Nicorette microtab

How does it work?

Nicorette microtabs contain nicotine. They are a type of medicine known as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and are used to help smokers give up the habit.

Nicotine is the addictive substance present in tobacco. Smokers who try to give up often experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and cravings for cigarettes, because they are dependent on the nicotine in tobacco. Withdrawal symptoms can include irritability, headaches, restlessness, insomnia and difficulty concentrating. These, combined with cigarette cravings, are why it is difficult for some people to give up smoking.

Nicotine replacement therapies work by giving you a small amount of nicotine, but without the dangerous effects of inhaling tobacco smoke. This helps relieve the withdrawal symptoms and cravings for a cigarette that you get when you stop smoking, and allows you to get on with breaking the psychological habit of smoking. If you are physically addicted to nicotine, using NRT has been shown to almost double your chances of successfully quitting smoking.

Nicorette microtabs are designed to dissolve under your tongue. The nicotine is then absorbed into the bloodstream from the lining of your mouth to provide relief from cravings.

The number of tablets you use each day will depend on how much you used to smoke and what strength your cigarettes were. You should not use more than is recommended on the packet.

When you quit smoking completely, it is recommended that you use one to two tablets every hour, for up to three months after stopping smoking. After this time your psychological urge to smoke should be less. You should then be able to gradually reduce the number of tablets you are using, so that you are using less and less nicotine. (It is rare to become dependent on the tablets. If this happens it is much less dangerous than being dependent on cigarettes and is a much easier habit to break than smoking.) You should stop using the tablets when your consumption is down to one or two tablets a day.

NRT comes in many forms. There are factsheets on all these linked at the end of this page. Nicotine patches can be used to help prevent cravings for cigarettes, while nasal sprays, inhalators, chewing gum, tablets that dissolve under the tongue, and lozenges, are all forms that can be used instead of smoking when you get a cigarette craving.

As well as breaking the physical addiction, you also need to break the smoking habits you used to have. Try to avoid situations where you will be tempted to smoke, and remember to seek help and support whenever you feel like giving in to your cravings.

What is it used for?

Relief of withdrawal symptoms associated with giving up smoking

Warning!

Nicorette microtabs should be allowed to dissolve under the tongue. They should not be chewed or swallowed like normal tablets, as this is more likely to cause side effects such as throat and stomach irritation, indigestion or hiccups.

You can take one to two tablets per hour to relieve your cravings to smoke, depending on how many cigarettes you normally smoke and how strong they are. (Heavy smokers, who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, are recommended to take two tablets per hour.) You should not take more than 40 tablets a day, though most smokers need less than this.

Acidic drinks such as coffee, sodas and fruit juices can reduce the amount of nicotine that is absorbed from the mouth, if you drink them in the 15 minutes prior to taking a Nicorette microtab.

Make sure you do not leave Nicorette microtabs where children can reach them. Doses of nicotine that are tolerated by adult smokers during treatment can produce severe symptoms of poisoning in small children and may prove fatal.

Use with caution in

Adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old (If you are in this age group you should not use NRT for longer than 12 weeks without consulting a doctor, pharmacist or nurse for advice)

Disease involving the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease) (Using NRT is much less hazardous than continuing to smoke. However, if you are in hospital because you have recently had a heart attack or stroke or you have severe irregular heart beats, you should ideally try to stop smoking without using NRT. Seek advice from your doctor.)

Diabetes (monitor your blood sugar more closely when starting NRT)

Peptic ulcer

Inflamed stomach lining (gastritis)

Inflammation of the food pipe

Inflammation of the mouth or throat

Hyperthyroidism

Tumour of the adrenal gland (phaeochromocytoma)

Severely decreased kidney function

Moderate to severely decreased liver function.

Not to be used in

Non-smokers.

This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.

Nicotine in any form should ideally not be used during pregnancy, as it has been shown to adversely affect the development of the baby, both in the womb and after birth. However, for pregnant women who are unable to give up smoking without a smoking cessation aid, NRT may deliver less nicotine (and none of the other potentially disease-causing agents) than would be obtained from cigarettes. As a result, it is considered that NRT poses less of a risk to the foetus than continuing to smoke. Pregnant women who smoke should discuss the risks and benefits of NRT with their doctor as early as possible in their pregnancy and only use this medicine on their advice. The aim should be to stop using NRT as soon as possible, preferably after two to three months.

Nicotine taken in any form passes into breast milk and is harmful to the nursing infant. However, for women who are unable to give up smoking without a smoking cessation aid, NRT may deliver less nicotine (and none of the other potentially disease-causing agents) than would be obtained from cigarettes. It is also less hazardous than the second-hand smoke that the infant would be exposed to if the mother continued to smoke. This medicine can therefore be used during breastfeeding. Wherever possible, the microtabs should be used immediately after breastfeeding and not in the two hours before breastfeeding, in order to reduce the amount of nicotine that the infant is exposed to.

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

Dizziness

Headache

Coughing

Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations)

Abdominal discomfort

Nausea

Hiccups

Sore mouth or throat

Dry mouth

Burning sensation in the mouth

Inflammation of the lining of the nose, causing a blocked or runny nose (rhinitis)

Mouth ulcers

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

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