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HOW LONG DOES NICOTINE STAY IN THE SYSTEM?

by Reid K. Hester, Ph.D.


Questions from tobacco users frequently get include:

  • "How long does nicotine stay in the body?"
  • "Are there risks associated with quitting smoking or chewing tobacco 'cold turkey'?"

Most people can quit "cold turkey" without any ill effects other than feeling irritable, restless, and craving cigarettes. Others can't quit smoke so easily. Different people experience  nicotine withdrawal differently. Just like some people just begin to get comfortable when the weather thermometer hits 85 degrees, others find it too warm to breathe. It's all matter of your body chemistry.

People often want to get rid of nicotine as quickly as possible, but this isn't always the best way to stop smoking or chewing tobacco, especially if you've tried and been unsuccessful in the past.

In fact, the medications that have been scientifically shown effective to help smokers quit all involve administering nicotine, but in a lower dose than you'd get with tobacco. So it makes no sense to try and remove it all from your system quickly.

It's not the nicotine that makes you feel sick when you stop smoking, it's withdrawal from the nicotine!

If you've tried and not been successful, or if you have any medical condition for which you are (or should be) receiving treatment, talk to your doctor before you try to quit smoking or chewing tobacco. Doctors can show you how to use nicotine replacement drugs to slowly wean yourself off nicotine, and keep yourself relatively comfortable during the process. These medications include patches, a variety of gums, a nasal sprays, etc. and, they all deliver controlled levels of nicotine to the body.

Why do these medications help so much? They all help you wean off nicotine by keeping your nicotine blood levels high enough to prevent the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. They help you stay reasonable comfortable while you learn to cope with all the other things that remind you to smoke, like the car, the toilet, your favorite chair, ending a meal, ending a romantic encounter, waking up, etc.

For some people, those side effects are monumental, and can make them and the people around them miserable. Just to give you one example, irritability is a withdrawal symptom that makes it difficult to cope with everyday stressors, and can get someone in trouble for being short, rude or insulting at work or at home with their loved ones. Using nicotine as a medication to help these people stay level and clear-headed is the key to their success.

Here are some other useful facts about nicotine:

  • Nicotine is a short-acting drug that is eliminated from the body relatively quickly (i.e., within a day or so).
  • However, the effects of acute nicotine withdrawal can be felt for as much as two weeks or more.
  • In addition, the byproducts of nicotine can be detected in the blood for up to a month after you stop smoking. This is only of concern if you are in a situation where someone else might want to test you for the presence of nicotine or nicotine byproducts in your system.

Also, if you're going to quit, check out the many resources we have
here at the SelfhelpMagazine, including the Community Forums

I'm sure you'll find at least some of them helpful.

About the Author:

Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Director, Research Division , Behavior Therapy
Associates, 3810 Osuna Rd NE Suite 1, Albuquerque, NM 87109. Phone:
505.345.6100; FAX 505.342.2454.

revised 7-7-08
by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.

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