Product Review: The Nicorette Inhaler, also Known as the The Nicotrol Inhaler

If you've been a regular reader of my articles, you already know that I've tried many, many times to quit smoking, with no long-term success to date. I've used everything from Nicorette chewing gum to a small electronic key chain, but so far nothing has kept me off cigarettes for good. Currently, I'm using a new product called the Nicorette Inhaler (known as the Nicotrol Inhaler in the United States), and in this article you'll learn all about this innovative new way to quit.

The Nicorette Inhaler is a small, white, plastic tube which fits in your hand like a cigarette. The inhaler holds a nicotine cartridge, and when you puff on the inhaler, a small amount of nicotine is released into your mouth and throat. The Nicorette Inhaler is intended to mimic the motions of smoking a cigarette, and thus is the first nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to address the hand-to-mouth ritual that many smoker's report craving while trying to quit.

The Nicorette Inhaler is sold over-the-counter in many countries, but in the United States, it is only available with a prescription from your doctor and is sold under a different brand name - The Nicotrol Inhaler. The over-the-counter and prescription versions of the inhaler are exactly the same; it is available by prescription only in America just because of FDA regulations. Many people in the U.S. find it cheaper and easier to order the over-the-counter Nicorette Inhaler from a Canadian website as opposed to trying to get a prescription. The over-the-counter inhaler is about half the price of the prescription version, but your insurance may cover the prescription Nicotrol Inhaler....look at your health plan to find out which option is cheapest for you.

Using the Nicorette Inhaler is easy. To begin, you'll open up the inhaler by twisting the two ends apart. Then you just "snap" in one of the nicotine cartridges, and screw the ends of the inhaler back together. You "puff" on the Nicorette Inhaler just like you would a cigarette, using either quick, shallow puffs or long, slow draws. The first time you puff on the inhaler, you'll notice a familiar "full" sensation in the back of your throat which comes close to mimicking actually smoking.

Each nicotine cartridge gives you up to 20 minutes of active puffing. You can decide on how long to puff on the cartridge in any one sitting based on your cravings for nicotine. For me, I found I liked to puff on the Nicorette Inhaler for about 5 minutes at a time throughout the day. The inhaled nicotine has a distinct, but not unpleasant taste so it becomes easy to know when all the nicotine from one cartridge is gone and it is time for another. At first you should use at least six cartridges per day, and over the course of 12 weeks you will wean yourself off of the cartridges until you no longer feel the need to use the inhaler.

I found the inhaler was very effective for me. The fact that I could "fidget" with the inhaler like a cigarette and that I could deliver nicotine through inhalation really helped me to cut down on the cigarettes I was smoking. It is safe to use the inhaler as a substitute for cigarettes while cutting-down on your smoking (for a further explanation of this topic, please see my previous Associated Content article by clicking here). While I have not completely quit yet, I feel that I am well on my way thanks to the Nicorette (or Nicotrol) inhaler. If you are looking for a NRT product to help you quit smoking and have been unsuccessful with the patch or gum, the Nicorette Inhaler may be for you. Ask your doctor for more information, or Google "Nicorette Inhaler" for websites where you can order it without a prescription.