Talk:Nicotine patch

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 September 2019 and 13 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Manning CJ, Kmott18, OolongTeaLam. Peer reviewers: Xushar.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 05:17, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Withdrawal and reenforcing addiction
I tried to put the following into the article, but it was removed within minutes:

Nicotine is a relatively easy drug to quit. As far as I know, not one person has ever died from nicotine withdrawal. Moreover, nicotine dependency is short-lived. Nicotine is completely out of the body in 48 hours. At that point, physical cravings cease. Anyone who can go 48 hours without a cigarette stands a really good chance of quitting. Nicotine is highly addictive, however. Any small amount, even from second-hand smoke, will immediately reenforce nicotine addiction - resetting the clock back to 48 hours. The nicotine patch will guarantee that the addiction clock is reset back to 48 hours every time it is used. Logic might suggest that one cannot end nicotine addiction by taking nicotine. Unlike heroine or alcohol withdrawal, you cannot die from smoking cessation. Therefore, a step-down program would appear to be unnecessary, and fails as a quitting aid in a great many cases.

Perhaps the best method to fight cravings is exercise which causes the body to produce its own endorphins. These endorphins in turn negate many of the effects of withdrawal.

It seems likely that the cigarette industry would love to convince everyone that it is impossible to quit smoking. That way, people would not ever try to quit. Short of this, the next best thing would be to convince everyone that it is very difficult to quit smoking. Then people will give-up trying more easily.

How can this information be included in the article? Or is this article monitored by the advertising agencies and public relations firms for the patch sellers and the cigarette companies? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.94.176.22 (talk) 21:45, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

1 - This is original research, since this is your opinion and speculation. Wikipedia's not the place for that.

2 - Accusing Big Tobacco of things without evidence is not objective, and not encyclopedic.

3 - You completely ignore the psychological addiction, which is the hardest part of quitting. Smokers come to think of the cigarette as a magic wand that relieves stress and makes them feel good. Even years after one quits smoking, one will feel cravings. Trust me, beating the phsycological side effects is much harder. The patch helps with that, because it just feels like you're fine without nicotine at all (it's a lot harder to ignore a patch sitting on your arm than something you actively light, smoke from, ash, and throw away). This helps us learn on a subconscious level that the cigarette is not magic, and that we don't need it to feel good. The gradual decrease is detox, so that when we finally finish with the patches, we might not even notice the physical withdrawal. 129.237.90.25 (talk) 23:16, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Patch Concerns
I have tried nicotine gum and the nicotine patch and i have found in both cases that i craved more cigarettes using artificial nicotine products than when i actually smoked. I also found that if you are trying to eliminate your body of nicotine because you want to quit smoking you can't use artificial nicotine products because they continuously put nicotine into your body never getting rid of the nicotine, so its better to go cold turkey as hard as it may be for you. http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA53796/


 * Please sign your posts with 4 tildes ~. The point of patches and other nicotine delivery systems is to deliver the nicotine without the harmful effects of tabbaco. Gradually you lower the dosages until you're off of them. -- mando 05:48, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

69.15.3.130 15:31, 5 February 2007 (UTC)I have actually found the patch quite helpful. Smokers are addicted to cigarettes in two ways: physically and mentally. Going cold turkey and trying to combat both addictions at the same time is nearly impossible. Instead, with the help of the patch, you can first fight the mental addiction and the actual action of smoking a cigarette. After 6 weeks of not smoking a cigarette, you can begin lowering your patch strength and hence your nicotine intake. This tiered approach really does seem to be the easiest way. I've been a smoker for many years and could not believe how much the patch helped with my cravings.69.15.3.130 15:31, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

I'm sorry but that "it's better to go cold turkey" canard has always rankled me. All of the studies I have heard reported (I'll try to find some citations) show that no single method works for even a slight majority of smokers. Cold turkey is the best method for some smokers. I quit a 30 year habit on the first attempt by tapering off until I went down to about 10 to 12 cigarettes, concentrating on each trigger one at a time more than the number of cigarettes. Then I went on the patch. I did this on the advice on smoking cessation counselors, with mine own emphasis on recording and triggers. People are different and one size does not fit all -- once again. Bostoner (talk) 04:44, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

To those who think cigarette smoking is easy to give up, may I say you are totally wrong. I have tried uncountable times over the last 30 or so years to do so with no success. Firstly, the smoker has to really want to give up and to try what ever it takes to do so. Along side that are the long term addiction problems, the mental and the physical. The mental can be the hardest for many to remove from their life styles. A lot of smokers are unconscious smokers and just would light up with out a thought of if they were really having a physical craving or not. Physical aids such as patches, gum, and oral spray curve the physical so a smoker can first concentrate on the mental cravings, their environment and their triggers. I have given up now for two days now and with my doctors advice I am using two aids at once. The patch and the oral spray (which I never had tried before). So far it's been fantastic, as I can concentrate on my mental craving, before removing the physical one. This is the first time I feel in control of addition. May I also say giving up cold turkey is one of the hardest ways to give up and for me personally and friends of mine, was never successful long term, as the mental addition and triggers easily start people back up smoking. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mummified (talk • contribs) 09:15, 3 March 2013 (UTC) The idea of Cold Turkey is valid for SOME people, others not only have addiction to cigarettes, but deep rooted mental issues that cigarettes are used to 'band aid'. These people, including myself, are helped by medically prescribed patches. The idea that nobody has 'died' from nicotine withdrawl is valid, unless you take into effect the irrational actions caused by it - in which case people have either hurt themselves or others due to exasperated anger/ anxiety. To say "Only Cold Turkey" works, is without merit, because it does not take into effect other mitigating circumstances an individual is coping with. 209.6.95.221 (talk) 18:21, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

