with the help of introspection, because if a person analyzes the situation and understands that by smoking he causes significant harm to his health and others, then he will definitely want to get rid of this phenomenon.

Ideally, read the entire book of the author, in which this problem is considered in detail, this will allow you to understand its essence as a whole. In practice, most smokers have been able to get rid of this problem with the help of theory, which is sure to work for you. The author of the book focuses not on the harm that a person faces as a result of smoking, but on the benefits that a non-smoker has. What is the difference between a smoker and a non-smoker? The fact that the second one knows how to enjoy life, solving problems without a cigarette. The book is ideal for all those who seek to forget about smoking, but he does not manage to set himself up for it.

Alternative and traditional methods

Coding

It is not officially approved by the medical community, as the effectiveness is doubtful. The psychotherapist under hypnosis inspires the setting to leave a bad habit. But often a person does not smoke for a while, because he is afraid to break the ban, but in fact he wants to drag on. Most people have breakdowns, and in this case it is necessary to remove the attitudes using psychiatric methods, otherwise depression or even a mental disorder will follow.

Food substitutes

In order to survive the most difficult moments of craving for nicotine, a person begins to “jam” addiction. It can be candies or seeds, nuts or sandwiches. Sometimes such a tool really helps, diverting attention from cravings. But most often this idea ends with a set of excess weight and eating disorders.

Acupuncture

Eastern practices of acupuncture date back many centuries. The method lies in the fact that certain centers responsible for smoking overlap, there is an impact on the centers of pleasure, on the motor mechanism of habitual actions. But, firstly, not everyone can decide on an unpleasant procedure, and secondly, an acupuncture course costs a lot of money, and its effectiveness and safety raises questions.

Hookah

In many eastern countries, hookah smoking is allowed even for children. Manufacturers will talk about what is in the composition – herbs and fruits. However, not all so simple. Hookah mixes contain tobacco and other harmful substances. They are not nearly as safe as they seem. So is it worth replacing one harm with another?

Electronic cigarette

This device with electronic filling and replaceable cartridges has earned respect, first of all, from those who are close to the smoker. At its core, an electronic cigarette is an inhaler. A person inhales steam with a certain dose of nicotine purified from impurities, he does no harm to others at all, to himself – much less than with ordinary smoking. There is no bad smell. However, for addicted people, an electronic cigarette is a trap. Trying to achieve the effect of real smoking, you can easily exceed the recommended dose of nicotine. There is no mention of quitting smoking here.

Homeopathy

Until now, there are completely different opinions about homeopathic remedies. They help some by stabilizing the functioning of the nervous system, but, again, they cannot completely suppress addiction.

Sport

People with a strong will and a desire to live fully, quitting smoking, splash out energy in the gym or at the stadium. And that is great! However, not everyone is ready to spend so much time and effort on sports, not everyone can do it for health reasons. Therefore, this method is an accompanying, but by no means the main one in the process of quitting smoking. Each of the methods mentioned in the article has its own advantages and disadvantages. But there are still some author’s methods that help to overcome the psychological dependence on tobacco.

The Allen Carr Method

This man founded a network of clinics and helped hundreds of people stop smoking. His method is described in the author’s work, and briefly, it includes two main components:

  • methods of overcoming fear of the process of parting with a cigarette;
  • ways to help come to understand that the pleasure of smoking is a myth.

Most importantly, this method has proven effective, with its help quit smoking at least 95% of those who wish, besides, the system is absolutely harmless to the body.

How to quit smoking if there is no will power?

As a rule, in most cases, that category of people who seek to get rid of smoking are weak-willed, they lack willpower. A free person is able to forget about the problem associated with smoking in a short period of time, doing it right now. If you belong to the category of people who do not have willpower, of course, it is difficult to quit smoking without the help of specialists, and sometimes desire alone is not enough here. There are many techniques, they will allow you to achieve the desired and desired result, and even for those people who are of a weak character, you should not worry too much.

Methods:

  1. Set a goal to quit smoking. By taking small steps towards your goal, you will be able to achieve it, the main thing is not to stand still, constantly postponing the problem for tomorrow. If there is no willpower, and you yourself clearly understand this, then you need to start small
  2. Try to make efforts to strengthen your will power. To implement this issue, you just need to start intensively playing sports, not letting negative emotions into your life. More and more time you need to devote not only to your body, but also to the spirit, and then everything will turn out
  3. Try to minimize stressful situations. If a person begins to rid himself of constant stress, because of which sometimes he has to smoke, then naturally there is a chance to get rid of nicotine effects
  4. Find an incentive to quit smoking. The stimulus can be not only external, but internal. The stronger the stimulus, the faster you will quit a bad habit
  5. On sale you can find those drugs that are intended for those who want to quit smoking, willpower does not play a special role. These are, first of all, means that can cause a person to aversion to tobacco, for example, Tabex. Do not neglect such drugs, they are effective and in most cases help smokers get rid of the problem

Once you manage to combine these methods, you can understand that it is quite possible to quit smoking on your own, after which you yourself will be proud of yourself, not to mention your beloved family, who will be proud and admire you. All these methods are considered effective, and most people, having learned about them, will be able to quit smoking forever. But if the case is so neglected that none of the previous methods help, then don’t worry, there is an option that will definitely suit you.

