Nico gum or lozenges?

[nsd_user663_5881]

Hi all

I was wondering if any of you quit using either of these 2 methods. Did you find one better than the other? I'm using gum, now on day 3 and finding I'm still craving nicotine!! :confused:

[nsd_user663_3140]

I've tried both in the past and didnt really notice much of a difference between them other than they both seemed to work much better for me than the patch did.

I personally never had much luck with NRT but I think that was more of a mental sabotage thing.. I remember thinking to myself.. 'if i'm going to give myself nicotine then I might as well smoke'!

hang in there though, your body will take a few days to adjust to the change in nicotine levels/delivery.. have a read of SturartH's 'its in your mind...' post, I think it really sums things up nicely.

[nsd_user663_6208]

Im currently using Lozenges they are doing the trick for me at the moment. during the first week I got a sore tongue and a couple of ulcers but that has now cleared up and I'm using about 5 4MG lozenges a day. Think I'll drop down to the 2MG ones in the next week or so use them for 3/4 weeks then Cold Turkey it.

I've used the gum once before in a previous quit but never got on with it, However my brother quit about 6 months ago using gum.

So I think its each to their own really, what ever works for you stick with it, All that matters in the end is that you never smoke again.

Daren

[nsd_user663_5448]

I am using the lozengers now. I am on my 4th day of quitting smoking. As far as the nicotine withdrawls..they work really good. I have no problems at all with that part. I think what you may be experiening is the mental withdrawls. Your body is getting the nicotine but you are not getting it through a cigarette and that is what you are more than likely missing and craving. Give it a few days and see how you feel. I would almost bet that you have gotten use to not lighting up and your cravings will have deminished as well. Keep up the good work!

[nsd_user663_6324]

I got a constant headache at day three so bought some Nicorette gum, and it did work - by chewing just one tab which was broken into quarters for four hits a day - it got rid of the headache, but, because it relieved the headache of course I could tell that even that small amount of nicotine was influencing my body.

I stopped the gum (five days later.) Again then, at day three of not indulging in the gum, I got that nicotine withdrawl induced headache again. But oddly the headache was much less significant the second time.

I think the gum helped stop the hand to mouth craving. There's a heck of an initial shock when cold turkeying, but the gum may have helped to subdue the hand and mouth cravings because you get small hits of the nicotine, so reducing the stress on your mind. Like, I was a get up, make a coffee and have a smoke guy. I found it hard in the mornings, so a little nicotine helped as I didn't have that hand/mouth craving much.

I don't think the gum is good as a long term thing. I wouldn't want to replace ciggies with gum. It's still nicotine and nicotine is damaging for our circulation and our heart vessels by constricting them and stuff.

NRT gum in very small doses helped me get thu the initial shock. I didn't take much, just one tab a day which was broken into small pieces and chewed and held behind teeth for an hour or so a few times a day. But, just that small amount had effects on the body, so that is a warning sign.

I took it only five days and minimal amounts.

I think it reduced the severity of a CT withdrawl.

Be careful with it. I think you shoudn't take more than one or two tabs of it a day - use it just to reduce the harshest/unbearable moments of withdrawl. It should be a medicinal thing - If you take it as a ciggy substitute you might get too reliant on it. I have read if you take the gum too much over a long time the side effects are more than a little damaging.