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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think I'd be better off sellotaping a cigarette to my arm?

43 replies

Mandatorymongoose · 20/04/2015 22:01

I saw the Dr today (about a couple of things which she did help with) and while I was there mentioned my plan to give up smoking and requested some nicotine patches.

First she asked me if I wanted to come to the stop smoking clinic where they could tell me about chewing gum and inhalers, so I thanked her but said no, I had looked at all the options and tried other methods in the past and I know patches work reasonably well for me.

She asked how much I smoke currently (around 7-10 a day) and wrote me a prescription which I dutifully thanked her for and took to the chemist without paying much attention to.

After waiting at the chemist for a little while they came and told me that they didn't stock the patches on the prescription and they weren't sure if anyone else would either because they couldn't even order them in.

So, I had a closer look. The recommended first step for around 10 a day is 2 weeks of 14mg patches.
She's prescribed me 5 days of 5mg patches.

Even if these patches weren't next to impossible to source aibu to think they wouldn't be strong enough to actually get me through the horrible first few days and that sellotaping a cigarette to my arm would probably provide about the same amount of nicotine? and that 5 days isn't enough anyway!

I'm irritated because I'm already anxious about giving up smoking and this has made it worse

OP posts:
WestEast · 20/04/2015 22:05

Why not use the money you would have spent on cigs to pay for patches?

cleanmyhouse · 20/04/2015 22:07

Tbh, i think if you're anxious about it, its probably not the right time for you to stop.

I found patches to be the least helpful. I thought the lozenges were better. But...I'm still a smoker. I've tried everything going. Hypnotherapy helped me stop for longest. I'm going to try the Alan Carr book next.

EdSheeransGString · 20/04/2015 22:08

YANBU please let me know how you get on regarding the sellotape and the cigarette because I am finding the patches useless. They do not stay on!

Also, buy the patches in the chemist yourself (same price as 40 cigs) and go back to the Dr for a new prescription or if you can get them from the pharmacy directly then go there.

LittleMissRayofHope · 20/04/2015 22:09

Yes I was wondering why you were getting them on prescription as well.
Seems at a time when the NHS is constantly in the limelight for funding shortages these sort of things shouldn't be prescribed.....

Having said that I can see your frustration at thinking you were getting something to find out your weren't. But then gp's prescribe stuff all the time that isn't exactly what the patient wants.

Good luck quitting. I quit 4 years ago. Went cold turkey. First 2/3 days was tough wanted to murder anyone and everyone who approached me but it got better.
It's awesome now. Don't miss it at all

namechange2015 · 20/04/2015 22:11

I tried everything. Ended up buying Tabex online. Cheap easy quick can't believe it 2 years later get v occasional craving but nothing major

Original poster
Mandatorymongoose · 20/04/2015 22:17

Yeah, I will buy some patches - I just asked for a prescription as I happened to be at the Dr's for unrelated things and I have to get enough prescriptions to make my prepayment card worth it Wink .

I'll test out the sellotaping first though while I have cigarettes left just incase 5mg is enough.

I really hate the taste of all of the sprays / inhalers / chewing gums etc. so patches are the only thing that ever really worked for me. I gave up with them a few years ago but a few drinks later gave in to temptation of just having one on a work night out Sad

OP posts:
CoffeeBeanMonster · 20/04/2015 22:48

I gave up cold turkey three years ago. Nicotine replacements feed the nicotine addiction. I found Allen Carr's Easyway book helpful

FadedRed123 · 21/04/2015 01:05

Often cheaper from major Supermarkets than 'Chemist shops' - one brand is third to half RRP in local store.
Good luck!

LucyBabs · 21/04/2015 01:13

Sorry but you're not addicted to nicotine.. no amount of patches inhalers or any other replacement therapy is going to help. I'm a smoker. I know its a mental addiction, no physical addiction involved.
Have a read about nicotine..
(Runssssss away!)

SingingHinnies · 21/04/2015 01:19

Nicotine patches + nasal spray works

I started again but gave up for 10 weeks with the spray, kept forgetting to put the patches on.

Now gave up but vaping

Local stop smoking clinic give you free patches and nasal spray

SingingHinnies · 21/04/2015 01:23

The spray works as its an instant hit and stops the craving, that's what i found anyway. Its not pleasent but you get used to it

Thats also how i started again, going out on the lash and my friends smoke, was gutted

SingingHinnies · 21/04/2015 01:25

I smoked 20 per day and i am vaping 12mg liquid, not sure if you can compare the 2 though

Jaded2004 · 21/04/2015 01:49

I just wanted to add that I was smoking around 25 roll ups a day and have brought a vape and now down to two or three roll ups a day. I managed it straight away and am so impressed. It's worth putting some research into what to get and the price can vary but the cost of the juice is not much at all, I spent £10 on five bottles three weeks ago and still have loads left. I really can't recommend it enough. You get far less actual nicotine that you would the equivalent fags and can get stronger, weaker and no nicotine lebels. The liquid ingredients are safe at the lebels we consume and don't become dangerous when heated in the bape. I got an aspire k1 starter kit and use anything that has the same or similar ingredients for liquid as the frumist or iv brand.

