Nicorette: will help you quit smoking

Nicorette combines several drugs designed to help former smokers:

Transdermal patch. Available in the form of rectangular plates on a foil or silicone substrate. The adhesive side of the drug contains about 10 mg. nicotine - dose for 16 hours of action. There are 7 plates in a cardboard package.
Spray. A clear solution of minty-fruity flavor in plastic spray bottles, one dose contains approximately 13 mg. nicotine
Pills. White or yellow, 10 pieces in a blister, each containing 2 mg. nicotine A cardboard pack is designed for 30–100 pieces.
Chewing gum in an assortment: with mint or fruit flavors. White square-shaped lozenges, packed in 15 pieces in cell plates. One serving contains 2-4 mg. nicotine

The entire Nicorette line is not an alternative to smoking, but helps to quit it by supplying the body with small doses of nicotine that do not have a strong toxic effect. Abrupt cessation of cigarettes provokes a withdrawal syndrome, under the influence of which addicts lose self-control, control over their emotional state, experience negative physical symptoms and a strong craving for nicotine. The result may be a relapse and a return to smoking. Nicorette replaces some of the usual neurotoxin, reducing withdrawal symptoms and helping you keep going.

The use of nicotine-containing drugs reduces the desire to puff on a cigarette, improves mood, calms the heart rate, relieves irritation, anxiety, and relieves obsessive thoughts. The drugs do not have any therapeutic effect, but significantly alleviate the suffering of smokers, especially in the first days and weeks after quitting. With their help, it is easier to avoid relapses and get used to life without smoking forever.

How to use Nicorette patch

This remedy is recommended for heavy smokers who find it difficult to tolerate giving up their usual doses. One patch is intended for 1 day, it must be put on in the morning and removed before bed:

the plate should be carefully cut out of the packaging with scissors;
detach the backing and apply the adhesive side to the skin: on the inner thigh or other area where there is no thick hair or damage, the skin must be dry and clean;
Carefully press the patch over the entire surface, avoiding touching the adhesive side.

Nicotine is released from the drug gradually, absorbed through the pores into the blood in small doses and neutralizes negative withdrawal symptoms. A new patch must be used daily. The course of use of the product is up to 8 weeks.

For moderate or slight cravings for smoking, it is recommended to apply the product every other day or every 2 days, each time extending the nicotine-free break until the need for nicotine doping subsides. For intense cravings, you can supplement the action of the patches with another Nicorette product: spray, tablets or chewing gum.

Nicorette spray for local use 1 mg/dose 150 doses (Johnson)

For application to the oral mucosa. The patient should do everything possible to permanently quit smoking while being treated with Nicorette® spray. Adults over 18 years of age Nicorette® Spray should be used at the moment when an irresistible urge to smoke occurs. After preparing the spray for use (see below for Instructions for Use when using the spray for the first time), place the tip of the spray as close to your open mouth as possible. Press the dispenser from above, thus releasing one dose of the drug into the oral cavity; Avoid getting the spray on your lips. To prevent the substance from entering the respiratory tract, do not inhale when pressing the dispenser. For best results, do not swallow saliva for several seconds after injection. While using the spray, eating and drinking is not recommended. If symptoms of overdose appear (see section “Overdose”), use of the drug must be stopped immediately. Complete smoking cessation Nicorette® Spray should be used in all cases of craving for smoking or to prevent cravings in situations that may provoke it. Smokers who want or are able to quit smoking immediately should immediately replace smoking cigarettes with Nicorette® spray and, as soon as possible, reduce the number of injections until they stop completely. If you completely quit smoking, take 1 or 2 injections during the period of time when you usually smoked a cigarette, as well as if you have a craving for smoking. If after a single injection the craving for smoking does not decrease within a few minutes, a second injection should be made. If two doses are required, subsequent application of the spray may consist of 2 consecutive injections. Every hour you are allowed to take no more than 4 dosed injections of the spray. Do not inject more than 2 doses of spray at a time or use more than 64 doses per day (or 4 doses per hour for 16 hours). Each bottle contains at least 150 doses. The average course of use of the spray at the indicated dose is 6 weeks. Then you should begin to reduce the number of injections so that by the end of the 9th week the number of doses is half the average number of doses per day received in the first 6 weeks, and during the 12th week - no more than 4 doses per day. When the daily dose drops to 2-4 injections, use of the spray should be discontinued. After completion of therapy, to prevent a return to smoking, patients can use Nicorette® spray if they have an irresistible urge to smoke. In such situations, you can make 1 injection, and if after a single injection the craving for smoking does not decrease within a few minutes, you should make a second injection. In this case, you should not exceed 4 dosed injections per day. Regular use of the spray for more than 6 months is usually not recommended, but some patients may require longer therapy to avoid relapse into smoking. Reducing the number of cigarettes smoked Smokers who want to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke should use the spray as needed between smoking episodes to increase the amount of time between smoking and to reduce smoking as much as possible. Once readiness is felt, smokers should aim to quit completely. After quitting smoking, you should follow the recommendations for therapy and gradual dose reduction indicated above for complete smoking cessation. Behavioral therapy and psychological support usually increase treatment success. Those who have managed to quit smoking but find it difficult to give up the spray are advised to consult a doctor for medical help. Temporary smoking cessation The spray can be used during periods when it is necessary to abstain from smoking, for example, when in places where smoking is prohibited, or in other situations when it is necessary to abstain from smoking. The maximum daily dose for temporary smoking cessation is 64 doses. In combination with a transdermal patch For smokers with a severe nicotine addiction (more than 20 cigarettes per day) or experiencing an irresistible craving for smoking, or smokers who have not been able to quit smoking using only one type of nicotine replacement therapy, it is possible to use a spray for the mucous membrane Nicorette® oral membranes in combination with Nicorette® transdermal patch for rapid relief of smoking cravings. The patch is applied to an intact area of skin immediately after waking up in the morning and removed before going to bed. The patch should be applied to dry, clean, intact, hair-free skin, such as the thighs, upper limbs or chest. It is necessary to change the application site every day: do not use the same area for two consecutive days. After applying the patch, wash your hands thoroughly to avoid eye irritation from possible nicotine contact. Initial therapy: Treatment should begin with a 25 mg/16 hour patch (stage 1) in combination with a 1 mg/dose spray. Usually 13 doses of spray per day are sufficient. The maximum daily dose of the spray is 32 doses. Patients should completely stop smoking during therapy. Usually the general course of treatment lasts for 8 weeks. After this, the dose of nicotine should be gradually reduced. Withdrawal of combination therapy: There are two ways to discontinue combination therapy. Method 1: Over the next 2 weeks, switch from the 25 mg/16 hour patch (Stage 1) to the 15 mg/16 hour patch (Stage 2), and then, over the next 2 weeks, to the 10 mg/16 hour patch ( stage 3), while maintaining, if necessary, the number of doses of Nicorette® spray used, as with Initial therapy. Next, the number of doses of the spray is gradually reduced until complete withdrawal for the time that the patient needs depending on his needs, but no later than 12 months after the start of combination therapy. Method 2: involves completely removing the patch immediately after completing the Initial Therapy phase. Next, gradually reduce the number of doses of Nicorette® spray until complete withdrawal during the time that the patient needs depending on his needs, but no later than 12 months after the start of combination therapy. Children and adolescents under 18 years of age The drug is not recommended for use by persons under 18 years of age. There is no experience in treating adolescents under 18 years of age with the spray.

