aww.. Tink ... I'm not drooling over him.. but his thoughts are intriguing!! I don't know, if I were a few years younger, I might droll over my RD. He is very smart and quite nice looking too....great combo![QUOTE=Lynn49]I don't know, if I were a few years younger, I might droll over my RD. He is very smart and quite nice looking too....great combo![/QUOTE]
I used to put off going to the dentist because I hated injections - some of those guys were pretty rough - then I found a dentist who was mm mmmm
In my three year RA 'career', I have yet to see a male doc or male blood nurse. Are you lot across the pond hogging the boys?
[QUOTE=Tinker]I used to put off going to the dentist because I hated injections - some of those guys were pretty rough - then I found a dentist who was mm mmmm
Hi Jasmine
There is the occasional male receptionist at my clinic and last week there was a male patient - a first I reckon! It's strange because I personally know more male RA sufferers (3) than female (1 + me) but there's only usually ladies in the waiting room.
Here's a thought.... maybe they have special days just for the boys, man flu and all that. Sorry guys, just joshing
[QUOTE=Tinker]Hi Jasmine
Is chantixs safe to use with our RA meds? I've been using th lozengers; which do help and I like them....but they are giving more sores on my gums :(
I need something else. Thinking of these pills myself.
[QUOTE=Lovie]Is chantixs safe to use with our RA meds? I've been using th lozengers; which do help and I like them....but they are giving more sores on my gums :(
There have been a ton of posts here on Chantix and it's a LOT worse than Dr. Dreamy said. You might run a search and check out the reports for yourself. It's not 2 then 3 - it's something like 40% became suicidal. It's in the mechanism of how it works. My take - not worth it. And the placebo group did almost as well.
As far as the colon cancer link - me thinks he's 'off' there as well. How many of us use or don't use NSAID's? I'm at a 1/4 of what I was using but from the sigs, most us us still use NSAID's and a LOT of them.
Hugs,
Pip
Edited to say - search here on AI - sheesh!
Pip!2008-05-24 10:36:59Since starting plaquenil 6 months ago I rarely use naproxen anymore.
I still use moe IUB than the average Joe....although it's less than I've taken in the past.Still use them because of damage. Rather use the anti-inflamm than Lortab. If I wanted to stop smoking I'd just stop. I did it and I smoked a pack and a half for 20 years. It was hard, had to change a lot of habits but I was successful and haven't had a cigarette in in 23 years. I wouldn't want to add more toxic meds to my system by using the cessation drugs. That's just my opinion but I wanted to let you know cold turkey can work. Good luck to all of you and I applaud your decisions to quit. Lindy[QUOTE=JasmineRain]Since starting plaquenil 6 months ago I rarely use naproxen anymore. [/QUOTE]
Same for me. It's been a year on these drugs now and after a few months, I didn't need the naproxen any more except on rare occasions. That's not to say I'm totally pain-free. But it's a level I can deal with.
New article from NHS dr. re:stop smoking meds for your McRheumy to consider:
http://trusted.md/feed/items/system/2008/05/24/how_not_to_stop_smoking
Hey......what if Big Tobacco is behind all this......says my poor, overworked conspiratorial brain....
My sister is considering taking Chantix and so I wanted to look into the reports. It's my understanding that much of the concern was generated by a report made by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (http://www.ismp.org/docs/vareniclineStudy.asp). I read the executive summary and part of the report itself, and it seems to be based on reported incidences where Chantix was suspected (but not proven) to be the reason. It also bases it on the numbers of reports versus other meds. However, it does not talk about the number of reports per prescriptions (i.e. the rate of reports) but just the overal number of reports. This makes no sense to me...if med A has 100 prescriptions and 10 reports, it has 10% of the people reporting problems, while if med B has 300 prescriptions and 10 reports, it has only 3.4% of the people reporting problems. It doesn't seem to address this at all, which makes me wonder if Chantix really has a higher rate of reported incidences than other meds. Am I missing something here? I'll be happy to claim brain fog if that's the case.[QUOTE=InnerGlow]
wonder if Chantix really has a higher rate of reported incidences than other meds. [/QUOTE]
Even if that is correct, that it has no more side effects than other meds, I'm with NHS doctor - the only way to quit smoking is if you really want to. Maybe some people need a little help like patch to get over the physical hump, but nothing will work unless you have honestly reached the point that you want to quit. Why take any risk of a med, when so many people have quit without one?
