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Give and get support around quitting

bb041281
Member

welbutrin + patches

i am using welbutrin and nicotine patches as part of my quitting. it is day two since ive quit and it is going well.  this is my second week on welbutrin and I think it is affecting my dreams in a negative way.  which medication should i wean off of first? i see the dr again May 6 and was going to ask him to start weaning me off the webutrin at that time.  Anyone who has done these meds before have any advice? maybe i should mention that i am on suboxone too for this post

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13 Replies
JACKIE1-25-15
Member

Congrats on two days of freedom.  Generally if possible you can take the patch off before going to sleep.  I used Wellbutrin.  It would keep me awake therefore I would take it in the late afternoon so that it would not affect my sleep.  You can try those two suggestions or tweak the schedule the way it would work better for you and see if it helps. Welcome to EX

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bb041281
Member

I am only prescribed a low dose once a day and was told to take it in the mornings, so I am not having problems getting to sleep, just crazy or bad dreams.

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anaussiemom
Member

I personally would stay on generic welbutrin.  I would go off patches first.   I would also take in Morn. especially if it is an XL.

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Barbscloud
Member

I do know that is a side effect of patches if worn at night.  I would have nightmares.

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bb041281
Member

I didn’t know that, thank you, that is very helpful

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elvan
Member

I know that wearing the patch at night has a side effect of causing crazy dreams.  I had never heard that about Wellbutrin.  I have been on Wellbutrin for many years, not because of smoking but because it was the only anti-depressant I could handle without severe side effects.  I was told by my doctors that because I deal with chronic pain, I should be on an anti depressant to help the pain medication to work and to stabilize the chemistry in my brain which changes after time dealing with chronic pain.  I do have crazy dreams but I think I have always had them and I never connected them with medication.  I take the Wellbutrin SR twice a day.

May 6th is a long time to wait for a doctor's advice, could you call the office and ask someone to ask him or her. I would go to a lower dose of the patch or discontinue it and see if you can tolerate that.

Welcome to EX,

Ellen

bb041281
Member

Tonight I will take the patch off at bedtime and let you guys know how it goes the next few nights. Knowledge is power, so I’ll be happy to share what I learn.

Thanks!

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elvan
Member

Excellent, I will be interested to hear!

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

Congrats on your first Day WON!

I have heard here that a lot of patch users decided to take it off at night and put a fresh one on each morning because of vivid dreams  I think I would try that first.  Be sure you re changing up your morning routine so the smoking associations and triggers are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand, or switch to green tea for a bit.  Drink it in a place you never smoked, too.

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This is an easy and entertaining read. You can search for it online or at your local library. If you do nothing else to get ready for your quit, please do give this a read.


 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...
The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!


 Nancy