Nicotine Patch Nightmares!!!
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.)
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.)
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1
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!!
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.
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.
Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 59
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.
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.
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
Are you stepping them down ?
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2
Patch dreams
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".
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2
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. 😁
Member
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2
Patches
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
Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1
Nightmares too!!!
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
Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1
At wits end
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.
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.
Last edited by Garden Girl; 05-02-2018 at 09:34 AM. Reason: Flashed is supposed to be flasher
Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 137
Re: Nicotine Patch Nightmares!!!
I've had some crazy dreams when I started using the patch. Last night was no different...
Some are so vivid and horrifying, other are more like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
I love to share some "Nicotine Patch Dreams" with someone. I have tons, and I remember many of them vividly.
Last nights was about armageddon... my town was burning, low flying planes everywhere, people crying out. The smell of death... even in my dream the smell was overpowering. I was trying to find someone, and I just couldn't get to them. Even the strange little girl I was with was trying to stop me from my task, slowing me down. She was an evil little girl come to think of it. When I got to where I was going, she called to Army on me, and I had to run before I could get to whoever I was trying get to. Then I woke up
Anyone else? If not, I have more...
Some are so vivid and horrifying, other are more like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
I love to share some "Nicotine Patch Dreams" with someone. I have tons, and I remember many of them vividly.
Last nights was about armageddon... my town was burning, low flying planes everywhere, people crying out. The smell of death... even in my dream the smell was overpowering. I was trying to find someone, and I just couldn't get to them. Even the strange little girl I was with was trying to stop me from my task, slowing me down. She was an evil little girl come to think of it. When I got to where I was going, she called to Army on me, and I had to run before I could get to whoever I was trying get to. Then I woke up
Anyone else? If not, I have more...
Member
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 383
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.
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