Many people who want to stop smoking turn to nicotine gum, which research shows can be helpful for smokers who are trying to quit but are struggling with nicotine withdrawal. It was the first nicotine replacement therapy to be approved for over-the-counter sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which gave it the nod back in February 1996, months before nicotine patches were approved for non-prescription use. A Look at Nicotine Gum Choices Nicotine gum is available under the brand names Nicorette and Nicorette DS. Generic forms of nicotine polacrilex gum are available, under names such as Habitrol, Nicotrol, and Prostep. The gum comes in dosages of 2 and 4 milligrams (mg). You can purchase nicotine gum at most drug stores, grocery stores, and department stores. On average you’ll spend $4.50 for 10 pieces of gum, the amount most people need to chew daily to control nicotine withdrawal. How You Use Nicotine Gum You don’t chew nicotine gum the way you chew normal gum. If you did, all the nicotine would be released directly into your saliva. If you swallowed the nicotine-soaked saliva, it would provoke a terrible stomachache and a nasty and overwhelming craving for a cigarette. Instead, you use a method called “chew-and-park”:
Chew the gum slowly a few times to break it down, until you sense a peppery taste or note a tingling in your mouth.Then park it between your cheek and gum, as you would chewing tobacco. The nicotine will pass through the lining of your mouth into your bloodstream, providing you with a hit of nicotine that reaches your brain in a matter of minutes.When the tingling or peppery taste subsides, in about one minute, repeat the chewing and parking process.Continue to chew and park the gum for about 20 to 30 minutes; at that point you will have absorbed all the nicotine.
How Much Nicotine Gum to Chew People who smoke 24 or fewer cigarettes per day should use the 2 mg dosage. Smokers of 25 or more cigarettes daily should use the 4 mg dosage. You might also want to consider the higher dose if you crave a cigarette within a half-hour of waking up or find it hard not to smoke in restricted areas. Each piece of gum is one dose, and you should not chew more than 24 pieces a day. After two or three months, you should begin tapering off the amount of gum you chew each day. An important point to remember: What you eat and drink will affect how you absorb the nicotine from gum. Avoid acidic substances like coffee, soft drinks, and juices for at least 15 minutes prior to and during gum use. The Pros and Cons of Nicotine Gum Nicotine gum has several advantages over the nicotine patch:
The smoker controls the dosage and can pop a piece of nicotine gum to help deal with a particularly bad craving.The nicotine is more quickly absorbed into the body than nicotine in a patch, providing quicker relief.
However, there are several drawbacks to nicotine gum:
If you swallow the gum or use it improperly, you could have hiccups, dizziness, nausea, or upset stomach.You could end up getting hooked on the nicotine gum. Studies have found that 15 to 20 percent of smokers who use nicotine gum to successfully quit keep using the gum for a year or longer. Most doctors want you to limit your use of nicotine gum to six months, although it’s likely that even if you continue beyond that point, using the gum is still safer than going back to smoking.Pregnant women should not use nicotine gum because the nicotine could harm the fetus.
Do not smoke while using the gum or you could end up with a nicotine overdose. You should talk with your doctor before using nicotine gum if you’ve ever had heart problems, high blood pressure, ulcers, an overactive thyroid, or dentures or some other types of dental work. Nicotine gum may offer the help you need to quit smoking. As long as you use it correctly, you might achieve the success you’ve been hoping for.
