Went to the doctor and the doctor said...

[genxblacksmith]

It's been about 6 months since I quit smoking so I went in for a check up. Blood work and the like. Talked to the Dr. about using the PV and he is following several of his patients who are using them. Positive feedback in general. I told him I was ready to take a shot at getting off the nicotine and Wellbutrin (Zyban) had helped in the past. I had quit for a year and fell off the wagon for six months before I picked up the vaporizer.

So I'm a week into the medication and I am not entirely uncomfortable. Actually the transition to less nicotine has, so far, been... okay. Nothing compared to coming off the ciggs. I still vape in the morning with coffee, after lunch and of course after dinner. It sounds like a lot but I'm not toping off my cartos till evening and I'd guess I'm using a ml and half a day. I'm not reaching for my PV every 15 minutes.

Now the bad. The Wellbutrin ruins the taste of the eliquid. It is so sad. I've tried every liquid I have and I'm going to have to order some unflavored stuff to get me over the hump. My beloved BH, Casa, KPB, and even Grey Matter have all kinda run together. I've not noticed any other side effects with the meds except for feeling very bright eyed in the mornings. Like, "Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder!" It'll take a month or two but I think it will go smoothly away.

I like being smoke free. I want to be nicotine free.

 

[WCSR]

I've not noticed any other side effects with the meds except for feeling very bright eyed in the mornings. Like, "Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder!" It'll take a month or two but I think it will go smoothly away.

Wellbutrin was originally developed as an anti-depression medication, so the bright eyed mornings are an expected result. I had the same thing when I tried Wellbutrin some years back. Unfortunately, it never curved my desire for nicotine or smoking like it did for other people I knew.

 

[cabingal]

I also got good feedback fom my doctor about using ecigs. I tried Wellbutrin years ago and the mood swings were
so bad I stopped taking it.
But that medication effects everyone differently. I quit for 6 months with Chantix but nothing has worked
as good as my favorite vape,down to 6mgs now.

 

[Blinx]

Wellbutrin worked ok for me. I still wanted to smoke just as bad when I was taking it but I didn't feel like screaming at everyone after a few days without a cig. I was very depressed while I was taking it though. Don't know if that is a side effect of the meds or just coming off of nicotine.

 

[Baptyzmbyf1re]

Good luck to you GenX. That sounds like a difficult hill to climb and you are taking it one step at a time.

I too plan to slowly cut the nicotine. I hope to have your strength.

 

[rocky111]

Just take it one step at a time! All the best!

 

[MickeyRat]

I kind of wonder if wellbutrin is effective against nicotine or whether it's a replacement for the MAOI inhibitors in cigarettes. Regardless, best of luck.

 

[babemomlover]

I personally don't mind the nicotine. It wakes me up in the morning and I can go for long enough without it for it to not be a nuisance.
Just my two cents

 

[DaveP]

Welbutrin may work the way it does for tobacco. Most people say it makes a cigarette taste nasty.

Personally, I don't believe that vapers need Welbutrin. If you have the right ecig at the right voltage and atomizer resistance combination, it should satisfy the need for nicotine. It doesn't necessarily take away the urge and desire for some of the other addictive substances in tobacco, but it satisfies the urge for nic and the hand to mouth habit.

This is your brain on nicotine

 

[twohandedcreations]

when I tried the wellbutrin method, 3 days after starting I woke up completely covered in hives! I guess I had an allergic reaction to it....

 

[Wabbeln]

"Put de lime in de coconut, and drink 'em bot' up" ....... Am I the only one who read the title and now has this stuck in their head?

I've been on generic Welbutrin for anxiety for awhile. I think my doctor was hoping it would also help me stop smoking, but I never had the desire to stop. I never noticed any side effects, but did stop biting peoples heads off while taking it, so I still do. I did have the doctor cut my dose to half of what I was previously taking, and it is still seems to be effective.

 

[Feuille]

Wellbutrin is pretty safe when used as an antidepressant, but when used in non-depressed patients for smoking cessation it can be very dangerous. I don't have a citation I can give you unfortunately, as my source was a scientist who was working for the research team who ran the initial trials. It is not information that is in the public domain to my knowledge and this person no longer had access to data which would prove his claim.

 

[BacsiBob]

I've been taking Welbutrin for over 5 yrs for depression related to post combat PTSD. I was quite surprised when after taking it for 2-3 months, I went from 2 ppd to 1 ppd without even thinking about it. In the past year that has been climbing back up along with my blood pressure. Vaping is a God send and so are you people. The 1st will be 3 months without an analog and I've cut back from 24 to 12 mg juice. Of course, if I'm not eating or sleeping I'm vaping

 

[markfm]

A slow nicotine ramp down is doable for many, if they feel like it. You take two bottles of the same liquid, but 6 mg apart. Use 24 & 18 for simplicity.

Week 1= vape 24
Week 3 = mix 2 parts 24 & 1 part 18 (e.g., 20 ml & 10 ml), shake, and you have 22 ml. Vape that
Week 5 = mix equal parts 24 & 18, shake, this is 21 mg.
Week 7 = mix 1 part 24 & 2 parts 18, thus is 20 mg.
Week 9 = vape 18 mg.

Repeat the above, using 18 & 12, to step down to 12.

Slow, small, steps are a bit simpler in terms of letting your body adjust to the decreases. Big jumps, particularly below 18, seem to trip people up more, as you are dropping big % of the nicotine.

 

[DaveP]

Vaping is helping to curb the urges, especially if Welbutrin didn't quite do it for you the first time. Tapering off is the key to quitting. So many people, including myself, have tried to quit cigarettes cold turkey and eventually went back. Getting completely off cigs for me involved still smoking a few a day for a while and then cutting it out while still vaping.

Once you get to that point, you can decrease your dose. If you still have a lot of high nic juice, you can order low nic and mix the two in equal quantities if they are the same juice other than the nic level. 24 + 12 / 2 = 18mg

 

[WCSR]

I've been taking Welbutrin for over 5 yrs for depression related to post combat PTSD. I was quite surprised when after taking it for 2-3 months, I went from 2 ppd to 1 ppd without even thinking about it. In the past year that has been climbing back up along with my blood pressure. Vaping is a God send and so are you people. The 1st will be 3 months without an analog and I've cut back from 24 to 12 mg juice. Of course, if I'm not eating or sleeping I'm vaping

Allow me to personally thank you for your service to this country.

 

[Jaymzifer]

I am in agreement with Mickeyrat. The Wellbutrin has been prescribed for years as a anti depressant. Zyban and chantix too. It's all tied into the MAOI properties, sounds like it s working for you so right on!

 

[genxblacksmith]

I went down the Chantix road and it was a creepy experience. I have never felt so removed from myself. I felt nothing, no emotions. I'd rather smoke and I did.

I did retrieve a bottle of e joker I had given to a friend and it seems to hit the spot. It's a very different vape than it was a few months ago. Only about 15 ml left though.

Thanks for sharing folks.