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Give and get support around quitting

nwtw
Member

Where can I learn more about the different types of quit medications?

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I would like to compare side effects, efficacy, cost, etc.

Thanks

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CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

You'll find some information here: How Nicotine Addiction Works | Guides & Tools | BecomeAnEX Look for the teal boxes in the lower part of the page.  Please note there is not cost related information as it is dependent on your health insurance and other financial factors.  You can always contact your healthcare professional or visit the manufacturer's website for potential side effects though it will vary by person.  

Your state's quit line 800-QUIT-NOW also may be able to help if you fit their criteria and you're not Sponsored,. Check in Sponsorship section of Edit Profile | BecomeAnEX to see if you could receive NRT through us.

Mark
EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team

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CommunityAdmin
Community Manager
Community Manager

You'll find some information here: How Nicotine Addiction Works | Guides & Tools | BecomeAnEX Look for the teal boxes in the lower part of the page.  Please note there is not cost related information as it is dependent on your health insurance and other financial factors.  You can always contact your healthcare professional or visit the manufacturer's website for potential side effects though it will vary by person.  

Your state's quit line 800-QUIT-NOW also may be able to help if you fit their criteria and you're not Sponsored,. Check in Sponsorship section of Edit Profile | BecomeAnEX to see if you could receive NRT through us.

Mark
EX Community Manager

EX Community Admin Team
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nwtw
Member

Thanks Mark. I called the state quit line a few months ago and if I recall correctly, they did tell me my state would pay for the patch.  I will follow up with them.

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Giulia
Member

There's gum, lozenges, patches, inhalers, nasal sprays, bupropion (Zyban) & varenicine (Chantix).  Part of our quit homework is to do research on our own.  If you do google searches (or some other search platform) for each item, you can discover for yourself the cost variables, side affects and efficacy.  Here's one source of information:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5003586/ 

nwtw
Member

Thanks Giulia.  I will take your advice and start doing some research.  I am leery of general internet searches, since I don't really trust the "information" out there.  I will start with the link you provided.

Thanks!

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Giulia
Member

"I am leery of general internet searches,"  I hear you.  That's why you have to dig deep and not just accept the first items on the search list presented.  Also if it sounds too good to be true is probably is!  WebMD is not Mayo, if you know what I mean.  I always check multiple sources before coming to an internet search conclusion.

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YoungAtHeart
Member

Welcome to our community!

I suggest you first educate yourself on the addiction,  decide what route you want to take, and then compare your options.  To use an analogy, some folks would rather rip the Bandaid off, deal with a bit of short-term pain and be done with it, while others would rather soak it awhile, then gently tug at the edges.  To inform your decision, once you quit, the nicotine is out of your body in about three days, then it takes a few weeks for your body to adjust to life without it, then it's dealing with the associations and triggers built up over your time smoking.  Some feel it's easier to deal with these while still getting nicotine from an NRT and that is the idea behind them.

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 easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.


 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.

After you have completed the recommended reading, it will be time to make an informed choice of the quit aid, if any, you will use. If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion,  3) it maintains the addiction to nicotine, and 4) they are proving to be unsafe.

It will be informative if you do the tracking and separation exercises recommended here on the site. As you track each cigarette smoked, note its importance, and what you might do instead. Put each one off just a little to prove that you don't NEED a cigarette just because you think you do.
 

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  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

nwtw
Member

Wow Nancy - what a great reply!  It was quick, thorough and gave me a lot of good ideas.  It fills me with hope that you guys are out there, forming my cheer squad.  THANK YOU!

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YoungAtHeart
Member

We ARE!

If you want to discuss options after you have done your research, just ask!

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