You should start using microtabs after your last cigarette.

Place the microtab underneath your tongue and allow it to dissolve. Do not suck or chew on the microtab.

The microtab may taste a little unpleasant at first, and irritate the throat. Do not be put off by this. The microtab is a medicine, not a sweet. Most people adapt to it very well after persisting for a day or two, but it may take up to a week to get used to it.

Peak levels of nicotine are reached about 30 minutes after placing the microtab beneath the tongue.

Placing the microtab beneath your tongue releases nicotine, which is absorbed into your blood stream through the lining in your mouth.

For the microtab to be effective you will need to take between 10 and 20 a day. This will allow your body to absorb about half of the average levels of nicotine in your system as you were getting when you were smoking cigarettes. This is enough to be of substantial help in reducing or removing the urge to smoke and withdrawal symptoms.

Using 2 or 3 microtabs a day is unlikely to be helpful.

Do not wait until you feel the urge to smoke before using a microtab; use regularly throughout the day. Aim to use 1 microtab an hour, at least 10 a day - especially during the first week. You can also put a microtab under your tongue if you get a sudden craving to smoke.

Try to avoid fizzy drinks, tea or coffee before, or at the same time as, using a microtab because they increase the acidity of your saliva and decrease absorption of nicotine. If you have had one of these drinks and you are due to use the inhaler, rinse your mouth out with water first.

Nicotine microtabs should be used fully for at least 8 - 12 weeks after stopping smoking. The dose should be gradually reduced over the last 2 weeks of treatment.

For information on:

nicotine products that are available and their prices click here.

the side effects of NRT click here.