Ask An Expert: Smoking Cessation Aids and Blood Pressure

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Ask An Expert: Smoking Cessation Aids and Blood Pressure

Question:

I am very serious about giving up smoking. Will nicotine patches, gum, or the new vaccine raise my blood pressure?

Answer:

Nicotine from patches, gum or inhalers does occasionally raise blood pressure. This is not usually a very dramatic effect, and it does not occur in most people. The nicotine inhalers (which boost nicotine levels in the blood more quickly than other nicotine medications) raise blood pressure in about 1 of every 30 people who use them.

Of course, smoking cigarettes can also raise blood pressure. Many people who smoke have a temporary increase in blood pressure of about 5 or 10 millimeters of mercury. This most commonly occurs after the first cigarette of the day. Heart rate also increases by about 10 or 15 beats per minute in many smokers after the first cigarette of the day.

The new vaccine that is being studied is not available outside of experimental trials. There is not any reason to expect that the vaccine would raise blood pressure.

Mary Pickett, M.D., is a lecturer for Harvard Medical School and an assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR. At OHSU, she practices general internal medicine and teaches medical residents and students.

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Last updated:	January 24, 2007

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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