I’m on a ton of new meds (I’m bat-shit crazy) and I can’t even handle a full cig these days without feeling like I’m going to fall over. I’ve had to go to snuff almost entirely because I can’t drive safely if I smoke one. Well…I can’t drive safely until I get used to the new meds anyway.

When did you start them? I was on meds that made me suuuuuper sleepy for the first week or so. Went out with some buddies for a drink and one drink almost made me pass out. And, yeah, I don’t take 'em anymore.

I’m borderline addicted to benzos and have to check myself every so often and step back down to a lower dose.

I’m as mad as a hatter and got my spine badly damaged years ago; I have a prescription that could stock a reasonable sized pharmacy with three types of opiates and a clutch of other stuff to stop me thinking I’m Louis XIV or a small table (depending on how I feel that day).

@Snuffster my dad had a spinal cord injury years ago and now hes in the same boat as you, its ridiculous how much medications hes on.

He has my sympathy - worth pointing out, if he doesn’t know it, that if he has used it long term it probably isn’t helping any more and he is just keeping an addiction going. My doc told me I would be hooked as a matter of course. I get off it and go back on as needed; that approach has helped me greatly. Easy to forget what a potent drug it is, at one point I was on a cancer level dose just through upping the dose to get pain relief. I force myself to have long breaks so that when I need it it works.

I’m another loony with a buggered back. I’m on enough meds at the minute to kill an elephant. I already can’t manage without my loony pills after being on them for nearly 5 years, and I’m getting the same way with my pain meds. Trouble is if I drop one lot I’m barking bloody mad, if I drop the others I’m in absolute agony. Rock and a hard place come to mind. Stefan

if you need to cut back on pain meds, some people claim Kratom helps kill pain reduce withdraw and doesn’t seem to up tolerance. Not too experienced with this but it can help. Just thought I’d add that. p.s. it’s seems to work best if you chew it like loose leaf chew over tea or the like.

Well it depends. Are you on anti-psychotic medication or mood stability medication such as lithium or Depikote? They can mess you up. I believe that nicotine interferes with how many medications are broken down in the body.

I’m on anti psychotics and anti depressants, my anti psychotics will be going up the next time I see my shrink, joy of joys. Stefan

My real problem is that with my meds, I can hardly finish a cig without falling the hell over, yet snuff still doesn’t quite d it for me yet. I’m not on any of them they usually put people on for quitting, so I still have full cravings, but I feel high as a kite when I have even one. With the withdrawals from the current change, this is not so bad, but hopefully temporary. Having big cravings without the ability fully satisfy them is a problem in my book.

I’d say take it as a blessing that you can get a kickass buzz from one cig But if you’re not feeling satisfied, I can see where the problem comes in… I don’t know what you smoke, but have you considered switching to a “lighter” cigarette?

Or have you tried snus?

I’m on an antidepressant they also give to people to help them quit smoking but I still smoke a pipe a few times a day and snuff constantly, even using twist occasionally. When I take my mood stabilizers too it makes up for it, otherwise between increased tolerance and the antidepressant I have to use quite a lot of tobacco and usually a variety of it to get a major buzz.

the anti smoking antidepressant actual works just as well as a placebo.

@bob then I guess I’ve been building some serious tolerance.

nicotine tolerance is pretty interesting. Oddly a pipe effect on nicotine tolerance has to do with the amount you get after you first wake up. So in the morning take smaller pinches and it should slowly lower your tolerance.