………. Missus! …….. suddenly struggling at the minute!
I have been storming along of late and I really know I don’t want to smoke so why this I have no idea!
Perhaps it’s the “after Christmas Blues!”
Better guess is I am beginning to reduce my NRT now, as I can clearly see the difference between my wanting to indulge in “the act of smoking” and “the chemical dependency of nicotine”
If I’m honest this is beginning to worry me a little….whether I can come off the NRT or not!! Gulp!
How did you come off your NRT?
Did you just stop dead or did you slowly reduce over a period of weeks?
Or am I perhaps trying to do it too soon?
Confused …. I will be!
Baby steps though....still pointing North and still going!!
Thanks for your time peeps
Greg
x
Written by
nsd_user663_52845
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Everyone is soooo different with how they come off NRT, so many stories posted here! If it keeps you off them then they are doing their job. But I suppose you have to expect some pain for that glorious gain when you reach the penthouse!! Which you bloody well will, you are too strong for them now!!!!!!
I gave up CT after 7 days of patches, pain for a few days then gradually it got better!
You're doing really well mate and you are one of the stars of this site, so don't even think for one microsecond about wavering.....................or it's the fish....................and you know what that means.
I have used an inhalator before and when cutting down with it I found that one problem was that I couldn't easily tell whether there was any nicotine left in the cartridge or not. Sometimes i was sucking on an empty cartridge without realising it - so was starting to crave more than I was comfortable with. I don't know whether this is happening for you or not.
Why not let us know exactly how you are cutting down. Then some of the experienced NRT quitters can offer more specific advice.
Hi Greg, the problem with the inhalator is that you can't really know if you're cutting down or not. I ended up using mini lozenges halved and not putting a cartridge in the inhalator. I started with 2 mini lozenges and cut them down to 1 after a few days. Don't worry about coming off the NRT. You will!!!
Keep going new quitters……….it really does get easier.
I’m at 2 ½ months and had a bit of a strong one today ….. but it came and went and, if I’m completely honest with myself, I was being a bit of a wimp!
It was nothing I couldn’t handle, think it was coupled with going back to work after Christmas…….nobody wants to do that do they..and smoking certainly wouldn’t make it any better!
They may keep coming but they are nowhere near the same as when you first stop....and they get quieter and quieter and .. you guessed it...quieter!
See, I just knew you'd be fine. I read your first post and thought "oh no" then 2 seconds later thought "nah, he'll be fine, he's too positive to be anything else!"
Well done Greg for being logical, coming up with a sensible plan and for taking Captain Kickarse's treatment!
What perfect timing for this post, not so much for you but certainly for me.
For the past 2 weeks I have been taking my patch off before turning in for the night, mainly to help me sleep. I did wonder about "what about the mad crave for that first fag in the morning" but to my surprise I wasn't affected.
However, tomorrow, the strength of the patches drop by a third, and I don't mind saying that tomorrow holds a bit of fear for me.
Don't get me wrong by the way, it is my conscience decision to drop the strength, as at the mo I am embarrassed to say that it all has been a little easy. So I feel that I need to lessen to nicotine intake a wee bit.
Seeing and hearing your post has given me that boost of conviction needed just at the right time, thanks brother.
Don, I found I didn't notice the reduction in the patch until the third day. I only noticed it when I changed to the second lot of patches and when I reduced again I had no symptoms whatsoever.
Thanks for that, I hope I will say the same also. I think it that fear of the unknown again. I do have a back up supply of the higher strength patches, but really do not want to take that backward step, but will of course if needed as it is far better than the alternative.
I am sure that all will be well, just need to trust in my strength, which is only increasing with every day that goes by.
Stay strong buddy, you'll make it through, we all have the wobbles! I had really strong cravings for a fag yesterday even though I'm full of cold and have a chesty cough - how stupid is that? One thing is for sure, I won't let myself or my quit buddies down and I know you won't either
In regards to coming off NRT I can't help you there as I quit cold turkey, the short sharp shock treatment!! I would imagine the easiest way would be to use lozenges as previously advised so you can monitor NRT usage more effectively.
Whatever you do you'll be fine - remember Biggrin has got the trout ready!!
Yeah I've been a bit off the radar as I've been in Ireland for Christmas, then came back to stinky cold/flu at new year!
Quit still good, will be 2 months at the weekend, still positive about the whole thing though still have occasional crazy craves but just bat them away with that wet trout lol!!
I am using lozenges, but they are now tapering off. I did have an issue with my addictive personality where I was just having them all the time, so I put them in a high cupboard so it had to be a conscious decision, now down to about 5 a day, but I think they are starting to make me feel a bit sick, headachey. I am horrified that your friend is still using NRT, but I would rather do that than smoke. Never again!
I watched that video and it bloody haunted me all day and night. I have three friends whose mothers have all had very serious health problems through smoking, one of them died last summer from her condition the other two are beyond saving, they will die from smoking. My Friends and I all smoked from when we were kids, nicking a couple of regals out of our mothers packs, oh what a different picture we see now! My friends were all hardcore smokers and now they have stopped, like me. If you watch that video and then ask yourself is the discomfort from quitting and craving greater or lesser than the discomfort that guys mums and that guy are experiencing???
When I quit at the beginning of December your posts were some that spurred me on so I thought I would try and offer some words of encouragement.
Everyone has their own approach to NRT, so you need to find what works for you. For me I started with the patches and lozenges. I was using the full strength patches during the day for a couple of days but felt that I was over dosing :mad: on nicotine as the patches equated to more nicotine than I was getting from ciggies so I stopped the patches and just had the lozenges.
Initially I was using the lozenges 5/ 6 a day and after a couple of weeks was having 3/4 a day then 2 and then I thought No I dont want to use them anymore, just like I did when I said NO I dont want to smoke anymore. I found that by controlling when I gave myself NRT I was able to question myself to see if i really needed it and eventually I didnt and now havent used NRT for 2 weeks.
Even if you do need the NRT, it doesn't matter you are still NOT SMOKING and that is what you need to be proud of.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
