Is Nicorette a rip off?

Firewalkwithme

OK, first of all I don't care if something similar to this has been posted before. I am happy to say that I am not familiar with every thread created in the history of boards and the internet in general. So don't bother pointing out that it's been done, you just look sad.

I'm trying to quit smoking at the moment and doing quite well thanks to the help provided by the Nicorette patches I have been using.

I'm doing my own condensed version of Nicorettes programme for giving up smoking. Their course lasts for about 3 months I believe. You use 15mg patches for the first month, then 10mg for the second month and finally 5mg in the third month before going cold turkey. I decided to do the 15, 10, 5 course over three weeks. I'm into my third week and it's going fine so far. The cost of the patches put me off doing a longer course, they sell for €23 for a weeks supply - no matter what strength the patch is.

No here is where my gripe lies. The 10mg patches appear to me to be exactly the same as the 5mg patches except that they have double the surface area of the 5mg patch. Similarly, the 15mg patch has three times the surface area as the 5mg patch yet they all sell for €23. Isn't this a blatent rip off? Why are the smaller patches not priced appropriately?

It seems to me that if the only difference between the patches is their surface area, so assuming a person decides to do the 3 month course, the smartest thing to do may be to buy 8 weeks supply of 15mg patches and then once in the second month of the course, cut the patch to two-thirds of it's original size thus creating a 10mg patch and a 5mg patch. It might be a good idea to seal up the unused part of the patch and then use it with a third of another patch (leaving two thirds of a patch for day three) so that the patch doesn't "go off". I don't know how likely they patch is to "go off" but I would guess it could last a day or two if it was resealed it it's original foil wrapper.

So here's the bottom line - if you follow Nicorettes program for 3 months (say 12 weeks) it will cost you €276. If you cut the patches to size yourself, the same course will cost you €184 (and a small bit of your time) saving you €92 to spend on whatever you like.

So why do Nicorette sell all three patches for the same price? An why are they allowed to? It seems like blatent profiteering to me.

Degsy

Its complete bollocks..an absolute rip off.The only way to stop smoking is to stop smoking and they know it.the thing that makes you want to smoke is the nicotene.Why then if you're trying to get the nicotene out of your system would you use a product that contains nicotene?Its like saying to an alcoholic you can give up drinking by drinking a bottle of wine everyday.If you wanna give up just stop smoking,the craving wears off after a week and its not the end ofthe world anyway.You need willpower and not expensive rip-off products.

Zynks

Their costs are not exactly on the patches, which probably cost f-all. You are mostly paying for TV ads and shareholders dividends...

They aren't that much better than the tobacco industry itself IMO.

Good luck with your efforts. I am a smoker who has been away from smokes for 8 months. Not easy, but it sure pays off, financially and health wise.

Firewalkwithme

I don't agree Degsy, they do help in giving up smoking but i think a three month course is way too long and it's the price issue I'm really interested in talking about.

Hal1

Well, I was gonna try them for the sake of having some smoke free lungs. Sure the nicotine is addictive, and it will take some time to ween off that, but at least the smoke will be gone.

Zynks

Degsy wrote:

Its complete bollocks..an absolute rip off.The only way to stop smoking is to stop smoking and they know it.the thing that makes you want to smoke is the nicotene.Why then if you're trying to get the nicotene out of your system would you use a product that contains nicotene?Its like saying to an alcoholic you can give up drinking by drinking a bottle of wine everyday.If you wanna give up just stop smoking,the craving wears off after a week and its not the end ofthe world anyway.You need willpower and not expensive rip-off products.

Sorry Degsy, but I have to disagree. Smoking is a more complex addiction than that. The physical addiction is only part of it. There is also the psychological comfort of taking a break and holding the cigarette between your fingers and all other aspects. It is easier to stop smoking if you handle the psychological end and the change in lifestyle while using the patches, and once that is under control, you then handle the physical end.

But then, everyone is different...

Firewalkwithme

Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention that the price of the patches by other manufacturers is almost exactly the same as Nicorettes.

Cartel anyone?

DonkeyStyle \o/

Wow, that's pretty crazy... I've only ever tried the 15mg patches, I didn't know they only got smaller for lower dosage patches. :eek:
Chopping them up sounds like a pretty good idea in that case.
I'm sure they've got production costs that wouldn't scale along with the size of the patch, but you'd certainly expect a much smaller patch to be at least somewhat cheaper.
I wonder what their official response would be to this idea and the whole pricing issue in general.

kippy

Okay, How much would you have spent on cigarettes in the same period?
Is it not better to spend the money on giving them up for good by using the patches even if you feel you are getting ripped off....
As for the surface area of the patches, interesting concept it could well be worth trying...
As for the other points made above.....I do not believe that everyone needs these patches to get off the fags but if they help then thats the main thing.
As for the argument about feeding the habit with nicotine patches-well is scientificilly proven to help......
At the end of the day if you want to give them up enough you will be able to do it on willpower aloone-should you have any willpower.....if not then you need to pay the price for assistance but at the end of the day if the end result is the same everyone is better off.
Kippy

Firewalkwithme

kippy wrote:

Okay, How much would you have spent on cigarettes in the same period?

