Nicotine patch - worse than smoking?

[icemaiden]

Has anyone managed to quit using the patches? I have been using them for a couple of weeks, and they are fantastic: hardly any cravings and feeling really good.

But... If I go without, forget it, or manage to sweat the damn thing away the smoking gremlins are back and with them the most chronic attitude problem. That is not like me and I really don't like it.

Is it purely a psychological thing or should I seriously be considering binning the patches and just going cold turkey? someone suggested hypnotherapy but I'm not convinced.

I'm now feeling more addicted than I ever felt when smoking :hmm: can anyone suggest a way to quit the patches, the cigarettes and be a normal and social human being?

[FakePilot]

Quitting smoking is very tough. I used patches too, but fell into the same trap you're describing. Unfortunately, after a while I started getting sensitive to the patches, (high heart rate etc) so I had to stop using them.

I did try Zyban, also known as Wellbutrin. This stuff worked great! I was quit off of smokes for quite a while.
I want to use it again, but I can't because of the drug I'm currently taking. :( For me, the effect was that I forgot about smoking, period.

My advice:

The patches may need more time to work, plus I assume your following the directions? Depending on how you smoke, you're supposed to change the patch type on a schedule, eventually being patch free.

Ask your Doctor if Zyban is right for you. (I sound like a commerical) Maybe your doctor will give it to you under Wellbutrin, and as a result insurance will cover it.

Yes, I've been on and off with smokes ALOT. I know it's hard! But quitters never quit!

Good luck!

[Zaherk]

I managed to stop by using the nicotine patches. Started off with the 10mg patches for 4 days, didn,t even bother to reduce the strenght of the patch, for the next 4 days two 10mg patches cut in halve , the last 4 days 1 patches cut in 4 pieces and I,m off smoking now for a month.

The biggest thing about stop smoking is that you have to do it for yourself and not for anybody else. You need to get your mind right and stop when you are ready , not when a Buddy , Girlfriend or a group decide it now the time to stop .

Once you've stopped like me now , forever be on alert not to fall for a "just one " for old time sake , it does not work , not even a drag from anybody at anytime.

Goodluck.

[robione]

I used to smoke 30 a day for the last 20 yrs.Sept last year i STOPPED SMOKING .
Lets have a small chat about this.
The terminology needs to be correct.You are not giving up anything.Giving up implies your making a sacrifice,and nothing could be further from the truth.
Forget the patches. Waste of money and only prolong the event of stopping.Your feeding your body with the very thing your trying to perj it of NICOTINE.
YOU ARE ADDICTED TO NICOTINE

It takes 3 wks to purj this little monster from your body and then you will be free for the rest of your life and enjoy a different quality of life like i am right now.I feel free of the monster that once controlled everything like it will be with you.Im sorry, but anyone who says that its not easy to stop smoking just isnt in touch with reality. STOPPING SMOKING IS LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK Im 9 months down the line and free forever of ciggarettes and happy. Before anyone says its only 9 months forget it,i said and did the same over booze and that was 7 yrs ago and not a single drop has passed my lips since.

You need to get rid of the nicotine by stopping smoking and you need to get rid of the most important thing that keeps you smoking

THE BRAINWASHING.
I cant get thru the day without my little crutch the ciggy[bullss****]
its late at night and your worrying have i got enough cigs to get me thru till morning.Slavery your a slave to the weed.
cigs dont improve meals they ruin them.They destroy your sense of taste and smell.Most people say the cig i enjoy most is the one after a meal.What a happy load of horse**** that is.

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE MEAL GETS IN THE WAY AND INTERFERES WITH THE SMOKING you rush thru the meal just to be able to give your body the nicotine its craving,so anyone who says to me that its the one after the meal hahahaha.Ive been there ive done it and worn the t-shirt.
I smoke when im stressed ---bull**** again---ciggarrettes cause stress.You get stressed when you cant smoke------its a vicious circle isnt it.

I smoke to relax-----haha--Nicotine is a stimulant so its certainly not going to relax you.Your a nicotine addict,you will never be relaxed cos your constantly thinking about your next fix the ciggy.Even when you think you are relaxed and in control your not because the nicotine is controlling you,u got it the message is getting home.
It helps me concentrate---when i put my last one out i went from thirty a day to none a day and boy can i concentrate now.

Ciggarettes destroy your nerves not relax them.
We get bombareded with bull**** that ciggarettes relax us and give us confidence.When u see a condemed man whats his last request ? you got it--- you see its all bull**** brainwashing.Grand prix cars named after cigg brands its all still there even if a little subtle compared to b4.
Lets look at some good reasons to stop
HEALTH-WEALTH-ENERGY-SELF RESPECT-FREEDOM-HAPPINESS-
and on a lighter note-- my bedtime activities go on much longer because ive got more energy and im not thinking about finishing so i can have a smoke---yep--u can mastur------longer hahah.

Good luck you can do it without any patches,cutting down or any other method designed to prolong the event.
Stump it out tell yourself that is the last ciggarrette i will ever smoke in my life and move on,its that easy.

i can recommend a good book that will send you on your way.Pm me anyone who wants the info

[BlueDiamond]

Good luck with it, icemaiden. When I decided to give up the weed last year, I spent some time designing my plan of attack. I decided which day it would be and which aids I would use. Not only did that give me time to get used to the idea, I began to actually look forward to having that last cigarette.

I used the 24 hour patches as opposed to the 16 hour ones and did the full three month course exactly according to instructions. Because there is never a time when you are not getting a little nicotine "drip-feed", you never get much by way of withdrawal symptoms etc. and I found this great.

For times of absolute desperation, I also used a nicorette inhaler ... this is not recommended because of "the possibility of a nicotine overdose." They were joking right? Like someone who had been smoking 60 a day would get nicotime poisoning from a patch + inhaler!!

Anyway, that programme worked very well for me and by the time I was using the third-stage patches, I was well on my way to being "smoke-free." It's just over a year now since I had my last one and I don't really have any inclination to start again. There are still times when I feel I would love to have one but even my brother who gave up 11 years ago still gets the odd wish for one so I'm not too put off by that.

Good luck with it.

[Aussierotor]

I gave up nicotine patches as they were to hard to light

[Barnaby the Bear]

I think Robione read the same book as me. I gave up just over a year ago. Not one craving. I don't even know the exact date I gave up.
Allan Carrs, Stop Smoking.
Not trying to advertise. I borrowed it from a friend. It worked for me after all the nicotine substitutes failed.
Patches just gave me manic nightmares. :}

Just buy more washing powder. You'll notice the smell on clothes more!

[icemaiden]

so good to know the patches can actually work - I will be sticking with them :ok: much to the relief of my colleagues!!

Will have a look for Alan Carr's book, that sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions, you made my day.

[Barnaby the Bear]

Forgot to add.
The book only costs about £7.99 (free to borrow off someone). And they make you continue smoking until you have completed it. Sounds bizarre but very effective.
What are nicotine patches....£30?:} :ugh:

[Flyin'Dutch']

Alan Carr's book works very well for some people, bit of a personality thing.

Nicotine replacement makes it twice as likely that you manage to stop than any other non medical method and Zyban is twice as likely to be successful than the nicotine replacement.

There is no evidence to support any of the nictonine replacement therapies over one another (they are all as effective so choose what you fancy best).

There are some undesireable sideeffects possible with Zyban and some categories of people are not suitable for the medication (or vice versa depends on your viewpoint)

Those that have tried to give up a few times are most likely to succeed.

Don't give up, giving up!

Best of luck

FD