Surprising! While nicotine patches have already been offered for many years for smoking cessation, we learn that changing brands during withdrawal would be strongly discouraged and could cause unwanted effects.
THE ANSM LAUNCHES AN ALERT ON THE NICOTINE PATCHES!
ANSM (National Medicines Safety Agency) has just launched an alert on this smoking cessation device: all patches are not equivalent, they are not interchangeable from one brand to another.
In its press release, the Agency recalls that there are four brands of patches on the market: Nicotinell, Nicopatch, Niquitin and Nicoretteskin. The amount of nicotine they contain and the speed of diffusion are different. Indeed, for the first three, the doses are 7, 14 or 21 mg per patch over a period of 24 hours. However, for Nicoretteskin, the quantities of nicotines are higher and over a shorter diffusion time: 10, 15 or 25 mg over 16 hours.
Furthermore, the rate and the dose of nicotine absorbed to obtain therapeutic effects have never been compared between the different patches, with the exception of Nicotinell and its generic Nicopatch. "This is why, for the same dosage, two nicotine patches of different brands can release the active principle more or less quickly during the period indicated; the bioequivalence between the patches cannot therefore be guaranteed"Says the ANSM.
It is already difficult for smokers to quit, with the wrong dosage of nicotine the task becomes more difficult. This is however what is likely to happen by substituting one brand of patch for another. By replacing a 7mg patch with a faster diffusing 10mg patch, the amounts of nicotine in the blood increase too quickly, which can lead to overdose. Patients may then experience episodes of nausea, headaches or heart palpitations.
Conversely, if the amount of nicotine is too low, side effects can also be felt. With withdrawal ineffective, symptoms of withdrawal may include irritability, anxiety or sleep disturbance.
Source : Le Figaro