Dreams claims suspect
I just experienced a nicotine patch dream in which my father passed away. It was so scary that I'm still weeping. I have had nicotine patch dreams before that are intense and positive, but mine usually have very negative, nightmarish elements. The worst part is, when I become lucid, as I would in a normal dream, and ask, "am I dreaming?", the answer comes back, "no, this is real life" in my mind. I have discontinued nicotine patches from my nightly habit, but I fell asleep napping and this happened. I am seriously considering discontinuing patch use due to this experience. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.123.214.91 (talk) 20:26, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

I have never heard that nicotine patches cause violent or erotic dreams. And nicotine generally reduces sexual desire, so the erotic dreams claim does not seem very logical --Nctn 19:00, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Google nicotine patch and lucid dreaming. You'll find plenty about vivid dreams and some complaints of nightmares. I assume that some claiming satisfaction with the patch were seeking erotic dreams. I'd argue that it is a very reasonable claim. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.107.230.145 (talk) 20:29, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

As this article says, people are different. Some dream more vividly (or at least remember their dreams more, because they wake up during them); some do not. Some find the dreams to be pleasant. Some get nightmares. The patch is effective enough to at least try it. I had no problem with dreams. When I do get nightmares, they stop bothering me when I wake up and find out that they are not real, but then again, I'm not a very spiritual person.Bostoner (talk) 04:44, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Any drug that messes with neurochemistry (which nicotine does) is going to have the potential to cause dreams and/or dream disruption. Since you usually don't smoke while sleeping, the patch will likely be the first time you've gone through REM sleep with significant amounts of nicotine in your system. The positivity or negativity of the dreams, like those of hallucinations, is probably based more on your own state of mind than on the drug. That's why a lot of people will refuse to take hallucinogens when they are in a bad mood. They believe (and with some justification) that it will lead to a "bad trip." Don't go back to smoking because you had a bad dream. Seriously. As a friend of mine would say, "Man up." 129.237.90.25 (talk) 23:24, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

I have been on the patch for a little over a week and every night I'm having the most bizarre dreams that range from horrifying to sexual. -Jeff (sorry I dont have a sig or anything) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.251.185.100 (talk) 16:02, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

I would like to suggest this section get rolled into the lucid dreams section. I am not a smoker and nerver was ,so I have a question I am taking the lowest dose I could find 7mg/hour. If I only take the patch at night will have withdrawal symptoms? Ethan hines (talk) 20:51, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

i had some pretty dope dreams on patches. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:D:6680:3D:226:8FF:FEF2:892D (talk) 04:33, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

I started on the 21 mg patch and when it was time to go to 14 mg, they didn't work so I went back to smoking. Had a few nights with weird dreams on the 21 mg, but nothing too bad. Now about a month later, I wanted to try again and went right to the 14 mg (since I did not have 21 mg left and I was determined to stop anyway). I am having the most lucid, (sometimes nightmarish horrible/twilight zone type) dreams on the 14 mg, worse than the 21! No idea why. Although, they all have a similar theme, so perhaps I am stressed about that issue subconsciously more than I was before. And oddly enough, I am having less cravings to smoke on 14 mg than on 21 mg, but again, that may be because I am so determined to be done with smoking this time. I really wasn't last time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.232.43.26 (talk) 12:22, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Nicotine Patches
My problem with nicotine patches is that there is not a patch strong enough for me. I smoke at least 2 packs of cigarettes a day. If a single cigarette delivers 1 mg. of nicotine, a 21 mg. patch does me no good. I would have to wear 2 patches to escape the nicotine cravings. Is there any harm in that? Maybe a 21 mg. patch and a 14 mg. patch would be a better place for me to start. Nicotine is not my problem, lung capacity is. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.232.1.12 (talk) 15:01, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

Do NOT wear more than one patch. That can lead to DEATH. Talk to a doctor if you think they won't be enough. Also, Wikipedia is definitely not the place to seek medical advice. Seriously. 129.237.90.25 (talk) 04:35, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

According to a Duke University study that you can find on the Clinicaltrials.gov website here: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00734617?sect=X6543701 they did a study about wearing two 21 mg patches at the same time for heavy smokers, and it worked out just fine. In fact, heavy smokers who wore two patches for the first stage of quitting had a slightly better quit rate than those who wore one patch and a placebo patch. All the same I would show this study to your doctor and ask if you could try it. Better safe than sorry. 199.116.95.142 (talk) 21:21, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

