Side effects after quitting smoking?

Fantastic that you have quit, you're body has to have time to adjust to a life without all the chemicals you have been putting in it.
I am now 19 days without a cigarette and am feeling really good - a lot better than when I smoked.

This is the second time I have quit and had only been smoking for 2 years this time. The first time I quit after 15 years of smoking I felt awful for a couple of months - obviously more cleansing for the body to do. Foolishly I took up again after a 4 year break thinking I wouldn't get addicted from the odd one - which I obviously did. Oh well we live and learn.

Just give it time and I am sure you will start feeling the benefits too.

Huge congrats on quitting!!! I quit March 13, 2013. I just realized all the 3's in the date. 'Twilight Zone Music'. Unfortunately, I tried everything and had to finally use electronic cigarettes to quit. I now vape with bigger versions of e-cigs called Mods so I can eventually lower the nicotine levels to 0%.

I thought at first that vaping was making me feel under the weather when I first switched, but the cold like symptoms went away after a few weeks. For me, I generally keep feeling better which is awesome! I think like everyone has mentioned here that your body just has to clean out.

To poster Spike90 - I actually quit bitting my nails after 30 some years when I started vaping. Lol! I guess it gives me something to do. For those of you who quit cold turkey and never went back, my hat's off to you. Congrats!!

Quick Tip: If you can quit smoking before the age of 40, you have a great chance of living just as long as someone who never smoked. Just more risk of dying from lung cancer at an old age.

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Quit cold turkey 19 years ago because I wanted to get pregnant. (And I smoked over a pack a day.) Whenever I wanted a smoke I did a couple of jumping jacks because I'd heard that increasing your heart rate mimicked that stimulous from the cigarette. Don't know if that is true or not, but it took my mind off the cigarette. I did have to learn how to drink again, because instead of sip drag sip, I was sip sip sip, LOL. A few weeks of coughing up mucous and you'll be good to go.

Congrats on quitting! It definitely isn't easy! I just past my 4 year mark and I smoked for just about 30 years before I quit. You can do it and seems you are doing a great job so far!! Keep it up, you will feel much better as time goes on and the coughing, sneezing and all the other stuff will go away.

That's just your lungs clearing out the crap and the cilia in your throat repairing themselves.

When I quit smoking everything tasted like cardboard for about 2 months! Things will taste better they said - HA! A lie.

Thanks for that. It does make sence. Someone else told me that.

I joined MFP the same day I quit smoking......can't afford to gain weight when I am already so heavy. Side effects completely normal and I am happy to say that I am on day 15 no smoking and 10 lbs down!

great job!!!

First of all as well, great job on making the decision to stop. I have stopped 14 days ago as of Monday the 24th of June. I am having the cold like symptons and thought I was going crazy before reading all these atricles on the internet. Scary if you really look at the healing process the body is going to go through. I also have hyper tension releated with my job and smoking and the Dr. gave me at wake up call at 42. My auntie passed of a massive stroke at 53yrs old 1yr ago and I finally made the effort to stop. I will gladly deal with all the side effects to see my daughter graduate and see her get married. Great job to all that have stopped and hope all of us can stay smoke free!!

When smokers quit — what are the benefits over time?
20 minutes after quitting
Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
(Effect of smoking on arterial stiffness and pulse pressure amplification, Mahmud
A, Feely J. Hypertension. 2003:41:183)
12 hours after quitting
The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1988, p. 202)
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting
Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)
1 to 9 months after quitting
Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move
mucus out of the lungs) start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability
to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
1 year after quitting
The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker’s.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 2010, p. 359)
5 years after quitting Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half. Cervical
cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after
2-5 years.
(A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease - The
Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease Fact Sheet, 2010;
and Tobacco Control: Reversal of Risk After Quitting Smoking. IARC Handbooks
of Cancer Prevention, Vol. 11. 2007, p 341)
10 years after quitting
The risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking.
The risk of cancer of the larynx (voice box) and pancreas decreases.
(A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease - The
Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease Fact Sheet, 2010;
and US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. vi, 155, 165)
15 years after quitting
The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.
(Tobacco Control: Reversal of Risk After Quitting Smoking. IARC Handbooks of
Cancer Prevention, Vol. 11. 2007. p 11)
These are just a few of the benefits of quitting smoking for good. Quitting smoking
lowers the risk of diabetes, lets blood vessels work better, and helps the heart and lungs.
Quitting while you are younger will reduce your health risks more, but quitting at any age
can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.
I

I have recently completed 3 months of being smoke free. I was so glad to see that the symptoms, and challenges I have, are not unheard of. I am trying to continue staying strong. But even 3 months later, I still find myself, having cravings, at any sign of stress. Congrats to all, that have made the decision to quit.

