Shortness of breath after stopping smoking

How are you feeling these days being on Citalopram? Has it helped?

Happy Monday :) So how is the SOB? I had a so so weekend with SOB and anxiety. Not sure why I feel like I'm going in reverse but I guess that can happen during recovery? Keith

Hi Keith!   Well, I had a decent weekend...actually, people have said that I am even looking better...apparently I had looked like death before!   I feel like I am getting better, Keith...I am having more better days than before...that's for sure...  I think I can actually say with confidence to "hang in there...it will get better"!  

That is great! good for you. It only takes a few words of encouragement to get your mind going in the right direction. Hope it stays that way. My issue is more with anxiety than SOB. Last night I worked out for 45 minutes and had no SOB but I just need to get my mind pointed in the right direction. I'm sure it get there eventually.

I do believe a lot has to do with mind over matter.... the more I had things ruled out the better I was feeling and my anxiety went away...well, at least, 90% of it went away....sometimes I do feel it tries to creep up again but I try to suppress it with taking deep breaths....  It seems to be working....

Agree. I had a lot ruled out. Since quitting I've had 2 complete blood work done which came up great. I know it will be fine soon for us as I never had this issue before so it has to be related to the quit.

Exactly!  That's my thought as well.

Hi, wondering if anyone can help me with some information or reassurance. I smoked for five years exactly and decided recently to quit for good. I am 24 years old. Immediately after stopping however and ever since (about five days now) I have had problems breathing, chest tightness and have been terrifyed of having a heart attack or suffocating. It feels almost as though I cannot get enough air, even though I know I am if that makes sense? If I get a deep breath every few minutes or I yawn, that relieves it massively, but then it just comes back again. I feel literally as though I am only getting half the oxygen I was. Drinking green tea seems to help a little but that might just be...drinking a warm drink helps a little, not sure if the green tea is a factor. I was very happy to stop smoking five days ago and have not felt the urge to smoke since at all. But this breathing problem and the sheer fear and anxiety that it is bringing with it is ruining what should be a good point in my life now. A new start. I thought I would be able to breathe easier, I thought I would be able to sleep easier, feel better, more active and all the things that come in the early stages of quitting. But I have just felt the opposite. I have kind of though that this could be to do with quitting and perhaps my airways or lungs changing, but never really thought that would be possible as I always expected a big improvement in the days after stopping. I have a Doctors appointment next week but in the meantime, I need some form of reassurance. I can have shortness of breath sometimes and feel okay to a certain extent and just ride it out but other times, it is like I am having a panic attack. Last night I felt like I was going to die, I just couldn't breathe properly, I was lay in bed trying to lie in different positions. I was that exhausted by worrying and trying to breathe deeper, that I just fell asleep in the end, woke up and felt absolutely fine. So I know that this is probably anxiety and a mix of perhaps stopping smoking and withdrawal symptoms. Any advice? What should I do to improve this?   Thanks

Did you ever find out why Ralph had to leave for 4 months?

I have been and others here through the same thing in the beginning. That is when it's the hardest. You need to know that this is normal when going through nicotine withdrawal. Stay strong do not go back no matter how hard you have not smoked that long so you have a good chance it wont linger long like myself or 123Angel. I quit 10 months ago and still have some SOB and anxiety all of which I never had before I quit smoking. Go for walks talk to family and friends just hang in there. Keith

Welcome...unfortunately, this is what happened to me and, indeed, I couldn't take a deep breath because I learned I was only now breathing at 60% capacity.  For some reason...I longer can take deep breaths.  Anxiety seems to also plaque all of us at some point on this forum.   The doctors have run all kinds of tests on me and ruled out everything...now I can say that after 1 year I am beginnng to feel better...This is my story...you may not have to wait so long to have better days...The people on this forum will be able to help you get through this because it can become overwhelming because none of your friends or family have ever heard of this and the doctor's won't connect it to fact that you stopped smoking and then developed SOB...they just won't...even though I know mine is directly related....I never experienced SOB a day in my life and stopped smoking and 3 weeks later I developed it...I, too, felt worse than I ever did when I smoked...hang in there...

On youtube look for some breathing exercise it helps. Also at night put on some headphones a listen relaxing music again on youtube search meditation music. Find one that relaxes you and do your deep breathing exercises while listing. You can also go to CVS and buy something called Calms Forte for sleep. It help calm you down. I take it during the day sometimes when I'm stressed it does not make you sleepy like a sleeping pill it relaxes you mind from racing. It may help you? Also read all the posts it goes back years you will see you are not alone. Keith

I never found our what happed to Ralph?...He never responded :-(  

Thanks for all replies and for welcoming me on to the forum. I should point out that whilst I have stopped smoking cigarettes, I have started using - e-cigs (electronic cigarettes). The only similarity between a real cigarette and an e-cig is the presence of nicotine however the ones I use, in terms of nicotine amounts, is much less than I would be having in a cigarette and I use it one puff here, two puffs there, rather than having 10-15 real cigarettes, much more nicotine throughout the day. I am not sure if the nicotine is the main cause here and that is what you have all been experiencing or if it is other substances within the traditional cigarette that perhaps is the underlying cause? To test it, I used my e-cig tonight five times more than I normally would, I literally puffed on it for half an hour straight and I have had virtually no shortness of breath in that time and felt much better. So it could be nicotine withdrawal for me. I hope it is, I am terrified that it is something more serious as it is also tightness of the chest which has been effecting me. Again though, I read that shortness of breath, chest tightness, panic etc can all be caused by ANXIETY. One of the most commonly used words on this forum I have noticed. Maybe it is a mixture of the two? I was quite excited to read that others have been going through this after quitting smoking as well, but then disheartened to see that it is due to nicotine withdrawal rather than quitting cigarettes and the bad substances that come with it in general. Due to the fact that my e-cig gives me nicotine. I'm not sure. I am fine right now and I wasn't yesterday at this time so that's good enough for the time being. I should also point out...I have virtually no cough. A little mini cough once a day here and there but if someone asked me randomly if I had been coughing recently I wouldn't say yes. Maybe that is to come? Thanks again for replies.

Regarding the cough...it is strange because i literally did not cough from April 2013 when I quit to December 31, 2013, New Years Eve, some 8 months later...I thought that was crazy because as a smoker I coughed all the time...