Nicotine Inhalers are an extremely popular method of giving up smoking. Mostly this is because of the success they have achieved in getting many addicted smokers off the tobacco for good. These inhalers are the latest advance in the field of nicotine replacement therapy technology.
A nicotine inhaler is a device which enables the user to suck air through the device, which on its way through the tube, filters through a nicotine soaked cloth which then carries on the air into the mouth and down into the lungs. Due to its similarity to traditional tobacco smoking, this type of therapy goes down great with smokers who find that nicotine patches are great for getting rid of chemical cravings, but who find their hands and mouths still crave “something to do” since they gave up the smoking habit.
These nicotine inhalers usually consist of around 10mg of pure nicotine. The nicotine is drawn and absorbed into the blood stream via the mouth blood capillaries and throat, and of course the lungs, although most is absorbed before it reaches the bronchioles, or the lung’s blood vessels.
The major manufacturers of nicotine inhalers recommend using around 4-6 nicotine cartridges per day for the first 3-6 weeks, although in our opinion this is way too much, and far more than most people actually need. Dare I say it, I suspect the nicotine replacement industry is fast becoming as mercenary and money-grabbing as the tobacco industry it seeks to replace! One cartridge will last a lot of ex-smokers a whole day, not just the twenty or so minutes they advise. So don’t use more than you have to as they are not cheap.
Some frequent side-effects of nicotine inhalers are:
- coughing (they can be quite itchy on the throat)
- upset stomach (many people feel a bit sick when first using them)
- throat and mouth irritation, and/or ulcers
You may also notice your taste sensors behave a little weird for a while, food can taste very different as can the air you breathe, which is a common side-effect of the chemical intake of this laboratory-grade nicotine.
You should always consult your doctor before using any nicotine replacement therapy.