Does the 24 hour patch still work if you take it off for bed?

[jasabelle]

Hi it is my second day smoke free I am on Nicotinell 24 hour patches and I left the patch on last night (as per instructions) but I had the most horrible nightmare, and I have read that this is a common side effect. Not wishing to repeat this experience again any time soon, so I was wondering if anyone takes their patch off at bed time and puts a fresh one on first thing? I am always up very early and go to bed about 11.30pm so It's not that long a time, but I just don't want to muck up my progress so far (I know it's only 2 days but that is some achievement for me I assure you!). Advice much appreciated, thanks in advance x

[EmJay Partner]

Hi Jasabelle, welcome to our online stop smoking community.

Making it into your 2nd day of not smoking is a great achievemnet, so well done

Having nightmares is a common side effect of using the patches, however experiencing quite vivid dreams can also be a part of the process of stopping smoking anyway and so even if you didn't use the patches, you may still experience the weird dreams.

Depending on how many you used to smoke each day and how soon after waking did you smoke would determine whether or not you would leave the patches on when you go to sleep or use a 16 hour patch instead.

The 24 hour patch is also licenced as a 16hour patch and so it okay for you to take it off before you go to sleep.

The only way that you might struggle is if you were a heavy smoker and smoked within 20 minutes of waking up.

If you do decide to take it off before you go to bed, I would suggest that you cut the patch packet open ready (leaving the patch inside) and pop it under your pillow or on your bedside table for ease of access. This way you can pop it on as soon as you wake up.

Pete (Monky) has also suggested in the past that if you leave the patch ready under your pillow, it will be at body temperature ready for when you put it on in the morning. This will give it more chance of getting into your system straight away. I am confident that you will be able to feel the presence of your patch within 20 minutes of popping it on. So if you feel confident enough to get through your first half an hour say, then I'm sure you'll be fine

See how you go tonight and if the dreams are a bit too much for you, then maybe try this.

Have a read through the following blog regarding vivid dreams;

quitsupport.healthunlocked....

At the end of the day, its only a dream but it is so surpising how realistic they appear to be sometimes.

You are doing so well, just remember to stay positive

[jasabelle]

Hi, thanks very much for your replies I am going to keep wearing the patches at night for the time being. I wasn't a very heavy smoker but the first thing I think about when I open my eyes in the morning is going outside for a smoke, so I definitely don't want to slip up now that I've been through the first two horrendous days! Thanks again, it's so reassuring to know that there are people on here when I need advice/ support

[Orkneysarah 25 Months Winner]

I am not taking the patches but having weird dreams

it's your brain healing itself so think of it as a good thing, you know your brain is getting back to normal.

apparently it takes 3 weeks for the seratonin levels to get back to normal so bear with the dreams, it's worth it

[jasabelle in reply to Orkneysarah]

Thanks hun, am going to keep the patches on at night. It's scary having weird dreams but now I know about the brain healing etc I'm seeing it as a positive, the more freaky dreams the better if my poor smoke damaged brain is healing itself! haha thanks again

[Chickles 3 YEAR WINNER]

I still get very weird and vivid dreams, some of them are quite entertaining. The other night I dreamt my grandma had left me her house in her will. I went to it and half of it had been turned into part of a luxury casino/theme park, it was massive lol

I tried booting the people out but they said they had bought it, so I demanded proof, ha! It really was funny....there were loads of rooms in the house as well, and it was nowt like my Gran's house.

I've been stopped for 21 weeks on Saturday, oh yes! When I get to 6 months on 1st March, we're going to Jamie Oliver's Italian in Leeds.

Stick with it Jasbelle! A big well done on reaching Day 2!

[monky Administrator 35 Months Winner]

Hi Jasabelle,

A big welcome to this lovely quit smoking site, there is loads of help on here gal from lots of lovely friendly people

Rite then Jasabelle, I've used 24 & 16 hour patches, and myself prefer the 16 hour ones, cos, I got no weird dreams, had a good nights sleep, they didnt irritate my skin so much and they seemed to stick to me better even when i came home from work and had a shower

What I did when I woke up in the morning is, go to the bathroom to have a wash and slap the patch on then, by the time i'd done that and got dressed etc and made a cuppa, the patch was working and if not I just had a quick spray with the mouth spray

Your doing very well so far, cos I think day 2 is one of the worst days, so you keep focused and determined eh

Pete

[jasabelle in reply to monky]

Hi thanks for advice, and sorry my reply is late! I kept the patch on for another 2 nights and had 2 more horrendous nightmares, so ended up taking the patch off at bedtime and having one ready to put on as soon as I open my eyes! As if by magic no more scary dreams and it hasn't made a difference cravings wise so happy days

Thanks again.