I smoked since I was 16 years a pack a day until now, I'm 32. I have been having symptoms of hyperventilation due to panick attacks, constipation along with acid reflux and shortness of breath since I quit in June 2011.
My advice to you would be to see a Naturopath to assist you with this, regular doctor's are going give you medications which will cause side effects and make you feel worse.
This suffering is your body detoxing itself from all of the harmful chemicals you have been inhaling for the past years and years. A Naturopath will be able to balance you back to normal by putting on you on detox regimes and perscribing homeopathic meds which deffinitely will help you.
In the mean time drink tons and tons of water to the get all of those toxins out of your system and eat only healthy food !
I have been dealing with my own symptoms since last summer and have been unable to go to work or do anything, it sucks!! But I am slowly getting better and seeing results. Please don't be scared, if you suffer from anxiety ask your doctor to perscribe you some Ativan in the mean time.
Hang in there, it will get easier and the suffering does slowly start to deplete. Just don't go back to smoking, it won't make things better, it'll actually make things worse. Believe me, I tried it.
Be Strong ! and stay quit ! Nicotene is a drug which you just let go of after so many years, it's not gonna be that easy for your body to let go of this powerful stimulant.
Sincerlely,
Giving up smoking is supposed to be harder than giving up heroin so you should congratulate yourself on a job well done so far. You're bound to feel sick and poorly for a while but you will eventually bounce back.
I am litterly house bound due to constantly clearing my throat due to the thick phlegm my lungs are bringing up and panick very easily along with being dizzy.
Been to the doctor's sooo many times about this. Naturopath says that the only thing that can be done right now is to try and speed up the cleansing process by detoxing the body of heavy metals and detoxing the liver as well.
The lungs are just bringing up all that discharge due to the fact that I smoked - I hate the phlegm most of all - its gross, but so is smoking!!
:) Almost 9 months and smoke free!!!
I feel the same way and quit about a month ago ... It is so scary and such a horrible feeling .... All day everyday
Try not to panic, it's normal to feel like c**p for a few weeks when you quit smoking. When I quit I felt like I was losing my mind like I was falling apart and losing myself , I felt like another person, a stranger that I did not know, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't relax, I got upset about lots of little things that would never bother me normally, and I was unable to control my emotions I felt out of control, it was scary. One minute I was feeling good, the next I felt utter despair, it was a roller coaster.
Your mind body and soul are craving nicotene, and it is making you feel awful, but once you get over this in a few weeks everything will start to return to normal, you will sleep better than you ever did as a smoker, you will wake up feeling better with more energy, and you will not get as much anxiety and stress when you kick the habit, and the best thing is you will not even want to smoke in a few weeks or a few months, you will wonder why you ever done it as you will simply not need them and will be happy that you quit.
It may seem like that will never happen as you feel so awful, but it's only temporary, you got to fight through the first few weeks and dig in and don't stop fighting until you defeat this thing. It can be done, I failed many times , people said I could never stop smoking as I was always stopping and starting and was always worrying about everything and suffered anxiety problems. BUT I DONE IT, if I can do it anyone can. Just get through the first few weeks and never go back. It only takes one mistake to get you hooked again.
Just be careful when you are out with friends that you don't let your guard down while having a drink or something, drinking alcohol is the biggest threat in the early days to smoking again, even a year later as a non smoker I was tempted to smoke in a bar, the drink can trigger cravings so be very careful. If you feel like you are cracking up and losing your mind, get ready, go out and walk , and walk until you feel calm and relaxed, do this every day if needed in the early days of quitting, just hang in there and know you will feel ok in a few weeks, or soon after that, I promise. I know this is a old article, I am writing this for people new to quitting, as we all go through this horrible withdrawal stage where we feel like we are falling apart and despair can set in.
