a therapeutic method is provided to alleviate the tobacco withdrawal syndrome , the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal or the management of human body weight in nicotine - experienced or nicotine - naive individuals , comprising of administering an amount of nicotine metabolites or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof to a human in need of such treatment , in an amount which is effective to reduce or eliminate at least one of the symptoms of the tobacco withdrawal syndrome , nicotine withdrawal or manage human body weight .