Digestion problems after I quit smoking

Hi! Congrats on quitting!! I myself am on day 11 of being an ex-smoker. I bloat but not from quitting smoking. I found 'Super Enzymes' manufactured by a company called "Now" that work very well for me. You can find them online if you google it. Keep up the great work! You can do it, many thousands have before us!!! Gwen

Yes, I'd like to echo that! Congrats on quitting nicotine smoking, and please stay that way!

I went through the same digestive problems when I quit smoking. I had terrible diarrhea and bloating, and constantly felt nauseous as well. There were other side effects during the nicotine withdrawal process that made me feel like I ought to start smoking again, but I made it through. 

Just keep telling yourself that your main job, right now, is to not smoke. If you really decide, "I will not smoke today, no matter what", that really helps. Keep up the good work and you'll find life does get better. 

Hey I have the same exact problem!

I used to be scary thin. People used to give me advice on how I can gain some weight and look healthy.



I quit smoking some 3.5 years ago and I am now 215 pounds heavy! I am around 6 feet tall so that is still alot of weight..





And my belly is swollen like I am pregnant and when i press my belly it seems hard. I also suffer severe indigestion.



I just bought the super enzyme from GNC...I feel a little better already.



If any body else has a better idea please do let me know.

Try Probiotics, they help your digestion...and eats lots of sugar free yogurt, it'll help too.

I'm 37 years old, began smoking in my early teens; a fairly consistent full pack a day habit. I'm into my fourth week of smoking cessation. I am using a nicotine patch, 8 week program, to help. I quit because I had a bout of acute bronchitis, and felt if I didn't quit it would take forever to get over it. The bronchitis is gone. I am VERY seldom sick. I chew through flu's and colds like candy, and always have. My wife will get a flu that lasts 5 days. I feel it come on and am over it in a few hours. I'm not exaggerating. I've been married for 18 years, and my wife tells me she can only remember me being ill twice, one of them being this bout of bronchitis. I think this is because I grew up 1 of 10 children and quite simply have been exposed to so many viruses etc. Nearly everyone in my family smoked, it is how I grew up. I am the only one in my immediate family (wife and kids) who smokes, so I've never smoked in the house and never in enclosed places around them.

Once I quit I decided it made no sense to go back. After about a week I began with the stomach cramping, acid reflux, and near constant heavy belching. It is much worse after I eat, but always there. This too is very unusual for me. I've always had an iron stomach and could eat anything I want at any time of day without repercussion. When the reflux occurs, I get short of breath. I've learned to deal with this by simply breathing slow and steady (in through the nose, pause, out through the mouth) and the feeling passes. I came to the realization that I wasn't really having issues breathing, it is just a side effect of the reflux.

It has been reassuring to hear that these symptoms, and others like periods of dizziness, are not unusual for us quitters. I thank all of the posters for their input, it helps.

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, because I've always been a rock and the one everyone else relies on, but the fact is I really don't know how to deal with stress without smoking. I've smoked since adolescence, so I never learned to deal with the every day stresses of life as an adult without that soothing nicotine fix. If anything gets me to start smoking again, it will be this. I've put my focus here, looking for ways to 1) avoid stress and 2) deal with stress that can't be avoided. Any suggestions to this end will be greatly appreciated. I've begun exercising 5 days a week (swimming at the gym), eating regular meals without snacking and including two to three servings of plain yogurt (1/2 cup each) every day.

My guess is many of the symptoms quitters feel are brought on by anxiety, a direct result of not knowing how to deal with every day stress without smoking. Anxiety is sneaky; you may not even know you are experiencing it until you are feeling physical symptoms. I've learned to focus on what is important (family, friends) when I begin to feel this way. I'm also learning not to focus on my physical ailments as this does seem to make them worse.

So far so good. My fear is once I'm off the patch I'll fail due to this inability to deal with the stress without the nicotine. Any other suggestions will be most welcome.

lol, I know it sucks bad, I have been getting the nastiest gas ever, tons of it.. I tried cutting out milk and that helped a bit. I think I became lactose intolerant from quitting smoking or something.

I read a lot of people get these digestive problems, and they go away eventually..  Apparently the nicotine helps regulate your bowel movements, and when you quit smoking your bowels don't get that help pushing things through, so they get all bunged up.. 

 So, maybe try a laxative to help get your natural bowel rhythm back..?

Hi - I quit smoking cold turkey and had crazy constipation, bloating, heartburn.  Went to the doc twice to be told to take crazy laxatives and enemas and to saty on a mild form of laxative for a month - I don't like taking meds or chemicals (ironic I know) so looked at other avenues.  DIGESTIVE ENZYMES & PROBIOTIC TABLETS did the trick for me better than any prescription meds - if somone had told me this to begin with - I would have had a lot less discomfort for teh forst 3 weeks.

what is this man you are getting digestion problem after quiting smoking,i think it doesn't sounds good at all because this thing will never happen

thats really sounds good..nice one..

Hi I have the exact problem too- I quit 6 month ago and nothing seems to help!
Anyone found a solution?

Hi - I quit ten days ago and the exact same thing - feel nine-months pregnant, to the point of pain and total discomfort, totally constipated, and completely lethargic. I've been trying to hike just to get things moving, but it's so uncomfortable to move. And I used to be a runner and volleyball player even smoking. Never felt this awful. Will try the pro-biotics. In the meantime, every who quit - stay strong! We'll get through this - some how.

I quit smoking just over a year ago, and had all the symptoms everybody mentioned. Felt shocking, In all the years before I quit I had a healthy appetite and could eat what I wanted. I actually lost weight when I stopped through the inability to eat as I use to because of all the nasty symptoms. However there is light at the end of the tunnel, as time has passed it has improved, I still get the same thing but just not as often and in the end you find that the benefits from stopping really are worth it in the end.

I know this is an old post but you tube self hypnosis helps you learn ways to cope with stress like non smokers do. This is a cheap, healthy and non fattening way to feel better.

I'm only on day 4 of quitting but one thing that I have noticed is every time I crave a cigarette I tried to drink a whole bottle of water and it seems to be helping a little bit more with digestive issues so hopefully the water replaces the cigarettes which hopefully will help with the belly bloating and the digestive issues I'm a smoker for 40 years and I'm quitting cold turkey and I'm on day 4