GeneralIs Nicotine Replacement Therapy Any Good? Here’s How It Works

As relaxing and calming as smoking may seem, it consists of a really addictive substance called Nicotine that makes the body dependent on it and makes it hard to quit smoking. The reason it is so addictive is because it leads to the release of dopamine in the human brain and the body starts to depend on it. You can get hair loss from nicotine addiction and other health risks like heart diseases, allergies, lungs diseases etc. Nicotine addiction is one of the most dangerous addictions and the hardest to give up. It causes the same withdrawal symptoms like other forms of drug abuse when a person is trying to quit smoking. You can thus check online nicotine prescriptions in Australia.

Recently a treatment has been getting popular called “Nicotine Replacement Therapy”. This form of treatment helps the body get rid of physical dependence on nicotine. Nicotine Replacement helps relieve the withdrawal symptoms and is paired psychological treatment for the body to completely stop depending on it. Here how it works:

Nicotine Replacement Therapy:

Nicotine Replacement Therapy doesn’t force the body to give up smoking at once. It includes the following alternatives to directly smoking tobacco:

• Nicotine Patch
• Nicotine Gum
• Nasal Spray
• Inhalers
• Lozenges

These substances release lower and slowly absorbing doses of nicotine into the body, relieving the symptoms of withdrawal. This way, the amount of nicotine a person was using can be controlled. One does not have to wait a certain amount of time before starting NRT. Infact, they can start it even if they had their last cigarette the same day. 

How Does Nicotine Replacement Therapy Work:

Nicotine replacement substances can be purchased over the counter without a prescription and does not cause any health risks but it is advised to consult with a physician. 

Here are the replacement substances work:

• Nicotine Patches: Nicotine Patches are transdermal nicotine systems and penetrate the skin. They come in different doses like 16-patch if you’re a light or average smoker, 24 hour patch if you need a steady dose of nicotine supply etc. They need to be used from 4 weeks to 5 months depending on the level of dependency. 
• Nicotine Gum: Nicotine gum is a fast replacement for a cigarette. It is available in 2mg to 4mg strength and is not recommended to be used like a regular gum. Chew a piece for 20 to 30 mins. And don’t drink or eat 15 minutes before or after taking. This allows you to control the amount of nicotine you are consuming and normally 1-2 pieces an hour is the recommended dose. Make sure to use it wisely to avoid mouth sores or jaw discomfort. 
• Nasal Spray: Nasal is only available by prescription. It delivers nicotine rapidly because of being taken through the nose. 1-2 sprays an hour are the standard recommended dose. This is not recommended if you have asthma or allergies.
• Nicotine Inhalers: Nicotine inhalers are available by prescription only and resembles smoking the most out of all other forms of replacements. It can be used every 20 minutes and to a maximum of 20 inhales a day. This is a slow form of treatment and needs to be used for upto 6 months for effective results.

While selecting a nicotine replacement, you need to consider what suits your lifestyle and any potential health risks it may cause. Consider how strong your urges are, do you need to keep yourself distracted, do you want to feel like you’re actually smoking to satisfy your brain? 

It is recommended to visit a psychologist to get completely rid of this addiction. Psychological treatment is crucial for mental health and the emotional dependence on nicotine.

Who Should Not Use NRT?

According to experts, teens, expecting women, and people who use other forms of tobacco other than smoking should not use nicotine replacement therapy. Teenagers can get rid of smoking with other methods easily because their body can naturally release dopamine easily which is not the case with adults. 

It is also not recommended for light smokers. But it does not pose any health risks if a person wants to quit smoking using NRT anyways. 

There are now many effective resources to help get rid of nicotine addiction and Nicotine Replacement Therapy is no doubt the most effective form of nicotine addiction treatment and can be safely used by most people. But here’s the catch, it is not alone effective to get 100% results and complete withdrawal. You should get proper psychological help that helps you to stop depending on nicotine emotionally and mentally. Only then can you achieve 100% long last results and the NRT should not be continued long term.

This post has been sponsored by VSRC LLC