What Happened to Me Using NICODERM CQ, and why Im MAD as Hell!

[TexasLady]

Nicoderm is not required by law to go by one's height and weight. Only by how many smokes you smoke. My third attempt this year to quit smoking started on the 6th of this month, using this product...

By the morning of the ninth, I was literally poisoned and overdosed on the 21mg box of Nicoderm.

I showed up at the hospital with 156 beats per minute, was in atrial fibrillation and was vomiting like crazy! bp was at 205/130.

After 3 or so hours, Docs confirmed what had happened. My regular doc told me that what is good for a five three woman like me, of medium weight, is also supposed to work for a man that may smoke only 12-15 smokes, yet could be six three and 300 pounds.

So I first wanna know if anyone here has had anything like this happen on nicotine replacements, and second, Why are our children's aspirin dosed by height and weight, but not this? Why do they go by amount of smokes smoked, and not height and weight as well?

btw, I contacted lawyers, who told me no case because these fools say if u experience 'palpitations' to discontinue product..well DUH!!!! So I cant go that route, but I CAN warn people to be careful. Especially if you are A. short B. small C. a woman

Apparently Im not the only patient of my doctor's that this has happened to.

on a good note, Im completely nicotine free for 8 days now!

[China_cat]

1. I'm a b and c

and I'm sorry that happened to you without you ever getting to the GOOD part of of the patch. About 10 days in you start having the most amazing dreams.

I really am sorry that happened to you. Nicoderm helped me quit after a lot of years of a lot of cigarettes (unfiltered)

[BlueIris]

8. Amazing dreams? Really?

Anti-depressants helped me quit smoking without withdrawals so I never needed to go the patch route. Never heard of anyone having interesting dreams on it. That's really cool.

[asthmaticeog]

9. I started getting the dreams right away.

I also failed to quit smoking, so my experience maybe isn't all that illuminating...

[Redbear]

2. Congrats on Day 8! Thats great.

That must have been so scary, though.

[RoyGBiv]

3. Screwed me up ...

I have a heart murmur. I tried using the patch, and while my symptoms weren't as severe as yours -- partially because, I'm sure, I figured out something was very wrong within an hour of having the thing on -- my murmur has gone from something I barely noticed to something I'm aware of all the time.

Gum worked better.

[TexasLady]

7. thats awful!

Yeah, this atrial fib plus RVR(ventricular reaction) was explained like this...that the top of my heart was jiggling and shaking, but not doing much for pumping blood and it explains why I was so foggy and out of it that night. I have huge memory lapses, but hubby was with me. I know I was crying, and hurting terribly!

Hell now Im scared to SNEEZE!

[DainBramaged]

4. The first 8 days I was poison free, I was angry and hair-trigger

Now 18 months later, I can tie my shoes without running out of breath when my chest compresses as I lean on my thigh while sitting down, and my house long ago stopped smelling like smoke.

Good for you. Put your ciggy money in a jar every day and in a year, buy something for you to celebrate.

Keep it up. You done good.

[malta blue]

5. Wow - Thank you for sharing your experience

and you should continue to shout it from the mountaintop if you need to. People need to know this.

And I am 8 days smoke free too:pals:

[TexasLady]

6. Thanks I AM shouting! lol

But this was after talking to someone from their corporate office. She claimed this NEVER happened before(my own Nurse told me her FRIEND went thru this a week before!!)
I said reimburse me my 27 bucks, plus the ER bill. And that I would still let others know how dangerous it could be.

She's sending me the paperwork for getting my money back plus the ER thingie...and THEY will decide whether or not they will pay my bill. The lawyers I spoke with all said go to small claims court. So I guess that is next.

I plan on posting in more places, believe me.

And thanks for the high fives to yall! I am thinking about saving up for Chantix. Because I know me....I have quit for a month and started back, and once quit for nine!(pregnant)

It IS all in my brain I know.

I just wish I could make these guys dose by weight not by number of cigs.

[L A Woman]

10. those things have a mere 9% success rate...

in addition to the dangers. go cold turkey. it's the best bet. it worked for me! and hang in there.

[TexasLady]

11. Thanks I am hanging on!

In the meantime, I still say this company should re do their dosaging to weight, not smokes smoked. Guess that won't happen, because Im sure they can cover their collective asses quite well thank you.

I wouldnt wish that awfulness on anyone!

[liberal renegade]

12. vivid dreams

using the patch and i do mean vivid. They can be both pleasant and downright scary. It's better than going to the movies.....