How to Use a Nicotine Patch to Quit Smoking: Dose, Placement, Side Effects

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved seven medicines to help people quit smoking. All are safe and effective for adults who smoke cigarettes:

How the patch works

You put one patch on your skin in the morning and wear it all day; it releases nicotine steadily through the skin. Use it alone to control withdrawal, or with nicotine gum or lozenges for strong cravings.

How to use a nicotine patch to quit smoking, step by step. CDC.

Using it well

• Start on the right dose. The patch comes in 7 mg, 14 mg and 21 mg. If you smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day, consider starting at 21 mg. Don't wear two patches at once unless your provider says to. Over time — usually after 8 to 12 weeks — step down, aiming to stop entirely.
• Wear it for 24 hours, even in the shower. Put a fresh patch on clean skin when you wake up. If you get vivid dreams or poor sleep, take it off at bedtime and put on a new one in the morning.
• Choose clean, dry, hairless skin on the upper body — upper chest, upper or inner arm, shoulder or back. Avoid irritated, oily, scarred or damaged skin. Peel off the backing, apply it right away and press it down.
• Wash your hands with soap and water afterward.
• Rotate sites: use a different spot each day, and the same spot no more than once a week. Replace a patch that loosens or falls off.
• Dispose safely: fold the used patch in half, sticky sides together. Even used patches can hold enough nicotine to sicken children and pets — keep them out of reach, and call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) after an accidental exposure.
• Watch your mood. Quitting — with or without medicine — can bring depression or anxiety. Get help if those feelings last more than two weeks or get worse.

Getting the most from it

• Add gum or a lozenge — from the start or later — if cravings persist: the patch gives a steady level of nicotine, and gum or lozenges act faster on sudden cravings.
• Lots of cravings? Your dose may be too low; consider a stronger patch, or ask your provider if you're already on the highest.
• Slipped up? Keep using the patch. Throw away your cigarettes and get back on track.
• Get support: the patch works best alongside coaching from your provider or your state quitline.

Pros and cons

Side effects and what to do

Check with a provider first if you

• had a heart attack in the past two weeks
• have a serious heart rhythm problem, or heart pain (angina) that is serious or worsening
• are allergic to adhesive tape or have serious skin problems such as psoriasis or eczema
• could be pregnant or are breastfeeding
• are under 18

These medicines are FDA-approved for adults quitting cigarettes. If you use other tobacco — cigars, chew, snuff, hookah or e-cigarettes — talk to a provider or call a quitline. More on the patch, including precautions: DailyMed.

Free help to quit

Sources

Based on "How to Use Nicotine Patches," Tips From Former Smokers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The video, missing when the page was imported, is restored from the Internet Archive's copies of CDC's files (2026-09-27).