Ive been trying to quit smoking, on patches but doesnt seem to work?

Question

I smoke 10 cigs a day and been trying to quit. Ive used the patch and it works just fine but the craving comes back after 8 hrs of having it on.
The longes Ive quit is 3 weeks on patches but once i get started smoking i get addicted easily.
Ive heard of ZYBAN and CHANTIX.. any idea if this work? Is it prescribed? PLEASE HELP.

Answer 1

I used to smoke a lot, I loved smoking, but I hated the smell...on my clothes, in my car, on my non-smoking wife, dog, house, etc. Tried to quit many times and failed. Always going back for "just one more". So here is my advice for you, I have been smoke free for over a year now and feel great!

The first thing I would recommend is set a quit date from a couple of weeks to a month or so out, and stick to it. Since you have quit for a few weeks already, but go back to smoking, you know what to expect. Next, sit down and write down all the reasons you want to quit on some paper, all the things you don't like about it, all the things that the people in your life don't like about it, the social aspects all the things that make you weak and want a cig, and how you'll resist the temptation. The health aspects about it the expense, the inconvenience of being a smoker in todays world...everything. Then write down how you'll feel as a non-smoker, how much more money you'll have, how much better you'll breathe, and smell, and well, not smell or stink. Then fold them up and put them in your wallet, or something that you carry with you every day. And read them from time to time while you are waiting for your quit date, and when you are having weak moments and want to smoke. By the time you finish reading them, chances are, the craving will pass.

Then after you write down your "Reasons for Quitting", call a doctor and get a script for zyban or Chantix. Zyban really helped me. I have tried the patch and lozenges and gum in the past, but my crutch was a nasal spray called Nicotrol NS. The reason I liked it was because when I needed a shot of nicotine, it was there. It didn't give me heartburn like the gum and lozenges, and still had the "instant gratification" that the cigs had. Then after and only after the thought of a cigarette crossing your lips makes you cringe, then start working on weaning yourself off of the nicotine replacement. The reason I say this is because when you are jonesin' for a smoke, it's a jones for nicotine, and when you get over the habit of "smoking" and see how much better you feel and smell without the cigarettes, you won't want them. I took me a good amount of time to get off of the nicotine replacement, but at least I wasn't smoking, and no longer wanted them.

On your quit date, throw out your cigs, drink lots of water, keep yourself busy and use your nicotrol ns. Use it as much as you need it. Have a jar or coffee can or a bank ready, and label it "money I didn't burn" and put the money in it that you would have used to buy cigarettes, and in a few months, treat yourself to something you have had your eyes on for a while. That way you have a goal to keep saving and a reward after you did. And only use the money you didn't burn to pay for it. You will be surprised how much you save! I used mine for a new set of golf clubs and put the rest in a mutual fund.

Don't worry about the money you'll pay for the zyban, or the nicotine nasal spray, (which is only available by prescription), it will pay off big time in clothes that you didn't ruin, medical bills you won't have later in life, and carpet you didn't put holes in, and your home and car that won't smell and get stained not to mention loose value.

I've read a lot of things on this message board, some people say they quit cold turkey, and so on. Just remember everyone is different, and what some people have the will power to do, others don't. Everyone has different stress levels, jobs and triggers. This is what worked for me, I know it sounds excessive, but it really helped me. The main thing is, you have to want to quit. So remember when you have a weak moment, and think you don't want to quit anymore, it's the nicotine talking. My method worked for me because I hit it from all angles. Zyban to calm me, Nicotrol NS to hit the cravings, the list to keep me focused on a bad day, and the monetary reward to keep me from disappointing myself and keep my eyes on the prize. It will keep you busy enough staying on track, that you won't want to get off track. I isn't easy, but if I can do it (1 1/2-2 1/2 packs/day) you can too. I'm not going to wish you luck, because you don't need luck, you need to want to quit bad enough, and stay with it! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

And by the way, on your anniversary date, buy yourself something really nice!!! You deserve it!

Answer 2

I smoked for 10 years and got up to a pack and a half a day. I finally got tired of being out of breath when I went up stairs and decided to quit. I started taking Chantix and have been smoke free for 26 days now! It's a really amazing drug. I started to try and ween myself off of cigarettes before I actually quit and just waited as long as possible between cigarettes. My last pack of cigarettes lasted four days because I think the Chantix was working and I wasn't getting any "happy" feelings when I smoked. I am now using a toothpick, for replacement, and my cravings are getting more and more rare. One of my friends quit using the patch and went through some serious withdrawl crabbiness. I had ONE evening, on day seven, that was bad but otherwise it's been great. The hardest part is breaking the habit and un-linking everything with smoking. I don't think that I could have done it without Chantix, my friends' support and the real desire to quit. Good luck, you can do it!

