NiQuitin CQ CQ Step 2 Patches

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NiQuitin CQ Clear - the product and programme details
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NicQuitin CQ is a Nicotine Replacement product - it is a patch - or, more accurately, a series of patches. This particular patch is designed to be worn 24 hours a day, and is therefore most suitable for those smokers who smoke practically immediately after waking. If you generally can ...
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NiQuitin CQ Clear - My Experience
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As you may gather, as I'm approaching seven weeks using the patch successfully, it's worked for me. I have finished Stage 1 and am now on Stage 2. However, I have experienced mild side effects and annoyances.

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Oh, the ITCH
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more

It's been nearly two years now since I originally wrote this op - I quit smoking on 30 January 2004. How time flies. For a variety of reasons, I thought I'd remind y'all how I did it.

Some of you may know that I have recently quit smoking (as of 8.30pm GMT, I'll have been smoke free for seven weeks). As I was smoking 40 a day (and probably more if I was doing some serious drinking), I knew I couldn't quit alone. I needed help. More to the point, I needed **nicotine**.

Nicotine is the substance in tobacco that makes us addicted. There are loads of other chemicals in cigarette smoke which cause nasty diseases and conditions. Some of these nasty chemicals are carbon monoxide (the odourless, colourless gas in car exhaust that can kill you), acetone (think nail polish remover), ammonia, arsenic (anyone seen Arsenic and Old Lace), Formaldehyde (what they use to preserve dead frogs for dissection), amongst others. [source - Jennifer Percival, NHS pamphlet "Giving Up for Life"] The diseases smoking causes range from reduced fertility to emphysema, to lung cancer, to death. Nicotine, on the other hand, is relatively benign…except it is HORRIBLY addictive. It is nicotine that causes the cravings.

In order to successfully stop smoking, you need to combat both the PHYSICAL ADDICTION and the HABIT - and these are two different things. Willpower is the only thing I know of that will successfully deal with the habit - even if you use acupuncture or hypnotism, you still need the will to stop. You need to stop reaching for the packet of cigarettes out of pure habit - because the phone has rung, or you're having coffee with friends. However, there are products out there that will help you deal with the physical addiction.

As a side note, I have written about how I've stopped smoking, and detailed the various Nicotine Replacement Therapies and other medical (and non-medical) aids to quitting. This opinion is to talk in more detail about the product I chose.

As another side note, I personally think the whole programme (Stages 1, 2 and 3) should be grouped as one 'product', as none are used in isolation. Hey ho.

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NiQuitin CQ Clear - the product and programme details
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NicQuitin CQ is a Nicotine Replacement product - it is a patch - or, more accurately, a series of patches. This particular patch is designed to be worn 24 hours a day, and is therefore most suitable for those smokers who smoke practically immediately after waking. If you generally can wait more than half an hour before lighting up, you may find a 16 hour patch more suitable.

The product comes in three strengths - Stage 1 - 21mg, which contains 114mg of nicotine and delivers 21mg over 24 hours (all this information comes from the leaflet contained inside the box); Stage 2 - 14mg - containing 78mg of nicotine delivering 14mg of nicotine over 24 hours, and Stage 3 - 7mg, containing 36mg of nicotine delivering 7mg over 24 hours.

If you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, you start with stage 1 for six weeks, then step down to stage 2 for two weeks and finally to stage three for two weeks. After going through all that for 10 weeks, you then no longer put nicotine in your body, and, in theory, you've cracked the addiction. If you smoke fewer than 20 a day, you start with Stage 2 for six weeks, then progress to Stage 3 for two weeks.

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This is a DRUG, folks - warnings etc
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As with ANY medication, it is important to read the leaflet carefully before slapping on of these on your arm. If you are allergic to adhesive (i.e. plasters) or any of the unpronounceable inactive ingredients in the patch, these are clearly unsuitable for you. If you have very sensitive skin, you may find the patch irritating. If you are very hairy, you may struggle to find somewhere to put the patch where it will stick and be effective.

According to the leaflet, NicQuitin CQ is also contraindicted if you are:
· Allergic to nicotine (duh - but if you are, how did you start smoking in the first place??)
· A non-smoker or occasional smoker (well, if you're a non-smoker, you wouldn't be using these anyway, I'd have thought);
· Under 12 (I should hope most fervently that a child under 12 wouldn't need these);
· IF YOU ARE STILL SMOKING - you really shouldn't combine the patch, or any other nicotine replacement therapy, with cigarettes. There IS such a thing as nicotine overdose;
· You've had a recent heart attack or stroke;
· Or if you suffer from severe irregular heartbeat, unstable or worsening or resting angina (helpfully defined as chest pains).

