Panic attacks after quitting smoking, and BP is higher then normal.

[Omairabac]

Hi there

Its been a week now when i smoked my last cig. I smoked around 8 years and almost 8-10 cig per day on avg.

Now i am having panic attacks sometimes, my bp is around 130/87.(which is higher then normal). And the most important thing is when i go to work in the morning with out smoking a cig, my mind doesn't wake up and i cant concentrate on anything. This gives me headache sometimes and that headache gives me panic because i feel like i l faint . And later it gives me panic attack . My heart beat goes up. And i guess this stress and panic is building up my Bp.

Is there anyone who can help !

I m soo worried

[Maddyg]

Well done on you week 1 , it's hard and your in the most difficult weeks. These are all symptoms , not everyone has them all and some none we are all different. PA are the worst, try deep breathing , sipping water. Read some if the pinned posts to your right, some very helpful information. Try and stay strong, it will get easier, take one day at a time. Stay close to this site, as lots of support here for you. You can do this

[kimberly434 5 MONTH WINNER]

I am the same....I have very normal blood pressure always. I quit smoking and my blood pressure rose...this put me in state of panic as well. Don't be like me...I gave I. And smoked one day...what a mistake because that caused more panic. I have finally got my blood pressure under control by relaxing and deep breathing hang in there

[Briarwood Administrator LONG TERM WINNER]

Hi Omar and welcome to quit support😊

Congratulations on your quit and yes unfortunately these are common side effects of quitting. Your body is adjusting to this and huge changes are going on. I also got high blood pressure when I quit and the G.P. said that it often happens as we are not used to coping without lighting up. We get stressed and it's a vicious circle☹️

We have some great breathing techniques under pinned posts to calm our breathing down and feel more relaxed. Drink lots of water to flush out the toxins and try some excercise too. May I ask if you're using NRT or cold turkey as this helps us to understand your personal quit. We say NOPE not one puff ever🚭

A visit to your G.P. will put your mind at rest. Good luck🍀

[Omairabac 7 MONTH WINNER in reply to Briarwood]

Thanks for your response. I m doin it cold turkey

[droopyJ]

Hi Omar firstly welcome to this great support family😊

Secondly .. fantastic, one week smoke free, that's superb 😊

Thirdly, these are very common side effects as your body is trying to get rid of the 4000+ toxins that are in your body. This will pass I promise BUT if you have any concerns please go and see your doctor, if only to put your mind at rest😊

If you let the admin team know your quit date, they will add a nice winners badge to your name 😊

Good luck with your quit and if you want to know anything then just come on here and holler 😊🚭🚭🚭🚭🚭🚭🚭🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

[glolin LONG TERM WINNER]

Hi Omar 

Welcome to quit support, and big congratulations on your decision to quit smoking.

Everything you are describing are very common symptoms of quitting smoking..when we you think about the 4000 chemicals that make up a single cigarette...that is a lot of stuff that has been going into our bodies. Our bodies have had to adjust to cope with that - all of sudden we stop smoking and no longer have all those chemicals...this takes some adjusting. There is no quick or easy to quit..Using NRT will help at the start until you get used to not smoking and or strong enough to manage your quit. 

Do have a read pinned posts to the right as they have lots of information and tips to help you through these early weeks.

If you are concerned about your health, dont hesitate to see your GP  

We have many wonderful members here who will support you along your smoke free journey  

Please let us know your actual quit date so we can add you to our wall of winners  

[Omairabac 7 MONTH WINNER in reply to glolin]

Thanks for your response,

My quit date is 13th April

[Hidden in reply to Omairabac]

Hi there and well done on quitting. I found this technique helps me: when I have a spaced out moment that panics me into the "oh gosh I am not smoking help!" Mind spiral I do this..  

Stop and deliberately think ooh that's interesting. .  I am panicky over not smoking. .. then I ask why? I normally find it is because what I am doing is a first or difficult and the first time I have done it smoke free. Just taking the time to acknowledge my thoughts and feelings has helped me. In the past I would try and stuff my thoughts and feelings down and ignore them which made me more panicky and unable to cope . It might work for you.. it might not but I thought I would share it with you. Good luck!

[catharsis1 13 MONTHS WINNER]

I am in my forth week and I recall in my first week i was twice in emergency room in hospital for breathlessness... rapid and shallow breaths... yes BP goes up and triggered by anxiety. this will continue as long as body will not get accustomed to the change you bought in. You may try following... Breath with one nostril only by blocking another one and close your mouth. reduce the input of oxigen and allow body to make sufficient Co2. Ask your doc to write some anti anxiety drugs.. I am taking nexito plus and ciplar. I had gerd too so my problem was more serious. my first attack had BP was 110/190.

[Paul2018]

Did the panick attacks go? How long did they last?

[Bubbles3121 3 Months Winner]

Hello everyone, im new to tbe site and group. I quit smoking on 12/18/2017, and for tbe past few days i was in the ER for blood pressure going up. Thpugh i do siffer from panic attacks for 9 years, its been horrible. Tnetes days im feeling great and otbers im just feeling sick.

[aman11434 6 MONTH WINNER in reply to Bubbles3121]

hey bubbles we left almost on the same date.. i quit on 12/25/2017. i have also problem of blood pressure after quitting smoke. i was also been hospital bcuz of high bp. hope u r doing great these days..

[SquareTaper]

Hi Omairabac!

Thank you for your post, which is very close to the topic that I want to learn about. Your original post is now some time ago, and perhaps this allows you to comment with some perspective on longer term development.

My question is about increased blood pressure, which I might have due to my recent quitting of smoking ("cold turkey"). I have read in scientific literature that increased blood pressure in people who have quit smoking is not unusual, and actually a common phenomenon. What I have -however- not found in the literature is whether -and over which period of time- the blood pressure goes back to normal when continuing to be abstinent. (Interestingly, the scientific literature does describe that ex-smokers, who suffer from increased blood pressure after quitting, go back to their pre-quitting normal blood pressure when taking up smoking again.)

My question to the experienced and/or knowledgeable amongst us:

How does the blood pressure develop long-term when quitting smoking? Apparently an increase initially is not uncommon, and at least for a couple of months it is not uncommon to remain at elevated levels after quitting.

What is a typical timeline for the blood pressure to eventually go down again after quitting - and does it do that at all?

About me: 46 years old, 20 years of smoking, never heavy smoking, possibly on average over the last 20 about 3-4 cigarettes per day. As far as I recall my blood pressure was always "good" (i.e. near or at 128/80). I have always been doing sports (yet not much in the last six months).

I have quit smoking a week ago (12/22/2017), and started measuring blood pressure since I am visiting my parents, who happen to have a BP meter.

Most of my BP readings are in the range of 135-145 / 95-105 now.

Early in the morning or very late at night it sometimes was at normal (?) level of e.g. 125/85.

Also, directly after a run (30 minutes, moderate speed) the BP is at "reasonable" (?) levels of 120-125 / 85-90.