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Patch or no patch ? Cancel

1. yannick

   

   9 posts
   Registered:
   12 May 2021
   25 Feb 2023

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   Hi Everybody,
   
   30 years of smoking here..., 20 cigarettes a day.
   Since 3 days I am totally smoke free and I am using the patch during day time (I remove it for sleeping)
   
   I have an issue with the patch (21 mg)
   I believe it does help well to reduce cravings during the day, but I am experiencing about 30 minutes of dizziness and nausea every morning shortly after applying the patch. Very unpleasant.
   
   Whereas it seems the patch is helping for cravings it is also giving me undesirable temporary side effects.
   I am not sure which of the 3 options I should use to maximize my success:
   
   1) Keep using the patch and deal with the 30 minutes of nausea
   2) Use NO patch, but chew nicotine gums from time to time during the day when cravings appear
   3) Simply go totally cold turkey with 0 nicotine support.
   
   Not sure what to do... and would be curious to see if anyone on this forum has been experiencing the same symptoms as me.
   
   Thanks!
   Good day 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. aurora

   

   94 posts
   Registered:
   08 Mar 2018
   26 Feb 2023 in reply to yannick

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   Hello yannick
   First of all, congrats on your quit! I think any of the options could work. 
   For me, I tried many different ways to quit, many different times. I was unsuccessful, for the most part.  
   The patch was effective for a few months the first time I tried it, but each time I used it again, it really bothered my skin. 
   What worked for me was nicotine lozenges and gum when needed, and NOPE - Not One Puff Ever
   I am coming up to 5 years of no smoking on March 5, and NOPE has been a key part of that success.
   Of course, it was not easy, and I remember the early days were quite hard physically, with headaches, and nausea. 
   
   Keep it up! It is worth it!
   
3. yannick

   

   9 posts
   Registered:
   12 May 2021
   26 Feb 2023 in reply to aurora

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   Thank you Aurora for taking the time to share your experience. It is much appreciated and very inspiring!
   I think I am going to deal with the patch for a few more days and then switch to gums as needed.
   I haven't been yet able to conclude if the nausea is triggered by the patch, or simply a temporary symptom of tobacco withdrawal... Will see.
   And like you, the patch bothers my skin. Very itchy and reddish...
   
   Out of curiosity, for how long did you rely on nicotine lozenges and gums in your journey to become 100% substance free ?
   Thank you.
4. ststephen

   

   24 posts
   Registered:
   23 Feb 2023
   26 Feb 2023 in reply to yannick

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   Hi Yannick. Big congrats on the quit. I'm just getting started - 3 days. I read somewhere that it may beneficial to try with the 14 patch if the bigger one makes you feel too sick. I'm on the patch too and it seems to be really helping. Along with this forum.
5. yannick

   

   9 posts
   Registered:
   12 May 2021
   27 Feb 2023 in reply to ststephen

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   Thank you Stephen for sharing your opinion. All the best to you as well in this journey! Yes, I think going to the step 2 of patch (14 mg) is perhaps the solution to consider.
6. ststephen

   

   24 posts
   Registered:
   23 Feb 2023
   27 Feb 2023 in reply to yannick

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   my first day back working without tobacco. Was better than I thought. The patch is helping. Had a few cravings and the spray was helpful. Does anybody else us patch and spray? 
7. yannick

   

   9 posts
   Registered:
   12 May 2021
   28 Feb 2023 in reply to ststephen

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   So far I only use a 21 mg patch, and I have been relatively successful (although not easy) to refrain the cravings (about 6 to 8 noticeable cravings each day).
   
   On the CAMH Quit Smoking program, it says:
   
   "Combining NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) patch with other forms of NRT can improve your chances of successfully quitting compared to patch alone, especially where immediate/fast effects are desired. You can use the short-acting NRT (gum or lozenges) for breakthrough cravings while using the patch"
   
   I am not a doctor, but my concern is that by doing so, we might actually reinforce the nicotine addiction, by having a greater daily income of nicotine in our body vs. the intake we used to have by cigarettes only.
   
   That being said, I assume that using additional NRT such as gums, or spray, or lozenges, in addition to a patch, outweigh the risk of relapse.
   
   
   
   
   
8. dublinguy

   

   349 posts
   Registered:
   09 Dec 2021
   01 Mar 2023 in reply to yannick

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   Hi Yannick...
   
   Seasoned quitter here and back here now again desperately trying to knock this habit out of the water once and for all.
   
   Im using the patch again. Step 1. Last time I had a good 6 month quit I used the Step 1 patch for 8 weeks then then step 2 for 2 weeks and the step 3 for another 2 weeks. So 10 weeks in all. I didnt take it off at night, but did have some very vivid dreams while on it. Then there was the nausea at night if I lay on my right side, headaches, actually throwing up, dizziness and just feeling irritable and cranky. Those symptoms lasted a few weeks but did ease up and the dreams stopped once the patch program finished.
   
   I used the spray the last time too... and i did find it really helped but I think I was using it a bit too often and that started making me throw up too. So Im not going to use that this time... you have to spray it into the cheek. It does work. But now as well as the patch, I have one of those elfman puffers.... they taste fruity and do help give you that sensation that you are breathing in something like when we smoke. Its all about trying to readjust our habits and not give into temptation. Im willing to put up with a bit of discomfort and side affects for a little while if it means i can finally beat cigarettes for good.
   
   
9. yannick

   

   9 posts
   Registered:
   12 May 2021
   01 Mar 2023 in reply to dublinguy

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   Thank you '' Dublin Guy'' for sharing your experience. I like the "Seasoned quitter'' definition! :) Crossing fingers for your new attempt! Like you I had a previous quitting experience that lasted about 1 year, and I naively restarted during a stressful period, hoping it would just be a temporary fix. But it took very little time to come back to 20 cigarettes per day . Anyway, the good point is that I had a one year break.
   
   
     Interesting to see that you did follow the full recommended 10 weeks patch steps (1-2-3) and were successful. 
   Out of curiosity, at the end of your 3 steps, were you still having some cravings ?
   
   On a side note, I did read the Allen Carr method. I have mixed feelings, but I think there are some very good information to help understand the psychological impact of tobacco addiction.
   
   
10. dublinguy

    

    349 posts
    Registered:
    09 Dec 2021
    02 Mar 2023

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    I was the same.. after 6 months I thought it would be fine to have the odd one here and there when out drinking or whatever and soon twas back to a pack a day habit again. Sometimes even more.
    After the 10 weeks the last time, I didn't have any cravings at all when I came off the patches. But I was using the spray like no ones business.
11. ststephen

    

    24 posts
    Registered:
    23 Feb 2023
    02 Mar 2023

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    Hi dublin guy - how long did you go nuts on the spray? Do you recommend it?