| Nicorette Coated Gum |  | Brand: Nicorette
Category: Health and Beauty
Buy New: $25.00 - $73.14
as of 3/11/2010 03:58 WIT details
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Rating:  11 reviews
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 5 x 4 x 3
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Product Description
For those who smoke less than 25 cigarettes a day. Each piece contains: calcium (94 mg), sodium (11 mg).
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Works if you're ready January 24, 2006
A. Creech (Georgia)
56 out of 57 found this review helpful
I had tried to quit for 2 years using cold turkey, the lozenges, and patches at different times. Each time, I went back to smoking. Nicorette gum is the only thing that took away the cravings and helped me quit for good. My tips may not work for everyone but they worked for me.
I first started with the 2mg as I smoked a pack or under a pack a day. Didn't take away the cravings unless I chewed gum almost constantly. I switched to the 4mg and it worked. I really think the 2mg is for very very light smokers.
Chew the gum according to the directions. Chew it at least 30 minutes for each piece. Chew it as much as it says according to the directions and only decrease the amount when you're on a week for decreasing.
I had no problem the first week but after one week, I suddenly had strong cravings. Pop an extra piece when the cravings are strong. Strong cravings again came up almost weekly for 6 weeks but only lasted a day each. On those days, I just chewed more gum than I had been.
After 6 weeks, the strong cravings started going away and so did dreams of buying a pack of cigarettes but not being able to light the cigarettes.
You must really be ready to quit. I thought I was at other times but know now that this time was different. I just didn't want to smoke anymore but couldn't handle the nicotine withdrawl.
Before I quit, I kept telling myself that cigarettes stunk. Really stunk and were nasty. I actually smelled ashtrays just to set the stink in my mind. When I quit and felt like smoking, I reminded myself how much they stink, took deep breaths with no coughing, and popped a piece of gum.
Patches may work for some people but not me because I liked the nicotine rush, not a steady stream. But then I worried that I would never want to do without the gum and was addicted to it even though it was more healthy. Not true. After 7 weeks, I no longer had the urge to chew the gum so much. The last 4 weeks, I only needed a few pieces a day and it was easy to stop all together.
Use a teeth whitner and smile in the mirror every time you want a cigarette. Take the time to realize how good your hair and clothes smell. Wash your walls and shampoo carpets and upholstery so your house smells fresh too.
Make sure you have thrown away all your cigarettes, lighters, and ashtrays before your quitting date so you won't be tempted. Clean out your car too. You can distract yourself and the feeling will pass before you can drive to the store to buy more.
A bonus: I lost 6 pounds the first month after quitting and 5 the next. Why? Because I was chewing the gum and didn't snack as much as I used to. Weight loss stopped after the second month but I never gained the pounds back.
And lastly, remember that it takes 21 days to break a habit, at least 3 months to break an addiction. It took me many tries but it finally happened. If you slip, try again. Not smoking for a week, a day, an hour, or even skipping one cigarette is helping your body. If you complete the 3 month program and still need the gum, talk to your doctor. Unless you have another issue, most will allow you to continue the gum as it's certainly less harmful than the risk of going back to smoking.
Good luck to anyone trying! I smoked less than some and more than others but was highly addicted for 30 years. It took time and effort but I know now that those who say you can do it are right!
Try the gum; it just might be the thing you need to finally quit for good.
It's Working For Me!!! August 31, 2007
Alex Honda (Los Angeles, CA USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I decided to give the Nicorette 4mg Gum a try after reading the Amazon review by A. Creech "Kitchen Collector." It's been 9 weeks into the 12-week program and I haven't had a cigarette since. More importantly, I haven't had the cravings either.
Smoking for nearly 20 years, I didn't think I would ever be able to stop. I wanted to and tried about 8 years ago using the nicotine patch. Well that attempt failed miserably and back fired. I had cut down my smoking to about three cigarettes a day before trying the patch, and on the quit day, I couldn't last longer than five hours without a cigarette. My anxiety shot through the roof and it felt as though some part of me was dying.