There are other conditions that the leaflet recommends you talk to you doctor about first before using the patches if the conditions apply to you. These include being between 12-17 years old, being pregnant, other heart conditions besides the ones mentioned above, various skin diseases, liver or kidney disease, have an ulcer, are diabetic, have a tumour of the adrenal gland, or if you are taking certain other drugs.

The reason I list all these is to emphasise the point that the nicotine patch is a MEDICINE, and as such, should be used with care. Keep them out of the reach of children; don't swallow them - all that usual medicine care routine.

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Appearance
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The product comes in a box clearly labelled with the name of the product, and the strength. The colour of the box depends on the strength of the patch, making it easy to identify the correct Stage for you. There is also a stylised drawing of the three patch stages - the one you have is highlighted.

The back of the box contains usage instructions, and an abbreviated warning panel (as per the leaflet, but abridged). MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS before you buy. You wouldn't want to buy them and then find out you can't use them now, would you?

And, just because I like to, I'll mention that there is indeed a barcode on one side of the box *grin*.

Upon opening the packet, you'll find either seven or 14 patches inside (you can buy them in one or two week amounts). You'll also find the aforementioned leaflet, along with a little booklet detailing the "NiQuitin CQ Committed Quitters Stop Smoking Plan - To help you stop smoking" (why they feel the need to add the bit 'to help you stop smoking' is beyond me - I thought that was kind of obvious). Inside, there are tips and tricks and coping strategies to help you deal with the habit side of smoking. There is also a freephone number and a website from which you can sign up for a 'tailored' plan. It asks you questions about why, when, where you smoke.

The patches themselves are enclosed in a little sort of plasticky envelope, that, annoyingly, you need to use scissors to open. The patch itself varies in size depending on the strength you are using. I am on STAGE 2, and that's what I'm writing about - the stage two patch is about one and a half times the size of a postage stamp, I'd say (the envelope in which it is packed is quite a bit bigger), and it is clear. It has a clear backing that you peel off. It has 'NiQuitin CQ' stamped on it in white (that wears off very quickly). When you take it off, it has a really interesting print of your skin on it, and is a bit slimy (though isn't when you apply it).

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How To Stick It
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Common sense would tell you that you peel off the backing, and stick it to a clean, dry bit of skin. This is indeed true, but there are a couple of points worth noting.

You really should find a bit of hairless skin - adhesive doesn't stick so well to hair (though you may doubt that when you pull it off), and the hair blocks the nicotine from the skin. For some blokes I know, that bit could be tricky.

The leaflet recommends you stick it to somewhere on your upper body - I'm not sure why - perhaps because it's closer to the heart? Most people use an arm - but, and this is IMPORTANT, you must put the patch in a different location every day - you can start recycling locations after a week. Nicotine is an irritant, and so unless you want to feel as if your skin is burning off, you must move things around.

Don't forget to wash your hands after applying the patch, using water, but no soap. Soap apparently increases the absorption of the nicotine. Or so it says in the leaflet.

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NiQuitin CQ Clear - My Experience
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As you may gather, as I'm approaching seven weeks using the patch successfully, it's worked for me. I have finished Stage 1 and am now on Stage 2. However, I have experienced mild side effects and annoyances.

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Oh, the ITCH
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Yes, it itches somewhat, and I find it burns a little on first application. The burn I actually don't mind - it reminds me I have it on…it reminds me why I am wearing it, and keeps me from reaching for a cig. The itch is more annoying, though it hasn't been awful or unbearable.

For some people, the itch is enough to make them want to cut their arm off - this hasn't happened to me, and the burn wears off after just a few minutes.

I find certain parts of my arms to be more sensitive than others. My favourite application location is my shoulder; my least favourite is the fleshy bit of the underside of the upper arm. It seems to me that the less sun a part of your body gets, the more the patch will irritate. But that may just be me.

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How to make a patchwork quilt
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The patches are sticky. They are supposed to be. However, my arms are covered in little square adhesive marks. Like with a plaster, a bit of adhesive stays behind when you remove the patch.

Surgical spirit or white spirit does remove these (as does a scouring brush), but those solutions can irritate the skin even more. Let's just say I'm glad it's winter.

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Dreamscape
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Even most heavy smokers don't smoke at night. We do not generally have nicotine (even at the considerably lower level a patch gives compared to cigarettes) coursing through our bodies all night. There is bound, therefore, to be a side effect to bombarding our bodies with the drug in the wee hours. And sure enough - the DREAMS.

