Abstinence was verified by breath and saliva testing. Both nicotine-spray and placebo users reported reduced cravings over time, and both groups gained weight - averaging 4.9 kg (about 11 lbs) in the nicotine spray group and 4.2 kg (about 9 lbs) in the placebo group by week 24. Mild-to-moderate side effects reported by both groups, but more often by the nicotine-spray users, included hiccups, throat irritation, nausea, and salivating too much. The study was funded by McNeil AB, which makes the Nicorette QuickMist mouth spray. Tonnesen and other researchers on the work have financial ties to McNeil AB and other NRT product makers. In general, experts recommend NRT products as one option in the battle to quit smoking. But they also stress that many people need a combination of measures, and several different attempts at quitting before they finally succeed. The American Lung Association (ALA) says that while some smokers can quit “cold turkey,” the best bet for most is to try a combination of medication and some type of behavioral counseling. An example is the ALA’s “Freedom From Smoking” program, which is available online (http://www.ffsonline.org). And NRT products are no “silver bullet,” said Dr. Gregory Connolly, director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard School of Public Health. In a recent study, Connolly and his colleagues found that in the “real world,” NRT products may not be all that effective in the long term. Using several surveys of about 800 smokers, they found that among people who tried to quit over six years, those who used NRT products were just as likely to relapse as those who hadn’t used the tactic. That’s not to say that NRT cannot help smokers, Connolly told Reuters Health in an email.