What is Habitrol Gum?
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Habitrol gum is a type of chewing gum that contains nicotine. It is used by many as a quit smoking aid. Nicotine gum is widely available in many countries, including the US, Europe, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere. Habitrol gum is small, white in color, square shaped and hard coated which helps retains its flavor while chewing. They come in foil sheets of 12 pieces each and can easily pop out for dispensing. The sheets of gum are easy to carry around or store away. The nicotine content of a single piece of gum can be either 2mg or 4mg, which is equivalent to 1 or 2 cigarettes. The appropriate dosage intake would depend on the smoking habit of the individual. But the guidelines suggest that if you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, the 4mg dosage is recommended. If you smoke less than 20 cigarettes a day than the 2mg dosage is for you. Also, if you crave your first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking up, you should begin with the 4mg dose. Otherwise, start with the 2mg dosage.
Wait approximately 15 minutes after eating or drinking before chewing the gum. Continue chewing until the gum becomes soft and you feel a tingling sensation in your mouth. When this happens, "park" the gum in the side of the mouth and stop chewing. When the tingling sensation disappears in around 1 minute, then you can start chewing again. Repeat this process for the next 30 minutes. These may be used regularly by chewing one piece every 1 or 2 hours up to 24 pieces per day for the first 6 weeks and reduces to one piece every 2 or 4 hours afterward.
Prescription History
The first nicotine chewing gum was made in 1971 and brought to the market by the company AB Leo. This was made possible by the use of polacrilex to control the rate of release of nicotine while chewing. The idea of adding nicotine into chewing gum came when researchers noticed that submariners and aviation crews switched to using chewing tobacco and snuff when smoking cigarettes were not possible.
Side Effects
Habitrol gum has many side effects that should be considered before using.
Some common side-effects reported when using Habitrol gum include the following.
- Mouth, jaw or tooth discomfort
- heart disease
- Stoke
- peptic ulcer
- esophageal reflux
- dizziness
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- fast, pounding or irregular heartbeat
- difficulty breathing
- rash
- blisters in the mouth
How Long Do You Use Habitrol Gum?
- One piece every 1 to 2 hours (Weeks 1 - 6)
- One piece every 2 to 4 hours (Weeks 7-9)
- One piece every 4 to 8 hours (Weeks10-12)
- No more than 24 pieces per day
- Do not use for longer than 12 weeks
For additional information check out the Habitrol gum datasheet.
