I smoke about 1 and 1/2 packs of menthol light cigs a day. i am ready to try nicotine patches, my cardiologist states i can use 2 patches as much as i smoke? the patches are 21mg each and i heard the average light cigarette has about 2-3 mg of nic?

The dose is one patch a day. Nicotine patches, need to be taken off at night. Congratulations!! The important thing to consider is that the patches help with only one component of smoking addictions and habits, the nicotine body addiction. It does not help the emotions and habits of nicotine addiction. It assists, so your motivation, preparation by removing triggers is what will help more.

What we do in the methadone clinic is adjust dose every 3 days starting at a thoroughly safe (low) dose and seeing if someone's cravings can be controlled at a low level. so, maybe even 14 mg per day for 3 days. NOTE: there are a LOT more smokers than opiate addicts. the addiction lasts longer and is less amenable to substittuion fixing it.