stopped smoking and severe stomach bloat

How long will it take to stop? I've been smoke free for 5 months after smoking for 26 yrs. And am bloated everyday. I don't have to eat anything and I'm still bloated. It's ruining my life.

Hi in BKK too, 3 weeks out of cigs, smoked 25 yrs now suffering severe bloat, any help on the suppliments you found/took here appreciated!

It's natural, bro. You will experience plenty of annoying sh*t during the first stages of smoking cessation. 2 months is nothing compared to 2 years, bro. Don't give up. Also it's a good idea to sweat a lot and i mean a lot. Do hiit cardio first thing in the morning before coffee and breakfast then an hour after breakfast it later in the day you can lift weights. Drink lots of water, eat healthy stay healthy get into the fitness craze. Drink occasionally dont make it a habit. Keep this up and in 3 months you'll be feeling better. Sex will be better too. Don't give up bro. You can do it. God bless.

Female - 39 yrs – Approx. 57KG - Smoker 25 yrs - 10-15 a day for last few yrs - last gave up 10 yrs ago with no symptoms - 4 weeks out of cigs as of writing, switched to vape, low nic (8mg) use lightly in eve.
Symptoms:- Severe bloating (to the point of unable to breath as my intestines push into my lungs), initial severe constipation now somewhat rectified after Senna tea/Milk of Magnesia and LOTS of lemon water drinking every day (not sure that really helped though)
Edema of ankles (now almost gone at 4 weeks)
Already Gluten Free for yrs, (no allergies just for health) had followed a low/medium carb, high fat diet before this started.
After recent trip to A+E as in so much discomfort was put on Nexium (acid blocker) and told I must have an ulcer causing this, told to eat only soft foods like rice porridge and yogurt
Tried: bland diet + eating every 2-3 hrs for 8 days - detailed food diary kept- No change in bloat - lost 2 KG (still ate things like chicken and soft veg but tried to chew well and suffered the worst bloating with solid food)
Had ultra sound to check for ovarian cancer as symptoms were similar (kidneys clear, one ovary clear other blocked from view by bowel gases (surprise!).

Stopped Nexium (Convinced this is not an acid/ulcer problem), now taking digestive enzymes and magnesium supplements , chewing gum after food and using AirX (Simethicone) tablets when needed .

Today: First full day of liquid only diet and I have been 95% symptom free (A slight feeling when I had a couple of mouthfuls of thicker chia seed pudding earlier)but no bloat – Todays diet:-
BFast: Coffee w almond + coconut milk(symptoms no different with dairy I just wanted to finish the expensive c**p I bought!) – Lunch: Juice in juicer (celery, spinach, kale, cabbage. cucumber, pineapple, apple) Snack: 1 x Yakult, 2 spoons Chia seed pudding made w coconut milk. Dinner: Clear soup (broth style) Snack: set yogurt . Eve drink: Regular tea with regular fat milk

Supplements: Enzymes (mixed local brand) before all meals and snacks (mildly/moderatly helpful) – Chelated Magnesium (read in an Asian forum that magnesium is helpful), potent garlic/ginger/ACV/Lime juice concoction mainly for circulation as I have had edema in my ankles since quitting (edema is less). Chewing sugar free Gum after ingesting anything other than water for 20 mins, this surprisingly has been v helpful combined with AirX tabs to minimize bloat.


Hi All,
This thread spans from approx 2007 - 17, 10 years and all of us with this insufferable bloat and constipation. I want to thank everyone's contributions which I have read over the last few days. I am at breaking point and have made a list of all supplements mentioned in this thread that I will try, I will also list at the bottom but urge you to read everyone's posts, it is v insightful.
My conclusions:
Many women will be steered by Google to ovarian cancer symptoms as bloating and pressure can be a symptom, don't panic like I did, save yourself the money! You are bloated due to stopping cigs, that is (very likely) the only reason for all your symptoms!

Nicotine is not the culprit, many have continued with gum,patches and vape and these symptoms still appear. There are so many other chemicals in cigars/cigarettes who knows which one it is.
Don't give up hope! (Saying as much for myself as for you, I'm right in this now and it's driving me crazy!) Many others have gotten through this successfully. Others are still suffering months or years later, there doesn't seem to be 'cure all' but a combo of things that need to be tweaked to the individuals system.
All successes tend to involve digestive enzymes, mindful diets of low processed food and elimination of either gluten and/or dairy, consistent daily water drinking, added supplements along with enzymes. Magnesium and Calcium also.

