Habitrol Nicotine Patches - Consumer Medicine Information
Before you start using Habitrol patches it is important that you should be firmly committed to giving up smoking.
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist:
If you have ever had any unusual or allergic skin reactions to nicotine
If you have any of the following:
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Generalized skin diseases
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Heart or blood vessel diseases
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Stomach ulcers
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High blood pressure
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Overactive thyroid
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Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)
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Kidney or liver disease
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If you are taking any other medicines or remedies. This is important as stopping smoking may affect the dosage of certain drugs.
You should also note that the effect of coffee drinking, e.g. sleep disturbances or palpitations, are more pronounced when you give up smoking, so you should reduce your coffee consumption. If you have any questions not answered on this web page, please consult your doctor or pharmacist.
What are Habitrol nicotine patches?
Habitrol nicotine patches are a skin patch medication which contains nicotine, a substance also contained in cigarettes.
Habitrol patches come in three different dosage strengths, to suit individual smokers' needs:
Habitrol step 1 – contains 52.5 mg of nicotine released at a rate of 21mg/24 hours (30cm2 patch).
Habitrol step 2 – contains 35 mg of nicotine released at a rate of 14mg/24 hours (20 cm2 patch).
Habitrol step 3 – contains 17.5 mg of nicotine released at a rate of 7mg/24 hours (10 cm2 patch).
What do Habitrol patches do?
Cigarette smoking has been shown to cause and/or aggravate serious diseases such as bronchitis, cancer of the lung, cancer of the bladder and stomach ulcers. Nicotine is not generally considered to play a part in this, but nicotine is involved in the physical dependence which makes giving up smoking so difficult. Anyone who has attempted to give up smoking before will probably have experienced the effects of this nicotine dependence e.g. craving for tobacco and the desire to smoke, irritability, moodiness, restlessness, tenseness, anxiety, feeling of hunger, weight gain, difficulty concentrating and sleep disturbances. Habitrol patches largely prevent these cravings, weight gain and other withdrawal effects. This makes them a great help to the smoker who wants to give up.
How do they work?
When you apply a Habitrol patch to your skin, the nicotine passes through your skin and into your body, replacing the nicotine you would have got from smoking. As your body adjusts to the treatment, your dosage of nicotine is gradually reduced and finally stopped altogether.
Habitrol patches should be used for no more than three months, and are most effective as part of a supervised smoking cessation program.
Can I use Habitrol if I am pregnant?
Because the nicotine in Habitrol patches may cause harm to the foetus, you should not use them if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Take precautions to avoid pregnancy while using Habitrol patches and if you suspect you have become pregnant, stop your treatment and tell your doctor immediately.
Are there any side effects?
If any of the following signs of overdose occur, take the patch off and inform your pharmacist:
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bad headaches
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dizziness and fainting
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upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhoea
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cold sweat, weakness
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fast heartbeat
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blurred vision, difficulty in hearing, confusion.
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You will not suffer the known harmful effects of smoking that are caused by carbon monoxide and tar. Habitrol patches can cause a slight reddening of the skin and itching.
Prolonged use – more than 1 month – may cause more marked reddening of the skin, which will stop once you have removed the patch. If you notice this reddening or swelling around the patch, remove it and apply it to another area. If the skin continues to be irritated, stop the treatment.
How do I use Habitrol patches?
Once you have decided to stop smoking, there are two things you should do:
1. You should not smoke while using the patch. Gradually cutting down the amount you smoke will not work. If you continue to smoke while wearing Habitrol patches, you will greatly decrease your chances of becoming a non-smoker and will increase the likelihood of adverse effects due to increased levels of nicotine in your blood.
2. Begin your treatment. The following dosage strengths are available:
Habitrol step 1 – for those who smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day.
Habitrol step 2 – for those who smoke up to 20 cigarettes per day
Habitrol step 3 – for reducing nicotine substitution towards the end of your treatment.
Please note: You should not use Habitrol patches for more than three months.
If you are an occasional smoker, we do not recommend you use Habitrol patches.
Do not adjust your dose by cutting a patch. If you use patches that are cut, you may not get the correct dose.