I gave up yesterday. With my doctors advice I am using the strongest patch with the oral spray, as I have been a heavy smoker and smoked for over 30 years. I have tried just the patches with no success, as I too did not find them strong enough. I have made uncountable attempts to quit. Cold turkey, was the hardest and I could only last the most for a week each time. The nicotine gum becomes addictive and I was popping in my month all the time and chewing like a jersey cow all day and waking during the night to chew. I hurt my teeth and gums. Eventually after 6 months to 1 year I would have to just switch back to cigarettes. This is my second day using the patch and oral spray combination and I am feeling very confident this is helping. I feel in control of my addition. My doctors and I plan is when I am ready, is to slowly cut down the oral spray, firstly by spraying less in my mouth each time I have a craving, then to try resist cravings with out spraying and eventually not use the spray at all. Then I can start to reduce the amount of time I have the patch on and strength. Giving up is a slow process. A lot of people, especially non smokers and long term ex smokers can't remember, that every ones habit is different and what works for one doesn't necessarily works on all. Heavy smokers like myself need to concentrate on the mental addition first, before attempting to give up the physical one. Since you are a heavy smoker, I would talk to your doctor about using two treatments at once. Good luck and best wishes.

Biased
This article seemed to be incredibly biased. As I read through websites' mentions of side effects, they generally contain only three items: death, nightmares, and itching. (Also, no lawsuits have ever succeeded for suit over death.) I feel that all of the biased information, which seems to come from the personal experiences of the above individuals, should be removed. It's better to say nothing than to say (misleading|potentially misleading) information. --129.138.6.47 (talk) 16:22, 26 April 2010 (UTC)

Side effects section
Most of the listed side effects seem to be similar to nicotine's effects (dur), not tobacco withdrawal. I'll hopefully get on fixing that section with some cites. C6541 (T↔C)  18:15, 30 July 2010 (UTC)

Harmaline?
Do nicotine patches have harmaline? The drug seems to work synergistically with nicotine in tobacco, potentiating nicotine's addictive effect. It's presence or lack in patches could be significant to the effect of the drug. But I have trouble finding good information on the significance of harmaline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmaline

--24.171.130.32 (talk) 03:29, 2 March 2011 (UTC)

IBD effects contridiction!
"Transdermal nico patches can be used to relieve ulcerative colitis symptoms. However, this is not the case with Crohn's disease, a similar health condition, where smoking and nicotine intake in general worsen the disease's effects."

"The relationship between smoking and inflammatory bowel disease has been firmly established, but remains a source of confusion among both patients and doctors. It is negatively associated with ulcerative colitis but positively associated with Crohn's disease. In addition, it has opposite influences on the clinical course of the two conditions with benefit in ulcerative colitis but a detrimental effect in Crohn's disease"

This need to be clarified. Many IBD sufferers try alternative methods of medication and this is just outright confusing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.203.4.196 (talk) 01:31, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Regarding the 'incomplete' template (24 Mar 2015)
Some medical info should be added, such as: are patches prescribed by doctors or sold over the counter, how the patch dosage is chosen, what do patch instructions even say, etc. Aasasd (talk) 22:01, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

CP133 2019 Group #6 Proposed Edits: Administration Considerations for Nicotine Patch
This page should include more specific administration considerations for the nicotine patch. This would include the following details: dosages, directions on how to apply the patch, expected side effects, contraindications, and additional resources that patients can use for further questions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kmott18 (talk • contribs) 21:07, 16 October 2019 (UTC)

CP 133 2019 Group 5 Feedback
I agree with the above edits, great job! I also agree the page needs more pharmacologic information on the nicotine patch (what it is and how it works). I.e. The nicotine patch is a transdermal drug delivery device that works by diffusion of nicotine through various skin layers into systemic circulation. Nicotine then acts on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain. Ananajafi (talk) 17:51, 6 November 2019 (UTC)Ana N.

I think that this group's edits substantially helped improve this article as it provided a lot of relevant additional information from reputable sources. Ex. "NRT in combination with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can improve the rates of smoking cessation in pregnant women" This not only provided relevant information but it presented it in a neutral point of view. Throughout this draft the facts were presented from a neutral viewpoint. I think that they could include some more general facts about treatment and possibly organize the page more broadly. ChristyCrCK (talk) 23:45, 6 November 2019 (UTC)Christy K. (ChristyCrCk)

The edits made by Group 6 look great and fall in line of what they proposed. The Application section now contains a thorough methodology on how the nicotine patch is applied, where to apply it on the body, how often the patch should be replaced, etc. The points made are easily accessible through the citations and the secondary sources used are freely available for anyone to access, if the reader so chooses to learn more. Great job overall! Xushar (talk) 02:30, 7 November 2019 (UTC)

The Group 6 edits have helped improve the article overall by including more detailed information on research, application, and dosing regimen. I did not find any evidence of plagiarism or copyright infringement within the article. Their summary of the steps to applying nicotine patches is in line with the references but not a direct copy or paraphrase of the sources. If I were to suggest any changes I would recommend including more consumer information on potential side effects and/or precautions to look out for before starting the medication. Kimchow (talk) 03:54, 7 November 2019 (UTC)