The nicotine patch is one of the most popular stop-smoking aids. It releases nicotine into the body without all the other toxic chemicals that are in cigarettes. Because patch users gradually step down to lower-nicotine patches, they can taper off nicotine without suffering the intense cravings that often come with attempts to quit smoking cold turkey.
Desirable Effects
The nicotine patch sends a steady stream of nicotine into the user's body. The amount of nicotine is less than the user would get by smoking cigarettes, but it's enough to take the edge off of the nicotine cravings that come with cigarette withdrawal. Nicotine in the body causes dopamine, a chemical that makes people feel good, to be released into the brain. The nicotine in the patch helps relieve the cravings that people get when they withdraw from the nicotine in cigarettes.
Skin & Stomach Side Effects
The most common side effects involve upset stomachs and minor irritations of the skin in the areas where the patch is worn. Some people may experience skin itching, tingling, or burning. To avoid skin irritation, users should place the patch on a different part of the body every day when they put on a new patch. Less often, some people's skin may swell or they may see redness that lasts more than four days. In those cases, patch users should consult their doctors.
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Using the patch while sleeping
Some people have vivid dreams if they wear the patch while they are sleeping. Some find the vivid dreams disturbing, but others enjoy the dreams very much. Some people find that wearing the patch keeps them awake at night. It's not necessary to wear the patch while sleeping. Anyone who doesn't like the way the patch affects their sleep and/or their dreams can take the patch off before they go to bed and put on a new patch after they wake up.
Nicotine overdose
Nicotine can increase heart rate and blood pressure, but usually that won't happen to patch users. For most people, the amount of nicotine in patches is too low to cause such problems. Some individuals, though, may get an overdose of nicotine. Patch users who observe the symptoms of nicotine overdose should call their doctors. The rare, but serious, symptoms include irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and weakness.
Possible future use
Experiments have shown that wearing the nicotine patch has the effect of decreasing post-surgical pain. Patients wearing the patch were able to control their pain without using as much morphine as patients not wearing the patch. This has promising applications for people who would like to avoid using morphine because of its side effects.
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