Are nicotine patches or gums any more effective in helping smokers to quit than just going cold turkey?
Nicotine patches and nicotine gums are a more effective method to try to quit smoking than the cold-turkey approach because they elevate nicotine blood levels for a much longer time than cigarettes and therefore reduce the craving for smoking tobacco. With a patch or gum, nicotine levels in the blood rise slowly and stay high for more than two hours, while a cigarette would “spike” nicotine levels within 20 to 30 minutes and then lead to a quick reduction, which can be responsible for inducing craving and more smoking. The patch is relatively more effective than the gum in stabilizing blood nicotine levels and may make it easier to eventually quit. Patches and gums don’t make smokers addicted to nicotine because they already are addicted to it through tobacco. Patches and gums stabilize nicotine levels for a longer time, which can help the smoker reduce the craving for cigarettes and eventually quit. Of course, there is no reason for a non-smoker to try nicotine patches or gums. Beyond
