...
But I can honestly say that if you have the willpower and the determination and make use of the support available to you, you could definitely do it with Nicorette.
I will update on a regular basis, if I don't its cos I failed again!!
Wish me luck!
... Read review
Advantages: I'm not going to die of a horrible smoking-related disease Disadvantages: Whatever happened to living dangerously?
OK, here I go , at it again, for the 2nd time, if you've been here long enough you'll know I promised to give up smoking in the New Year with Nicotine CQ, after 3 weeks of numb arms and vivid dreams I went back to the evil weed.
Then last week I though 'bugger it, I've got to give up some time, may as well be now', dragged the other half into Boots, pondered over the products available and decided on the Nicotinell patches. They also ... ...gum and I know I'll end up completely hooked on it and soon I'll be on 40-50 bits of gum a day! Of course Nicotinell was more appealing because Boots were doing a special offer on it. How do Boots make any profit, they seem to be giving things away all the time. This time is a 'buy one, get one half price' offer. Its usually about £15 each but this way its approx £23 for a fortnights worth.
One thing I've always noticed about smokers it that ... more
OK, here I go , at it again, for the 2nd time, if you've been here long enough you'll know I promised to give up smoking in the New Year with Nicotine CQ, after 3 weeks of numb arms and vivid dreams I went back to the evil weed.
Then last week I though 'bugger it, I've got to give up some time, may as well be now', dragged the other half into Boots, pondered over the products available and decided on the Nicotinell patches. They also do the gum but I'm not a huge fan of gum and I know I'll end up completely hooked on it and soon I'll be on 40-50 bits of gum a day! Of course Nicotinell was more appealing because Boots were doing a special offer on it. How do Boots make any profit, they seem to be giving things away all the time. This time is a 'buy one, get one half price' offer. Its usually about £15 each but this way its approx £23 for a fortnights worth. One thing I've always noticed about smokers it that they always moan about the price of the patches! Quite happy to pay at least £30 a week for cigarettes but moan at £23 for a fortnights worth of patches. Madness! Still when its $4.10 a day rather than £17 at one go its easier to justify it. I know, I've used that one on a couple of occasions.
But this time I marched in, no specific reason for stopping, bought the patches and trundled off home with the first lot of Xmas shopping, good idea I didn't decided to give up before then, the stress would have been to much! I suppose starting Christmas shopping isn't really a valid reason for falling off the smoking wagon.
In your little box you get 7 patches, one for each day of the week. They have to be put on first thing in he morning and then removed 16 hours later which seems a bit of a long time. If I put it on at 7am I have to take it off at 11pm and I'm already in bed by then. So I just take it off at bedtime. You also get a little booklet with lots of info. The most important bit is how to use them. If you smoke more than 10 a day you start on the 15 mg patches for 8 weeks, then to 10 mg for 2, then 5 mg for 2. See, simple, just do that and you are cured!! Yeah right, as we all know, its a wee bit more difficult than that. If you've always been a non-smoker then you lot imagine its as easy as never sticking a cigarette in your mouth again. I wish! It does have some useful hints and tips addressing each of the problems such as breaking your routine, taking one day at a time, dealing with relapses, etc. You can also join the Fresh Start Complete Quitters Support Programme. You ring up a freephone number and they send you a little pack which includes a personal handbook, progress monitor, helpline number, a coin (to remind you of the money you have saved) a Dr Chris Steele relaxation tape and regular mailings to keep you encouraged. You can also join the club on-line at www.nicotinell.com which has advice, confidence building tests, etc. You can also get a quit buddy as well. The amount of support is quite extensive, and extremely helpful.
As always there are side effects, the only thing that I have noticed is that my arm gets a bit itchy around the patch. Obviously putting the patch in a different place everyday although I didn't find that it worked as well on my thigh, and kept falling off when it was on my upper chest. Other effects can include palpitations, bad indigestion, headaches, dizziness, etc, these can get worse if you smoke when wearing a patch (as I found out). You also shouldn't use it if you are pregnant, breast-feeding, under 18, suffering from chronic disorders or are allergic to nicotine. Eh, if you are allergic to nicotine why the hell would you be smoking in the first place? You must also talk to your doctor if you have a history of stomach ulcers, heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, overactive thyroid gland or taking other medicines such as caffeine, paracetamol, warfarin, oestrogen, lignocaine and quite a few other.
So after a week (I'm on the 2nd week now, was just too lazy to write a second week) this was my diary..
Sunday - No cravings whatsoever, no temptation, no cigs Monday - What a day, back to work, really bad temptations, all my friends are in the smoking room, manage to resist though, even when I come home and find my daughter has broken her leg! Tuesday - Off to the hospital for the permanent plaster, very, very stresses, but resisted. Wednesday - Oh dear, very stressful day, daughter couldn't go to school, had to arrange childcare, was 4 ½ hours late for work, patch wouldn't stay on so I succumbed to a few. Thursday - Oops, forgot to put my patch on, ended up smoking. 10 lights throughout the day which is much better then the 20+ I usually do, but a scant excuse really. Friday - Been really good so far, theres definitely been temptation but its purely psychological the cravings always seem to come 10 minutes before my tea break.