How to apply the spray

In case of moderate dependence, the product is suitable for self-support of former smokers. If the craving is very strong, it is best to fight it with the help of patches, and use the aerosol as an additional drug.

You need to spray the solution onto your tongue, avoiding getting the liquid on your skin, lips and gums.
You can inject 1-2 doses at a time, the frequency of use depends on the degree of craving: the longer you can stay without doping, the better. The maximum permissible dose per day is 5 injections.
After using Nicorette, you must refrain from brushing your teeth, eating and drinking for 10–20 minutes, and try not to swallow saliva so that the dose of nicotine can be absorbed into the blood.

If necessary, the spray can be combined with chewing gum or Nicorette tablets.

Is it worth quitting smoking after 20-30 years of smoking?

If an experienced smoker wants to quit smoking, but doubts his own self-control, he may convince himself that quitting abruptly is dangerous. In fact, there are no studies that suggest that continuing to smoke is safer than quitting.

If you are wondering whether you should quit smoking after 40, then the answer from doctors will be unequivocal - yes! Continuing to smoke 5, 10, 20 cigarettes or more every day, a person destroys his body. The emergence of chronic or even incurable diseases in this case is a matter of time.

But the main question remains - how to quit smoking with a long history of smoking? Some lucky people have such a strong gift of self-persuasion that they can simply put down their cigarettes and never touch them again. However, there are only a few of them. Most people may need the help of a drug addiction specialist, and this is absolutely normal.

Contraindications to the use of Nicorette

To quit smoking without the help of nicotine-containing aids you need to:

for diseases of the heart and blood vessels: atherosclerosis, pre-infarction, acute cerebrovascular accident, hypertension;
for stomach ulcers, internal bleeding, oncological processes;
with severe diabetes mellitus, liver, kidney failure;
with thyroid dysfunction.

Pregnant and lactating women also need to choose a different method of therapy. It is also advisable for minors to find another way to quit smoking, since even tiny doses of nicotine continue to harm their health.

How does cigarette addiction manifest?

According to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), the criteria for nicotine dependence include the presence of 3 or more of the following symptoms that have been observed over the past 12 months13:

constant desire to smoke;
attempts to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked or control tobacco use that have been unsuccessful;
tolerance to nicotine, which is manifested, on the one hand, by an insufficient effect when using the same amount of nicotine, and on the other, by the absence of typical signs of an overdose (nausea and dizziness do not occur, despite the use of high doses);
spending a lot of time on purchasing tobacco products, sometimes due to smoking a person’s professional and social activities suffer, as well as his recreational activities;
use of nicotine despite symptoms that are believed to have appeared or become more severe due to smoking.

Degrees of dependence

Nicotine addiction, like any chronic disease, goes through several stages in its development. You can assess how dependent you are on nicotine by answering the Fagerstrom Psychological Test.

Fagerstrom psychological test

Number	Question	Answer options	Points
1	How soon after you wake up do you smoke your first cigarette?	In less than 5 minutes	3
		After 6 – 30 minutes	2
		After 31 -60 minutes	1
		More than 60 minutes later
2	Do you find it difficult to abstain from smoking in places where smoking is prohibited (for example, in a church, cinema, train, restaurant, etc.)?	Yes	1
2		No	0
3	Which cigarette would be most difficult for you to give up?	From the first	1
3		From the second	0
4	How many cigarettes per day do you smoke?	31 or more	3
		30 — 21	2
		11 — 20	1
		10 or less	0
5	Do you smoke more often in the first hours after waking up than during the rest of the day?	Yes	1
5		No	0
6	Do you also smoke when you are so sick that you spend most of the day in bed?	Yes	1
6		No	0

The results are evaluated depending on the number of points2. Nicotine addiction2:

absent or low - the total number of points does not exceed 2;
average or moderately expressed - if you scored 3-6 points;
strongly expressed - if you have 7-10 points.

to come back to the beginning

How to get rid of nicotine addiction

The main problem on the way to life without cigarettes is withdrawal syndrome7. Its manifestations can be so painful that they often lead to relapses and resumption of smoking (relapse1).