It's only withdrawal, you are doing the right thing and will feel great soon, keep telling yourself that, you have the inner strength to beat any addiction. :)
I just want to follow up by saying that it might take 3-4 months as a non smoker before you truly start to feel better, your body is detoxing and it varies from person to person, i felt good after a few weeks but i know people who didn't feel well for 3 months after they quit, then felt really good after that, you just got to hang in there. You will feel better in time.
I'm glad that u have included your quiting method (patch). I have quit before with and without a patch. I have noticed major differences. The patch is an easier way of quiting; But it's the ''numb'' way to quit in my opinion.
Quiting without the patch will result in a very hard battle. But the good side effects will include:
1- crazy energy bursts(i would run a 4k after a while because i had too much energy),
2-IQ rise: mind starts to become sharper, calmer, more interesting
3-energized body equals a confident mind ( start taking on projects )
4- stronger libido
5-etc
Quiting with the patch makes all of thoses feelings kinda numb. You don't feel the euphoria of being without nicotine in the body. It's the safer way; but longer one too( could be more painfull considering what you are missing out on). Keep that in mind.
My interpretation of it is that nicotine isn't all that good for you either. The body and mind probably still suffers from that intake to the point that you might not be feeling as good as you could feel if you were living the euphoria from nicotine withdrawal ( wich would push you harder to feel better ). Keep in mind that the body is healing anyway, even thought you don't have the mental or physical reminders that i have stated above.
Well, better be safe than sorry i say. 15 year smoker. 27years old now. i am stopping with the patch now, because it would be too much for me to stop cold turkey. But considering what is writen above makes me feel better about feeling awfull right now. It will be a slower process to me feeling better, but it will be all the same after a while.
I so agree with you! This is my 3rd (and final) quit! This time I went cold turkey & am glad that I did. Yes I am irritable and cranky (but I smell better!) and I have panic attacks also and have been having shortness of breath, dizziness and extreme chest tightness...but I just try to ignore them and acknowledge that my body is fixing all the damage I did to it (which I apologize to myself daily haha, sounds crazy but I hate what I did to myself).
It's definitely not an easy thing to do, but with willpower you CAN do it, that is what I lacked last time and I will not let stress get to me or cravings, I will take control and just say no! I've also had the full work up and been told that I am fine and in good health and my lungs sound good, heart is okay but I still worry of course, I've been told to expect pneumonia and coughing up black stuff and aches and pains. I guess whatever my body does to me, I could deserve, but I hope not.
Good luck to all those quitting, we can do it ! It will be better in the long run and we will feel better
Don't worry i too felt the same what u felt after quitting smoking.
I smoked for 8 years 15 sticks a day, after quitting smoking i feel the same.
Those are smoking withdrawel symptoms. don't worry you will get well in couple of weeks.
I have been using smokeless tobacco for about 5 years. I would use and then stop, use and then stop. Every time I stopped I would experience withdrawal symptoms that seemed to get more severe in the last year. The symptoms you describe are real and happened to me. I ended up in the ER because of fatigue and exhaustion. I was afraid something was happening to me and I might be dying. I was in the ER for a while and the only feeling was, if something happens they will take care of me here. The doctor did not find any physical ailment after a check up which included an EKG. He prescribed Xanax for anxiety which I have had in the past, including panic attacks that had landed me in the ER before.
The withdrawal from tobacco and nicotine is really rough, emotionally and physically. The body and mind is adjusting to a healthy life without nicotine, but the nerve centers are screaming for more of the usual, i.e. the cravings for nicotine.
My current status is nicotine free, but only very recently, and my goal for 2014 is to remain that way. Enough is enough and besides I don't think I can handle more of the anxiety, panic attacks, hyperventilating, fatigue, emptiness and sadness that comes with nicotine withdrawal.
I hit the "dislike " button by mistake, sorry!! All these feelings are normal, if you've been for a full check up, then it's the anxiety. But, take ease and peace knowing that soon you will feel better than ever. Quitting smoking will also help get rid of your HA too! Anxiety is a beast that should not be fed!!
I am going through the same thing, been quit for 2 months, headaches are horrible and I feel sick, it comes and goes