General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How tragic! Yesterday in the grocery store parking lot, I saw someone with a portable oxygen tank... [View all]NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)The patch was my "constant drip" of nicotine, but the gum and lozenge was the "kick" I needed (wanted) and it was enough to help me get through the worst cravings.
Technically, one isn't supposed to use patches AND gum/lozenges... but it really helped me.
I used the "step down" patches but I never got all the way to the final (smallest) nicotine patch. Toward the end of the process, I was FORGETTING to put on a fresh patch in the morning. (Previously I couldn't wait!!!)
When the urgency to have a new patch was no longer a part of my day, I knew that I could just go ahead and quit EVERYTHING related to nicotine.
So I did.
I still have a "souvenir" patch and a "souvenir" box of gum... and somewhere buried DEEP in my freezer is a five year old "emergency" pack of cigarettes that I stashed away because I was afraid I'd need them. They're still there. I guess it's like a trophy and a testament to the fact that I never opened them.