Not only did I dream more, but the dreams were VIVID. As I said in my last op, they had plots, colour, a cast of thousands, and a soundtrack. Now, most normal dreams go much like this "well…I was on airplane, but then it wasn't a plane - it was a bus. Simon Cowell was sitting next to me, but when I next looked, it was my husband. The bus crashed, but it turned back into a plane, and I was on the wing trying to fix it - but then Burt Lancaster came out…" anyway, you get the drift (I made that one up, before anyone tries to analyse it).

Dreams on the patch aren't disjointed. If you were so inclined, and if the story of the dream were any good, you could write it up and sell it. Problem is, though, they are not always GOOD dreams.

I solved that problem by taking the patch off at night. I was concerned I'd crave in the morning, but I haven't. After reviewing my smoking habits, though, I realised that I didn't really have my first cigarette immediately upon waking - I'd have a cup of tea, read a magazine, have a shower, get dressed and so forth, and THEN I'd have my first fag.

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But are there CRAVINGS??
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Yup. The patch doesn't take the desire to smoke away - it just lessens it. Only you can decide whether or not to smoke. The patch can't decide that for you.

Now, here's the important bit, for where I am putting this review.

I thought it would be hard to step down from Stage 1 to Stage 2. But it wasn't - not at all. Not one bit. Some mornings I nearly forget to put the patch on. For me, the step works - and it's lovely to have a smaller patch (the Stage 1 patch is probably half again as big as the Stage 2). I'm looking forward to my next step down in 8 days' time.

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NiQuitin CQ Clear - Cost and Availability
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I purchased my first pack (which was Stage 1) from my local chemist for £17.50 for one week. I know that sounds painful, but remember, your cigarettes are costing you around £4.50 a pack - if you get through a pack a day, you're spending £31.50 a week on fags. And I was smoking double that.

The cost is the same regardless of what strength patch you are on - so the Stage 2 also cost £17.50 a week over the counter from the chemist. I know a chap who thought he'd try to save money by buying Stage 1 and cutting them in half, but you really shouldn't do that - like time release capsules, they are designed to release the nicotine in a controlled manner - cutting the patches ruins that.

Having said all of the above, I've not paid £17.50 a week since that first week. Instead, I went to my practice nurse. I now get two weeks at a time on prescription, making my patches cost £6.30 for two weeks. Some surgeries might be reluctant to prescribe the patch unless you commit to attending a stop-smoking programme run by the NHS - many others may insist you buy the first pack yourself. This is to convince your doctor that you are indeed committed to quitting.

Yes, getting repeat prescriptions every couple of weeks is a pain in the butt. If you attend a programme, the professionals there can forward the prescription request to your surgery, and you may even find you can pick the prescription up at the chemist.

I notice that you can also buy the packets of patches on ebay - I have to admit, I'd be wary of doing that. If you talk to your chemist or doctor or nurse, they can give you advice as to its suitability. They can also advise you on coping with minor side-effects, and with stopping smoking itself. But that's your choice.

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NiQuitin CQ Clear - Summary - ups, downs and recommendations
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The Downs
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- They cost money
- They can itch
- They give you weird and vivid dreams
- They are not for everyone - check the leaflet or with your doctor or chemist
- They give you a chance to create a crossword puzzle on your arms - you have plenty of squares
- They don't replace willpower - the success rate of nicotine replacement alone is double that of quitting cold-turkey alone. The chances of quitting successfully cold turkey are about 3%. Do the maths.

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The Ups
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■ They are cheaper than cigarettes;
■ The itch or burn reminds you why you are wearing them;
■ You could get rich writing up your dreams;
■ Although nicotine is a drug, and with the patch, you are putting a drug in your body, you are not putting all the other chemicals and poisons in your body you did when you were smoking;
■ The adhesive marks can be seen as a badge of honour!
■ The patch really DOES help to reduce and manage the physical cravings of smoking, allowing you to work on combating the habit without climbing the walls, or ripping out your spouse's toenails with a pair of pliers.

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My Recommendation
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The NiQuitin QC programme helps. It really does. Stage 2 works for me, having already been through Stage 1. The plan seems well thought out. With support from their website, from groups, from other websites, from this website, from family and friends, NiQuitin QC Stage 2 Patches and its stablemates really can help you quit smoking.

It's helped me.

Cheers,
Kate

Time Smoke-Free: 48 days, 14 hours, 52 minutes
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 1702
Lifetime Saved: 13 days
Money Saved: £300.12
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As of 29/11/2005
QUIT DATE: 1/30/2004 8:30:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free: 668 days, 13 hours, 59 minutes
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 27412
Lifetime Saved: 6 months, 29 days, 9 hours
Money Saved: £4,800.08

 

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