But puff for puff, it delivers about 10 percent of the nicotine in a cigarette,'' he said. Leischow recommends using the Inhaler for 12 weeks to break the habit. The inhaler serves as a nicotine replacement therapy. It works by delivering small doses of nicotine to satisfy the physical cravings as the smoker tries to quit. But it doesn't have the harmful tars and toxins of cigarettes, said McNeil Consumer Products Co., the Fort Washington, Pa., company that makes the product.
Smokers place a nicotine cartridge inside the mouthpiece of the inhaler, close it and puff on it.
The nicotine turns into a vapor that is absorbed primarily into the mouth and throat, but not the lungs. Leischow said each cartridge contains about 400 puffs, the equivalent of 3-5 cigarettes. The inhaler doubles the chance of a person quitting, which is comparable to the patch and gum,'' Leischow said. D.C. Nicotine hits the brain within 5-10 seconds. Leischow said the inhaler is the first line of treatment for smoking cessation, and it should be used in conjunction with behavioral support.