Since W was born, my mom has been thinking about quitting smoking. She's tried before but has never been successful. She's thinking of trying out an e cigarette, but doesn't know much about them and there are a lot of different brands. She asked me to help her look for information and reviews.
I almost hate to ask here, because I don't want to stir up drama. If anyone wants to respond but would rather PM me with an answer that's totally fine.
Has anyone used one of these before? What brand? Did it satisfy your cravings and was it as enjoyable as a regular cigarette? Did it help you quit smoking?
TIA to anyone who has information about these! Off to do more Googling!
Re: Grandma needs help to stop smoking
Francesca Pearl is here! Josephine Hope is almost 3!
My dad used Zyban and he quit right away after many many years of smoking.
He's been smoke free for 10 years.
My coworker has been using one of those faux cigarettes and she said it works. She's been smoke free for 3 weeks now. She says it gives quite a wallop of nicotine though.
Instead of a PM I'll just write it here. I agree with above. THe e-cigarettes also give you a NASTY sore throat. That being said I think they did somewhat lessen my H's desire for a real cigarette. We used the NJoy brand. They sell it at truck stops and online. They use proplylene glycol to make the vapor and no one knows the effects of that long term even though it is a food additive. There is a definite learning curve on using it and it's not really cost effective.
Chantix made H nuts. He actually attacked me once and he was very angry and depressed while taking it. He promptly stopped taking it. My mother had very strange dreams on it too and was disturbed. I recommend that as a last resort.
If she wants medication tell her to ask her doctor about Zyban (buproprion) it is a low dose of the anti-depressant Wellbutrin, which I take, and it really helps curb the cravings. Some people who smoke and take wellbutrin find themselves quitting without trying. But it's not foolproof and won't completely take the urges away.
The nicotine patch has always been our go-to for the half dozen times we've quit. It's the only successful method for us and we're both a year smoke free. We always use the generic Target brand, it is much cheaper. H also chewed the gum sometimes if he was in a super stressful situation which was often (he's on-call IT). The patch was foolproof and comes with a plan for quitting and you can extend it if you need to.
Anyhow, if she wants to quit, she will quit. We were 2 pack a day smokers and I quit 3 days after my BFP. I wanted to quit. I still have cravings every single day multiple times a day but my health and Josie's health is way more important. She will just have to get to a point mentally to quit. You have to be ready.
Let me know if you have questions. We quit many times over 4 years so I've been through it all!
Francesca Pearl is here! Josephine Hope is almost 3!
Thanks for the replies everyone! My mom has tried to quit before, and made a very serious attempt after finding out she had ovarian cancer but was only smoke free for a couple months. Between her and my step-dad, they have tried just about everything to quit. My step-dad has been smoke-free again for about two weeks now using the patch and I'm so proud of him! My step-brother and his wife recently started using the e-cigarettes, and that is what has my mom interested. She says that at the least she won't smell as bad and neither will her house or car, and she won't be passing along second or third hand smoke to me and W. I'll pass along everyone's replies to her.