NiQuitin CQ CQ Step 1 Patches

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Effectiveness	Good
Length of Use	long
Side effects	Very strong

Advantages:	You give up smoking, save loads of money !
Disadvantages:	They fall off in the bath !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

My name’s Jo and a I don’t smoke. You know something my chest didn’t tighten, I didn’t have a panic attack and I didn’t rush for the cigarettes. Two months ago I would have done, the mere thought of not having my fix would have practically turned me into a gibbering wreck. I’m not going to preach, I’m not going to suggest you give up nor am I going to regale you with stories of how easy it was to ditch nicotine because it‘s not. You can only give up if you want to not because others tell you to.

I was one of those teenage smokers, you know the one’s that thought it was pretty cool to have a cigarette in their hands. Actually it gave me something to do if I’m honest, at least if I had a cigarette in my hands I didn’t twiddle with my hair nervously in social situations. Student Nurses back in the 80’s were all avid smokers - it’s the stress you know, so an addict was born. An addict who gave up smoking twice before - well I was living with someone who gave up smoking so only fair I did as well wasn’t it? Being pregnant also made me realise that I couldn’t pollute my body - I might be a liberal mother but no way would I hand Niamh a Silk Cut now and there was no way I’d have done the equivalent whilst pregnant and unfortunately I can be very vocal about woman who do smoke during pregnancy. So there you have it two failed attempts and roughly every 7 years I‘ve attempted to give up smoking. So why you might be thinking do I finally believe I’ve given up nicotine for good? I did it solely for me, not because someone told me I might die of cancer, or get a blood clot and go blind or have a stroke or spend my old age living by an oxygen cylinder I did it because I chose to, because I finally realised I was an addict who could over come the addiction. I also realise I am a reformed addict I’m not a non smoker I’m an ex smoker. I also realise that one cigarette and I’ll be back on 20 a day within a fortnight. When it comes to nicotine addiction I’m not the casual occasional spliff user addict I’m the crack cocaine user, but I’m not sat here tearing my hair out screaming I need a smoke because I have no intention of ever smoking again if I can help it.

Most people plan a day to give up smoking now if I’d have done that well lets put it this way this op would never have been written. For some people they can do that, they can gradually cut down till the day they just stop. I’ve always been a cold turkey giver upper. When I was pregnant I just visualised a baby fighting for her life in an incubator and that stopped me. You know how some woman impulse buy shoes/cosmetics/handbags well I impulse bought two packets of patches. Yes honestly I was stood by the multivitamins and realised I couldn’t detox my body without giving up the main pollution in it could I? My thoughts were as I paid for two boxes of patches was if I could make it to the end of both boxes I’d still be quids in. when it comes to giving up you have to do what ever suits you.

That night I stayed up late, downed a very nice bottle of red and smoked 20 cigarettes. My thoughts being if I was tired, hung over and my chest hurt I’d not want a cigarette, it worked and so started my journey to being an ex smoker.

The following morning I did wonder if I should open the box of patches or run as fast as I could to the corner shop. I chose to open the box of patches and retire to my bed with caffeine and the Sunday papers.

NiQuitin CQ will not give you a quick fix to ditching nicotine addiction, it’s not a question of slapping on a patch every day for a week and that’s it you are no longer an addict. It takes will power and a sense of belief in yourself to finally ditch nicotine. But what the patch’s will do is help in a small way is ease the craving. By you altering your habits - I always rolled out of bed, put the kettle on and feed the cats and lit up on the back door step whilst the kettle boiled, I make my sandwiches for work now. Yes I’ve been out and sat in a pub the first time I wanted to scream at every smoker in the place to blinking well stop it now! But I got throw the night and other nights. I even realised that when things are slow at work I don’t need to sneak off for a smoke I can do other things. I never used to smoke in the house so sitting at the computer didn’t actually bother me as I never associated being online with smoking, all I do instead of going for a smoke break I go for a coffee break!

NiQuitin CQ market 3 patches, Step One being for those 10 or more a day addicts and is a 21mg patch which should be worn daily for 6 weeks. Step Two a 14mg patch which is the step down patch and used for two weeks after you’ve been on Step One. If you are a 10 or less a day smoker it is recommended you start the patches at this level and use them for six weeks. The Step Three patches are 7mgs each and are to be used for two weeks again. To get the best results you do need to do the programme fully ie you shouldn’t do two weeks on the 21mg patches a week on 14mgs and a week on 7mgs as it isn’t enough time to re educate yourself out of old habits. However I only did 4 weeks on the 21mgs and did the rest of the programme and it worked for me.

Who shouldn’t use the patches:

Anyone with a nicotine allergy
You have had a heart attack or a stroke recently
You have angina or an irregular heart beat -you should talk to your GP prior to using patches.

It is suggested the following groups consult their GP prior to starting patches:

Anyone who is pregnant considering a pregnancy or is breast feeding
You have liver or kidney disease
Suffer from dermatitis
Have heart failure or other cardiac problems including high blood pressure
You have stomach ulcers or an over active thyroid
You are an insulin dependent diabetic
You are on medication for high blood pressure or Asthma.

