Nicotine Withdrawal Flu Like Symptoms

Can Vaping Prevent Flu Symptoms

4months quitting nicotine documented

Unfortunately, people who transition from smoking to vaping are not exempt from flu-like symptoms. Since many ex-smokers get sick after trading tobacco for vaping, some people erroneously believe that e-cigarettes cause flu symptoms, but this is not the case. While vaping can help curb nicotine cravings, it will not alleviate the physical pains of tobacco withdrawal. That said, you can transition from smoking to vaping gradually so that your symptoms arent as severe.

Although vaping will not help your flu symptoms, e-cigs can alleviate the psychological side effects of smoking cessation such as irritability and anxiety. In addition to mimicking the physical act of smoking, e-cigs satiate tobacco cravings by delivering nicotine much like smoking aids such as nicotine patches and gums do.

What Are The Symptoms Of Smokers Flu And Why Do We Get It

Quitting smoking may not be the best thing to do in a pandemic, only because it is difficult to distinguish what is a cold, the flu, the quitters flu, or COVID-19. But, there is one symptom that sets the smokers flu apart from the rest, and that is the fever. Fever is not a symptom of smokers flu. We tend to get these withdrawal symptoms when nicotine and toxins leave your body. According to CBQ Method, this process is essential for your body to heal and detox.

Cravings to smoke once again
Irritability, crankiness, and anger
Insomnia or the inability to sleep
Coughing or a sore throat
Constipation, gas, and stomach pain
A sore tongue or sore gums

Managing Stress When You Quit Smoking

It will take time to settle into new routines and find new ways to deal with stress now that smoking is not an option.

The stress-release you feel when you have a cigarette is only temporary. It doesnt solve your problems, it only shifts your focus and feeds the smoking stress-cycle.

Research tells us that people who smoke tend to have higher stress levels than non-smokers. Most people find that their stress levels are lower six months after quitting than they were before they quit.

One of the biggest challenges youll face when you quit is finding a new way to take me time at work, when you first get home, after dinner, and other times when you just need some time out.

You might find it helpful to create a special space for yourself to relax. Or you could try revisiting an old hobby or starting a new one.

for ideas on great time-out activities.

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Can Withdrawal Symptoms Be Prevented

Unfortunately, everyone who has been a regular user of tobacco products experiences some degree of withdrawal when they quit. Your healthcare provider can recommend over-the-counter or prescription products to ease your withdrawal symptoms. These products, however, mostly target cravings or urges. There are some behavioral strategies you can try to curb other withdrawal symptoms. These include:

Drink fluid or eat fiber-rich foods to ease constipation.
Drink fluids to relieve cough.
Perform deep breathing exercises to ease chest tightness.
Drink water, chew sugar-free gum or suck on sugar-free candy to ease dry mouth and sore throat.
Organize your work in advance, take a few breaks to help with concentration issues.
Get plenty of sleep, take short naps as needed to counter fatigue.
Change positions slowly to help adjust to dizziness.
Drink lots of water and eat a low-calorie, healthy snack to fight hunger.
Dont drink caffeinated beverages and products several hours before bedtime, listen to calming music and turn off electronic devices to help you sleep.
Practice relaxation techniques, take a warm bath or go for a walk to reduce irritability.
Review other non-medication tips listed in the previous question.

Have A Support System

Going through tough experiences is always easier when you can turn to friends and loved ones for emotional support. Assemble your team of cheerleaders in advance and let them know you might need a listening ear or a distraction during moments when quitting smoking is at its hardest.

Ask for their patience if youre a little grumpy. Youll find that the people who love you want to help you get through this time because youll be so much healthier when you successfully quit smoking.

Reward yourself with little treats for resisting the urge to smoke. Some people recommend using electronic cigarettes with zero nicotine vape juice as a good way to help resist nicotine cravings.

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What Causes Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

Nicotine binds to certain receptors in your brain. It causes your brain to release a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a feel good neurohormone. As long as you continue to use nicotine-containing products, dopamine continues to be released. When you dont smoke or use nicotine-containing products, your brains receptors are no longer stimulated by nicotine. Less dopamine is released and your pleasure center your mood and behavior begin to be affected, causing some of your withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine also changes the balance of other chemical messengers in your brain. Stopping the use of nicotine disrupts the chemical balance, causing some of the physical and other withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms: List Of Possibilities

You may notice symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine just a few hours after you were last exposed to it. Without it, you may start to develop cravings and in order to satisfy these cravings, your brain will urge you to use more nicotine. When you start to withdraw, you may notice any of the following symptoms listed below.

Everyone has a different experience when it comes to withdrawal. Some individuals may have a tougher time coming off of nicotine, while others are successful quitting cold turkey on their first attempt. It is important to be knowledgeable of any symptoms that you may experience so that you can recognize that they are completely normal and that you arent going insane.

