To lead a long and healthy life - to quit smoking the need of the hour being none other than a strong sense of direction and a strong willpower. The onset of withdrawal symptoms is best neutralized by the wonders of technology - the Nicotine Patch. Nicotine patches facilitate quitting smoking while willpower translates the thought into action.

THE MECHANICS OF NICOTINE PATCHES

The mechanics of using Nicotine patches are based on the inherent affinity of the skin to absorb whatever is locally applied. Nicotine patches are logically a patch much like a plaster, which is impregnated with nicotine in a pad or gel. The patches being unique in their ability to transfer the nicotine into the blood stream and maintaining the level in the blood stream over extended periods of time - until the patch is removed from the skin. This maintenance of moderate and constant levels of nicotine in the blood ensures that there are no withdrawal symptoms due to inordinately low nicotine levels in the blood. The patches maintain a moderate level of nicotine in the blood but never as high as cigarettes - ensuring that the addiction to cigarettes is not substituted by nicotine patches.

Nicotine is the highly addicting and habit forming ingredient of cigarettes which is instrumental in the onset of the extremes of negative emotions such as anger, frustration, irritability and lack of concentration.

Nicotine patches sport varying degrees of nicotine concentrations which depend primarily on the degree of smoking that the subject has been exposed to - evidently heavy smokers need a much higher level of nicotine concentration which could well be tapered over a period of time.

PACKAGING THE PATCH

Nicotine patches come packaged under varying trade names - most popular being Habitrol which are predominantly round in shape and are available in varying strengths - twenty one, fourteen or seven milligrams of nicotine per patch and the efficacy period of any particular Habitrol patch being twenty four hours.

Conversely Nicoderm CQ patches are rectan

gular in shape and come in are available in varying strengths of twenty one, fourteen or seven milligrams of nicotine per patch with a efficacy period of twenty four hours which makes the two patches but a variant of identical concepts and the efficacy spectra could well be identical - there being little to choose one over the other.

On the contrary Nicotrol nicotine patches in spite of being rectangular in shape vary when compared to Nicoderm CQ patches. They come in single strength variants - fifteen milligrams and need to be worn for not over twelve hours - the nicotine patch may be worn in the morning and may be removed at bedtime - wearing these nicotine patches while sleeping is strongly contraindicated.

CESSATION AND SUSTENANCE

Smoking is an addiction, which is usually difficult but seldom impossible to quit. The concept of using Nicotine Patches is an adjunct to a wide array of modalities such as counseling, support groups and finally behavior modifications. The crux being not 'cutting back' on the amount of cigarettes smoked and the Nicotine patches are but an adjunct to the all-important attitude and the determination to quit smoking.

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