Well I smoked 10 a day so it would have cost me about €22.20 for cigarettes while it cost me a nice round €23 for the patches. You have to remember that a huge proportion of the cost of the cigarettes is tax, unlike the patches. It could also be argued that if I smoke 5 cigarettes I don't pay for 15 do I?

kippy wrote:

Is it not better to spend the money on giving them up for good by using the patches even if you feel you are getting ripped off....

Yes it is better to give them up but I don't think that a company that is supposedly doing something morally responsible, is being morally correct in the structure of their pricing scale (or lack thereof).

Zynks

Despatch, I forgot to tell you my big tip to stop succesfully. Make a deal with yourself and buy something with the money you are saving.

A few years back I did that. I checked how much I was spending and asked my bank manager what kind of loan I would get for such repayments over 3 years. I found out it was enough to buy a nice motorbike, so I made a deal with myself. If I went back on smokes I would have to sell the bike.

It worked for me. I didn't smoke for three years. The real pain in the neck was that as soon as I finished paying for the bike it was stollen, but then, that would have been money gone up in smoke anyway...:D

DonkeyStyle \o/

kippy wrote:

Okay, How much would you have spent on cigarettes in the same period?

It's a good point, but I don't think it justifies the apparent lack of value for money between one size of patch and another.
I think they're playing on this point a bit too much.

kippy wrote:

should you have any willpower.....if not then you need to pay the price for assistance

Just a minor niggle here, but the NRT companies themselves state in their ads that some willpower is required with their products.
And having used NRT products before, I can vouch for that

Mossy Monk

what makes me laugh about the ads is the small print

"requires willpower"

Firewalkwithme

Zynks wrote:

Despatch, I forgot to tell you my big tip to stop succesfully. Make a deal with yourself and buy something with the money you are saving.

Ah yes, now I can get that ivory backscratcher I've always wanted

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

was something that surprised me when i was trying to quit my 10-a-day habit. it was actually working out more expensive to buy nicorette than the actual cigarettes!

Degsy

kippy wrote:

Okay, How much would you have spent on cigarettes in the same period?
Is it not better to spend the money on giving them up for good by using the patches even if you feel you are getting ripped off....
As for the surface area of the patches, interesting concept it could well be worth trying...
As for the other points made above.....I do not believe that everyone needs these patches to get off the fags but if they help then thats the main thing.
As for the argument about feeding the habit with nicotine patches-well is scientificilly proven to help......
At the end of the day if you want to give them up enough you will be able to do it on willpower aloone-should you have any willpower.....if not then you need to pay the price for assistance but at the end of the day if the end result is the same everyone is better off.
Kippy

Scientificlly proven by whom?Somebody with a PHd who works for nicorette?

Firewalkwithme

Degsy wrote:

Scientificlly proven by whom?Somebody with a PHd who works for nicorette?

Degsy, it's a fact that they are very effective for a lot of smokers who want to quit. That's not the argument here.

kippy

There is not too much research available on the Web but here is an interesting article basicilly working of the total savings from going off the cigs:
http://www.no-smoking.org/april04/04-16-04-3.html

What I will say is this-it took willpower to start smoking, expecting to stop without willpower is a bit foolish-you need willpower to do anything however big or small. All I am saying it if the Nicorette make it that bit easier then its worth it......
Fair enough on the cost of a 10 cig a day habit-but how much will you save in the following years once you are off them??

At the end of the day no one is forcing you to buy the product-you do because you want to stop smoking and you feel that the product will help.
The company that makes the drug are out to make a profit and will charge what people will pay.
Kippy

Firewalkwithme

kippy wrote:

Fair enough on the cost of a 10 cig a day habit-but how much will you save in the following years once you are off them??

At the end of the day no one is forcing you to buy the product-you do because you want to stop smoking and you feel that the product will help.
The company that makes the drug are out to make a profit and will charge what people will pay.
Kippy

I know I'm going to save a lot of money in the long run, about €1200 a year. What I resent is the prices charged for the patches and also their advice to stay on them for three months.

My advice would be to quit the patches as soon as you feel ready because as long as you still have nicotine in your system I believe you are at a greater risk of slipping back into smoking again. I honestly don't believe that a 3 month course is really necessary except perhaps for chain smokers and the like. One you get rid of the "habit" part of the addiction such as, having a smoke after eating or at your coffee break, it all gets so much easier so there's no need to stay on the patches for months.

kippy

Yeah I suppose if you believe three months is too much you can go for a shorter period. Everyone is different-I think what they do push is that you dont go over the three months.
I have never smoked (and thankfully have never had to go through the trauma of having to give them up)
Best of luck in tossing the habit.
Kippy

Firewalkwithme

kippy wrote:

Best of luck in tossing the habit.
Kippy

Cheers Kippy,

I think I'm over the tough part so hopefully it continues to go well.