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Crunch bars worked for me.....I was such a heavy smoker, my friends called me Pigpen, because there was always a swirl following me around like Charlie Brown's friend!
Unfortunately for my sis, while she wants to quit, her husband and their roommate are not on board, which makes it extremely difficult. I have a friend who tried to quit many times, then used Chantix and quit without any problems.
Just to be clear, BTW, I'm not saying that it isn't troubling to have all these incidents reported, just that all meds have side effects and there's a big difference between 0.5% of the population being affected and 5% being affected.
I quit cold turkey 23 years ago- but I was ready to quit. I let my carton run out and then I was done.
What really helped is when I got the urge to smoke I took deep inhales and then exhaled. That is what you are really missing. The inhale exhale thing you do with smoking. (after you get over the nicotine that is- but that goes pretty quickly),
[QUOTE=kweenb]
[QUOTE=wanttobeRAfree]oh.. cigs cost more than gas here.
I wish I could stop driving more than quitting smoking.
I am trying to quit.. I don't want to as much as I need to.. and maybe that's where my difficulty lies.. but because I am unable to go cold turkey as some of you have.. doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to quit.. taking a med for a few months is better than smoking for those months.. and getting over it is more important.. as my RD said.. I've already used it and though not long enough, I am sure I will be fine this time as last.
Thanks for the encouragement for those that sent it.
A friend of mine recently quit using Chantix. He did not expect it to work; he thought it was complete BS. His doctor and his wife both urged him to try it because he has high blood pressure and a family history of heart disease. Anyway, he said that after a couple weeks he simply didn't have the urge to smoke anymore. He hasn't smoked since January of this year.
Prior to that he had tried numerous times to quit, never making it more than a couple weeks.
JasmineRain2008-05-26 16:21:58[QUOTE=JasmineRain] A friend of mine recently quit using Chantix. He did not expect it to work; he thought it was complete BS. His doctor and his wife both urged him to try it because he has high blood pressure and a family history of heart disease. Anyway, he said that after a couple weeks he simply didn't have the urge to smoke anymore. He hasn't smoked since January of this year.
Prior to that he had tried numerous times to quit, never making it more than a couple weeks.
[/QUOTE]
I think it's important that if this works for some.. and there are minimal side effects... that it is a good thing..
I had no side effects except some vivid dreams..... I loved the dreams!!
I'm with ya Babs; I've been trying all month. I'll get there one of these days; I'm not giving up.Well, looks like Chantix is media hot ticket these days:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-smokedrug25-2008may25,0,4974044,full.story Users mention their vivid dreams at the end!
Some of you mentioned going 'cold turkey', but I don't think it has to be that way to quit, and even smoking less is better than doing nothing. So much of when I smoked was habit, not just the nicotine addiction. I used to smoke one on the way to work, and one while I walked in. A start was to only smoke while I drove in, and do without the next one. Once I got used to that, I worked on the next step. Good luck to everyone trying!
Good luck to all those trying to stop smoking!! I say do it whatever way you can, cold turkey, slowly, or using a medication, whatever works, just don't stop trying to stop! I have never smoked but did recover completely from another addiction and I know first hand how hard it can be for some.
As for cute docs, I've got one! About 10 years ago, when I moved here, I needed a new obgyn. So, I asked my bosses wife where she went and made the appt. There I am, in the stir-ups and in strolls one of the most handsome men I have ever seen! I thought I was going to die! The man is HOT!!!! There should be a law against such hot guys being obgyn's! I have been seeing him for 10 years and I still blush when he walks into the room!
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