Nicorette Gum

[Chewiebacca]

Can anyone tell me if Nicorette Gum (the stuff to help to smokers stop) is available in Singapore?  Or does the chewing gum rule apply to this as well?

[KT]

No, can't buy Nicorette here.  You can get patches and inhalers, also Zyban has recently been approved (but has a rather alarming list of side effects).  Zyban is on prescription, not sure about the rest.

[Rock On]

A warning to anyone who considers Zyban for smoking cessation:

When I quit smoking last May, a local doctor prescribed Zyban in a very casual manner, sort of off the cuff, "It's the new wonder drug to help quitters cut the cravings!"
So I took it, and in one week I was paranoid - convinced my gardener hated me and all taxi drivers were out to kill me. I stopped taking it immediatley and after a few days the symptoms subsided.

Zyban (drug name buproprion, marketed in the US as Wellbutrin) is actually an anti-depressent with very serious side effects. It should be prescribed only after complete blood analysis is done, and a physical, and the patient requires weekly check-ups with an GP or psychiatrist during the initial phases of treatment to check for effectiveness and side effects.

It's some serious stuff, and I can't believe it was just handed out as easily as a Panadeine.

Look out.

[smoker2]

Rock On...did you quit...I tried Zyban about a year ago and after 2 weeks I stopped taking it.I got so relaxed I didn't feel like doing anything...it helped me and I quite for 9 days but I started smoking again :{ It's just such a hard habit to break.I am now babysitting my grandson and that has helped me quite a bit...I am now smoking outside..I'd like to hear about some stories of how people have quit...

[KT]

Hi Rock On, that's very interesting.  I asked my GP for a prescription, and she said she didn't know anything about it, but gave me a script anyway.  After getting 2 weeks worth from the chemists, I had a look at the info that came with it, and haven't had the courage to take any at all!   So it's just sitting there high up in the cupboard where the kids can't get it ...  And yup, I'm still smoking but at least I trust the gardener ...!

[Rock On]

The good news is - yes I did quit smoking.

I used the Nicorette Patch. Last May I started out with 15mg patches each day. I cheated like hell the first month. In fact, the first cigarette I mooched was in a bar from a guy who turned out to be an addiction counsellor by trade.

"You're on the patch!?" he asked, eyeballing me.

"You kidding? I got 20 of 'em wrapped around my waist like a belt!"

But by June I finally decided to just bite the bullet and go through with it. By the end of July I knocked down to 10mg patches each day. By August was down to 5mg.

Finally, one night I went to bed and thought, "Damn! I forgot the patch today!" Then the next night the same thing happened, "Damn, forgot the patch again!" After four nights of this I thought, well, it would be stupid to go slapping one on my backside now, wouldn't it? I guess I'm done.

So it's been since June 4th. I've had not one cigarette. Not one puff of one cigarette. And I even suffered through a broken heart, home-leave (with all my 'Smoke If Ya Got 'Em' buddies back home), all kinds of work stress, and 7 kilos weight gain.

I'm now working out at the gym and living in fear of becoming one of those Healthier Than Thou freaks I've always abhorred.

Aw hell, at least I still have my booze, right?

TIPS:

#1 - Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in the shell. Total hand-to-mouth oral fixation thing. Better than candy (cavities) or gum (illegal). Plus if you toss the seeds in an ashtray you feel a weird sense of accomplishment when it starts to overflow.

#2 - If you fall off the wagon, don't be too mean to yourself. Just get back on again and try harder.

#3 - Don't ever kid yourself that you can just have one cigarette here and there and you'll be fine. One cigarette turns into two, turns into three. Next thing you know, you're an addict again. Once you finally do quit, don't fool yourself into smoking again - not even once.

#4 - Keep a patch in your wallet. If you start to feel like you need to smoke, slap it on. Consider this: it's much better to be addicted to nicotene patches than to be addicted to cigarettes.

Good luck, you two. And anybody else.
-Rock On