What is cotinine?
Cotinine [COAT-e-neen] is a chemical that is made by the body from nicotine, which is found in cigarette smoke. Since cotinine can be made only from nicotine, and since nicotine enters the body with cigarette smoke, cotinine measurements can show how much cigarette smoke enters your body.
Is cotinine harmful?
As far as we know, cotinine itself is not harmful. Cotinine is used simply to measure how much tobacco smoke has entered your body. However, many studies show that some of the 4,000 other chemicals found in tobacco smoke are harmful.
Why should I have a cotinine test?
If you are serious about stopping or reducing your smoking, or if you are interested in the amount of smoke that has entered your body, this test can be very useful. By knowing what your starting level of cotinine is, you can see how successful your efforts to stop smoking are.
How is cotinine measured?
A simple laboratory test can measure cotinine in blood, urine, or saliva.
Why don't you just ask how much I smoke?
Smoking behavior varies. For example, two people could each smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. One may smoke unfiltered cigarettes, inhaling deeply with each puff, while the other may smoke a low tar, filtered cigarette, puffing lightly and smoking only half of each cigarette. The cotinine test would be able to show a difference in the amount of cigarette smoke entering the bodies of these two smokers.
How much cotinine is normal?
People who do not smoke or who are not exposed to other peoples' smoke should not have measurable cotinine. People who do smoke will have a cotinine level of 10 or higher in their blood, and a typical smoker has levels of 150 to 450 units. Levels in urine are ten times higher.
How can I reduce my cotinine?
The only way to reduce your cotinine level is to stop or reduce your exposure to cigarette smoke.
How long should it take for me to see a drop in my cotinine level if I stop smoking today?
Depending on how high your level is to begin with, your level could drop to that of a nonsmoker in 7 to 10 days.
If I stop smoking, then start again, how soon will cotinine show up in my body?
Laboratory testing will detect cotinine within hours after you've had a cigarette.
If I switch to a low nicotine cigarette, will my cotinine level drop?
It might, but it depends on how you smoke low nicotine cigarettes. To satisfy a craving for nicotine, some people smoke more low nicotine cigarettes than they would regular cigarettes, and their cotinine level may actually increase.
Do nicotine patches, gum, or aerosols have an effect on cotinine levels?
Because they all use nicotine, these devices can increase cotinine levels. If you are having a cotinine test, make sure that you mention on the lab slip that you are using nicotine replacement products.
What about other people's smoke? Won't my cotinine level increase if I breathe other people's smoke?
If you breathe a lot of cigarette smoke even though you yourself don't smoke, your cotinine level may be higher than that of a non-smoker. If so, you should try to avoid places where there is a lot of smoke.
How can I stop smoking?
There are many different ways to stop smoking, but there is no one way that's best for everybody. The cotinine test will help you to measure the success of whatever way you try. Ask your doctor for advice, or contact organizations that are experienced in helping people give up cigarettes.