Habitrol Nicotine Replacement Patches - Frequently Asked Questions

IIf your patch falls off, put on a new one. Then remove this new patch at your regular time to keep your schedule the same. When applying the patch, be sure to press it firmly onto your skin with the palm of your hand for about 10 seconds, making sure that the patch sticks well, especially around the edges.

Water will not harm or affect the patch you are wearing. You can take a bath or a shower or swim while wearing the patch.

When you first put on the patch, mild itching, burning, or tingling at the application site is normal and should go away within an hour. After you remove a patch, the skin under the patch might be somewhat red. Your skin should not stay red for more than a day. If you have a skin rash or redness caused by the patch that does not go away after 4 days, or your skin swells, call your doctor. Do not put on a new patch. You may be allergic to one of the components of the patch.

Keep the patch in its protective pouch until you are ready to use it. Store your patches between 68 – 77° F, because the patch is sensitive to heat. Storage conditions outside of this range could lead to a decrease in adhesion. The means the patch should not be stored. The inside of your car, for example, can reach much higher temperatures in the summer. Keep all unused patches out of the reach of children and pets.

After you remove the patch, fold it in half with the sticky side together and place it in the disposal tray provided in the package. Keep all used patches out of the reach of children and pets.

You should wear the patch 24 hours a day. This may help overcome your morning cravings for nicotine. However, if you have vivid dreams or other sleep disturbances, you may remove the patch at bedtime and apply a new patch the following morning. The patch should be applied at approximately the same time each day.

IIf you slip and have a cigarette, this is not a relapse back to smoking. Don’t let this mistake make you feel like a failure or giving up. Get back on track immediately. Don’t smoke another cigarette. Figure out why you slipped and how, in the future, you will deal with the people, places or feelings that led to smoking. Do whatever works for you. The point is that slips, like mistakes, can be great learning experiences.

It’s perfectly normal to gain some weight when you stop smoking, but there is no reason to panic. Sometimes the weight change is simply the result of a change in your body’s metabolism caused by your body’s withdrawal from nicotine. Your metabolism is returning to that of a nonsmoker. If you use food as a substitute for cigarettes, you could also gain weight, but there are many ways to control it.

Replace fattening snack foods with healthy, low-calorie snacks.
Keep low-fat, low-calorie snacks in the car.
Broil, boil, poach, or steam food instead of frying.
Remove fat from meat and skin from poultry.
Eat slowly and you’ll feel full sooner on less.
Try eating several small meals a day instead of three large ones.
Drink a large glass of water before a meal.

You may experience one or more of the following side effects while wearing the patch: nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, diarrhea, nervousness or restlessness, headache, vivid dreams or other sleep disturbances, and irritability.

If you experience any of the following side effects, remove the patch immediately and call your doctor: severe skin irritation or discoloration, irregular heartbeats or palpitations, severe chest pain or tightening, or symptoms of nicotine overdose such as extreme paleness, cold sweat, nausea, abnormal salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, severe headache, disturbed hearing or vision, dizziness, mental confusion, or weakness.