Anxiety & mood changes still 7months quit advice please

[nsd_user663_62103]

Hiya

I've been quit smoking since October I used an ecig up until January I've been nicotine free since... One of the main reasons I quit was the fact I suffer with anxiety and have done for the last 10yrs I have managed to get it under control with self help & a long battle... I had read after initially making anxiety worse than it improves it greatly in my case it's got 10times worse...I'm having daily panic attacks & don't wanna leave my home (I havnt felt this way since the start of my anxiety issues) even thou I HATE the smell of cigs I am so tempted to re start smoking in the hope it will ease it... Can anyone advise me on if there existing disorders got worse whilst quitting? And how long before they improved? I love the health benefits from not smoking but the mental anguish is really outweighing the positives at the minute. Any advice/personal story's would be greatly appreciated

[nsd_user663_2681]

Hiya

I've been quit smoking since October I used an ecig up until January I've been nicotine free since... One of the main reasons I quit was the fact I suffer with anxiety and have done for the last 10yrs I have managed to get it under control with self help & a long battle... I had read after initially making anxiety worse than it improves it greatly in my case it's got 10times worse...I'm having daily panic attacks & don't wanna leave my home (I havnt felt this way since the start of my anxiety issues) even thou I HATE the smell of cigs I am so tempted to re start smoking in the hope it will ease it... Can anyone advise me on if there existing disorders got worse whilst quitting? And how long before they improved? I love the health benefits from not smoking but the mental anguish is really outweighing the positives at the minute. Any advice/personal story's would be greatly appreciated

Hi Rachael, I too suffer with anxiety and panic attacks particularly when quitting smoking so I can totally relate and I know how debilitating it is, that said I have never managed to persevere through it to 7 months like you have so for that you have done brilliantly, at best I've done 3 months....

With regards to your panic attacks this late on in the quit I would question whether as u say it's the quitting that's bringing it on, as I'm sure you know panic attacks can strike when we think we are really calm and they happen just out of the blue, hence never being able to "make" one happen at will..

Personally I really don't think it's quitting that's doing this to you, I honestly don't, instead I would go and see your GP and perhaps get some beta blockers or something similar just to calm you down a bit, you might just be going through a bad patch at the moment, I think having a cig would be a really bad idea after going this long without one, I wish you well and let us know how you get on xxx

[nsd_user663_62103]

Hi Rachael, I too suffer with anxiety and panic attacks particularly when quitting smoking so I can totally relate and I know how debilitating it is, that said I have never managed to persevere through it to 7 months like you have so for that you have done brilliantly, at best I've done 3 months....

With regards to your panic attacks this late on in the quit I would question whether as u say it's the quitting that's bringing it on, as I'm sure you know panic attacks can strike when we think we are really calm and they happen just out of the blue, hence never being able to "make" one happen at will..

Personally I really don't think it's quitting that's doing this to you, I honestly don't, instead I would go and see your GP and perhaps get some beta blockers or something similar just to calm you down a bit, you might just be going through a bad patch at the moment, I think having a cig would be a really bad idea after going this long without one, I wish you well and let us know how you get on xxx

hiya

.itis nice to hear from someone who has exsperianced the same to some degree.. can i ask if when you re started smoking your anxiety decreased? i know it would be so silly to even think of lighting up again especially if it made no differance or maybe made it worse wich is a possibility... the doctors isnt an option for me at the minute i wont even take a pain killer for fear of side effects (drastic i know) i have tried my CBT wich really helped me deal with the anxiety in the first place and it dosnt seem to help anymore... its hard as its taken me so many years to control my anxiety without it controlling me and i feel i have brought it on myself this time or worsened it...

thankyou very much for your reply much appreciated xx

[nsd_user663_2681]

hiya

.itis nice to hear from someone who has exsperianced the same to some degree.. can i ask if when you re started smoking your anxiety decreased? i know it would be so silly to even think of lighting up again especially if it made no differance or maybe made it worse wich is a possibility... the doctors isnt an option for me at the minute i wont even take a pain killer for fear of side effects (drastic i know) i have tried my CBT wich really helped me deal with the anxiety in the first place and it dosnt seem to help anymore... its hard as its taken me so many years to control my anxiety without it controlling me and i feel i have brought it on myself this time or worsened it...

