Updated review on successful control with nicotine replacement therapy for nicotine withdrawal symptoms

Abstract

Nicotine use as a tool for quitting smoking has a good safety history. Animal studies suggest that nicotine may adversely affect cognitive development in adolescence, but the relevance of these findings to human brain development is disputed. At low amounts, it has a mild analgesic effect. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, "nicotine is not generally considered to be a carcinogen." The Surgeon General of the United States indicates that evidence is inadequate to infer the presence or absence of a causal relationship between exposure to nicotine and risk for cancer. Tobacco is dangerous. According to one study trusted source, smoking-related diseases are responsible for about 4,35,000 deaths per year in the United States. That’s about 1 in every 5 deaths in the United States. Stopping smoking, no matter how long you have smoked, can greatly benefit your health. Nicotine creates pleasant feelings in the body and mind. When you use tobacco, your brain releases neurotransmitters such dopamine, the feel-good chemical. This creates a brief feeling of contentment and pleasure. In humans, nicotine from tobacco induces stimulation and pleasure, and reduces stress and anxiety. Smokers come to use nicotine to modulate their level of arousal and for mood control in daily life. Smoking may improve concentration, reaction time, and performance of certain tasks. When a person stops smoking, nicotine withdrawal symptoms emerge. These include irritability, depressed mood, restlessness, anxiety, problems getting along with friends and family, difficulty concentrating, increased hunger and eating, insomnia, and craving for tobacco. Nicotine withdrawal in untreated smokers produces mood disturbances comparable in intensity to those seen in psychiatric out patients. Generally it has been found that nicotine replacement therapies actually give you small amounts of nicotine through a product like gum or a skin patch. While you’ll continue to get some nicotine in your system, you won’t be exposed to any of the other harmful chemicals that are found in tobacco.