I haven’t been successful in quitting for good yet, but I have smoked much, much less during the past 10 years as I know that when I want to stop, I can do that today without the horrible withdrawal symptoms.

My failure to stay stopped has nothing to do with the effectiveness of Nicoderm CQ, as we all know that with all programs, after a certain point its all about the smoker.

But as a product which allows you to stop smoking today and get through withdrawal, its worked extremely well for me.

There are two major problems with Nicoderm CQ.

One is price, and the other is accessibility.

These patches are ridiculously expensive and have always been that way for as long as I have used them. How does the cost NEVER come down?? I suspect that the manufacturer just keeps it at the price where it is marginally cheaper per day than cigarettes in most states. But after a decade of production, there is no way these patches could cost this much to make. Its sad, because the threshold price of this product keeps it out of the hands of lower income smokers which could use it.

I would discourage ANY user from buying these boxes one at a time as you need them – HUGE mistake. The first time you run out of patches and don’t have your next step ready is a massive opportunity for your quit to FAIL. Take the plunge, and invest the $150+ in the 3 steps at one time (although I think lighter smokers dont need step 1 – see the box)

These patches are insanely hard to obtain relative to the product they seek to wean you off of. IMHO, Nicoderm, by law, should be available EVERYWHERE cigarettes are sold without any exception whatsoever. Instead, they are kept under lock and key only at pharmacies and (some) supermarkets. I often find it common for them to be poorly stocked at some locations – like missing a step 1 or 3.

In a lot of ways, Nicodrem is sold like condoms were in the early eighties. Pharmacies only, often behind the counter to discourage minors. If it were after hours (i. e. ‘prime time’) the potential for unwanted pregnancies and STDs skyrocketed. It was sad that it took AIDS for society to realize ‘hey the more accessible we make these things the more effective they are”. DUH.

Its the same case with Nicoderm – if they would stop regulating it like radioactive-cigarettes-on-steroids and instead promote and subsidize it to get it into smoker’s hands, it would be 100x more effective in helping people who want to quit.
Rating: 4 / 5