After all, when a person understands that smoking is harmful, and he feels a desire to get rid of smoking, this is the first step towards victory, the realization of his idea. Now you can gradually give up daily smoking at certain times, for example, if you previously smoked and drank a cup of coffee in the morning, now you can spend such leisure time, but only without a cigarette.

You need to smoke only when you can no longer endure it, when it becomes completely unbearable. This will allow you to understand that in fact, you still have willpower, noticing how you were able to spend not a pack of cigarettes per day, as it was possible before, but only 2-3 cigarettes.

The essence of the techniques is to find for yourself a serious motivation that will help you achieve your desired goal. For example, it is worth quitting smoking for the sake of the family, children, especially if your beloved wife repeatedly asks for it. In general, the family is a strong motivation that will help and allow you to realize your ideas. Do not forget that smoking in the modern world is not a fashionable solution, more and more people go in for sports. Strive to lead a healthy lifestyle.

GBUZ NO “Narcological hospital” – Tobacco smoking

GO TO THE VERSION FOR THE VERSION

State Budgetary Health Institution of the Nizhny Novgorod Region
“Narcological Hospital”
Nizhny Novgorod

Reception
Hotline: +7(831)253-83-28
E-mail: nb_nn@mail. 52gov. en
Address Location: Nizhny Novgorod, st. Dyakonova, 39

  2. Main
  3. Methods of treatment
  4. Tobacco smoking

The main goal of any tobacco therapy is smoking cessation and control of subsequent nicotine withdrawal. There are many methods of treating smoking, all of them can be divided into medicinal and psychotherapeutic. In turn, drug therapy is divided into 3 groups:

1. Nicotine replacement therapy (the use of products containing nicotine and facilitating overcoming nicotine addiction).

2. Aversive therapy (use of drugs that cause aversion to smoking).

3. Symptomatic therapy (sedative and analgesic drugs).

The best-known replacement therapy drugs include lobelin, cytiton, anabasin, tabex, vitamin groups B and C, etc. Lobelin, cytiton and nicotine similarly act on the autonomic ganglia through H-cholinergic structures. That is, lobelin and cytiton serve as a substitute for nicotine in nicotine withdrawal. These drugs are especially indicated for those who are afraid that they will not survive nicotine withdrawal during the complete cessation of smoking. It should be remembered about contraindications to treatment with lobelin: severe atherosclerosis of the vessels of the brain, heart, kidneys, hypotension, age over sixty years.

Nicotine chewing gum

In addition to nicotine (2-4 mg), chewing gum contains menthol or other aromatic substances. While chewing gum, nicotine is slowly absorbed in the mouth and thus practically replaces the cigarette. Pharmacies sell nicotine-containing chewing gums “Nicorette”, “Gamibazin”, etc. They are usually used during a smoking attack (on average, up to 10 pads per day). However, this method of treatment may also be unsuccessful without a strong, uncompromising desire to say goodbye to smoking forever.

Contraindications to the use of nicotine-containing chewing gums are myocardial infarction, stroke and gastric ulcer.

Nicotine patch

The patch is applied to the skin of the shoulder, back or thigh, as a result of which nicotine is slowly and constantly absorbed through the skin. This allows you to use it for a long time (up to 6 months). Due to the constant release of nicotine, the patch alleviates the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal: improves mood, relieves irritability and, most importantly, muffles the desire to smoke. In some cases, when using the patch, side effects appear (nausea, headache, palpitations).

Aversive therapy

There are many ways to treat smoking aversively. Of these, the most common is rinsing the mouth with liquids that, interacting with tobacco smoke, cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth (0. 25-0.5% silver nitrate solution, 0.1% copper sulfate solution, etc.). It is also recommended to lubricate the tongue and gums with a 0.5% silver nitrate solution before smoking, and also rinse the mouth with a composition that includes tannin, glycerin, and water.

Symptomatic therapy

Long-term ex-smokers may experience prolonged withdrawal symptoms. During the period of quitting smoking, there may be a strong desire to smoke. This condition can be expressed in increased irritability, headaches, decreased performance, somatovegetative mood disorders, and general somatovegetative discomfort. An impending breakdown can be prevented with symptomatic treatment.

You can mitigate nicotine withdrawal with various sedative mixtures: infusion and extract of valerian, motherwort herb), stimulants (ginseng root, lemongrass seed, pantocrine, aralia tincture), vitamins (A, groups B, C, E).

Symptomatic treatment is necessary for various symptoms associated with cardiovascular disorders, lung diseases, headaches and other complaints.