16 days & shaky
Well, I'm 16 days in and struggling with low energy and depression. I use nicotine patches to curb my irritability and cravings. They really do help, although I hope I don't experience withdrawal from them when it's time to stop using them. I have such a hard time sleeping at night. I toss and turn, with or without the patch, and when I finally do fall asleep (around 3 or 4 am), I don't get out of bed until noon or after. Then I struggle with no energy or motivation the rest of the day, just to start it all over again. I feel a bit like I'm going slowly insane. I travel with my husband for his job, which makes me a bit isolated; however, he has been my supportive rock. If it weren't for him, I know i would've given in already. Of course I've tried to quit before, but I substituted vaping. That was always an unmitigated failure. This is my first time trying the patch, and I'm determined to make it work! Now I just have to get through this horrible lethargy. Has anyone else experienced this? Please tell it's normal.
Unfortunately you won’t need to be reminded of a simply fact, purr elise; that quitting isn’t an easy process. Withdrawal symptoms can occur in a matter of hours, whereas the damage being done by drawing toxic, tar laden cigarette smoke into our lungs can take many years to become obvious. It’s all too easy to just have another ciggy because it’s easy to ignore the long-term consequences; it isn’t easy to resist a body that’s screaming for another fix by lighting up. So, congratulations on reaching day 16; it’s a significant achievement, as will be the days and years to come.
How our bodies react when we stop drawing toxic, addictive, cigarette smoke into our lungs can vary significantly from one person to the next; our own particular mix of symptoms, and their severity, can be unique to us but individual things like sleep issues can be experienced by others and I certainly know what it feels like. That’s the value of this forum; the people in here know full well what you’re going through and some of the techniques they’ve used can be of great assistance to others.
Although there were other factors involved, my primary reason to quit was to stop drawing that toxic smoke into my lungs on a regular basis and I’ve managed to do that for 29 days now. The mindset I’m constantly trying to adopt is that I don’t smoke and never want to; right now, as I was at day 16, I’m smoke free but not nicotine free. I haven’t even thought about how I’m going to become nicotine free yet because being smoke free mattered the most.
Patches didn’t work for me so I’ve been using 4mgm mint flavoured nicotine lozenges. I found them much more convenient; if a craving started getting strong, I simply popped one in my mouth. If the craving started going away before I’d finished it, I took it out. After 4 weeks (finally!) those cravings have begun to ease, even though week 3 was torture. Perhaps, as those cravings continue to ease, I’ll just naturally wean myself off the lozenges. If I don’t, however (the packet does say it’s a 12 week course) then I don’t really care right now; being a nicotine addict via lozenges doesn’t even rate compared to sucking cigarette smoke into my lungs. The lozenges can be a bit rough on the tongue, too, and that’s providing some incentive to discontinue using them.
It is possible to quit, purr elise, and you will get there. Do continue using the forum; it brilliant to see success stories unfolding.
Thank you, Red-67 and Grimbling for your comments and support.
Red-67, it was suggested to me that I use NRTs because I have major depressive disorder (MDD). Even though I'm on antidepressants, the fear was that the depression caused by my quit could throw me out of balance. Since I have been experiencing depression with the lethargy, I can't imagine how bad it would be without the patches. However, you do make a good point in that I could be past all this had I not used the patch, but I decided not to take the chance. I do wonder if after I've used the 7 mg patch for 2 weeks as directed, I could then cut them in half and then quarters to further help wean myself from the nicotine? Has anyone tried that? Maybe that sounds ridiculous. I know I've had to do that with previously tried antidepressants when they weren't effective for me and couldn't just be stopped cold turkey.
I do like what you're saying, Grimbling, about how at least I'm not sucking in toxic smoke. The process of hacking up tarry mucous while my lungs clean themselves is quite a wake up call to the damage I've been doing to my body for the last 20 years. It's really gross but also sad that I've done this to myself for an addiction which has served no real purpose in my life.
Thank you, Red-67 and Grimbling for your comments and support.
Red-67, it was suggested to me that I use NRTs because I have major depressive disorder (MDD). Even though I'm on antidepressants, the fear was that the depression caused by my quit could throw me out of balance. Since I have been experiencing depression with the lethargy, I can't imagine how bad it would be without the patches. However, you do make a good point in that I could be past all this had I not used the patch, but I decided not to take the chance. I do wonder if after I've used the 7 mg patch for 2 weeks as directed, I could then cut them in half and then quarters to further help wean myself from the nicotine? Has anyone tried that? Maybe that sounds ridiculous. I know I've had to do that with previously tried antidepressants when they weren't effective for me and couldn't just be stopped cold turkey.
I do like what you're saying, Grimbling, about how at least I'm not sucking in toxic smoke. The process of hacking up tarry mucous while my lungs clean themselves is quite a wake up call to the damage I've been doing to my body for the last 20 years. It's really gross but also sad that I've done this to myself for an addiction which has served no real purpose in my life.
Thank you, Red-67 and Grimbling for your comments and support.
Red-67, it was suggested to me that I use NRTs because I have major depressive disorder (MDD). Even though I'm on antidepressants, the fear was that the depression caused by my quit could throw me out of balance. Since I have been experiencing depression with the lethargy, I can't imagine how bad it would be without the patches. However, you do make a good point in that I could be past all this had I not used the patch, but I decided not to take the chance. I do wonder if after I've used the 7 mg patch for 2 weeks as directed, I could then cut them in half and then quarters to further help wean myself from the nicotine? Has anyone tried that? Maybe that sounds ridiculous. I know I've had to do that with previously tried antidepressants when they weren't effective for me and couldn't just be stopped cold turkey.
I do like what you're saying, Grimbling, about how at least I'm not sucking in toxic smoke. The process of hacking up tarry mucous while my lungs clean themselves is quite a wake up call to the damage I've been doing to my body for the last 20 years. It's really gross but also sad that I've done this to myself for an addiction which has served no real purpose in my life.
Geez sorry my comment keeps repeating. I don't know why it's doing that....
Thank you, Robn. What you said really helps. I'll work on positive self talk. I'm not very good at that, and this is a great time to start. My husband has been really good about patting me on the back about my quit. It would do me a world of good to pay myself on the back as well.
This forum is really helpful. I'm so glad to know there are such caring people out there who can help me through this so I know I'm not alone. I hope I, too, can help others along this journey of The Big Quit.
Hi Purr, Sorry I dont know much about the patch or well don't know much about anything but I too quit smoking 19 days not for me (cold turkey) I can tell you its really messed up my sleeping as well. Moody is now my name in my circle of people. I would think being on the road would make it even more difficult. Congrats on how far you come, I think its important to pat ourself on the back for how far we have come. Non smokers have no idea what its like for us. Hang in there I do think the Light is near and it's gonna be an awesome new life for us.