Smokers Double Their Quit Rate By Wearing Nicotine Patch Before Stopping
In an initial report from Duke University smokers trying to quit the habit may double their success rate by wearing a nicotine patch two weeks before their actual quit date, according to a Duke University Medical Center study. Currently, the patch's label warns against smoking while wearing the patch.
In a study of 96 smokers attempting to quit, 50 percent of those who wore the patch two weeks prior to quitting had stopped at four weeks. Only 23 percent of smokers who wore a placebo patch two weeks prior to quitting had stopped after four weeks. The same pattern appeared to continue for six months, although many of the study participants were no longer reachable to verify this trend, said the researchers