Nicotine Gum to Stop Smoking
Cigarette smokers become physically addicted to nicotine. When they try to quit smoking they experience withdrawal symptoms like irritability, inability to concentrate, drowsiness, insomnia, and dry cough.
A Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) can help overcome these symptoms. The most common and convenient NRT is nicotine gum. It is an effective aid to stop smoking because it reduces withdrawal symptoms while eliminating exposure to the other toxic substances in cigarette smoke.
Nicotine gum is popular because it allows the user to control how much nicotine enters the body. Nicotine gum also provides an oral substitute for cigarettes.
How Does it Work?
You can buy nicotine gum in different strengths. Heavy smokers should start with gum which has a 4 mg. of nicotine and then as the nicotine addiction drops off you can move to 2 mg. nicotine gum. These are the most common strengths of nicotine gum, and most manufacturers follow suit.
There are two basic methods for using nicotine gum to quit smoking. It can be taken at regular intervals throughout the day to maintain a certain level of nicotine in the bloodstream, or it can be taken anytime you feel the urge for a cigarette.
In either case, you need a schedule for reducing the amount of gum used. In most cases this schedule to quit smoking extends over several weeks. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist for advise on how to use nicotine gum to stop smoking.
If you are taking any other medications you must consult with your doctor before using nicotine gum to quit smoking. Some medications cannot be taken with nicotine gum.
Using Nicotine Gum
Don't chew nicotine gum the same way as other gum. It should only be chewed until you feel a tingling sensation in your mouth. At that time, "park" the gum between your teeth and your cheek until you no longer feel the tingling. This cycle is repeated for about 30 minutes.
You must gradually reduce the amount of nicotine gum you use every day. You should not use it for more than 3 months, so it is necessary to make a schedule so that after about 2 months you are down to, say, 3 pieces of nicotine gum a day.
Side Effects of Nicotine Gum
Most people can use nicotine gum to quit smoking without any side effects. A small percentage of users may experience headaches, dizziness, upset stomach, and soreness in the mouth.
If you have any of these side effects, discontinue the nicotine gum and consult your doctor.
The gum and patches are all good. I have never had to use them. However I don't get any withdraw symptoms after quitting for two to three months. However I always seem to go back to smoking. The main reason I quit every other year is because I have chronic bronchitis and get pneumonia ever other year. After I got out of the hospital I did not smoke for 2 months last year. I for some odd reason started bumming a smoke here and there and then buying a pack here and there till I was back up to a pack a day. I have gotten pneumonia this here. This is the first time I have gotten it back to back years. Anyone have any suggestions to stay quit this time or any ideas why I start back up?? If I can figure out the why I can figure out the how.
Thanks everyone,
Dan
will power is all I can say! Once you stop you need to think of all the reasons that you quite in the first place! I just threw my pack away three days ago so I really cant say much but as I set here sweating more than I ever have in my life I am reminding myself of my reason to stop....it helps
OK, let me get one thing across to all of you. I have smoked for 36 years; I tried to use nicotine gum for 18 years - yes 18 years. I did quit both just the other day and to be honest, the nicotine gum was WAY more addictive than the cigarettes were. Why was that - nicotine gum can be chewed all the time without bothering anyone - it is the pharmaceuticals "nicotine replacement" when all it is doing is taking you away from one form of nicotine addiction to another one. If I or I had anyone EVER quit smoking; it would be to go entirely "cold turkey". You will be off the nicotine within days but if you start using nicotine gum - forget it - you WILL start smoking again once you go off of the nicotine gum or patches ... the pharmaceutical companies KNOW this and they love their profit margin. I do know and this process I am going through right now is horribly tormenting. I look to the table in the kitchen - I think about smoking but that shortly passes; I go to work, the mall, the store; anywhere smoking is not allowed and I think about nicotine gum since that's what I'd do - chew the gum. Heck, when I rode my bike I chewed the gum!!! Like I said, forget the nicotine therapies - just go through about three days of discomfort and quit cold turkey - it's the only way to beat this thing...
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