The patch

[Bjen]

I normally post on the friends and family of alcoholics but here I am now.

I quit smoking 48 hours and 45 minutes ago. I finished my cigarettes in the morning, slapped on a patch and had a puff that evening of my sister's cigarette and haven't had anything since. I already feel better and I don't stink and my skin looks better around my eyes and my lungs aren't heavy or squeaky.

I work in an alternative health care facility. My doc talks his talk and walks his walk. I respect him and am feeling some motivation from him. There is a 21 day cleanse we sell at work and I want to do it. No point in doing it if I smoke right? I also gained a few pounds this year and want to get rid of it. Smoking drains me and makes it hard for me to want to exercise.

I have a patient that quit smoking using the patch. She gave me 5 of her step one patches that she didn't need. I wondered what anyone else thought of it. She told me not to wear it to bed cuz it gave her wierd dreams. But I did and it did the same to me, I slept 3 hours and woke up, wide awake. I am a good sleeper so this is not normal for me. I took the patch off and in 3 more hours I fell back to sleep. It felt like it took that long for it to wear off. Strange huh?

So I only wear it when I know I may be tempted to smoke and take it off a couple hours before bed. I put it back on after I noticed a bad craving. It also hurts my skin and itches badly for the first few hours I wear it.

Does anyone else have any feed back on the patch?

[greeteachday]

Congrats on quitting!!
I used the patch effectively to stop the first time I quit (mid 90's...for 4 years, now I am back again and really want it for good!) I'm not sure if they have changed any since then, although I suspect not...I used them occassionally on cross country flights and found similar things.
I do remember weird dreams. I also found the stage one patch was too strong for me and I was more comfortable with the middle dose (considering the amount I smoked and the type, it made sense too - seemed like I was getting way more nicotene in the patch) I also had a difficult time with the itching and irritation. I experimented a bit with placement until I found a more comfortable spot.

[getr345]

For me, the patch was just as addictive as cigarettes and I have abused both of them in my life. The one thing I will say is you should pick one or the other and not combine them, that is very dangerous and you can get very sick. In the end, you still have to take that patch off once and for all and deal with nicotine withdrawal so in a way you are delaying what has to be done but it's better than smoking. And yes, it irritates the skin and causes crazy dreams if you wear it at night.

[lotustea]

Congrats on quitting! I am on the patch too. I quit 2 weeks ago. I am on the high dose one. I definetly dont sleep with it on due to dreams. I am in a stop smoking research program so i get them free. I stay on the high dose for 4 weeks then take the two steps down in dose for 2 weeks each. I have gained alot of weight over the past few years and cant gain any doing this but I have really wanted to do some kind of detox cleanse thing to get me started on better eating. Since I am putting nicotine in my body though it seems like it would be unhealthy.

[historyteach]

The patch is nicotine, yes.
But, it does not contain the over 500 other chemicals that sickarettes have in them!
That's why they are a safer alternative to use *while* quitting.

One should never combine the two, it's true. You can get a nicotine overdose, and it's possible to have a heart attack.
The directions clearly state not to combine. Your doctor should also reinforce that fact.

The reason for the patch is to help quit smoking. Yes, you're still using nicotine. But, it's a STEP DOWN process. That means one is slowly weaning off. There's no shock to the body as there is with a "cold turkey" approach. That approach may work with some, no doubt. But, because of the shock to the system, (especially with heavy smokers), many often fall back to the nico-demon, and inhale the nicotine and those chemicals too! The patch is a lesser harm approach that weans the user off the substance. And it's a valid approach that has worked for millions.

Good luck!

Shalom!