I ended up running to the liquor store and buying a carton of cigarettes and began smoking more than ever. Smoking about 15 cigarettes a day after that, I was really wary about trying any other quitting program. That is until nine weeks ago.
Following A. Creech's advice about using the 4mg gum, even though I didn't smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day, was extremely helpful. I purchased the gum, read through the directions and set a quit date.
I'm getting ahead of my self here, because I did take several months of soul searching and asking the questions of why I wanted to quit and why was I smoking in the first place, before I bought the gum. I think the answers to these questions are very important because they help in the outcome of the program.
First of all, you have to really want to quit because YOU WANT TO QUIT and not for ANY other reason. You can't quit for your friends, family, husband, wife, lover etc., you have to quit for yourself and the reasons can be many. My reason for wanting to quit was so that I could have control over my life. I was able to overcome a cocaine addiction that took me over in the 80s and 90s. And you would think that if I could beat that, quitting cigarettes would be a cake walk. Not so. I couldn't stop smoking to save my life, no pun intended, and of all the cigarettes I was smoking each day, I only enjoyed one or two (and sometimes none) of them.
The next step I took was to figure out what the cigarettes/smoking represented to me. With all addictions, there are physical dependencies that do occur, but the real problem is the emotional connection. It's never about the alcohol, drugs, food, sex, cigarettes (fill-in-the-blank), but more about what these things represent to the individual. For me, I learned that smoking represented stability. I know that sounds crazy, but some how in my mind I connected smoking with being secure. I guess that happened because no matter what was going on in my life, the one thing I could depend upon was cigarettes.
Arming myself with that information, I set my quit date, smoked my last cigarette and threw away the ash trays and cigarette cases. I did keep my Zippo lighters, but I don't advise that if you feel like you'll be tempted. And then I started the gum.
The NICORETTE COATED FRESH MINT 4MG GUM tastes exactly like strong minty gum but after about 15-20 chews, the gum starts to give out a strong pepper-like taste. It tasted like I was chewing on a used cigarette butt. Anyway, that taste is actually the nicotine being released from the gum and at that point, you park the gum in between your cheek and gum. You keep it there until that taste goes away, which for me was about five minutes or so, and then chew it again and park it in a different spot. You repeat this process over and over until the gum doesn't give off that taste. The instructions say about 30 minutes, but I found that the gum continued to give off that peppery taste for what seemed like hours...at least in the beginning.
The nicotine being released into your system helps calm the cravings almost immediately, but for the first few days I did have a little anxiety about not having a smoke. It was nothing like it was the first time around! And when these feelings would come up, I'd chew the gum and take deep breaths and that helped a lot! But I did think that if it was going to be like this for the rest of the program, I didn't think I was going to make it. But I stuck it out and that nagging feeling started to subside around day four and continued going down as the days and weeks went by.
I followed the directions to the letter for the first six weeks, chewing a piece every hour(chewing about 7-8 pieces a day) and keeping track of my usage. Around the seventh week, my cravings were practically gone and I felt that I didn't have to chew the recommended amount of gum per day. I was chewing less, without any withdrawal symptoms.
This being the tail end of the nine weeks, I'm only chewing one piece a gum a day even though I feel like I could quit the gum altogether. But I don't want to push it and be over confident, so I'll continue until the end.
And I don't have the craving to smoke at all. I've been out with friends, stood around other people smoking, and faced two of my biggest triggers-- after finishing a big meal and/or drinking alcohol--and had no desire to have a cigarette.
As far as the health benefits of quitting some people have told me that the coloring in my skin has returned(I don't see it), but on the second day of not smoking my voice stopped going hoarse after talking for a while. I also stopped coughing up mucus chunks and I was not getting that tickle in the back of my throat when going to sleep. I don't feel like I can breathe easier, I never really had a problem with breathing, and I don't really feel like I have more energy. But I don't feel lethargic so that's a plus. As far as gaining weight, I haven't put on any pounds but I am exercising regularly.
