NWR: Nicotine Patch

Kati0105 · August 2009

Anyone ever used these? I decided to try and see if they would get me over the three week hump, as I've only had luck quitting for a week or two. I had one on yesterday and it seemed fine but today I have a terrible headache - would you guess it is related or just a coincidence?TIA!

eastunder1 · August 2009

I quit smoking using the NicodermCQ system. It's the one that gradually reduces your nicotine over the course of three months. I can not say enough good things about it. Highly, highly recommended. Did you smoke at all while you had the patch on? If so that could cause the headache, because it will make you sick if you do, because there would be too much nicotine in you with the patch and the cigarette combined. If thats not the case, it could just be plain old withdrawl symptoms. I dint think its anything to be worried out. Just don't smoke and stick with the patches.

eastunder1 · August 2009

PS - Congrats on trying to quit! It is one of the best things Ive ever done for myself and I was a heavy smoker for a decade. I wish you luck

[Deleted User] · August 2009

i also quit on the nicodermcq step down system. however, it's not a magical cure. it's still very hard to quit, you have to WANT it and be determined. "deciding to try" is probably not going to be that successful of an outlook. do or do not, there is no try.

mandysmear · August 2009

I used nicoderm a few years back and found that if I didn't take the patch off by 6 or 7 it would keep me awake. So eventually, I took the step 3s (the least amount of nicotine) and cut them in half. It worked quite well for me as I never smoked much. Maybe 4-5 cigarettes a day. I still needed help quitting though. People are always like, "oh you barely smoke, so quitting will be a breeze!" Um, yeah no. You put a glass of wine or a beer in my hand and I want that cigarette. I still smoke socially. I can live with that though

Not everyone can only smoke sometimes though. I'm very lucky. Good luck!

Kati0105 · August 2009

Thanks! I think I might have the generic Target brand of those. I haven't had a cigarette in the two days I've been wearing the patches so the headache may just be random. Congrats on quitting, I am really dedicated to quitting well in advance of the wedding - my worst fear is being the bride who needs to sneak away from the reception for a cigarette

Kati0105 · August 2009

Um, yeah no. You put a glass of wine or a beer in my hand and I want that cigarette. I still smoke socially. I can live with that though

Not everyone can only smoke sometimes though. I'm very lucky. Yeah I wish I could do this, all of my friends smoke socially so it is hard not to, but then I end up having "leftovers" and continuing throughout the week. I am not very good with moderation in any aspect of my life.

mandysmear · August 2009

I had a cigarette at my wedding, but it was a total social thing. We were outside doing some photos with the cigars. My H had to have cigar photos... so we got to chatting with some guests outside, so I lit one up.. haha so classy.I get what you mean for sure... I didn't want to NEED a smoke on my wedding day either.

eastunder1 · August 2009

Ditto Daff. You HAVE to be serious and honestly want to quit 100%. And not for your parents, or your FI, or because you "think you should because you know it's bad for you" If you don't really want to, you will fail and then just be down on yourself. That's no good. I tried to quit once just because my FI hated that I smoked and it was an absolute disaster because had I been honest, I didn't actually want to. Once I got to a point where I really seriously did want them out of my life, it was a whole different ballgame.

Kati0105 · August 2009

I get what you mean for sure... I didn't want to NEED a smoke on my wedding day either.Yeah it isn't the actual act, it is more the "I want to stop talking to my guests so I can go outside and smoke" thought process I am hoping to avoid.

mandysmear · August 2009

East and Daff:How long have you been smoke free for?

sucrets4 · August 2009

Congrats and good luck, kati! DH does research at an addiction center and works a lot with smokers. He hopes his work will make it easier to predict who will succeed the most with specific treatments.He believes that, aside from the physical addiction, of course, it's a behavioral thing and that you have to reteach yourself to do things without a cigarette. Sorry if that's obvious, but I know he says that to people who are trying to quit.

[Deleted User] · August 2009

2.5+ years, not a puff. like east, i was a heavy smoker for about a decade.

mandysmear · August 2009

Sucrets I believe that 100%. I quit smoking in my car and that cut down on 98% of my smoking. I have never smoked in the house so that wasn't a problem. When my mom died I wanted to chainsmoke. But, I only allowed it when I was really sad or mad. Never when I was happy. That helped too because you stop associating smoking with certain events and situations.

mandysmear · August 2009

Good for you! That's awesome. Still get cravings?

[Deleted User] · August 2009

yep. but they're not very common anymore.

sucrets4 · August 2009

Question for you guys: how long was it before you had your first cigarette in the morning?

Kati0105 · August 2009

Thanks Sucrets! That's so cool that your DH does that, I am hoping people like him will be able to help people like me in the future

It is definitely behavioral as much as anything else. I'm trying to avoid booze at all costs for at least a few weeks, as that is a definite trigger.

