Nicotine Inhaler

The Nicotine Inhaler is used to help people stop smoking. Nicotine Inhaler should be used together with a smoking cessation program, which may include support groups, counseling, or specific behavioral change techniques and preferably guided by a doctor. Nicotine inhalation is in a class of medications called smoking cessation aids. It works by providing nicotine to your body which decreases the withdrawal symptoms experienced when smoking is stopped and to reduce the urge to smoke.

How should a Nicotine Inhaler be used?

Nicotine Inhaler comes as a cartridge to inhale by mouth using a special inhaler. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. One should use nicotine oral inhalation exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Follow your doctor's instructions about how many nicotine cartridges you should use each day. Your doctor may increase or decrease your dose depending on your urge to smoke. After you have used nicotine inhalation for about 12 weeks and your body has adjusted to not smoking, your doctor may decrease your dose gradually over the next 6 to 12 weeks until you are not using nicotine inhalation any more. Follow your doctor's instructions for how to decrease your nicotine dose. Do not stop using nicotine inhalation abruptly as this will increase the urge to smoke again.

The nicotine in the cartridges is released by frequent puffing over 20 minutes. You may use up a cartridge all at once or puff on it for a few minutes at a time until the nicotine is finished. You may want to try different schedules to see what works best for you.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer's information for the patient. Read the directions for how to use the inhaler and ask your doctor or pharmacist to show you the proper technique. Practice using the inhaler while in his or her presence.

If you have not stopped smoking at the end of 4 weeks, talk to your doctor. Your doctor can try to help you understand why you were not able to stop smoking and make plans to try again.

Nicotine inhaler products shopping

Other uses for this medicine

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before using nicotine oral inhalation,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to nicotine, menthol, or any other medications.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil); and theophylline (TheoDur). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications once you stop smoking.
• tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack and if you have or have ever had asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; emphysema or chronic bronchitis), heart disease, angina, irregular heartbeat, problems with circulation such as Buerger's disease or Raynaud's phenomena, hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid), pheochromocytoma (a tumor on a small gland near the kidneys), insulin-dependent diabetes, ulcers, high blood pressure, and kidney or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while using nicotine inhalation, call your doctor. Nicotine may harm the fetus.
• stop smoking completely. If you continue smoking while using nicotine inhalation, you may have side effects.
• you should know that even though you are using nicotine inhalation, you may still have some smoking withdrawal symptoms. These include dizziness, anxiety, sleeping problems, depression, tiredness, and muscle pain. If you experience these symptoms, talk to your doctor about increasing your dose of nicotine inhalation.

Nicotine Gum

Nicotine gum is used by mouth as a chewing gum and should not be swallowed. Always follow the directions on the label, and ask your doctor or a pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use nicotine gum exactly as directed by a doctor or pharmacist. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often unless suggested by your doctor.

Usually treatment to stop smoking is started by using the 2-mg nicotine gum as suggested by your doctor or pharmacist. Heavy smokers (those smoking more than 25 cigarettes per day) may start by using the 4-mg nicotine gum (consulting a doctor is strongly advised). Nicotine gum may be used regularly by chewing one piece of gum every 1-2 hours at first, or it may be used by chewing one piece of gum whenever you have the urge to smoke.

Nicotine gum should be chewed slowly until you can taste the nicotine or feel a slight tingling in your mouth. Then stop chewing and place (park) the chewing gum between your cheek and gum. When the tingling is almost gone (about 1 minute), start chewing again; repeat this procedure for about 30 minutes.

Do not chew nicotine gum too fast, do not chew more than one piece of gum at a time, and do not chew one piece too soon after another.

If you are using the 2-mg gum, do not chew more than 30 pieces a day if you are under the supervision of a doctor or 24 pieces a day if you are not under the supervision of a doctor. If you are using the 4-mg gum, do not chew more than 24 pieces a day.

Gradually begin reducing the amount of nicotine gum used after 2-3 months. This reduced use over time will help prevent nicotine-withdrawal symptoms.

Suggested tips to help reduce your use of nicotine gum gradually include:

• Decrease the total number of pieces used per day by about 1 piece every 4-7 days.
• Decrease the chewing time with each piece from the normal 30 minutes to 10-15 minutes for 4-7 days. Then gradually decrease the total number of pieces used per day.
• Substitute one or more pieces of sugarless gum for an equal number of pieces of nicotine gum. Increase the number of pieces of sugarless gum substituted for nicotine gum every 4-7 days.
• Replace 4-mg gum with 2-mg gum and apply any of the previous steps.
• Consider stopping use of nicotine gum when your craving for nicotine is satisfied by one or two pieces of gum per day.

Use of nicotine gum for longer than 3 months is discouraged. Do not use nicotine gum longer than 6 months without talking with your doctor.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before using nicotine gum,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially acetaminophen (Tylenol), caffeine, diuretics ('water pills'), imipramine (Tofranil), insulin, medications for high blood pressure, oxazepam (Serax), pentazocine (Talwin, Talwin NX, Talacen), propoxyphene (Darvon, E-Lor), propranolol (Inderal), theophylline (Theo-Dur), and vitamins.
• do not smoke cigarettes or use other nicotine products while using nicotine gum because nicotine overdose can occur.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a heart attack, irregular heart rate, angina, ulcers, uncontrolled high blood pressure, overactive thyroid, pheochromocytoma, or a dental condition or disorder.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while using nicotine gum, stop using it and call your doctor immediately. Nicotine and nicotine gum may cause harm to the fetus.

NNicotine Replacement Therapy

NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapy is one way

• Nicotine patch ---> Nicotine Patches
  
• Nicotine gum ---> Nicotine Gum
  
• Nicotine inhaler ---> Nicotine Inhaler
  
• Nicotine lozenge
• Nicotine spray
• Nicotine sublingual tablet

To stop smoking, one has to break the addiction to nicotine. Nicotine is not doing much harm to us, it is the tar and chemicals we inhale with the smoke from a cigarette which causes diseases and a weaker immune system.