Joint and muscle pain while using nicotine patches. how long does these side effects last. I have?

10 Aug 2012

Welcome to the site. I looked up all side effects and although rare, joint and muscle pain are listed as a side effect. I don't know if the symptoms will subside with continued use.
Best bet is to see your PCP for advise on continuing with the patches. Maybe a lower dose, stage 2, might relieve the symptoms. The references I looked at did not say, but your reaction was listed as common. So, please see your healthcare provider for help.
Best wishes with your smoking cessation.
Peace,
Sweet Hippie

19 Jan 2013

In my own personal experience, I have had the same pain problems with the patches. The pain I would experience was excruciating. If I wore the patch on my shoulder, the pain would originate in my shoulder joint, then send sharp, stabbing pains down to my elbow, and in some cases down to my wrist. When worn on my hip, the pain would shoot down to my knee. And like you said, it would stop me in my tracks. Lowering the dose and going down to a lower step didn't seem to alleviate the reaction, but I did find that if I wore the patch on my stomach, I didn't incur any joint or muscle pain. That was about 2 years ago when I tried to quit, and I'm giving it another shot!! Good luck to you with quitting!!