Is it normal to still have strong nicotine withdrawal symptoms after 1 month?

[washingtonbound]

I started dealing with nicotine dependency last year, quit for about two months, and resumed in January. I smoked roughly 10 clove cigarettes a day for about 8 months straight. These were worse than regular cigs for me because they burned slower and tasted better, causing me to inhale longer. A month ago I quit, and having been having horrible mood swings and anhedonia. It has not improved, and the last couple days seem to have been worse, maybe because I didn't exercise enough. This nasty nicotine headache that started the first day of cessation still seems to be there somehow as well. 8 months is the longest time I've smoked consecutively so I figure that's why the withdrawal is lasting longer. I notice that I overdo it on caffeine to try and compensate, resulting in an ugly crash in the afternoon. Caffeine doesn't help my mood much anyway.

I also started smoking after quitting lamictal cold turkey, after being on it for about a month. I think my brain is just not happy being sober. Anyone else whose quit, how long did it take you to feel more regulated again?

 

[neversickanymore]

absolutely.. variable short strong stages that seem to diminish completely for many after five years.

Well “there are things I can change and others i can not”.. took down methadone, cocaine and benzodiazepines.. but nicotine.. I have come close a few a few times.. 5 months, but the hell with it i just took the path of least destruction i use nicotine pouches.. My brand is a Rouge.. that’s the plan and it’s working pretty good.

people do it though..

 

[washingtonbound]

absolutely.. variable short strong stages that seem to diminish completely for many after five years.

Well “there are things I can change and others i can not”.. beat’ methadone, cocaine and benzodiazepines.. but nicotine.. I have come close a few a few times.. 5 months, but the hell with it i just took the path of least destruction i use nicotine pouches.. My brand is a Rouge.. that’s the plan and it’s working pretty good.

people do it though..

I tried the pouches a couple times and it really irritated my stomach lining. Did my best not to swallow saliva, still was upsetting. I suppose I was a die hard cigarette person and not a vaper either.

 

[KurtAurelius]

This thread is from ages ago, but what helped me quit nicotine is cold turkey with drastically altered routines and habits

CDP Choline- Acetylcholine and brain healing
Agmatine- rebalance monamines, calm nervous system, perhaps fasten recovery due to nmda activity
Theanine- up regulates dopamine, lowers stress hormone and promotes better sleep.

Lots and I mean lots of exercise, 10km of walking a day, and full body Hypertrophy workout every 48 hours. I also almost everyday stretch with baby weight high Rep in my garden just to get the blood flowing.

Nicotine has one of the most horrendous pharmacological profiles for addiction imo.

Dopamine
Endorphins
Acetylcholine
And others still I cannot recall.

You need to address the very real and terrible chemical imbalance

Nicotine half life is 1-2 hours
But active metabolite cotinine is 20 hours.

Then anywhere from 3-12 months to see real homeostasis in the brain.

I’m over one month now. I’m never going back because of how hard it is to come off.

This isn’t to brag or to promote this, but I can pick up opioids and put them down. I can’t with nicotine.

Nicotine itself may not be carcinogenic in isolated form but due to its affects on the nervous system, your blood pressure and heart rate are going to be fucked up over the long term.

However you take nicotine, the blood vessels that absorb it get fucked too due to the vasoconstriction.

^ I may be wrong but this is from memory, I stay off nicotine now like alcohol because I consider it the worst kind of poison.

Last thing- I can’t recommend like the supplements but I also smoked low THC high cbd/cbg (cbg lowers blood pressure heart rate and has theoretical mechanism in brain healing from substance use) and it made it so much more berable. This is far easier to discontinue after the first week. The first week is the worst.

Good luck

 

[washingtonbound]

This thread is from ages ago, but what helped me quit nicotine is cold turkey with drastically altered routines and habits

CDP Choline- Acetylcholine and brain healing
Agmatine- rebalance monamines, calm nervous system, perhaps fasten recovery due to nmda activity
Theanine- up regulates dopamine, lowers stress hormone and promotes better sleep.

Lots and I mean lots of exercise, 10km of walking a day, and full body Hypertrophy workout every 48 hours. I also almost everyday stretch with baby weight high Rep in my garden just to get the blood flowing.

Nicotine has one of the most horrendous pharmacological profiles for addiction imo.

Dopamine
Endorphins
Acetylcholine
And others still I cannot recall.

You need to address the very real and terrible chemical imbalance

Nicotine half life is 1-2 hours
But active metabolite cotinine is 20 hours.

Then anywhere from 3-12 months to see real homeostasis in the brain.

I’m over one month now. I’m never going back because of how hard it is to come off.

This isn’t to brag or to promote this, but I can pick up opioids and put them down. I can’t with nicotine.

Nicotine itself may not be carcinogenic in isolated form but due to its affects on the nervous system, your blood pressure and heart rate are going to be fucked up over the long term.

However you take nicotine, the blood vessels that absorb it get fucked too due to the vasoconstriction.

^ I may be wrong but this is from memory, I stay off nicotine now like alcohol because I consider it the worst kind of poison.

Last thing- I can’t recommend like the supplements but I also smoked low THC high cbd/cbg (cbg lowers blood pressure heart rate and has theoretical mechanism in brain healing from substance use) and it made it so much more berable. This is far easier to discontinue after the first week. The first week is the worst.

Good luck

The last shitty addiction I'm dealing with kicking is Zyns. I fell for it since I refuse to smoke anymore, but addiction to that crap is just as bad as cigs if not worse. Total brain dysregulation, has a very short half life like you mentioned and I find myself constantly redosing.
I have one can of 6mg pouches left, down from the 9 and I'm going to kick this shit for good.

 

[paranoid android]

Yup

 

[washingtonbound]

Yup

I hate that filthy stuff