[Deleted User] · August 2009

Question for you guys: how long was it before you had your first cigarette in the morning?t minus .42 seconds

Kati0105 · August 2009

Question for you guys: how long was it before you had your first cigarette in the morning?I have a two block walk from where I park to where I work so that is always usually my first one. I've never really smoked more than 5 or 6 a day outside of chain smoking while drunk, but for some reason those 5 or 6 are hard to give up.

eastunder1 · August 2009

Two years this past April. Going on what Suc said about the behavior thing - That is absolutely true. One of the hardest parts of quitting is just the "what the h*ll do I do while driving / drinking / after dinner / sex / when I'm mad" routine part of it. Thats why I think the NicodermCQ system is so genius. Because the first month, you still have pretty much the same amount of nicotein in your system with the patches that you would with cigerettes actually smoking. So you are overcoming the huge part of learning to live without the ACT of smoking, without the withdrawl symtoms. By the time they start tapering off your nicotein, you've become accustomed to not having the ciggerette. I thought it made it much, much more bearable learning to deal with the two issues seperately, instead of all at once together.

mandysmear · August 2009

Not until I left for work. Sometimes I worked at noon, so I'd have it in the car on my way. Other days I worked at 8am.

mandysmear · August 2009

Are you still getting cravings too?

eastunder1 · August 2009

When I lived by myself and smoked in my house, I had my first smoke probably about 20 minutes after getting up.Once I moved in with FI and didn't smoke inside anymore, I usually waited till I left the house for the day or till maybe an hour had passed, whichever came first.

[Deleted User] · August 2009

honestly, one thing i think really helped me succeed was that h and i quit together. i had to quit, but i knew and he knew that i couldn't do it if he was still smoking. so, he decided to quit with me. and we were both beholden to the knowledge that if one of us failed, we'd both inevitably fail. it kept us going in our weaker moments. especially since we seemed to alternate - so when i was having a weak moment he was doing better and gave me pep talks, and vice versa. but anyway, we both decided there was simply just no going back. it wasn't in option. i think it's key to have that mentality.

sucrets4 · August 2009

lol, daff. I'm not sure exactly why, but DH asks that as an indicator. He also says that the first one is usually the most difficult to give up and something about it being more severe the quicker you smoke it.Wasn't there that commercial of people doing things 'wrong'...like a guy was ironing a shirt while wearing it, and they equated that to changing your behavior with smoking?On of the studies he runs is seeing how long people can last without smoking. They come to the office and get paid not to smoke, however they have to pass a CO2 test before to prove they have been smoke free for like 12 hours or something. The room has a machine that is stocked with their fave cig and they get paid to sit there for up to 2 hours. Once you take a cig, you stop getting paid. I think they do other tests, but I know that's a big one.(PS - the smart thing to do is to wait until the end and then smoke, lol)

eastunder1 · August 2009

If I've been out drinking and I smell someone smoking, I get a little pang of "OMG WANT". Luckily I live in a really athletic-minded city where not a lot of people smoke and it is banned everywhere indoors, so I don't run into that a lot. Other than that though, I don't anymore. The first year was pretty bad about random cravings, but they're pretty much stopped outside of the alcohol induced ones.

sucrets4 · August 2009

btw, I used to be a social smoker. It was purely behavioral, though (parties, drinking) and I never had a physical craving. Sometimes I still get an urge, but maybe it's just because I associate it with a time in my life that was awesome.

mandysmear · August 2009

That's good East. Almost none of my friends smoke, so i am pretty lucky that way. I have to really really want one to make the effort to go outside in the middle of winter. And it's just not worth it to me. I get bored smoking outside by myself and I also feel very ashamed by it. I am embarrassed to be seen smoking.

tlv204 · August 2009

One of the hardest parts of quitting is just the "what the h*ll do I do while driving / drinking / after dinner / sex / when I'm mad" routine part of it.Definitely ditto. I still have cravings when I'm drinking a lot, but I only quit a few months ago. It was my first time "trying" to quit, so I guess i did it the right way :)I didn't use any patches or anything, but my BIL has tried them several times and said they made him sick, so he stopped using them. And started smoking again. I'm not much help, sorry! It could just be withdrawal or just a coincidence, I'm just saying I've heard of other people who didn't get along well with the patch. Good luck!

mouse10031978 · August 2009

I smoked for 11 years and tried quitting unsuccessfully once cold turkey. That only lasted about 4 months. I am now smoke-free for a year and a half and it is due to the patch (and a lot of determination). It helped me immensely. The headache could be from the patch, as it does have side-effects (it does have nicotine in it...). It could also be a coincidence, as you mentioned, or it could be due to anything- the lack of smoking, the stress of quitting etc. I would still give it a shot. Definitely DO NOT smoke (nope- not even one) while you have it on- you will NOT feel good and you will get sick! They really helped me, but I know that the patch is not for everybody.

NWR: Nicotine Patch

Re: NWR: Nicotine Patch

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