Ok so you’ve found out that you haven’t got a get out clause by being in one of the above groups and it’s time to use that first patch…….

Can I suggest you have a pair of scissors handy, even though there is a little notch that might mean you can open the foil wrapper without the need for scissors or a sharp implement lets just say scissors will get you into the foil packet a lot easier than trying to open it un aided! So there you have it your very first patch, as you go throw the step down process the patches get smaller and smaller. What I did notice with the first stage 21mg ones is how big and thick they were. It is suggested that you place the patch on a non hairy area and that you rotate the area you slap a patch on every day. It is advised in the literature to not use the same area for at least a week. I’ll admit my patches went on the top of my arms and I doubt there was a gap of 7 days between a patch being placed on the same site.

As with every drug there are side effects. The immediate side effect for me was a most incredible itchy sensation, this didn’t get any better throw out the step down programme either. Whether the itchy sensation was due to the adhesive or nicotine seeping into my skin I’m not too sure. Also my skin was red and dry for up to 24 hours after removing the patches.

Another side effect I found which is pretty common is vivid dreams - no not X rated dreams just that I remembered my dreams and I was someone who used to never ever remember a dream. It was like going to bed and instead of going to sleep sitting up and watching the TV for 8 hours! Worst still was the fact I used to wake up in the middle of the night and analysis my dreams before falling asleep again and waking up again. After 10 days of this I was completely shattered so decided to remove the patch prior to going to bed as my Practice Nurse suggested. It worked a lot better as I only woke up at 4am and went straight back to sleep. The vivid dreams finally got less when I stepped down to the final phase of the 7mg patches.

Niquitin CQ also point out that side effects like nausea, sore throat a cough dizziness and tachycardia might occur. Luckily I didn’t suffer any of those.

Most people who have given up smoking will tell you about the times when even if they were male they became the bitch from hell with the worse PMT ever. Yes I became irritable, I had an amazing stand up row with someone and then wanted a cigarette so badly I’d have sold my soul for one. BUT I didn’t I got throw it. At times when the cravings did get bad I used to rub the patch as some kind of way of knowing I did have a nicotine supply and it worked. Willpower is needed by the bucket load and don’t kid yourself into thinking it’s going to be easy as it’s not. The second day I nearly decided that I couldn’t go throw with it. But being the stubborn person who had told the whole world I now didn’t smoke I had to or face a lot of people asking me why! Whether you chose to tell the world or not really is up to you. For me it worked as it stopped me from sneaking off for a cigarette at work.

At significant anniversaries i.e. one week two weeks etc go out and splurge your cigarette money on any thing you fancy -the more frivolous the better. I have a rather expensive jar of Chanel Moisturiser it was the equivalent of 8 days cigarette money. Niamh got new trainers, football boots and a football shirt one week. Things I’d have never been able to afford all at once if I’d been spending that money on cigarettes. A friend of mine who gave up smoking 10 years ago puts the money she would have spent away each month and has been on some incredible holidays and weekends away because of this savings scheme she has!

One think that did irk me about using the patches was the fact they appeared especially the larger 21mg patches to not be resistant to water. Now for someone like me who loves to luxuriate in a bath every night this was a bit of a problem as they’d soon float away to be found stuck to the side of the bath. Given that after a fortnight I’d given up wearing them at night this wasn’t a major problem but might be for others who need to wear them 24/7. Also showers appeared to have the same effect on them!

A lot of people will give the old chestnut of I don’t want to put on weight as a reason for not quitting. Now the patches won’t stop you piling on the pounds only you can stop yourself doing that or you could just sort that problem out after you’ve stopped the programme. I chose to go on a diet as well as give up smoking. I lost 6 pounds and made myself completely miserable so after 4 weeks realised that giving up all my vices in one foul swoop was probably not the best thing for me. I also found that one remarkable thing that occurred nearly immediately was my fitness levels. As a smoker I’d go to the gym and after an hour crawl out of there having done very little. Two months down the line I have to stop myself after two hours. I actually enjoy going to the gym as I’m not gasping for breath after 15 minutes of intense activity. I feel fitter and can push myself a lot further now.

I loathed the smell of stale cigarette smoke as a smoker and found it even worse whilst using the patches, funnily enough once I stopped them it doesn’t seem as bad. Me the woman who loves perfume finds it incredible that all I did was liberally spray the likes of Chanel all over to mask what is a foul smell! For some people the smell makes them want a cigarette and that’s why Niquitin CQ do suggest you rid yourself of all smoking paraphernalia and air your house prior to quitting. All the smell of smoke did for me was enrage me in the early days, I think due to the craving for nicotine.

Niquitin CQ are available over the counter in most chemists and Supermarkets. I paid £12.95 for a weeks supply of the 21mg patches. Once I had my weeks supply I then made an appointment with my Practice Nurse and got the rest on prescription. I found the support given to me was invaluable especially as my Practice Nurse is an Ex Smoker herself and could relate to what I was going throw.

Should you decide you want to give up smoking I really would recommend these patches. With willpower these do work. Give up for you not for other people.