Whether you smoke or vape heavy or light, even if you’ve recently quit you can benefit from medications to quit tobacco, like nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges. Your healthcare provider is the best person to help you decide which medication is right for you and provide a prescription for medication covered by your health plan.
When using medications to quit or cut back on tobacco, keep in mind:
- Using medications as directed is important to get the full benefit.
- Incorrect doses and not staying on the medication long enough are common reasons people believe medications do not work for them.
- These medications are safe and the nicotine in nicotine replacement therapy is also safe.
- Combining nicotine replacement therapy – like the patch along with the gum or lozenge – is more effective for moderate to heavier smokers (10 to 25 cigarettes daily).