What I’m taking and have tried:-
Lemon water – everyday, I tried as most suggested with drinking huge amounts of water throughout the day, I just ended up peeing constantly. I’m now mindful to have a glass first thing in the morning but I’m just drinking when thirsty, it’s made no difference to poop or bloating for me.
I’ve juiced up a potent mix of garlic, ginger, limes and apple cider to take daily, - mainly this helps circulation, it's a common remedy in Asia and I think partly this bloat is to do with blood not circulating as it did before and effecting the digestive tract, but it’s manly only helped the swelling in my ankles not bloat/constipation.
Digestive Enzymes (I’m taking ‘Mega’ brand) Mildly-moderately helpful if taken every single time you eat without fail - digestion feels quicker and I find the bloat is more limited to the lower intestines rather than the whole stomach as well, which is a good improvement.
I was taking large doses of Gasyzm, (high Simethicone/Pancreatin mix) not as helpful as chewable plain simethicone for oncoming bloat, now I keep AirX on hand (80mg)

Motilium (Domperidone) – Always first to be prescribed by a doc for many people with these issues, Not really helpful for me at all, have experimented on and off with this many times, it may have helped in the beginning to get me pooping again but does nothing for bloat when taken before or after food.

Yogurt – I’ve been eating this like a demon, it doesn’t cause bloat if I stick to small amounts, is easy to digest and I love it, makes no odds if it’s high or low fat, lactose free, set style or greek.
I haven’t tried probiotics as yet, I want to but honestly can’t see this stopping my bloat, good bacteria takes months to build up so this is something I want to try but with natural probiotics not pill form (apart from the expense you get billions more bacteria in fermented/cultured foods than you do in pills)

I’ve experimented with all common allergens , Gluten, egg, dairy – not a jot of difference if these are eaten or not, my system just doesn’t work full stop. My own findings are that the consistency and amount directly effects my bloating, if I don’t eat solid food and keep even portions of yogurt small I don’t get bloat, if I eat normal food (think meat n veggies) I bloat to the point of choking.

During first week of severe constipation: Senna Tea and Milk of Magnesium, mild and did relieve with least discomfort. I can’t take pill laxatives as they really hurt my guts, I’ve always suffered constipation but it was the worst after stopping cigs, I became regular after about 2 weeks but using the Bristol Stool Scale I am still a ‘1’ (that’s poop pebbles, if you’re not familiar with the Bristol Stool Scale it’s what docs use to gauge your BM’s )

Chewing gum (sugar free minty normal stuff):- started 3 days ago, I do feel this helps, it gets things moving faster from the stomach into the guts for sure, I’ve never been a fan of gum, hubby suggested it after reading it helped up acid and digestion, and I’m sticking with it for now.

So as mentioned this is my first day in almost 4 weeks (it’s late evening) where I’m symptom free and only due to the fact that I finally caved and didn’t eat a single solid/semi solid piece of food. It’s a desperate place to be but my goal is to do this and completely rest my system, let it heal if that’s what it needs, I will try so hard to keep this up for a week, then see if I handle harder foods any better, I don’t know if I can, but will update on progress.


Supplements mentioned in the thread that have helped bloating and constipation: (There are mentions of diarrhea, I’m sorry I didn’t note the remedies for these as I’m on the opposite end of spectrum but it’s worth reading this thread from page 1 to end.

So many have had all the diagnostics, endoscopes, colonoscopies, ultrasounds, CT scans, and 9 out of 10 times nothing comes up. So just a final note that you’re not dying of something scary, you stopped a potent mix of drugs (not just nicotine) and your body had been relying on them for certain things, like digestion, now it needs to re-learn it or get fixed or some combo of both.

Wish me luck and I hope all you lovely people are doing ok, or better or hanging in there :)
Thx again for all the help, if wasn't for this thread I'd have been convinced I was dying and living in massive fear.

Supps mentioned in thread:-

Ginger Root supplement - bloating
Fennel tea -bloating
Ginger tea -bloating
Lemon juice in water and pure lemon juice – bloat/constipation
Prune Juice -constipation
Senna tea - constipation
Milk of Magnesia - constipation
Natural probiotics,(yogurt, kefir, kambucha) –bloating/constipation
Probiotic supplements- bloating/constipation
Digestive Enzyme supplements - bloating/constipation
HCL – Hydrochloric acid supplement - bloating
L- Glutamine or Glutamine supplement - bloating
Calcium

I officially quit smoking nearly 3 years ago now. And I STILL have digestion issues and weight gain that I am having no luck losing :(. It is really hard to deal with. I have never been this heavy in my life, or gained weight like this. I smoked for 22 years, so I knew quitting was going to effect my body, because it was so used to smoking being a part of my life every day. I just wish I could figure out how to fix these digestive problems, bloating and gas, etc and LOSE THE WEIGHT finally! I gained nearly 50lbs in total. And have not been able to lose more than 5lbs at any time. No matter what I do. The Dr's have no idea. They just think I am not following a diet and exercise plan or something. I think my friends think the same. :( Its really frustrating. I definitely won't go back to smoking...it was way too hard to quit, with everything I have been through....but the weight gain and bloated belly are tough to deal with. Especially when nothing seems to work. It's nearly 3 years now.... not just months or weeks.... I take pro-biotics and, several other supplements, walk and jog, and lift weights. I'm seeing a naturopathic Dr. to see if they can help me. So far, not much help....but will report back if anything does!