It is advised to let the symptoms run their course and eventually you will fully recover. Nicotine is typically eradicated from the body within three days of quitting, but the psychological withdrawal symptoms may last for an extended period of time.

Note: It is known that Nicotine stays in your system for less than 24 hours after your final ingestion. However, its active metabolite cotinine lingers for longer duration . Most symptoms will emerge once the drug have been fully cleared from your body.

How Intense Will Withdrawal Be

Everyone experiences withdrawal differently. Some people have mild symptoms, while others feel great discomfort. For some, cravings are mild, while for others, cravings are intense.

Some people find that their symptoms and cravings last for only a few days, while others may find they last for several weeks.

Its important to remember that, unpleasant as nicotine withdrawal symptoms are, they will lessen with time.

You Can Prepare For Withdrawal

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Withdrawal feelings usually are the strongest in the first week after quitting. Many people dont like how withdrawal feels. So some people start smoking again to feel better. The first week after quitting is when you are most at risk for a slip. It helps your quit attempt to be prepared and know what to expect so you can stay smokefree.

One way to be prepared is to use nicotine replacement therapy . NRT can be helpful for dealing with withdrawal and managing cravings. Almost all smokers can use NRT safely.

In addition to using NRT, prepare for withdrawal with SmokefreeTXT, a mobile text messaging service that offers 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips helps smokers quit smoking and stay quit. It is a 68 week program, depending on when you set your quit date. You can get messages up to a week before your quit date to help you learn what to expect what you quit and prepare for withdrawal.

Check out these other ways to be prepared for withdrawal:

. Our free apps help you track cravings and understand your smoking patterns.

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What To Expect When You Quit Smoking

When quitting smoking, the best way to stay smoke-free is to take one day at a time. Stay strong and focus on why you quit, not why you want to smoke. It can also help to view yourself as a non-smoker from the moment you quit. This will give you the best chance of quitting for good.

Keep in mind smoking is a physical and mental addiction. So its ok to seek help when youre having a tough time. The good news is there are plenty of tips and tricks to help with cravings or doubts. If you need to talk to someone, call Quitline for the cost of a local call or request that someone calls you.

Being prepared for whats to come can also help to make the process easier. Understanding the potential withdrawal symptoms of quitting smoking and the various side effects that can happen when you quit will make it all the more easier to deal with them.

Managing Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms

Although withdrawal symptoms can feel challenging, there are ways you can help yourself stay motivated:

Keep a list of reasons you have decided to quit and keep it handy for those moments when youre tempted to smoke.
Make plans and stay busy.
Engage friends and family to help distract you from your cravings and keep you motivated.
delay acting on the craving for five minutes and it will usually pass
do some deep breathing
do something else.

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Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms And Treatments

What Are Withdrawals? Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms Nicotine Withdrawal Timeline Nicotine Withdrawal Treatments

Most people who are trying to cease their smoking habits are familiar with splitting headaches and other nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The thought of experiencing minor to severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms is enough to discourage some people from quitting cold turkey, especially because this can lead to worse symptoms.

But not everyone will experience nicotine withdrawals the same way.

How Fast Your Body Expels Nicotine

Nicotine has a half-life of about 2 hours. Half-life is the amount of time it takes for 50 percent of a substance to be removed from the body.

Nicotines half-life is very short Your body takes 2 hours to remove 50 percent of the nicotine you inhale or chew.

Once nicotine is absorbed, its metabolized or broken down by liver enzymes. Then its eliminated from the body in the urine. 3 to 5 days after the last cigarette, nicotine has been eliminated from the body and the nicotine withdrawal symptoms peak.

As with almost everything else, though, the time varies from person to person.

The half-life of nicotine may be a little longer for heavy smokers or people who smoked for many years. It may also be longer in people over age 65. This means it will take a bit longer for nicotine to be removed from the body. The half-life of nicotine is likely to be somewhat shorter in women than in men, which means that women may expel nicotine faster than men.

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The Key To Quitting Is Having A Plan To Battle The Cravings Experts Say

Quitting smoking is hard, but it is important for your health. All the experts says the best way to be successful is to have a plan ready for handling the withdrawal symptoms and craving triggers. You need to be totally committed to stopping.

Why are cigarettes so addictive? Nicotine is the biggest culprit. According to smokefree.gov, Over time, your body and brain get used to having nicotine in them. About 80 percent to 90 percent of people who smoke regularly are addicted to nicotine.

I Quit Smoking But Why Do I Feel Worse

Quitting smoking comes with the promise of many health benefits, like reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, lung disease, improved quality of life, and increased life expectancy. So, why is it that when you quit, you end up feeling worse than you did when you were smoking?