Answer 3

Yes you can, Here is how :- Homeopathic Treatment for Quitting Smoking :- To reduce the craving; while discontinuing its use Tabacum 30, 4 hourly Though addicted to tobacco; but cannot bear the odour of it Lobelia In Q(Mother Tincture) 4 hourly, 5 -10 drops Great desire to smoke; tobacco heart; oppression of breathing as in asthma Caladium S 30, 4 hourly To produce disgust for tobacco for habitual tobacco chewers Plantago Major 30, 4 hourly Take the remedy which is similar to your symptoms. No side effects or complications if taken as directed, please do not exceed the given dosage and under any circumstances do not try to mix any remedies and avoid Chocolates, Mints, Coffee, Red Meat, Alcoholic and Carbonated drinks, Spicy Rich Food while taking any Homeopathic remedies, and keep the medicines away from direct sunlight, heat strong smells and perfumes and do not store them in the fridge. Curing without any side effects or Complications Thats the Beauty of Homeopathic Medicine Take Care and God Bless You !

Answer 4

Just my 2¢ Zyban is an anti Depressent

Ativan is an anti-anxiety med at about 1/10th the cost of Zyban

Nicotine withdrawel is an anxiety attack

But #1 you need to have it set in your mind that you want to quit
w/o this everything else is a waste of time and money

If at first you can't quit, your only normal

It took me over 5 times, but I quit a 100 cig a day habit, 22 months ago

Answer 5

different items are going to work in different ways for different people......for some the patch works great......others the gum is better......i can't keep the patches lit so i don't like them.....what i've decided to do is slowly ween myself down and then try tha patch or gum again.....i started at about 10 a day........did that for 2 weeks and then dropped to 9 a day........and so on.....it takes a while to quit that way but it's easier on your system if you ask me....and it takes your body almost the full 2 weeks to adjust to the new lower level of one less cig......i'm down to 6 a day now......it's working but it takes a good bit of willpower too...good luck

Answer 6

You're just going to have to pick a date and decide that you are not going to smoke after that date, and really want to. That is the key, that you really, actually want to not smoke. You might try just holding something about the size of a cigarette when you get a craving, usually most of the addiction in the action of holding the object. Good luck.

Answer 7

Try Quit Smoking Magic : http://QuitSmokingMagicals.com/Go

Answer 8

Try the gum. You can chew a piece when you get the craving and this will slowly diminish over time.

10 cigs a day is not a lot so you should be able to quit with the gum.
Good luck

Answer 9

Quiting smoking can be very difficult to accomplish...I finally successfully completed this mission about 8 years ago...after having smoked for 20...the feeling of success and accomplishment when you have been able to fight off the urges are SUCH a high!!! I'll tell you my secret....pretzel rods...the long pretzels....I walked around for a couple months with pretzels hanging out of my mouth...sucking the salt off them (incase your not aware...salt is a substitute for nicotine cravings)....when my cravings got really bad I would go to the kitchen...pour some salt in the palm of my hand and lick it off.....cravings gone! Also, I had a perscription for Welbutrin...this is a generic for Zyban. While most insurance perscription plans will not pay for stop smoking aids...Welbutrin is also an anti-depression medication....if you go see your physician...tell him/her what your trying to accomplish...I'd bet they would be willing to write you a perscription for Welbutrin with a depression diagnosis and your insurance will cover the medication cost. The instructions for quitting smoking while taking Welbutrin are: take the medication twice a day....continue to smoke for 7 days.....on the 8th day you wake up....and don't smoke....for as much as I was certain it was NOT gonna work, because I didn't feel any different for that 7 days...it did work.....I got ready for work that morning...thinking hmmmm....this isn't so bad....got 1/2 way thru my day...thinking wow! this is pretty amazing....about 2:00 that afternoon...I called my dad...asking him to go get the 2 packs of smokes out of my house....so the temptation wouldn't be there when I got home. I did however, quit smoking in my house and my vehicle a month or so before hand....working to free those places of the icky smoke smell.....(going outside to smoke in the winter when it's 10 below zero wasn't anything I was looking forward to doing)..giving myself some additional incentive! Then off to the store for a bag of pretzels....I kept a bag in my desk drawer at work...a bag in my car..and a bag or two in my kitchen....I remained on the 2 times a day dosage of Welbutrin for about a month...then weened myself down to 1 a day...then to every other day..and so on until I was no longer felt the need for the medication or the nicotine.....Pretzels are very very low in fat...and are very inexpensive...if ya don't wanna eat them with the salt is gone...throw them in the trash! It's still WAY cheaper than the cost of a pack of smokes! Ask your friends and co-workers for words of encouragement...if they are smokers....it would help if they would have enough respect for you and your goal to not smoke around you! You must accept responsibility for your actions....stive for a positive attitude...and know that the way your gonna feel in the end is WONDERFUL!! Not to mention...food tastes GREAT! I have 3 children, and at the time was a single mom....my greatest memory of my stop smoking is this....My daughter..who at the time was 9 years old, went to spend the night with a friend...when she came home the next day she said to me...."Mom, I didn't realize how much smoke stinks until you quit smoking" WOAH! If that wasn't incentive to never start again...I don't know what was! If you need a support contact..your welcom to email me...I'd be glad to help in any way I can.... Best of luck to you..and Keep our chin up...IT DOES GET EASIER! I promise!!!

Answer 10

I was told by my doctor that there is prescription medication that will help quit smoking....talk with him/her. I tried the patch also but i was allergic to the sticky adhesive :) Pills sound alot better!
I also heard that "welbutrin" would make you quit smoking. That is an anti-depressant medication that is prescribed.