Since there's only 100 pieces of gum in the NICORETTE 4MG GUM, I went through five boxes... Maybe it was six boxes(it could have been more but doesn't seem like more than six), I can't remember and I'm still on the fifth or sixth one. If you chew the recommended amount of gum each day(9-12 pieces), you figure you'll have to buy a box every 10 days for the first six weeks. And even though the gum is pricey, you'd spend more on a carton of cigarettes if you use them at the same rate.
Along with the gum, a small booklet is included with tips and instructions and these round stickers that you attach to a calendar to help you keep track of the weeks and when to start stepping down. Also included is a password number to a website called "committed quitters" that's offered as a support tool by GlaxoSmithKline the makers of NICORETTE. You don't need a password any more to log onto the committed quitters web site and what they offer is a tailored made quitting schedule for free. All you have to do is create a user name and fill out a questionnaire about your smoking habits etc., and after 24hours they send back tips and suggestions to help you prepare for your quit date. They continue to send you email messages of support at periodic intervals, no junk emails, and you log onto the site to get your plan. The plan is helpful and created based on your answers in the questionnaire and reminds you of the reasons you decided to quit, tips to help with staying on track, and reminders of when you should be stepping down. It also gives words of encouragement. The only draw back of the site is that you don't talk to anyone and you can't leave messages on a message board to other users for advice.
I know this is a rather lengthy review but I figured the more you know, the better you'll be prepared. And breaking an addiction takes a few words. I'm not saying that the gum will work for everyone and if the gum doesn't help you, try the patch. If that doesn't work, try something else. Remember, you might have to try several different products before you find the right fit.
{{{EDIT 12-22-08}}}
It's been over a year since I used the Nicorette Gum and I am happy to say that I've been able to break the cigarette habit. And I'm off the gum, as well. I did gain about 10 pounds and went from a size 34 to 35 around the waist, but that's about it. Just wanted to give an update.
It Works January 15, 2009
a.e. (Michigan, United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
But, you have to WANT it to work. I smoked a pack and a half to two packs of Camel Lights a day for 21 years, without ever even attempting to quit. Now approaching my 35th birthday, I've found myself realizing how important it is, on so many levels, that I stop smoking. When I was ready, once and for all, I tossed out the last pack of cigarettes from a carton I had, and started chewing 4mg pieces of Nicorette Gum. That was three weeks, and 4 days ago.
For anyone who really wants to quit, and I mean has a sincere desire to give it an honest try, this gum works.
I did, at one point over the past three weeks, try the "No Name" brand nicotine gum because it's cheaper, and it just wasn't the same. I recommend the Nicorette brand. Sometimes in life, it's just worth it to pay the extra dime, and get the real deal. Also, and this is a cool side note, the Nicorette website has a promotion going on right now called Quit Rewards. When you buy a box that has the Quit Rewards tag in the upper right hand corner (like on the box above) it has a code inside that you enter on their website. You earn coupons towards more gum, plus Visa Gift Cards, and at 750 pieces, you can get an ipod Shuffle or a DVD Player. Kind of neat... little incentives to keep going. I am so thrilled to not be attached to those darn cigarettes. It is a complete liberation, after 21 years. Quitting smoking is life changing. It feels amazing to finally be a non-smoker and this product has played an essential in bringing me here. Good luck to you, and don't quit quitting!
Worked for me, 5 months and not a puff! July 2, 2009
A. Lester (Columbus, OH)
I smoked a pack and a half a day for over 10 years before I tried the Nicorette gum. The cravings would come, I'd pop a piece of nicorette and the cravings were gone. Keep in mind, this is not a miracle drug, if you do not want to quit but are doing it for some other reason, this most likely will not help you want to quit, it is an aid, not a hypnosis. But if you truly want to quit, you can accomplish that with Nicorette. My fiance continued to smoke when I quit, and it does not bother me to be around it, because whenever I smelled a cig and had a craving, I chewed a piece of gum until I was strong enough to deal with it witout the gum. It really is wonderful!