Another week on and I'm doing really well, there was one day when I really couldn't be bothered to quit and just smoked, and yes, it was foul, but food is tasting better and I can really tell when people have been smoking now, and apart from that I have been clean.
So its looking good, the odd lapse but nothing to make me give up completely. The physical cravings are virtually nothing but the psychological is definitely the worse. But I can honestly say that if you have the willpower and the determination and make use of the support available to you, you could definitely do it with Nicorette.
I will update on a regular basis, if I don't its cos I failed again!!
Advantages: The theory is good Disadvantages: I never even got onto the weeker ones, the withdrawal symptoms were too bad
MY STORY:
I was a smoker from the age of 12 after I got into the wrong crowd at school. This was rather unfortunate as I ended up getting addicted whilst trying to be popular, only to realise that being popular wasnt all that great, and being addicted was even worse. I went from a ciggy at break with my mate to nearly 20 a day. I was still on 20 a day 5 years later when aged 17 I began to really feel the affects on my lungs. I began coughing up ... ...was finding it harder and harder to breathe when doing any form of excerise, and as a main player in the school football team this wasnt a good thing. I decided to try to end my suffering by attacking the cause. I wanted to quit smoking.
THE IDEA OF THE PATCH:
The nicotine patch is designed to help those who want to quit smoking by providing them with nicotine through another source. There are now many products available although many are more ...
leahslad 11.06.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nicorette Nicotine Patches Full Strength
Advantages: I've quit! Disadvantages: Slightly itchy, and whatever you do, don't fall asleep with one on!
I started smoking when I was 14, I started smoking "properly" when I was 15, and at 19, when smoking 20 a day, I decided it was high time that I quit. For good! I had tried many times before using will power alone, and obviously that hadn't worked. I also tried the gum, by another company, which was horrid and too much to think about, whilst giving me a sore throat. So I set a quit date of Sunday 19th February-I figured it would be too much pressure ... ...much planned for the following few weeks.
I got my patches on prescription from my doctor, which I would recommend. It works out a lot cheaper, as you pay a regular prescription price for every set of patches you receive, rather than £17.00 per pack of 7 patches. This is pricey, but a typical 20 a day smoker pays £35 a week on smokes, its just paying it all in one go that makes it seem like a shock!
The 15mg patches are huge, but just look like ...
faybee 12.04.2006 (14.04.2006)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nicorette Nicotine Patches Full Strength
Advantages: get rid of that stinky. filthy, kiler habit without turning into a nervous wreck, no cravings at all, discreet Disadvantages: expensive, smaller patches aren't cheaper
...question, and showed me the Nicorette 16 hour patch. This gets around the disturbed sleep problem, as you don't wear it when you go to sleep. The programme has three stages, represented by the three levels of patch strengths: Step One - 15mg (full strength) is about breaking your smoking habit. You are still getting the same amount of nicotine but without the cigarettes. Nicorette recommend that you do this for 8 weeks and if you haven't given in ... ...straightforward: *Apply one fresh Nicorette Patch first thing every morning. *Remove the Patch before going to bed and dispose of it safely. *Apply the Patch to a clean, dry, hairless area of skin on the front or side of your chest, upper arm or hip. *Don't apply the Patch to the same spot of skin two days running. *Don't use the Patch on broken or inflamed skin. *Never smoke or use other nicotine products at the same time. *Remember, if you have ...
missbrowneyedgirl 28.05.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nicorette Nicotine Patches Full Strength
Advantages: they worked Disadvantages: dear to buy but worth it
...stained I decided to give Nicorette patches a go.
Before I started the course I consulted my Doctor as I have a history of heart disease in my family and was assured that not only was it safe to do so but advisable. He was also able to give me the number for a support group which I'm sure are very helpful but I didn't need.
Armed with this knowledge i took a trip to my local chemist and purchased an 8 week course of 15mg not cheap at £17.00 a packet ... ...money we'll save on painting the woodwork back to white.
Having woke up with a sore throat the next morning,must of been the 20 fags I Binged on the previous night I opened the packet and stuck one on my upper arm under the misconseption that I would feel fit and healthy and not crave a cigarette.I can assure you this doesn't happen but after what they cost I was determined to give it a go.
The difference was they did actually take the edge of ...
joeryan 02.05.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nicorette Nicotine Patches Full Strength
Advantages: smoke free zone Disadvantages: they don't work for some people
...doctors who gave me nicorette patches on prescription. She asked me a few questions and took my blood pressure which was surprisingly ok and wrote the prescription out for me. I wanted to quit for a number of reasons, the kids the money but most importantly my health. I clutched my all important prescription and rushed to the chemist to get it filled. I felt really good and gave my sister the half full packet of cigarettes that I had and rushed home ... ...in three different strenghts 15mg,10mg and 5mg and get smaller as the *dose* gets weaker. You are advised to start off on the patch that matches the amount of cigarettes that you smoke more than 20 you start on the 15mg less than 20 you start on the 10mg and less than 10 you start off on the 5mg patches. As I used to smoke 30 a day oh I love those words used to I was started on the 15mg patches. You apply one each morning to wherever you want but ...
jenny029 23.10.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nicorette Nicotine Patches Full Strength
