Smoking Cessation Products

1. Gum

The first question which arises in every body mind is how a Gum can be helpful to quit smoking?

Answer to this question is NICORETTE present in that Gum.

What is NICORETTE Gum?

NICORETTE Gum allows people to actively control how much nicotine they use and when they use it.

How does it help to quit smoking?

Nicotine present in tobacco is an addictive substance. People who try to quit smoking often experience unpleasant symptoms and cravings for cigarettes, because they feel dependent on the nicotine present in tobacco.

People who try to quit smoking often experience unpleasant symptoms line irritability, headaches, restlessness, insomnia and difficulty concentrating.

Nicorette microtabs contain nicotine. This is a type of medicine known as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and is used to help smokers give up the habit.

Nicotine replacement therapies work by giving smokers a small amount of nicotine, but without the dangerous effects of inhaling tobacco smoke. This helps relieve the withdrawal symptoms and cravings for a cigarette that smokers gets when they stop smoking, and allows them to get on with breaking the psychological habit of smoking.

Nicorette microtabs are designed in such a way that they easily dissolve under tongue. The nicotine is then absorbed into the bloodstream from the lining of your mouth and it provides relief from cravings.

Nicorette micro tabs are used to reduce smoker’s cravings for a cigarette after they quit smoking completely. The number of tablets they use each day, depends on how much they used to smoke and what strength their cigarettes were. Smokers should not use more than is recommended on the packet.

After quitting smoking completely, smokers are recommended that they should use one to two tablets every hour, for up to three months after stopping smoking. Smokers should then be able to gradually reduce the number of tablets they are using, so that they can use less and less nicotine. Smokers should stop using the tablets when their consumption is down to one or two tablets a day.

If smokers feels that they are not yet ready to stop smoking completely, Nicorette microtabs are also licensed to help them to cut down the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. For this they should use a tablet instead of having certain cigarettes, in order to increase the time between cigarettes and reduce the number they smoke as much as possible. This can make it easier to eventually stop smoking completely.

NRT comes in basically in two forms.

Full Strength 4mg Gum: Suitable for those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day.
Low Strength 2mg Gum: Suitable for those who smoke 20 cigarettes a day or less.

Nicorette microtabs are basically used to get relief of withdrawal symptoms associated with giving up smoking.

Danger!!!

· Nicorette microtabs should be allowed to dissolve completely under the tongue. It should not be chewed or swallowed like normal tablets, as this is more likely to cause side effects such as throat and stomach irritation, indigestion or hiccups.

· Smokers are suggested to take one to two tablets per hour to relieve their cravings to smoke, depending on how many cigarettes they normally smoke and how strong they are. Smokers should not take more than 40 tablets a day.

· Smokers should drink acidic drinks such as coffee, sodas and fruit juices with the gap of around 30 minutes after taking a Nicorette microtabs otherwise it can reduce the amount of nicotine that is absorbed from the mouth, if they drink them in the 15 minutes prior to taking a Nicorette microtab.

· Nicorette microtabs should be kept out of reach of children.

Precautions!!!

· Teenagers aged 12 to 18 years old should not use NRT for longer than 12 weeks without consulting a doctor, pharmacist or nurse for advice

· NRT is not for the patient of disease related to heart and blood vessels.

· NR is not for diabetics. Etc.

Should not be used by:

· Non-smokers.

· This medicine is not recommended for use in children under 12 years of age.

Smokers, who face allergy problems after using this medicine or any of its ingredients, should consult to their doctor.

Women’s Health

· Nicotine in any form should be avoided ideally during pregnancy, as it has shown adversely affect the development of a baby, both in the womb and after birth. However, for pregnant women who can not quit smoking without a smoking cessation aid, NRT may deliver less nicotine in comparison that would be obtained from cigarettes. Thus, it is considered that NRT creates less of a risk to the foetus than to smoke.

Nicotine inhaled in any form passes into breast milk and is very harmful to the nursing infant. However, for ladies who can not give up smoking without a smoking cessation aid, NRT may deliver less nicotine in comparison that would be obtained from cigarettes. NRT can therefore be used during breastfeeding. Wherever possible, the microtabs should be used immediately after breastfeeding and not in the two hours before breastfeeding, in order to reduce the amount of nicotine that the infant is exposed to.

Side effects

any type of medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. There are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with NRT. These side effects are not faced by every person who uses NRT.

· Headache.

· Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations).

· Dry mouth.

· Abdominal discomfort.

· Dizziness.

· Sore mouth or throat.

· Nausea.

· Mouth ulcers.

· Hiccups.

· Burning sensation in the mouth.

· Coughing.

Can this medicine affect other medicines?

NRT itself does not affect any other medicines. However, the components of tobacco can cause certain medicines to be removed from the body faster than normal. Smokers should inform their doctor that they will give up smoking if they will take the following medicines, as when they stop smoking their doses may need to be changed:

· Theophylline or aminophylline.

· dextropropoxyphene

· flecainide

· tacrine

· olanzapine

· clozapine

· pentazocine

Smokers having diabetes problem need more insulin, as smoking reduces the amount of insulin absorbed into the blood through injection, so if people with diabetes quit smoking, they can subsequently feel a reduction in their insulin dose. Smokers with diabetes should track their blood sugar levels more closely when stopping smoking.