Great Flavor! October 2, 2007
Prometheus (Cambridge, MA)
13 out of 20 found this review helpful
About a 3 months ago on a Sunday, my girlfriend Lisa decided she was going to quit smoking after a hard Saturday night of partying (with all the attendant drinking and smoking) and I decided I would try to be the good boyfriend and help her out. So off I went, down to the pharmacy and looked over the shelves of smoking stuff and finally decided that the gum looked like a pretty good way to go. I bought a box (took all the cash I had) and carted it home. She tried it for about a week and even though it was tough she said she didn't have a cigarette for the whole week.
Well the next Sunday I had a hangover and had cottonmouth to go with it so I went knocking around the house looking for a piece of gum and didn't find any regular gum so I thought `what the heck, this stuff can't taste that bad' and started chomping on a piece of the Nicorette gum. What a jolt! I suddenly felt like really awake and my headache sorta went by the way. I thought `wow, this stuff is pretty cool' and popped another one immediately. My headache was pretty much gone. I mean how awesome is that?
But now a couple of months later, I'm having a problem. I've never smoked a single ciggie but I gotta admit I think I'm hooked on this gum. It sorta sucks because I find that I'm like a closet chewer. I chew about ten a day (ok maybe a little more but certainly not 20 or anything like that) and I find myself putting the Nicorette into a Chiclets box so no one knows my little secret.
Well, the other day Jody (at work) saw me pop one in my mouth and asked if she could have one. I just sorta stood there stuttering like Porky Pig while my mind was racing trying to think of a reason I couldn't share a lousy piece of gum with her when, in a flash of brilliance, I decided just to drop them on the floor like it was an accident or something. I muttered some kind of lame apology while scooping them up and dumping them in the waste basket like they were contaminated (of course I went back later and picked them out.) Jody just sorta huffed off and now she gives me the eye, like I'm either really cheap or a total wack-a-doodle, every time I pass by her cubicle. I think Bob (my boss) saw me picking the gum out of the trash and who knows what he's thinking. He just shakes his head every time he sees me now.
Early one morning last week, my dog Tobie went sniffin around my trousers that were laying on the floor and ate a whole handful of them. He was so wired up that he just ran right through the screen door and I had to chase him all around the neighborhood until I finally cornered him behind the dumpsters at Dunkin Donuts. A crowd of early morning coffee drinkers started gathering around and were offering me advice and I think a couple of them were placing bets on whether or not Tobie had the moves. You should have seen the crazed (yet ecstatic) gleam in his eyes---man oh man, I hope he doesn't get a real hankering for them. It made me totally late for work and Bob (my boss) was like acting mad and being a real jerk to me all day long. I'll probably get fired if I don't shape up.
Anyway, things are really spiraling out of control. I spend lots of money on this gum and what's even more bizarre is that I'm almost positive that my girlfriend Lisa is sneaking ciggies on the side again. On the nights when she comes over and we're watching an episode of Lost or something and drinkin a few brews, she always disappears for about 5 minutes and then swigs some Listerine before coming back. While she's gone (doing whatever!) I always run to my stash and pop down a couple of Nicorettes and start chewing like a madman constantly looking at my watch (I give myself exactly 4 minutes) and then go running back to the couch and act like nothin's up. It's really whacked! Neither of us can look each other in the eye for the next hour.
Last night when Lisa got up off the couch (I figured for a ciggie), I went truckin into the bedroom for a little chew when suddenly, at about the 3 minute mark, she comes into the room all bubbly and stuff and decides to heck with TV, it's time for some real fun. Well, I'm not one to argue with that I can tell you, but I had to swallow (yes swallow!) the darned gum. About an hour later, I stumbled like a real palooka into the can and blew chow. This can't go on---my life is starting to feel like a train wreck. I keep telling myself I can quit at any time and that what I'm feeling aren't really cravings but I'm not so sure any more.
I'm still gonna give it 5 stars (because at least Lisa is down to just a few stolen puffs here and there) but I swear, I'm thinking of taking UP smoking just to kick the gum habit. Besides, I think Tobie is still sneaking around at night stealing some out of my pants pocket---he won't look me in the eye either!
Steve and Tobie from Belchertown, MA
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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