Giving up smoking causing RLS?? - Restless Legs Syn...

Restless Legs Syndrome

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Giving up smoking causing RLS??

Will0816 profile image
2 Replies

I gave up vaping (with nicotine) almost two weeks ago and ever since I have been climbing the walls with what I think is RLS. I’ve had this fairly mildly for many years but have never needed medication, but at the moment I feel like cutting my legs off! Has anyone had experience of giving up nicotine and RLS??

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Will0816 profile image
Will0816
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Madlegs1 profile image
Madlegs1

You are suffering the normal effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Restless legs syndrome is just part of withdrawals from any drug.

I don't know anything about nicotine (except I still get a hit in the stomach from giving them up 50 years ago!)

Are there patches to help taper down the nicotine effect?

It's a difficult process, but you will get through it, and if you have only experienced the symptoms since giving the fags up, then you don't have full blown RLS !👍

Cheers.

Parminter profile image
Parminter

Every 'hit' of nicotine causes the release of dopamine. Your brain becomes accustomed to this. All addictions work this way.

Dopamine agonists do the same thing.

In the same way that a slow taper from dopamine agonists is recommended, I suppose a taper from nicotine would be a reasonable idea. So perhaps try nicotine gum or nicotine patches to help you while your brain restores itself to baseline.

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