NRT NICOTINE

What is NRT?

NRT stands for Nicotine Replacement Therapy. It is a type of medicine that covers any stop-smoking aids that deliver a controlled dose of nicotine to a person. There are several forms that nicotine delivery can take: nicotine gum, transdermal nicotine or patches, nicotine inhalers, nicotine lozenges, nicotine nasal spray and sublingual tablet.

Why administer nicotine while quitting cigarettes?

Many people find that they suffer from unpleasant and often debilitating withdrawl symptoms when they try to quit smoking without the help of any NRT. Nicotine withdrawl symptoms include:
- Cravings
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Lack of concentration
- Fatigue
- Coughs
- Constipation
- Dryness in the mouth
- Sore tongue and gums
- Headaches
- Mental confusion
- Tingling
- Anxiety
- Depression

It is no wonder that more than half of the people who set out to quit smoking cold turkey fail. However NRT provides an effective way to combat these symptoms, so that you can more effectively concentrate on kicking the smoking habit.

 

Addiction to nicotine

Nicotine is one of the many substances found inside one cigarette, and it is what causes people to become addicted to cigarettes. Many people will become physically dependent on cigarettes soon after they start smoking. In fact, many studies have shown nicotine to be one of the most addictive substances known.

When a person smokes a cigarette, the body receives an instant nicotine 'hit'. Soon after a person starts to smoke, their body will become dependent on these 'hits'. This is the reason quitting smoking is so difficult - the body is physically dependent and craves a nicotine hit once levels drop below a certain point. Withdrawal symptoms such as lack of concentration, restlessness, dizziness, irritability and so on can occur when the body does not get its hit.

This is where Nicotine Replacement Therapy, or NRT, can help. By stopping, or reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, NRT can double your chance of success in kicking the smoking habit.

NRT works by giving your body a small and controlled dosage of nicotine. After your body has developed a nicotine dependence unpleasant withdrawal symptoms are experienced. NRT alleviates these by giving your body a steady, but small, amount of nicotine through a patch, or by giving your body a smaller and less harmful 'hit' of nicotine in a gum, lozenge or spray etc. In this way nicotine replacement therapy can provide a more comfortable way out of the smoking habit.

It should be remembered that NRT aids are intended to be temporary, and it is most helpful to use them in conjunction with some kind of stop smoking programme. Some will power is still needed to kick the smoking habit for good.