Treatment Smoking

• Please check all ingredients and to make sure one is not sensitive or allergic to them
• One should not smoke during such treatments and it is not a substitute to stop smoking.

Aim:

• To stop one smoking.

---

• Cigarettes contain many harmful ingredients e.g. tar and carbon monoxide.
• (Tar is the black sludge found in one lung when they smoke damaging the lungs lining and narrowing the airways and carbon monoxide binds to the blood replacing some of the oxygen one breathes in, both cause lung disease and heart disease and can cause affect all parts of the body).
• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) has been scientifically proven to help one to stop smoking.
• Treatments involved have just enough nicotine to reduce your withdrawal symptoms, e.g. craving and irritation and anxiety without all these other harsh chemicals found in cigarettes.
• Treatments do not taste great but one will get use to it.

There are a wide range of products:

Patches

They are discreet and easy to apply and work by releasing nicotine through your skin into your blood stream. They come in a variety of strengths depending on how many you smoke and are all types of smokers. The patches release medicine in 16 hours or 24 hours

A 24 hour formulation is suitable for people who have craving first thing in the morning.
A 16 hour formulation is suitable for people who don’t have such cravings in the morning and who do have sleeping difficulties at night.
Normally one puts patch on at morning and it works very quickly and both are ideal if one has a regular pattern of smoking and strong cravings.
If one has used longer than 12 weeks of a particular strength, please see your pharmacist.

Gums

They are suitable for people with an irregular pattern, or those who want to reduce the amount of cigarettes they smoke. They come in two strengths, 2mg and 4mg depending on how many one smokes and come in a variety of flavours.
Please note they should be chewed a certain way to be effective. (It should be chewed then rested between cheek and gum to release nicotine).
If one has a craving first thing in morning higher strengths should be used.
Side effects include: Upset stomach, hiccups and jaw ache.
If used longer than 9 months one should see your pharmacist.

Inhalator

This is useful for people who miss the hand action of a cigarette and it has the benefit of having a similar inhalation action to smoking. It can be used in irregular patterns of smoking. It delivers nicotine through the lining of the mouth.
Side effect include: Coughing and irritated throat.
If used longer than 3 months one should see your pharmacist.

Microtab

These work by dissolving under the tongue and are small and discreet. It can be used by people who have irregular patterns of smoking.
Side effect include: Stinging in the mouth, hiccups and upset stomach.
If used longer than 9 months one should see your pharmacist.

Lozenges

These are ideal for people who have an irregular pattern of smoking and who are very discreet. They are ideal if one finds chewing gums difficult. They work by releasing nicotine over 20-30 minutes by sucking (not to chew or swallow) the lozenge slowly and come in a variety of flavours.
Side effects include: Stinging in the mouth, hiccups and upset stomach.

If used longer than 6 months one should see your pharmacist.

Nasal Spray

This is the quickest acting product and is ideal for those who have strong cravings or heavy smokers and is rapidly absorbed into the blood streams via one’s nose.
Side effect include: Stinging and runny nose.
If used longer than 3 months one should see your pharmacist.
They should be used in caution if one has a respiratory disorder and throat disease or has a history of nose bleeds and nasal irritation.