Should you use nicotine patches to help with weight loss?

The latest wellness trend: Nicotine.

Social media influencers are posting viral video clips promoting nicotine patches as simple, low-cost options for losing weight and treating health problems ranging from brain fog and long-COVID to ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Nicotine patches are sold at drugstores, big box stores and online retailers to adults over 18; no prescription is required to purchase the patches. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nicotine patches to help people quit smoking. But can they also be used for weight loss?

Dr. Neil McDevitt, a bariatric surgeon at Novant Health General Surgery & Bariatrics in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, warns that there is no research about whether patches help with weight loss and limited evidence that nicotine is helpful for other health conditions.

“Nicotine patches could do more harm than good,” he said.

How do nicotine patches work?

Nicotine patches are adhesive patches that releasee nicotine into your bloodstream when you stick them to your skin. They come in several doses, so smokers can start with a higher dose and gradually move to lower doses to break their addiction.

How do you explain the popularity of nicotine patches for weight loss?

Nicotine has a similar impact on our brains and bodies as substances like sugar and exercise; it releases chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and endorphins that cause a rush of excitement.

What we're doing is trading the rush of excitement that comes from food for nicotine; it’s trading one addictive substance for another. It’s not healthy and I don’t think it's sustainable because it's putting a Band-Aid on the ultimate problem.

Is it safe to use nicotine patches for reasons other than quitting smoking?

There is a potpourri of chemicals that go into a cigarette. By using nicotine patches to quit smoking, you can avoid exposure to tar and all those other nasty chemicals and wean off that nicotine—but using any medication outside the boundaries of what it's intended for is potentially dangerous.

Is there any evidence that nicotine patches actually work for these health issues?

There are no studies looking at the effect of nicotine patches for weight loss.

We know that nicotine is an appetite suppressant, but instead of treating the desire to eat with rice, potatoes, pasta and sweets, we’re using nicotine. It’s trading one addictive substance for another.

There is research being done on nicotine as a treatment for low grade inflammatory conditions. Usually, when someone has a condition like rheumatoid arthritis or ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease that cause excessive inflammation, we use steroids or injectable or oral medicines to quiet the inflammation and there may be some instances where nicotine may actually be a drug that is eventually used in those patients but we need more information.

What are the risks of using nicotine patches?

Nicotine can lead to elevated blood pressures and hardening or narrowing of the arteries, which predisposes you to heart attack and stroke; there are also some cancers that appear to become more aggressive when exposed to nicotine. There are a lot of negative side effects to these patches, especially if you’re prone to these conditions already.

Why is it important to consult with your doctor before using nicotine patches?

Nicotine patches can have some unwanted side effects. If you are attempting to quit smoking, we have other medications that are really good at helping with the cravings.