The answer lies in a substance known as nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical that’s found in all tobacco products. It works by stimulating the reward pathways in the brain, causing the brain to release a chemical called dopamine, a feel-good hormone. Dopamine acts as a chemical messenger, carrying information from the brain to the rest of the body that equates nicotine to pleasure.

After you start to quit smoking, your brain isn’t getting the regular hits of dopamine that it has become accustomed to, which can lead to nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

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Health Improvement Starts Almost Immediately

Its important to realize that the nicotine withdrawal symptoms are not at all harmful to your body.

Just the opposite is true. Your body very quickly begins to recover from the harmful effects of smoking. And thats true even if you were a heavy smoker.

In just 20 minutes, your elevated pulse rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal.

In about 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood will return to normal and your body tissues will be getting more oxygen.

Within days, your lung function begins to improve and breathing becomes easier. The longer the time you go without smoking, the greater your health benefits.

Even the risk of lung cancer eventually drops to the same risk as for someone who has never smoked.

Most doctors agree that quitting smoking is the single most important action you can take to improve your health. The National Institutes of Health reports that theres a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and lung diseases after quitting smoking.

Remember, every moment of withdrawal equals years of health with your loved ones.

Browser And Assistive Technology Compatibility

Living With Nicotine Addiction

We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA , both for Windows and for MAC users.

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Feeling Emotional When You Quit

In the first days and weeks when you quit smoking, the emotional ups and downs could feel like a rollercoaster ride. Making big changes in your life can naturally lead to heightened emotions.

Some people describe giving up smoking as feeling like youre losing a friend. As long as you understand that this is just a stage and what youre feeling is normal, you can ride through the hard times and settle into feeling more confident without cigarettes.

Knowing how quickly you will recover with quitting can help:

Physical Dependence On Nicotine

If you smoke every day, you most likely have some physical dependence on nicotine.

When you inhale tobacco smoke, nicotine quickly passes into your bloodstream. It reaches your brain in just seconds.

Once in the brain, nicotine attaches itself to some of your brain cells and tricks them into releasing neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical substances that convey nerve impulses.

When it comes to smoking, the most important of these neurochemicals is dopamine.

Dopamine

Dopamine is very important to feelings of pleasure. A dopamine release feels like an emotional reward.

And a higher level of dopamine goes hand in hand with a better mood and feelings of wellbeing.

It takes only about 10 seconds for nicotine to reach your brain after you inhale, so the reward is almost immediate.

This artificial reward doesnt last long. Thats why you crave the next cigarette.

Do smokers feel happier than non-smokers because of the dopamine release?

Not at all. A smokers brain doesnt release more dopamine than a non-smokers brain. They release dopamine at different times.

Non-smokers release dopamine when they are genuinely happy and rewarded while smokers release most of their dopamine when they smoke.

As a result, the natural reservoirs of the neurotransmitter are depleted.

Fortunately, dopamine levels bounce back when you stop smoking.

Serotonin

Nicotine also controls the release of serotonin, another neuro-chemical.

Adrenaline

Is your physical dependence on nicotine genetic?

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How Can I Cope With Withdrawal Symptoms

If you find yourself thinking about having a cigarette, try these distractions:

Talk to someone – call a friend for support
Do some activity, like going for a brisk walk exercise may help reduce nicotine cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms
Stay busy – download the Smokefree app or play a game on your phone
Drink a glass of water or find something to distract yourself – keep yourself occupied for those crucial few minutes and find something to keep your hands busy
A change of scene try moving to another room or go outside for some fresh air.

If youre struggling to cope, remind yourself why youre stopping. Remember the health and financial benefits for you and your family. And there are lots of people to help you.

Feeling Hungrier Or Gaining Weight

Its normal for your appetite to increase some when you quit. And your body may not burn calories quite as fast. You may also eat more because of the stress of quitting or to have something to do with your hands and mouth. Food may even be more enjoyable because your senses of smell and taste are not being dulled by all that smoke!

Ways to manage: While some people may gain weight after they quit, its important for your health to quit sooner than later. Below are a few simple things you can do to help control weight gain after quitting. The bonus is that these things will help you build healthy behaviors for a lifetime of being smokefree!

Snack smart. If you eat between meals, find some healthy, low-calorie foods that still give your mouth and hands something to do, like celery, carrots, or sugar-free mints. You can also keep your hands and mouth busy with a toothpick or a straw.
Be active. Any physical activity is better than none. Even if you dont want to join a gym or take up running, simply going for a walk can have real health benefits!
When you eat, focus on eating. Eating is often something we do in the background while we watch TV or check our phones. When we eat like this, we eat more. When you quit smoking, make a point of removing distractions when you eat. Also try eating a bit slower and focus on enjoying your food. This can help you notice when you are getting full.

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