Ardent

Smoking is not a habit, it's an addiction. All smokers are nicotine junkies. Using nicorette is just replacing the delivery mechanism. Do yourself a favour and and buy Allen Carr's book and go cold turkey.

zag

Ardent wrote:

Smoking is not a habit, it's an addiction. All smokers are nicotine junkies. Using nicorette is just replacing the delivery mechanism. Do yourself a favour and and buy Allen Carr's book and go cold turkey.

I disagree, Ardent. It is a chemical addiction, and a habit. When I was a smoker, I would have triggers. Certain activities would be followed by a cig etc. Alan Carr's book talks about that. Didn't you read it?

NRT = Rip Off - Yes, I would agree with this, but it does help to conquer to habitual tendancies, and the breaking of smoking breaks, smoking buddies at work etc.

Besides, the personal effect of going cold turkey can have a really negative effect on your relationships. I get really pissed off when I quit, hence, my girlfriend get's really pissed off, and my friends get really pissed off. So then I'm pissed off that theyre pissed off at me being pissed off! It's good to have some help with that.

hullaballoo

I smoked for 6 years, I decided I wanted to give up and used the patches. They worked for me, but then, I wanted to give them up.

If you're going to spend your money on them, make sure you do it right, and stay on the full 12-week course. Start out on the full-strength ones for 8 weeks, then onto the middle-strength for 2 weeks, then onto the low-strength for 2 weeks. Every time you step down, it gets tricky again, but it only takes a week to get used to it. Two weeks after you come off the lowest strength ones, you'll be grand.

Try to avoid strong coffee (it can taste and smell like cigarettes), and if you can't drink without smoking then don't drink. It takes determination above anything. I took note of how much I had saved since the day I gave up, and I was pleased with the results. Then after a year, my mum gave me €100.

Edit: zag's right about the getting pissed off thing. Make sure you explain repeatedly that you are giving up smoking, and that's what it is. He's wrong about the purpose of NRT though, the only thing it doesn't help conquer is the habit. It looks after the physical withdrawal symptoms from lack of nicotine (i.e. dizziness, headaches, nausea, sweats, shakes, tiredness etc.), but conquering the habit is something you have to do yourself.

zag

What he said

zag

By the habit, I mean: NRT takes care of the physical craving, while you take care of the habit, mentally and actively.

Giving coffee a miss is a good idea.

Going back on the drink needs to be planned. If you 'happen' to end up in the pub with your mate you haven't seen in years, you get sloshed and buy 20 Marlboro or Blue.

But, if you consciously go out, with a motive to not smoke, and regulate your drink(sound like yer ma!!), treating it like a weaning period, you should be ok.

Another tip:
The first day you stop, you have QUIT.
There is no more goals than that. No calendar marking.
Just DO NOTHING, and you'll be ok.

tabatha

what ever works i say. they are a rip off but they know that anyone willing to pay 6 odd euro for a packet of cigs a day is willing to pay big money. cold turkey worked for me.

Blackjack

It takes a load of will power, and you have to want to quit. I smoked for 14 years, and decided I was sick of smoking.
I set a date, and quit. By god it was hard, particularly for the first few months. It's so tempting to have a sneaky one "because I've been good for so long", but that's so the wrong thing to do. You need to stay off them for at least six months to a year, before treating yourself. When you do, you quickly realise why you quit, with the taste (minging) and smell from your clothes after.

Good luck to all who are trying to quit - believe me, it's well worth it.

Ardent

zag wrote:

I disagree, Ardent. It is a chemical addiction, and a habit. When I was a smoker, I would have triggers. Certain activities would be followed by a cig etc. Alan Carr's book talks about that. Didn't you read it?

NRT = Rip Off - Yes, I would agree with this, but it does help to conquer to habitual tendancies, and the breaking of smoking breaks, smoking buddies at work etc.

I know what you are saying, the routine of getting your nicotine fix could be argued as habit. Like the traditional cigarette after a meal, or sex, or whatever.

But with most habits, people engage in them because they genuinely want to. What kind of habit is it where you wish you didn't have to do it? If smoking was just a habit you could just stop doing it anytime you wanted to.

It's nicotine addiction - when, where and how often you scratch the itch is incidental in my opinion.

Green_Martian

Well i used them before, and it seemed to work for me.....

I only used the patches for 1 week, think it was the 15mg ones, decided in week 2 i did not need them.........


Unfortunately i feel of the wagon about 6 months down the line, and i have regreted doing it every since..............

I hope to be quitting within the next week or two and i will be using the patches again