What is Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)?

When you quit smoking, you might experience withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, cravings, mood swings and irritability. If you have a strong, physical addiction to nicotine, NRT could be a good option for you. NRTs are stop smoking medications that include patches, gum, mouth spray, lozenges and inhalators, which are designed to replace some of the nicotine you would normally get from cigarettes to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

To give you the best chance of success, it's important to understand how different NRTs work before you try them. You can read more about NRTs by downloading the Stop Smoking Medications Guide or watching this video below from Don't Make Smokes Your Story:

You can also chat with your GP or pharmacist for advice on NRTs and how to use them. This is especially important if you have any existing health issues or would like to try combination therapy (multiple NRTs at once).

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Are you are worried that NRT is too expensive? With a prescription from a doctor or buying products on special, you can pay less than $1.50/day for certain NRT products. This is similar to the average cost of a single cigarette.

Remember: Stop smoking medications are most effective for physical addictions to smoking. Habits (e.g. smoking while drinking), as well as emotions (e.g. stress), are common triggers to smoke. Remember, you can plan strategies to combat these triggers.