Nicotine replacement therapy is intended to give your body a low dose of nicotine to help cut back the cravings. Your withdrawal symptoms will not be as severe since small amounts will be put into your system. However nicotine replacement therapy will cause your system to go through withdrawals twice. The first time when you initially quit smoking and the second time when you stop the nicotine replacement therapy. You do not need to go to a doctor to get it.

Many people can find this very difficult, especially the second time around as that old familiar edgy feeling comes back and you basically have to go through a milder form of withdrawals for the next three days. People aren’t really prepared for that second wave of withdrawal and often have a hard time letting go of the nicotine replacement therapy. Those that can, have made a very important step to becoming smoke free and changing their lifestyle.

Nicotine replacement therapy comes in many varieties; the patch is the most common. Usually you will start with a higher dose and steadily decrease the dose over a 6 to 12 week period. Please note that the amount of nicotine delivered over th 24 hours often exceeds what the body can handle and can produce side affects.

One side effect associated with using the patch is the feeling of nausea and breaking out in a cold sweat. Usually this is a sign that the dose of the patch is too high for your body to tolerate. You can either try a lower dose or consider trying a different form of nicotine replacement therapy. The patch has been used by many people successfully, but everybody’s body chemistry is different and yours may not be able to adapt to this form of therapy.

Nicotine replacement therapy comes in various forms, things have come a long way from just being a patch. Another form is nicotine gum, which has improved in taste over the years, you no longer have the pepper taste that would linger in your mouth. Now nicotine gum comes in fruit flavors that you can chew without feeling sick. You can control the dosage according to your own withdrawal symptoms.

Another form of nicotine replacement therapy is the lozenge, which is available in an assortment of flavors. These tablets will dissolve slowly in your mouth sending a low dose of nicotine to your body. The tablets usually work for 2 to 4 hours, but you can adjust your dosage schedule depending on your need. It’s possible that you will have some type of secondary withdrawal as you slowly sever your ties to the lozenge. Being smoke free is worth it in the end.

Another method of nicotine replacement therapy is the nicotine inhaler. It is a good method for anyone who needs to have something in their hand, a common problem among smokers. The inhaler sends a low dose of nicotine to your system which helps deter the cravings. I do not have first hand experience with the inhaler, but I have heard from several people who have been successful with it.

Most nicotine replacement therapy options are available over the counter, helping you avoid any added expense that seeing a doctor would create. You will also benefit from the online support that many of the products provide, along with several forums in which you can receive support from your peers that are also trying to stop smoking.

As mentioned before, some of the side effects of nicotine replacement therapy can range from: a slight headache, insomnia, to more severe symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea or constipation. Some of the side effects tend to be temporary, if they are too much you may want to think about changing your dose or about looking into other smoking cessation options, such as non- nicotine based medication.