AllieB

Wow!
I don't envy those who had patch-induced vivid nightmares. I loved the Technicolor quality of the dreams I had on the patch (but I didn't dream about rapists chasing me with heroin needles...more like elephants knitting cobweb blankets and trading cabbage recipes with pelicans. If I'd had scary dreams, I would have dreaded sleeping with the patch.)

marcel

had the most amazing dream experience ever last night whilst wearing a patch, not only was the dream vivid but lucid with it. did some research into this today, upon waking the first thing i said to my wife was that i just had a dream where i was kind of in control of it, the research shows that dreams being vivid are common but lucid are not. i wasn't in comlete control of the dream but was certainly aware that i was dreaming and was able to change the course of certain things that were happening within the dream, really weird!!! took the patch off during the night as it's not an experience i want to repeat but felt needed sharing. giving up on the patches now & going cold turkey, really not had a good experience with the patches & its only been 3 days!!

Joe Nerv

I tread carefully here as my opinion regarding certain things have been getting me into trouble lately. In my opinion and experience, nicotine patches, gum, etc, are BS. For the most part.

I tried quitting using nicotine gum a bunch of times (I don't think patches were yet invented), and failed miserably. When I was ready to quit, I quit.

I smoked 2 1/2 to 3 packs a day for almost 20 years, so I'm certain I suffered the full withdrawl... and it wasn't a big deal. Physically, I remember having a sore throat and cough (nothing much worse than a cold), and mentally I felt like I was high for about a week. Actually enjoyed the experience for most of the time. Was light headed and confused, but I functioned fine. Was in college at the time, and it didn't affect me in any negative way.

I don't think patches and gum help with the habit part, at least they didn't for me. They didn't stop or lessen my desire at all. From what I've seen with people around me I get the same. Some use patches and quit. Some just stop and quit. Both have similar experiences and neither group seems more successful than the other. If anything I'm pretty sure I know more who were succesful going cold turkey, then not.

Something that actually did help a lot with the urges was sucking and chewing on cinnamon sticks - which I did almost constantly for about 3 months. Read later that it has the same effect on the tastebuds as smoke and nicotine, and the act of playing around with the stick in my mouth helped with other stuff.

Point of all that, if patches are messing you up you might want to try going without them. I don't believe they will make or break your quitting. Most important thing is really really really wanting to stop.

IMO.

karate

Take the patches off at night -i do that and no problem

After all we did not smoke or chew tobacco at night - and im using the 21 mg .

taylord13

I used to suck on cinnamon sticks and I've been on the patch's forever. I've been taking it off an hour earlier everyday. My husband used the patch's as directed and he was quit in 8 weeks. I know I'm addicted to nicotine. I have to take the patch off at night because I get vivid dreams. I tired the nicotine gun and chewed them like candy. They didn't help, plus bad for the teeth. I want to become nicotine free

karate

JUST step them down as directed ,No side effects if you do it that way .

Are you stepping them down ?

patchy

Replying to your blog. It fought my attention as it sounded similar to a dream I had also when forgetting to take off my patch. I had one night before last which was one of the worst I've ever had, so vivid, the scenes, awful. While your in them it seems more real than a normal dream as if your really there. It got too much for me and luckily I woke up but in the between stage from dream to waking a voice told me not to go, scary, when I woke it was dark I had to put all the lights on in the house and I was really good scared for ages after I woke. These patch dreams are terrifying. Interesting you mentioned about the smell tho, I only had the one patch dream which had a smell, I was in a burning town on fire, trapped by it and the only way out was thru this Great Wall of abattoir meat, I had to push a great cutter thru to try get away from the fire, it was night and the smell was of the horrible meat burning, wen I woke up it was like I still had the smell in my nostrils, "like".

patchy

Hey just a quick word of advice. If your struggling to cut down the patches you could try staring them a little later each day, I find tackling the morning easier but you could keep pushing them back by half an hour each day. The other neat little trick is to only have the patch on for an hour or until you are relieved. You will find you don't need to have the patches on constantly, for me an hour works, then I take it off and simply hold it over my skin for a minute or so until it warms up and it sticks fine. 😁

lukemccal

I am only on my second day of the patches and i had a crazy dream okay so i work 3rd shift at our county jail so i sleep during the day so my dream was about someone sneeking in my basement widow and buiding up walls so i couldn't get down there and them painting smiley faces all in my yard. I am on the 14mg nicotine transdermal system patch and my dreams are so life like

Astro

Welcome to SR, Luke!

lukemccal

Thank you

Dan39uk

I just started using patches and had several horrific nightmares. The first being an apocalyptic type dream with me trying to find my 2 dogs and partner. ....screaming there names and dodging warring factions!! Almost bringing me to tears thinking about it. Just horrible

Astro

Dan, welcome and I hope you find relief from those nightmares.

Eggmelia

I have been having nightmares ever since I started these patches. Last night I dreamed I killed my mom then when the cops came for me all I could do was smile. Horrible! Them I had a dream that I got stuck in a thornbush and when my husband came to help he had shave off his beard and mustache. I asked his why and he said because "she" likes it better that way. I will never sleep in these things again.

Astro

Welcome to SR, Eggmelia. I hope you find comfort and support here, and easier rest eventually.

Garden Girl

Omg, I just woke up from a dream that I was at a university and ran into a really nice girl, we were chatting and my husband comes around the corner with his junk out screaming that there is a serial flasher in the area. Embarrassed, I yell at him to put it away. Then this guy comes around the corner with a gun. We get away, but my husband splits off with the girl, I run away alone. I can hear the guy with the gun killing random people as I run. I make it into a cafeteria that is full of scared people with their heads down. I yell at them to run out the doors now! We get out and there is police and a huge crowd. There is a guy in an orange had about to kill me, I yell to a cop and they shoot him. I just got up and ran. Things start to unfold and I am considered a suspect since I ran from the scene and find my husbands family. In the dream it turns out my husband was having an affair with the girl in the library and set me up. I was devistated and no longer a suspect.. I woke up so mad at my husband.. It was so real I still feel betrayed. It was a frickin dream!

Astro

That's very vivid GG, I'm glad it was only a dream.

Funki

I know this is an old thread but my understanding is this mostly happens when people leave the patch on overnight. They say to take it off right before bed if this is happening and bothering someone. So wearing it 16 hours instead of 24.

RunningScared

I ended up having to do that with the 21mg patches. I kept the 14mg and 7mg patches on during the night, and still had some vivid dreams.