Jaded2004 · 21/04/2015 01:49

Hahaha that's levels and vape

Feckeggblue · 21/04/2015 01:56

I would buy the 10mg patches. I think prescribing patches is a great idea (better than the cost of treating smoking related disease) but it seems to have gone a but wrong in your case

I gave up using patches.

PlentyOfPubeGardens · 21/04/2015 08:49

YANBU, she's setting you up for failure.

NRT on its own has been shown to be worse than useless outside of clinical trials. It is thought that this is partly because people don't use enough and don't use it for long enough. The whole point of NRT is to kill your nicotine cravings until you have lost the 'habit' part of smoking, then reduce the nicotine once you are a confident non-smoker. If you are using NRT and are still getting strong cravings there is no point. The correct dose is enough to kill the cravings but not enough to make you feel sick. Many people find using two NRT products together to be effective - a patch worn all the time + gum/lozenges/spray when a craving hits.

YABU to write off the stop smoking clinic. The regular support they can provide makes a big difference to success rates. Also they have much better knowledge of effective doses!

Ecigs are great - vaping is what worked for me after over 3 decades trying to quit.

Allen Carr works for lots of people. It worked for me once but I relapsed after a few months.

We've got a very supportive Stop Smoking section on MN. There are lots of vapers but also people using NRT, Champix, Allen Carr, cold turkey ...

flora717 · 21/04/2015 09:07

Cold turkey here. (I'm hours in). I hadn't realised the stop smoking exsisted. Thanks!

binspin · 21/04/2015 09:13

I NEED to stop.

Jayne35 · 21/04/2015 09:14

I quit using ecigs 11 months ago. I only actually needed the ecigs for about 8 weeks. It's bloody hard but possible and the benefits outweigh any pleasure I got from smoking for 26 years! Good luck with the patches.

CoffeeBeanMonster · 21/04/2015 09:14

NRT maintains the dependency on nicotine.

Good luck, Mandatory. I know it's hard to quit. I withdrew from nicotine completely and for the first few days I felt awful. My chest felt really clogged and I was constantly coughing. I also noticed that I couldn't drink coffee for a while Sad. I felt better drinking loads of orange juice.

I read Allen Carr's Easyway after quitting and this helped reinforce my withdrawal and why any kind or replacement therapy wont work.

I found the routine the hardest thing to break; wake up- cigarette, breakfast - cigarette, e.t.c. To counteract this I took up knitting and crochet which gave me something to do with my hands and I could pick it up throughout the day.

EuphemiaCoxton · 21/04/2015 09:30

Yanbu. I'd have been so fuming at that I'd have had to have a calming fag and then felt even worse.
i am on my 7th cigarette free day after smoking for 20 years. I never thought I could do it.
I wasn't a fan of an ecig, it felt like swapping one addiction for the other. And patches gum etc just made me want a fag unbearably.
I got put on champix by the stop smoking service. It is amazing. I haven't had any meltdowns, panic attacks about having no cigarettes in the house. It's nice not planning my day around when I can have a smoke.
For the first time I think, I can and am doing this

SingingHinnies · 21/04/2015 10:56

quit using ecigs 11 months ago. I only actually needed the ecigs for about 8 weeks.

This is my plan, and to not drink until i have been off the ecig for a while

Hippymama1 · 21/04/2015 11:35

I just want to say best of luck to you for giving up smoking - I am sure you can do it because if I can, anyone can!

I gave up a few years ago after smoking for years and don't even think about it anymore and haven't thought about it really, since about 3 months after I stopped. It is amazing how something so central to your everyday existence can just stop - you will feel so free once you have done it!

I stopped cold turkey and it was uncomfortable for a couple of days but you soon get used to it. I chewed gum but not even nicotine gum - just normal chewing gum.

I think the most helpful thing to me was that I gave up with a friend - maybe the Stop Smoking clinic could put you in touch with someone else who wants to give up and you could support (compete with!) one another?

Good luck!

syne · 21/04/2015 11:50

Seriously all the pharma type nrt is pretty rubbish when compared to a vaporiser.

go and buy a £10 starter kit and some medium strength liquid (18mg or similar) and within a week you'll easily be able to go a day without smoking.

the thing with a vapouriser vs everything else is that it mimics all the addictive qualities of cigarettes without burning anything, it's then just a simple step to reduce down the nicotine intake over a few weeks/month whatever.

at the end you'll be left with the mildly annoying habit of going through the motions of smoking with none of the 'benefits'/problems. stopping doing that is just a matter of preference.

I'd list the benefits of vaping vs ciggies but there's no need. :)

good luck either way.

redshoeblueshoe · 21/04/2015 11:54

Another vote for Allen Carr. I was also very aware that having alcohol would make me really want a cig - so I gave alcohol up for 6 months - now happily smoke free, and I'd broken the cycle of Wine plus cig. Now I can happily drink without wanting one.