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Cutting the Patch?

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 13

Thanks to all for the replies = they really, really, help. IWin - thanks to you for taking the time to write a lengthly reply, it really does help! I think I will go from l4mg to 10.5mg. I'm just not going to cut the patch - I will fold a 7mg in half and use medical adhesive to cover it = (with a 7mg) thus giving me 10.5 for I'm thinking about a week then down to 7, and so on and so forth. This is hard, but I really feel the patch is helping alot and I certainly agree with you - a few more months of Nicotine (and much less I'm sure) is OK. We are not getting the 4,000 chemicals and tar that it takes to satisfy the nicotine demands of the Demon. This my definition of a cigarette: A white paper tube, laden with noxious chemicals and nicotine, whose ONLY purpose is to deliver nicotine to the addict. When you think about it, it's true - we only puffed on cigarettes to satisfy the need for nicotine - if there was no need we would not need the delivery system! :confuse:

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 13

Thanks everyone - I may try the covering the patch edges if I go to 3.5mg after the 7. Maybe this is just a placebo - if it works what does it matter. IWIN - did you suffer "h*ll week" after you stopped using the patches? Or was it not too noticeable (hoping, hoping, hoping).

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 13

I have been on 14mg Patch for 1 month and am ready to go to the next lower dosage (7mg). Just wondering if it is OK to cut a wedge out of my 14mg (to make it about 9-10mg) for about 1-2 weeks - thus making the withdrawal from Nic less noticeable. I know it will take longer to be TOTALLY nic-free, and I know that is the objective here, but I just really want to do this very gradually. Can you tell me, it it OK to do this for a small length of time before going to 7mg? Thanks for your posts.

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1262

Hey Sadie They say not to cut the patch.....they being the box, SSC, my doctor. HOWEVER...I don't listen well and I did (cut the patches) and it worked for me. Even if it was phsychological.....it worked! And yes I sealed the package up really well with the pieces that were left. I actually used only 1 box of 14 (21mg) for 4 weeks. Don't forget.....I am not a doc....just a junkie : :blush: [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/30/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 84 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,271 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $252 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 51 [B]Seconds:[/B] 28

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 962

Sorry Sadie - I told you I really didn't have any idea - so it's a good thing that the SSC support is always here for us. Take Care - Don't Smoke! Island Girl

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18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 962

Sadie - I noticed that no one who is on the patch answered your info question. I did not use the patch but if you scroll down I know that there is another thread about cutting the patch in half and using that. I don't think that there is anything wrong with that - but just in case why don't you call your doc and ask? Take care! You're doing a great job! Island Girl [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/21/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 61 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 247 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $61 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 7 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 55 [B]Seconds:[/B] 1

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18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 893

Sadie, sorry for being late on this but have not been able to get on much recently. What I did when moving down a level was to take the patch off earlier before I went to bed e.g. 1-2 hours before instead of when I went to bed and then delayed putting it on in the morning for about 1 hour. It worked for me. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/6/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 79 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 949 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �197.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 214

Hi Sadie, I started on the 14mg like you and wore it for 8 weeks. I then went down to the 7mg and wore it for 2 weeks. After that I wanted to do the same thing you want to do. I wanted to wean myself off some more. I didn't cut them between the 14mg and 7mg, but I did cut them after the 7mg. I cut them and wore 3.5mg and then 1.75mg. It worked fine and I had no problems with the patches doing that. I have read you are not supposed to cut them because when the air hits them it effects how much nicotine you are getting. I would use medical tape and put that over the piece of patch on my arm to cover up the edges that were cut and exposed to the air. I would also put medical tape over the exposed edges on the rest of the patch that I was not using yet and then put it back in the package until the next day when I would use another piece. Hope this answers your question. Iwin [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 102 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,058 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $408 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 11 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 50 [B]Seconds:[/B] 56

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 214

Hi Sadie, How are you doing today? I noticed a little difference with every step down, but I did not think hell week bad. Although I have to say that I didn't think the first week was too bad because the patch helped. If you have it in your mind that you just are not going to smoke you will get through it. By the time the time came to step down each time, I was actually ready 2 days before the date even though if you would have asked me the week before the time to step down I would have said, I don't know if I am going to be ready. I hope that made sense. You are going to have craves whether you use the patch or go cold turkey. My husband went cold turkey 74 days ago and he still has craves. I am like you in thinking that maybe it could be all in our heads about the patch doing more then it really does, but who cares if it helps us. I do think it helps take the edge off and deal with the habit aspect and it makes so much sense to me to wean off of something. A few more months of nicotine after 30 years wasn't that big of a deal to me. Just tell yourself no matter what you are not going to smoke. Don't worry, the longer you go the craves get less and less. I have had days where I would crave all day and then a couple days where I wouldn't at all. But the wanting a cigarette when the phone rings, after I eat, or in the car have been gone for a while now. I have chewed alot of cinnamon gum the real spicey kind and that has been a lifesaver for me. Don't worry about the stepping down you will be fine. Iwin [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/11/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 103 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,075 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $412 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 11 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 8 [B]Seconds:[/B] 38

18 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12049

Sadie, I apologize that we are responding so late :) It is not advised that you cut the patch. If you cut the patch the nicotine will evaporate as it will no longer be in a sealed environment. Hope this helps, Josie _____________________ The SSC Support Team.

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Cutting the Patch?