Nicotine Gum and Patches: How They Work as Antismoking Medications

Overcoming the urge to smoke wasn't really difficult, according to some of my friends - all heavy smokers once upon a time. Their secret: they used nicotine gum and patches as substitutes for cigarettes.

Nicotine is an organic base - an alkaloid to be exact - that is addictive. When taken in, it triggers the brain to set loose an abundant amount of a chemical called dopamine. This chemical, which acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, is associated with craving. As levels of nicotine start to fall, the body feels an intense longing for more. The need to light up again becomes even stronger. Failing to satisfy this urge, an assortment of symptoms may occur: sleeplessness, peevishness, weariness or exhaustion, anxiety, or even a feeling of dejection. These conditions may be too overpowering to some people that giving up smoking is a virtually impossible task for them.

In battling against an intense desire to smoke, nicotine gum and patches help by providing nicotine to the body with an amount that's just enough to keep the craving in check. While nicotine gum gives off a surge of nicotine much like what one is familiar with when lighting a cigarette, nicotine patches provide a weak yet equable flow of nicotine that assists in containing the urge continuously.

Experts consulted by my friends were one in saying that nicotine gum and patches do pose a risk of addiction though of little consequence; they assure that the addiction is relatively harmless when compared to smoking. Further, they maintain that nicotine gum and patches do not influence the inner urge that is linked with smoking despite their being known to meet the body's want for nicotine.

Still, the occurrence of several side effects is possible. This may include itchiness of the skin, diarrhea, weakness of the muscles, or a whirling sensation in the head coupled with a sullied vision. People who are known to have heart disease are cautioned on the use of nicotine gum and patches. This is because several tests pointed out that some of these nicotine-replacement products may have the very same adverse effect on the heart as cigarettes have if used for too long.

Using nicotine gum or patches may not be a sufficient medication for some people who are trying to beat their addiction to smoking. A program that deals directly with the habitual sides of smoking may be an ideal regimen in combination with using these nicotine-replacement products. An effectual regimen is one that lasts for several months. [Read the Original Article]