Description

NICORETTE® inhalator is a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). It is used to relieve and /or prevent withdrawal symptoms and reduce the cravings you get when you try to stop smoking or when cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke. Ideally you should always aim to stop smoking. You can use NICORETTE® inhalator to achieve this by using it to completely replace all your cigarettes. However NICORETTE® inhalator can also be used in other ways, n if you feel unable to stop smoking completely, or wish to replace certain cigarettes and therefore it can help you to cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke, n at those times when you can’t or do not want to smoke. For example, - Where you don’t want to smoke and avoid harm to others e.g children or family. - Smoke free areas e.g Pub, work, public transport e.g aeroplanes. It may also help increase your motivation to quit. When making a quit attempt a behavioural support programme will increase your chances of success. What does nicorette® inhalator do? When you stop smoking or cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke, your body misses the nicotine that you have been absorbing. You may experience unpleasant feelings and a strong desire to smoke (craving). This indicates that you were dependent on nicotine. When you use NICORETTE® inhalator, air is drawn through the inhalator and nicotine is released. The nicotine is absorbed into your body through the lining of your mouth. This relieves the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. It will also help to stop your craving to smoke, but will not give you the ’’buzz’’ you get from smoking a cigarette. Benefits you can get from using NRT instead of smoking For the best effect, ensure that you use nicorette inhalator correctly – see “How to Use NICORETTE® inhalator”. The benefits of stopping smoking clearly outweigh any potential risk from using nicotine from NRT. It is the toxins in cigarette smoke such as tar, lead, cyanide and ammonia that cause smoking related disease and death, not the nicotine. n You may think that smoking helps relieve feelings of anxiety and stress, but it does not deal with the cause of stress and leads to a number of serious diseases. In addition, the feeling of relaxation after smoking is temporary, with withdrawal symptoms and cravings soon returning. Nicotine replacement therapy can help relieve nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, low mood, anxiety, restlessness and cravings when used in place of cigarettes. n NRT may benefit smokers who want to quit, by helping to control weight gain that may be experienced when trying to stop smoking. Use of NRT is safer than smoking tobacco but as soon as you are ready, you should aim to stop smoking completely

Directions

inhalator Using the inhalator 1 Inhale using the inhalator, either deeply or shallow puffs. Choose the way that suits you. Either way, your body will receive the amount of nicotine required to give craving relief. You may find it takes more effort than inhaling from a cigarette, but the amount of nicotine you absorb through the lining of your mouth is the same whether you take deep or shallow puffs. 2 It is up to you how many inhalations (puffs) you take, how often you take them and for how long. 3 Each cartridge will provide you with about 40 minutes of intense use. You can divide this time how you like. For example, you could use a cartridge for four 10 minute inhalation periods. Or you could use a cartridge for 10 minutes on waking and then for six periods of five minutes later on in the day. Once the cartridge is used up, you will need to change it. Changing a cartridge 1 Open the mouthpiece as in step 3 of Setting up the inhalator. Pull out the cartridge and dispose of it safely. 2 Put a new cartridge into the inhalator as in steps 4-6 of Setting up the inhalator.

Side Effects

Do not use nicorette® inhalator: n if you have an allergy to nicotine or any of the other ingredients. n If you are a child under 12 years of age. ! Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist… n if you are pregnant or breast-feeding – you may be able to use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to help you give up smoking but you should try to give up without it. See ”If you are pregnant or breast-feeding” section. n if you are in hospital because of heart disease (including heart attack, disorders of heart rate or rhythm, angina, high blood pressure or stroke). In other heart conditions not requiring you to be in hospital, using NRT is better than continuing to smoke. n if you have a stomach ulcer, duodenal ulcer, inflammation of the stomach or inflammation of the oesophagus (passage between the mouth and stomach). n if you have liver or kidney disease. n if you have a long term throat disease or difficulty breathing due to bronchitis, emphysema or asthma. NICORETTE® inhalator may not be suitable for you to use and you may be advised to use a different type of NRT. n if you have an overactive thyroid gland or have a phaeochromocytoma (a tumour of the adrenal gland that can affect blood pressure) – your doctor will have told you this. n if you have diabetes – monitor your blood sugar levels more often when starting to use nicorette inhalator as you may find your insulin or medication requirements alter. n if you are taking any other medicines such as theophylline, clozapine or ropinirole. Stopping smoking or cutting down may require the dose of these medicines to be adjusted. If any of these apply, talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. This product contains small cartridges which could be a choking hazard if a child attempts to swallow one. Keep any unused cartridges in the pack out of the reach and sight of children. ! If you are pregnant or breast-feeding If you are pregnant: 1) Firstly, you should try to give up smoking without NRT. Stopping completely is by far the best option. The earlier and quicker you do this the better it is for you and your baby. 2) Secondly, if you can’t manage this, you can use NRT as a safer alternative to smoking as the risks to your baby are far less than smoking, however you should talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for advice. Products that are used intermittently, including NICORETTE® inhalator may be preferable to nicotine patches. However, patches may be more suitable if you have nausea or sickness. If you do use patches take them off before going to bed at night. If you are breast-feeding: 1) Firstly, you should try to give up smoking without NRT. 2) Secondly, if you can’t manage this you are best to use NRT products that are taken intermittently (not patches), however you should talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for advice. Breast-feed just before you use NICORETTE® inhalator to ensure that the baby gets the smallest amount of nicotine possible. If you do need to use NRT to help you quit, the amount of nicotine that the baby may receive is considerably smaller and less harmful than the second-hand smoke they would inhale if you smoked. Tobacco smoke produces breathing and other problems in babies and children.