Stopped smoking, HA flare up again

[missfishlash]

Pleased with myself, not smoked for three weeks now!
But I feel so crappy :(
Been on ecigs and not had one fag, but Ive been suffering all sorts of pooey symptoms....leg cramps and aches, chest discomfort, breathless....which made me start thinking DVT, pulmonary embolism, heart problems, nicotine overdose cos of the ecigs....panic attacks etc....so fed up, I know its probably my body repairing itself and all that, but why does it have to feel so BAD!
Would be grateful to hear from people in the same boat
:shrug:

[Earthmum]

I need to stop smoking too and my friend said that when she stopped these were some of the symptoms that she had I do think it is your body repairing itself getting rid of all the toxins , keep going your doing well and all the symptoms will subside once your body and mind is healed x

[AnxietyDJ]

It's to be expected... Obviously everyone reacts in different ways, but you are overcoming an addiction at the end of the day, so your body is going to be unhappy in one way or another... Ride it out and it will get better with time...

Check out some vids / audio by Allen Carr - a few of my friends quit smoking with his guides.

Good luck! :)

[anthrokid]

As you well know, smoking is an addiction. What happens when you stop (or cut back) is that your body has to adjust to new levels (or no levels) of nicotine in the brain.

Different people have different withdrawal symptoms, but some of the common ones include feeling down or just crappy in general, feeling irritable or on edge, increase in anxiety and some physical sensations like feeling sick. Also quite common is muscle tension, which can cause cramps and sometimes even a sore chest.

These generally only last a few weeks, sometimes up to a month. However, if you are using a nicotine supplement (like patches or gums) they can last a bit longer because every time you cut down to a lower dose your body has to adjust again.

But it is worth it for the end result. Your body is already repairing itself. Within 6 hours of quitting smoking your heart rate decreases and your blood pressure lowers. Within a day the level of carbon monoxide in your blood has lowered and more oxygen can reach your heart and muscles. Within a week the natural cleaning system of your lungs starts to recover, improving removal of mucus, tar and dust from your lungs. And those are just the benefits from quitting for a week!

I don't know what kind of support you have at the moment, but you could consider talking to your GP about trying to manage some of the symptoms you are experiencing at the moment. There are also some fantastic websites on quitting smoking that provide heaps of information on how to manage the symptoms you may feel during the withdrawal period.

You are doing a fantastic job!