Something interesting I learned... I quit smoking after 25+ years. I had also been having digestive/bowel issues for years but couldn't get a diagnosis ( tested for many things). Within weeks of quitting, my bowel symptoms got horrible! Long story short... I got diagnosed with Celiac disease!! Turns out, smoking can coat your digestive lining and mask symptoms. Please don't assume all digestive symptoms are just your body changing/healing. For most people this is probably/hopefully the case, but just so you know... If things are really bad and prolonged please get it checked out by a doc!

Hi all- I just joined this group after doing a Google search on side effects of quitting smoking. I really liked the determination and resolve I saw in each of the posts, despite the uncomfortable side effects. So, I wanted to join you all in this journey :-) I quit smoking on Tuesday. The side effects were pretty intense- nausea, immediate weight gain, stomach issues, poor sleep. I confess that I have cheated a bit on the quitting but maintain my resolve to be smoke free.

My plan is to exercise more, not freak out about temporary weight gain and focus on getting things checked off my long 'to do' list (e.g. dropping clothes off at Goodwill, organizing my closets etc..). I think this will help a lot. Not just because it keeps me occupied but because I can readily create a sense of accomplishment by checking things off the list and a sense of peace by getting my home organized.

I turn 50 next month and I visualize myself celebrating this new decade with my friends and not only being smoke free but being past the cravings and temporary side effects. So, I am not going to beat myself up about cheating a bit, rather I am going to focus on how great life is being smoke free and stay positive about my ability to accomplish this quit for good!

I quit smoking cold turkey 11 days ago and I've had all the worst side effects. Dizziness, increased appetite, headaches, anxiety, weight gain and general confusion.

I was taking bupropion for anxiety for 2 months before I thought about quitting due to alot of stuff going on right now. I thought, what the hell, I'm never going to be more stressed out than what I am currently so I may as well quit now and deal with consequences!

I stopped taking bupropion 4 days ago and I'm feeling much better. There are moments when all i want is a cigarette but I don't want it, if you know what I mean.. hence reaching for the candies. I'd recently lost alot of weight before trying to quit and I gave myself a 5 kilo allowance so that if I put on 5 kilos during my quit, it won't stress me out too much.

I've actually put on 2.5 kilos but I'm logging everything to see why so i can't blame it on not smoking. Now, i'm trying to do some damage control before it gets out of hand and trying to stuff myself with salad and sugar free stuff! the worst of the evils me thinks.

I know this is a weird topic but I need a little support right now in my quit smoking journey. I quit cold turkey at the beginning of this week. But I've started to feel like I'm coming down with broncitus or a very serious chest cold. Sometimes my lungs feel like they are burning and I sneeze A LOT!

Now with that said I've had no cravings for another cigarette. That is the saving grace but these other side effects are killing me. I was wondering if anyone else experience heartburn or cold like symptoms when they quit smoking. Also how long should I expect thiese 'side effects' to last?

Thank you!

I successfully quit smoking about 3 years ago.

I am very impressed that you're having no cravings. I quit cold turkey too and for a few weeks I had restless leg, (leg twitching in bed at night) which I controlled with sleeping tablets. I had insomnia (ditto), I had panic attacks, and I coughed a lot.

I think my last nicotine cravings happened within 3 or 4 weeks.

Now I look back and I can't believe it took me so long. utterly pleased that I escaped it.

Oh - editing.

The shaky feverish stuff? that is part of the withdrawal. That's your body rejecting the toxins. It's good stuff.

Hi I am on day 3 having stopped smoking......feeling crappy today but glad its the weekend so I can chill. My face is red and a bit swollen and feels like I am coming down with a cold or something. I was using the patches but not worn one today as had a rash also. :sad: BUT I am SOOOOOOOOOO glad that I am now a NON SMOKER and keep reminding myself that I have done the right thing and that cigarettes are EVIL!!!! :devil: and just think about how much money I am saving too.

So everyone congratulations on quitting and stick in there!!!!! YOU CAN DO IT :happy: