need help deciding

[annie5]

I don't know if I should get the patch to help me quit or what. Cause then I will have to wait until the 15th to get them. I have tried it in the past, and the first time it helped me. The second time it didn't. Maybe I thought it would go into my system quickly, but I sopped the first day. How is it supposed to work, and how long does it take to get in your system? I was thinking about going cold turkey, but I get really edgy and want to sleep most of the time. Well please help me out. I need tips to prepare. Thanks.
Annie

[JonesCarpeDiem]

I used the patch for 10 of the first 14 days.
There were days I forgot and I used those days to see how I did without.
It is doable.
The patch is just an aid to take the edge off. It does not deliver anywhere near what a pack of cigarettes does. If you listen to your body and not the cravings, you will control your destiny.

[annie5]

Thanks everyone! I think I will buy the patch. I will have to wait till pay day though. There is a class on base where they can give you the patch, but it didn't work (or I didn't give it a chance), so I stopped using it. I don't want to go through the class again, so I will have to purchase it. Too embarrassed to go back, lol. But should I buy the generic store brand or go with the ones that are not generic???
Annie

[becky16]

Hi Annette!
Everyone is different, so it is hard to tell you how it will affect you. I know for me, the patch was a life saver. It was the only way I could quit. I think it depends a lot on how much you smoke. If you smoke a pack or less a day, the patch works fine. If you smoke more, it doesn't help all that much because you are getting more nicotine than the patch can give. I had to cut my cigarettes down first. So, I smoked less and less until I got down to about 17 cigarettes a day. I stopped smoking in the car and every week I would delay my first cigarette by 15 minutes. This helped a lot when I actually quit, too! I did find that it takes about 24 hours to get into your system completely. I started by putting the patch on the night before I was going to quit. By the next morning I had some nicotine already in me. No one can tell you what is best for you, only you can decide that......these are only suggestions. However you decide to quit, I will be here for you if you need support...

[becky16]

Hi Kristie,
I don't know if there is any difference or not between the store brand and the other. I think as long as it says 21 mg for the first step, it should be the same. I did hear from someone else that they don't stay on as well though. I went with the Nicoderm only because I wasn't sure myself. But, you are right, the store brand is more affordable. You could try a little paper tape if they don't stay on. I found the patch to work very well. I hope they work for you too!

[andrea30]

Hey Annette - I'm not using the patch for my quit, but if it's going to help you use it. And never feel guilty for not making it the first time. You're back doing it again and that is the important part. Now that you've joined us you are a step ahead. Everyone here has helped me so much with their support, it's been wonderful. SO TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE I SAY THANK YOU!
You might want to try reading "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr to help you with your mental side of it. I know that in the book it says not to use any sort of nicotine replacement, but if you need it use it. What I got from the book was how to really mentally deal with my cravings. I will not smoke ever again. Not one more pack, not one more cigarette, not one more puff. It really has helped me and made this one of the easiest quits I've had. I'm on day 9 and to be honest I feel absolutely fantastic.
Just remember you can do it and we are all here to help you anytime you need it.

[manofsteele]

Hey there Annette ...

To patch, or not to patch: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous name brand pricing,
Or to take arms against a sea of store brand alternatives,

Never cared much for Shakespeare or patches .... but they seem to help some people quit ...so best wishes with your decision.

There are lots of ways to quit so choose one and make it work.... with the most important ingredient I feel and that is a positive attitude no matter how you quit. Get loads of information so you have the facts and not believe all the twisted concoctions of the nicodemon has led us to think is reality.

I found daily pledging with others made my quit stronger and easier to handle. It made me accountable and I didnt want to fail and used the support of the other pledgers to get me through some tough times without making up excuses to take even one puff.

u can do it ... believe and never stop believing that it is the best decision for you and your body ..... be proud and be set free !

4+ smoke free years and luving it .... great news is that you can do the same ... hours turn into days, weeks months then years ....

[edith2]

I say don't wait till the 15th. That will give your addiction more time to con you into not quitting at all. Just do it. Don't even call it cold turkey. Making the leap into not smoking is scary because it's like throwing away your comfort blanket. But this time you're not alone. You have lots of people here to be with you. It's going to be hard no matter how you do it. But the hard part is temporary. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and the first time I learned how to jump off a diving board. I remember how scared I was to jump off that board. But there was an instructor already in the water encouraging me to jump and telling me he'd catch me. I hesitated and got more nervous by the second. Then I jumped and I could feel my heart in my throat. I hit the water and that instructor caught me as soon as I landed. I remember him telling me how good I did. I looked around and I was okay! I then remember feeling great because I walked through that fear and I jumped!

[becky16]

Kristie,
I don't know if your crying jag has anything to do with the meds and patches. I will tell you that I got real emotional when I first quit and had those kinds of dreams. I think the toxins leaving your system have a lot to do with it. I'm not trying to talk you into staying with he patch, but just wanted you to know that it is quite common to have those emotional dreams. They seem to go with the patch. You could try taking the patch off at night and see if that helps. When i quit using the patch, I was on an anti-depressent too. My doctor never said anything about the two not using the two together. Did your doctor tell you this?

[suzzy12345]

Sleeping is part of the withdrawal which is natural. I would not have been able to make it cold turkey, and because of that I am on the patch. Like you, I tried it once before, and things where going good until I stepped down to the next level. This is where I crashed, and ended up in the Hospital. I was taking the patch off, waiting a hour having a smoke, waiting a hour, and then putting the patch back on. A no, no for me - as I ended up with sit up and take notice pains. At anyrate, that proved to scare me off the patch for about a year. Here I am today...,,,on the patch....since May 6th. I am going to stay on the patch as long as it takes, and I will not step down to the next level until I am good and ready. In the earlier stages I would wear the patch to bed, and I would end up with some pretty wicked, vivid dreams. Over time, the dreams have subsided. I am also finding that I can leave one patch on for two days before I have to change it. Good luck in your quit....and remember we are all here for you!