Habitrol Review

Habitrol Review Habitrol is a transdermal patch which is placed on the skin so that nicotine is absorbed into the body through a membrane at slower rates than with cigarettes. The amount of nicotine provided via the Habitrol patch is effective at stopping the cravings caused by nicotine addiction and also to lessen the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

The 8-week Habitrol program uses three strengths of patches which gradually decline in nicotine strength to ease smokers off of their nicotine addiction. The strongest patch, with 21 mg of nicotine, is used for smokers who smoke more than ten cigarettes per day. These smokers use the 21 mg patch for the first four weeks of the program, and then step down to the 14 mg patch for weeks five and six. Finally, the 7 mg patch is used during the final weeks, seven and eight. For lighter smokers (those who smoke 10 or fewer cigarettes each day), the 14 mg patch is used during weeks one through six, and the 7 mg patch is used for the final two weeks of the program. The gradually-decreasing dosage rates slowly help smokers to overcome their physical nicotine cravings and give up cigarettes.

Habitrol patches must be applied to clean, dry skin; the patches are left in place for 24 hours, after which the patch is discarded and a new patch is applied to a different skin site. The manufacturer recommends never reusing the same skin site for a new patch within one week to avoid skin irritation. Habitrol must never be used with any other nicotine product, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or nicotine gum. Pregnant and nursing women should not use Habitrol. The manufacturer warns of side effects from Habitrol which include elevated blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, sleep disturbances, skin rashes, irritability, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.

The Habitrol website offers several features designed to help smokers effectively utilize the program, including sections regarding stress reduction, handling withdrawal symptoms, minimizing cravings, and avoiding weight gain.

Habitrol Ingredients

Ingredients in the Habitrol patch include:

Nicotine,
Acrylate Adhesive,
Cellulose Paper,
Aluminized Polyester, and
Methacrylic Acid Copolymer.

Buy Habitrol

Habitrol patches are available at many retail sources both local and online, including Safeway, Walgreens, WalMart, CVS, and Amazon.com. Habitrol patch prices vary somewhat by retailer, but a typical price for a 14-patch box of Habitrol is Amazon.com's price of $35.94. Retailers frequently offer special promotions on Habitrol products, so it can be cost-effective to shop around for the lowest prices. When comparison shopping, be sure to factor in any shipping and handling charges if ordering from an online retailer.

Does Habitrol Work?

Nicotine patches like Habitrol have been available for many years now, with mixed success rates. Some smokers swear by nicotine patches for helping them to stop smoking, but others have only temporary success before resuming cigarettes again. Quite a few Habitrol users experience skin irritation while using the patches, even when they adhere to the manufacturer's instructions. Some of the skin rashes were so severe that the Habitrol users were forced to discontinue the use of the product.

While Habitrol patches do have a fairly good success rate with helping smokers reduce their nicotine cravings and relieve the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal including headaches and digestive problems, the fact is that Habitrol still contains nicotine, a dangerous and highly addictive substance, albeit at a lower dose than is found in most cigarettes. Research studies have found that nicotine is a factor in a wide range of diseases and other conditions, which include cancer, heightened blood pressure, and a depressed immune system. The alarming fact about a weakened immune system is that it can make the body susceptible to a host of other diseases, many of which can be very serious.

Due to the nicotine in Habitrol patches and to the problems with skin rashes, we cannot recommend Habitrol highly as an effective aid for stopping smoking. A much wiser choice is a nicotine-free herbal stop smoking aid. Natural herbal products contain no harmful nicotine; instead, these carefully-selected herbal formulas contain a variety of powerful but gentle herbs and natural substances which safely reduce the craving for cigarettes while also effectively relieving the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal.