Smoking

We all know how bad smoking is for us and should never be started as a way to treat colitis.There are far too many higher risk diseases that smoking causes. Unfortunately for all of us who do smoke we find that trying to quit causes flare ups that don't go away until we start smoking again. Some do get off them without problems, but generally quitting smoking sends our Immune system into a spin for a while.
I have tried many times but i just can't get off them without flaring. I tried last year after my Aunt died of Lung Cancer and i started flaring after 10 days. I will keep trying in the hope that one day i won't flare.
If i were you i would try the nicotine patches and see how it goes.
Marty

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Post Edited (fatboyslim) : 8/27/2007 2:00:03 PM (GMT-6)

I quit smoking cold turkey once in December of 2004 at which time I went into one of the worst flares of my life and it lasted without relief until July 2005 when I started smoking again and went into a remission of sorts after maybe a month of smoking again. So when I decided it was time to quit this last time, I was definitely nervous and it took me awhile to get up the nerve. But December 3 3006 I threw my cigarettes away and haven't smoked one since so far. I did flare up pretty bad and ended up on prednisone again, and I'm still flaring but it's not that bad this time. I think I'm getting close to remission with my medication. I'm hoping anyway. I'm determined not to start smoking again and I know eventually I will get my colitis under control.

Oh also before I quit this last time, I sort of weened myself off of them for a bit. I was smoking like half a pack to a pack a day, and then I would only bring a few cigarettes to work or leave them in my car when I got home. Like I would have one before work, one on break, one after work, one after dinner. Then It was one before work, one after work. Then just one after work. Then down to none. I think that helped a lot.

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Female, 22, Ulcerative colitis (pancolitis) since 1999; GERD; gastritis; osteopenia in hip & lumbar region of spine from long term prednisone use

Current Meds:
Primadophilus Reuteri
40 mg Citalopram (for depression/social anxiety)
125mg Imuran

Hi I posted about Nicotine patches and did not notice this post which gives me a lot of the information that I was looking for. I quit smoking 4 or so years ago. I can't imagine smoking again but I am seriously considering the patch. My main concern is that it will make me sick. And I don't care if it makes me sick for a while as long as it is not forever. I wonder if there is anything wrong with using the patch forever if it works for UC flares? Any thoughts?

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Asacol 2x 3 times per day
Hydrocortisone Enema 1 or 2x's per day
8oz Aloe 2x's per day
Zango on and off

It was actually yrs ago when my colon and rectom surgeon told me about the positive effects of smoking and inflammation in the colon (be it from crohns or ulcerative colitis) and he told me not to quit...I quit around 6 yrs ago, and went through extra hell with my crohns-colitis (crohns affecting my colon), I started again and it helped things calm down some again.

Guess bottom line is each person has to weigh the pros with the cons...I choose to continue with smoking, 6/day is better then a pack a day which is what I used to smoke.