Nicotine patch, how long should I have it on for?

Last year I was diagnosed with UC. I spent 6 months on steroids and then I was able to achieve remission for 6 months. I was on steroids, Pentasa, and started smoking again. In November I quit smoking by way of the patch. It's now February and I was almost tapered off the patch when my colitis flared up again. I'm back on 7mg nicotine patch and I'm afraid to fully come off of it. Anybody use the patch for treatment and can tell me how long you kept it on? My disease is flaring right now but it's not nearly as bad as last year.

The scientific community has known for a long time that quitting smoking is a risk factor for UC, so they wondered if nicotine patches could be used as a treatment. This was tried on a large, large group of people with UC, and the results weren't very good. Going back to smoking was fairly effective, but the nicotine patch by itself was not. So they feel there is something else - or a combination of nicotine and something else - in smoking that has protective effects against UC. And doctors have a really hard time recommending a person go back to smoking, for good reason.

My point is this: The evidence of using a nicotine patch for UC treatment is not very promising at all. So do whatever you're comfortable with, but don't rely on it as your form of treatment for your UC.

Stay on the Pentasa, and if that's not enough, work with your doctor to add other treatments to control the UC.