Stop Smoking Patches and Nicotine Patches, The Truth!
Research is clear on nicotine patches; stop smoking patches, nicotine gum, and the Zyban stop smoking pill, all make a major contribution to most peoples’ efforts to stop smoking.
A panel of physicians and researchers appointed by the Surgeon General of the United States reviewed more than 6000 studies of stop smoking methods and issued a set of guidelines in June 2000. They made some powerful conclusions and recommendations. They said, “use medicine”.
Research has shown that using the Zyban stop smoking pill, and stop smoking patches like nicotine patches to help stop smoking, and even nicotine gum as nicotine replacement therapy is much more effective than just quitting without using medication of any kind.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy Using Stop Smoking Patches
Nicotine replacement therapy using nicotine patches allows you to concentrate on changing your smoking habits, before breaking the physical addiction to nicotine.
Nicotine patches are one of the most effective stop smoking aids. The nicotine quit smoking patch is designed to wean you off nicotine. Although not necessarily the magic pill that it was thought to be when first introduced, nicotine stop smoking patches are now strongly recommended for smokers as the no.1 stop smoking aid.
On average, most stop smoking patches are equally as effective, roughly doubling the chances of successfully stopping smoking. Nicotine patches work by maintaining a steady dose of nicotine into the body after the person has stopped smoking. This can be an effective stop smoking aid for reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the cravings to smoke.
The stop smoking patches are placed on the arm next to the skin and replaced after a time. Some manufacturers recommend that patches of progressively lower doses of nicotine should be applied over time to wean you off gradually.
Nicotine gum is an effective alternative aid for those with skin not able to tolerate nicotine patches. Recent studies which looked at combining quit smoking patches and nicotine gum show that this seems to be even more effective than patches alone.
Smokers in these studies use nicotine patches routinely and nicotine gum as a ‘rescue’ up to 4 pieces a day. The nicotine replacement patch delivers nicotine slowly while the nicotine gum works faster to help reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
The surge of nicotine into the bloodstream from smoking a cigarette is very fast compared to applying a nicotine patch. The craving for this sudden rush of nicotine should therefore be best countered by also using nicotine gum.
Is Zyban the Best Stop Smoking Pill?
Zyban is a drug which was originally used to treat depression. The idea to use it as a stop smoking pill came from physicians who saw that their patients being treated for depression also spontaneously stopped smoking.
Numerous trials have shown Zyban to be at least, if not more effective than nicotine patches. Zyban is thought to work by blocking nicotine withdrawal, making smoking less self-reinforcing by stimulating certain centers of the brain and improving mood. It has been recommended that use of Zyban should begin 2 weeks before quitting smoking, to allow blood levels to reach a therapeutic level.
There is some evidence that Zyban treatment can be a more effective as a stop smoking pill when combined with nicotine replacement therapy and stop smoking patches.