I have recently quit smoking and noticed i an very bloated as well. It will go away over time. I have replaced cigarettes with pipe tobacco and make my own cigarettes additive free. Only ise natural tobacco. My bloating isn't as as you are talking about, but ebiugh bloating to make me feel uncomfortable. I am only on week two of smoke free. But I finally hahe the energy to workout and hoping that ote work out will manage my bloating as well as eating smaller meals through out the day. Your advice really helped for me. To nit give up hope. Thank You!

I don't know how you feel about dietary supplements but these worked really well for me and I might buy some more. They are called clinical strength and I order them on eBay. All natural. They are 14 bucks. White bottle with red labeling. I do core work outs as well and it helps to get rid of bloating of any kind. I have only been smoke free for two weeks, and haven't tried them since quittimg but they do work great. I assure you.

I quit cold turkey last November and have gained 10lbs bloated gassy and miserable I am tall thin and look like a snake that swallowed a pig I give up I work in fire restoration so I inhale more tokins at work so whats the benefit sick of buying larger cloths and still having discomfort doesnt look like any hope from what I see

Replying to my OP for ease of following up.
So far so not good I'm sad to say, although I have been avoiding a strict elimination diet because I'm stubborn, I am now headed toward implementing the GAPS diet. My symptoms also now include reflux, which I've never previously had, it's mainly burning my throat and I don't feel it as heartburn.
On a positive note I was able to find a local herbal medicine that really significantly helped the bloating issue, nothing else, but it did prevent me blowing up like a balloon from the first dose, now after 10 days it's still working but not as well as initially. It is a Thai brand name and they do not disclose the entire formula on the pack but the listed ingredients are Nutmeg and Cumin along with a 'Thai herbal blend'. So worth a try if you can find nutmeg/cumin supplements. (Dose = 3 capsules after every meal or 3 x per day)
No more chewing gum for me as it increases reflux.
Solid or liquid food doesn't make any odds, back to solids like boiled egg/soft fish/white rice
.
Digestive Enzymes were mildly helpful for getting things 'moving' after eating, (suggest for coonstipation) but no help for bloat, I've finished what I bought and was unimpressed enough that I haven't re-stocked.
Probiotics: Try to obtain from food, I have just gotten milk kefir grains, have yet to make first batch, will also be making some fermented veg (pickles/sauerkraut) surprisingly easy!

Conclusions at this stage are that it's SIBO brought on by sensation of certain chemicals in cigarettes
My theory is we all have/had SIBO but somehow the smoking kept it in check, as in the bacteria still grew but was unable to produce so much gas, that's why on stopping the bloating is huge and happens so fast, the bacteria are there in numbers, but haven't been able to be 'active' i.e release gasses. (?)
I will be treating as SIBO and follow a diet to help (probably GAPS), I've not got the resources for all the fancy tests/treatments but am looking out for Deglycyrrhized Licorice to start and also try HCI Betaine to bump up acid (This paradoxically can help reflux if it's due to low acid)
If there's anyone following who has had success with GAPS or another diet do let me know!
Stay upbeat my fellow sufferers! We will find a way!

I have stopped smoking for 13months yes my stomach is bloated, I went to see a naturopath and was explained due to toxins cleansing from the liver my hormones could not circulate giving me all the systems of a 6 month pregnant woman, was given supplements to cleanse the liver and circulate the hormones it did help dramatically going back to get more supplements as I have finished the course but still have symptoms but not as severe. I would suggest visit a professional naturopath as they prescribe you with supplements that you cannot buy over the counter it's the organic ingredients, the problem comes from the liver as the toxins from the cigarettes create a lot of systems if not cleansed out of the system, it does take time for you're body to adjust after giving up the smoking. This has been the only thing that has worked prior to visiting the naturopath I went to the doctors as all they wanted to do was prescribe me with the pill which made it worse with the hormones.. Give it a go as it is soooooo worth it!! :-)

*SYMPTOMS* not systems, APOLOGIES

Hi 'Don't Give Up!' So glad you've gotten some relief! Makes sense that the liver will be detoxifying, can you let me know what the main supplements are that you were given? I understand a Naturopath will prescribe for each individual but as we're all suffering from the same cause it would likely be of help to others here, I live in a very natural medicine based society so I would love to see if I could find them here :)

Stay strong. Don't smoke. there has to be an answer

30 year smoker going on 3 mos quit. Daily intake of 15 grams of natural fiber (fruit). Still retaining water n belly swollen but my bowel is moving right along thanks to probiotic 2x a day, papaya enzyme 3x per day and 2-cups daily of ginger and numi pu erh tea.

The same happened to me the only difference is i am a man can anyone​ help