We offer quitting smoking advice and one of our pharmacists can also provide funded Nicotine Replacement Therapy without a prescription from a prescriber.

What is nicotine replacement therapy?

• Nicotine replacement therapy helps you to give up smoking by relieving the desire to smoke.
• When you give up smoking, your body will miss the effects of nicotine and you may have symptoms such as irritability, frustration or anger,  restlessness, sleeplessness, difficulty concentrating, depression, increased hunger or weight gain, and a craving for cigarettes.
• Nicotine replacement therapy helps you to manage some of the withdrawal effects by providing your body with nicotine. It is usually used for 8-12 weeks but can be taken for a longer time if needed. 
• You can start nicotine replacement therapy while you are smoking, to help you cut down on the number of cigarettes you are smoking and eventually quit.
   

How do I choose the formulation that is suitable for me?

Nicotine replacement therapy comes in different forms – chewing gum, lozenges, skin patch, inhalator, mouth spray and Cooldrops lozenges. One of our pharmacists will discuss which formulation is suitable for you.

• This decision will depend on many factors such as the number of cigarettes you smoke a day, whether you smoke within the first hour of waking, and personal preference.
• Not all nicotine formulations are subsidised – the gum, lozenges and some strengths of the patches are subsidised if supplied on prescription or via the Quit Card Programme. The mouth spray and inhalator can be purchased over the counter from supermarkets or pharmacies for the normal retail price.   
• Some people find using more than 1 different formulation (the patch plus lozenges, gum or inhaler) helpful to reduce the cravings.
• Smoking can change how some medicines work. Talk to your doctor if you are taking regular medicines, the dose may need to change when you stop smoking.
• If you have diabetes, your blood glucose may need to be checked more often when you start using nicotine replacement therapy.