Nicotine Replacement Therapy Orders

Reference Information:

• One regular cigarette = 1.1mg of nicotine
• One ultra light cigarette = 0.5 mg of nicotine
• One pack regular cigarettes = 22mg of nicotine
• One regular cigar = 7 cigarettes or 7.7 mg of nicotine
• One average size dip of chew in a mouth for 30 minutes = 3 cigarettes or 3.3mg of nicotine
• If patient smokes cigars or chews tobacco correlate dose based on quantity used and equate with the recommended dose for cigarettes.

Nicotine Replacement (check the appropriate delivery method and dose):

If patient smokes less than one pack of cigarettes a day:

• Nicotine Patch 14mg daily OR
• Nicotine Oral Inhaler 6-8 cartridges daily OR
• Nicotine Gum 2mg: 1 piece every 1-2 hours not to exceed 24 pieces a day

If patient smokes one pack of regular cigarettes:

• Nicotine Patch 21mg daily OR
• Nicotine Oral Inhaler 6-16 cartridges daily OR
• Nicotine Gum 2mg: 1 piece every 1-2 hours not to exceed 24 pieces a day

If patient smokes more than 1 1/2 packs of regular cigarettes but less than 3 packs:

• Nicotine Patch 21mg daily and Nicotine Oral Inhaler PRN up to 6 cartridges daily OR
• Patch 21mg daily and Nicotine Gum 2mg: 1 piece every 1-2 hours (not to exceed 24 pieces a day)

If patient smokes more than 3 packs of cigarettes a day:

• Nicotine Patch 21mg daily and Nicotine Nasal Spray 1-2 sprays (0.5mg each) in each nostril per hour PRN (not to exceed 5 sprays per hour or 40 sprays per day)