Nicotine Gum

[SteveS]

I am soooo tempted to kick the NRT"S away as well Annemarie...not for the same reasons as you...BUT because I dont want to remain hooked on the oral gratification of Nicotine...not ready yet though it seems....maybe after 2 weeks like you did...really DONT know about that one


confusedsteve

[AnneMarie09]

I didnt stop the NRT for that reason Steve, it was only a side line for the real reasons.

The main reasons I quit NRT patches (and why I was drawn to this board in honesty) was because I was in excrutiating pain because of them and after 3 weeks of being quit (and being very happy in my quit and method of quitting) I realised I couldnt go swimming with my boy without taking another patch with me and from that moment on I went in to full blown daily tantrums.

I know it sounds very bizarre but after I had this annoying "hold on I'm still tied to an addiction" thought in my head every post I read seemed to be confirming that I should be giving up NRT.

It was a very personal decision and it was by no means easy. NRT makes you just forget that you have a addiction so it dampened everything from view but when I had come off it then boy did I have a wake up call (search post NRT sucks)

I've heard from a lot of people say that this happens no matter when you stop the NRT so its better to get it over with sooner rather than later. I would hate to be 3 mths in and feel the way I did when I stopped. BUT the thing is... YOU have to do what YOU need to do. I can only give you my experience, encourage you to ask for other people's experiences and then ask you to think a while before you make a decision. there is no rush for you. You have quit cigs and you are doing a wonderful job. If you need NRT then you keep on going and know that we will always be there no matter what path you choose.

[SteveS]

thanks again Annemarie, I just had the most horrible day in the last 10+ yrs!...tried to cut down hard on the nrts and almost lost my mind.....I cant belive how bad it was....out of body experience


almost gave in twice today...wow...I am totally surprised how this is affecting me

[AnneMarie09]

If you havent already done so Steve I would strongly recommend that you start to educate yourself about your addiction. You cant imagine how much it helps until you give it a go. Once you know what to expect you can plan what you will do when it happens and then you find the other posts that hit you and its like " WOW thats me..right now..thats me..how did you know" lol. The Newbie Thread is a really good place to start and Allen Carrs book is also another good one. That also on the newbie thread. It's not going to be easy but you WILL get through this. The first week is hell but it gets better.

[scooterbob]

Haven't tried the gum, but started using Zyban 10 days before quiting last Sun. and I don't have as many cravings as I thought I would have, not even with my morning coffee.

[slocum]

[SteveS]

Hey Joe, have you been using the gum? I have used it for almost 10 days and it got me thru the eye of the storm.....I do NOT want to be a nicotine gum addict so only used it when completely necessary....since doing that I didn't really chew more than a 5-6 pieces a day...I have already cut down to the 2 mg strength

if you follow Nicorettes instructions they have you chewing it for 3 months I believe ( I threw away the package) lets face it...the longer you chew it the better that product sales are.( and the long term use is even better for sales) which seems to be the result for many to most successful quitters using the gum

..I assumed the gum would only be used in the smallest quantity possible after first quitting to avoid smoking....it worked so far! and I have NO intentions on starting up again under any circumstances

I am getting ready for a full nicotine quit soon!! Not really looking forward to it but only time will tell if I made the right move by using the gum to avoid the crazy cigarette cravings in the first week or so....

If anyone uses the Lozenges I suggest cutting them in half...they are much less pasty..and if you buy the 4 MG dose you will get JUST enough nicotine to get you by after a few days and they are much easier to handle in the mouth

the whole full size candy is so chalky and thick that i could have puked...AND they also release alot of nicotine.( more than gum)..absorbs at a higher rate into the mucus membrane of the mouth because of the constant sit in the cheek melting

I have been reading ( here on the site) about people using the gum for YEARS!!

no thanks....not trading up once long term addiction for another are we?

although I firmly believe that cold turkey on 5 ( or less), 2 mg nicotine gums will be MUCH easier than Cold Turkey on the 40-50 cigarettes a day i was pumping down 9-10 days ago


IF anyone wants to know how I do with the Cold Turkey on the gum please PM me or reply here and I will let you know ...I havent set the firm quit date yet for the gum but I am thinking this upcoming Friday night ( or earlier)

worst case scenario is that I slip and go back to the gum...and set another quit date in a week or less again!!!...I am plying this all very hard! definitely dont want to chew this stuff long term like many horror stories i have read

I have bill paying work that I have been putting off for 10 days which i now NEED to do..then I have planned more time off !!!


I thought the only way I was ever going to quit smoking was to be locked away in some far off clinic type environment...so even losing a months income seems cheap in some way
Steve