thankyou very much for your reply much appreciated xx

Hi Rachael

I will be completely honest with you... Yes I did feel better but only iniatially... For the first day or so... Smoking actually made it worse the heart palpitations etc and I still got the panic attacks even whilst smoking although not as severe as when I had given up, I don't think smoking will make you any better lets put it that way xx

[nsd_user663_60964]

Rach,

I have no experience of what you're going through but I did just want to say many congratulations on your quit. Seven months is immense! I do hope you're suitably proud of yourself.

Just a thought- I know you don't want to go back on medication and I can understand that but would it be worth asking your GP for a referral back to your local mental health services to see if some additional therapy could be made available?

My GP told me that in his experience it can take a good 12 months for our bodies to reestablish equalibrium following quitting smoking and I am sure that applies mentally as well as physically. I really hope that things do improve for you soon and that you can start to enjoy all the positive aspects of being quit for good.

And welcome to the forum by the way!

[nsd_user663_59041]

Hi Rach, don't do it. I got mega Anxiety while going down on my patche's etc and I felt dreadful I did think the same balls ill smoke at one point but I knew I would still have the anxiety. I'm at 10m in two weeks time and my anxiety has gone from horrific to gone now. Ill not lie mine got worse before it got better, hang on you will get there

[nsd_user663_30951]

Hiya

I've been quit smoking since October I used an ecig up until January I've been nicotine free since... One of the main reasons I quit was the fact I suffer with anxiety and have done for the last 10yrs I have managed to get it under control with self help & a long battle... I had read after initially making anxiety worse than it improves it greatly in my case it's got 10times worse...I'm having daily panic attacks & don't wanna leave my home (I havnt felt this way since the start of my anxiety issues) even thou I HATE the smell of cigs I am so tempted to re start smoking in the hope it will ease it... Can anyone advise me on if there existing disorders got worse whilst quitting? And how long before they improved? I love the health benefits from not smoking but the mental anguish is really outweighing the positives at the minute. Any advice/personal story's would be greatly appreciated

Hi,

I would say your anxiety is due to depression. I would go and see a doctor and maybe ask about medication. Nicotine is a stimulant and its stimulates you like coffee and in the process acts like an anti-depressant, so you stop taking it you become less anxious but.more depressed but depression increases anxiety, so you can't win really. Once your depression subsides , so will your anxiety.

Go see your doctor and get treatment, you may only be on anti-depressants for a short while then free from them and cigerretes, good luck.

[nsd_user663_40088]

Hmmmm I wouldnt say that OP has suggested any signs of depression, lets not make symptoms where there are none.

I Used to suffer with really bad anxiety which i used smoking to ease the symptoms. I say SYMPTOMS because thats all the anxiety is, a symptoms of something else. Have you maybe stopped to thought that smoking behaved as a crutch and a hand to hold during tough times and your sruggling to cope without a pervieved 'safety' blanket?

For the first month i quit, i literally took two baths a day. Becuase i did not know how to deal with my anxiety at all. I was spraying calms like no tomorrow and drinking camomile tea on tap. When we smoke, that is literally our coping mechanism in one stick. When it goes you are literally faced with the feeling that have always been there.

I really suggest you think really clearly about what bothers you, regardless if you smoke or not. Think about any other changes that have taken place and maybe come of with some new coping techniques. No harm in seeing your GP but they are not trained in Psychiatry and im afriad if you mention the 'depression word' you will get lobbed anti depressants, which you dont say your depressed? you say your anxious, which i can imagin in lowering your mood. Anti depressants also have a side effect of increasing anxiety so watch that one. Im a mental health nurse in training, im no expert, but you are an expert in how your feel so im sure you know what you need to do xxx

Ps my anxiety still flares up (6 months quit) but its normally triggered by something actualy happening, its just finding a way to deal with it thats tougher now lol

Anyways good luck!