Odd question about nicotine patches & diving...

[chrispete]

I quit smoking last week and have been using the patch for help. Tonight I had a pool class and made it a point to bring a spare patch as I erred on the side of caution figuring that 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine + pressure wouldn't be a good combination. Of course, I completely forgot to remove the patch before jumping in, and didn't remember it until I had exited the water (surprisingly, it was still stuck on quite well.) I tore it off and replaced it.

My question is: Would the pressure in fact cause the nicotine to be delivered faster, in larger quantities than normal? If so would it be enough to cause any OD symptoms? (I felt a little goofy on getting out of the water, but that could have been just me enjoying the dive .)

 

[WreckWriter]

I'm not a doc but I have dived with patches on and not noticed any ill effect. I'm planning on having another go at quitting soon so will watch this thread with interest.

Tom

 

[Dee]

We had a couple of divers on our last trip to Roatan who wore the patches all week with no ill effects.

 

[chrispete]

Thanks for the info, that'll save me the extra $4 per patch or so that I waste by changing my patch twice in one day. More $ for scuba toys

 

[John Reinertson]

That's a good question. it turns out the patch absorption of nicotine is dependent on the concentration of nicotine at the skin surface.
Since the patch is flexible, there is no pressure gradient between the patch and the underlying skin.
At 68 fsw, the patch is at 3 ATA, and the skin beneath it is exposed to 3 ATA.
Hence, the only diffusion that occurs is due to the concentration gradient of the nicotine, and pressure cancels out of the equation.

Please don't make fun of me, the world needs nerds, too!

(I started out in 1970 to be an engineer, but couldn't write well enough, so I had to become a doctor.)


See you underwater, with or without patches!

John

 

[chrispete]

it's nice to know why they won't cause harm.