10 months out (almost 11) - quit nicotine - BAD idea?

Hi all,

 

Gosh, my history and posting lately makes me sound like an absolute nut job.

 

I've been having a very hard time with withdrawals from Xanax since 2021 - I'm suspecting I was hit with tolerance or interdose withdrawals at that point, and then throughout my taper it was very very hard on me mentally. I jumped 5/2022, and I will be 11 months out in the beginning of April.

 

From mid-January to mid-March of this year, I believed I was in some sort of a window, and I was SO RELIEVED. Oh my gosh - I was able to sleep again in the mornings. The outside didn't look like doom and gloom...it just looked like "outside". It was beautiful. No depression (or just low level). No anxiety.

 

Since then, a couple things have happened..

 

I had a semi-large stressor which I believed could have triggered a setback, because I find myself having those cortisol/adrenaline/fear/depression/despair mornings again, after being free from them for a couple months. I'm so upset. This was the first "window" I EVER had since 2021.

 

Additionally, however - I had been a smoker since high school and all through adulthood (2009-2018) and then vaped heavily (2018-2023) until about 2 weeks ago. I noticed the depression creeping in slowly about a week after quitting, even before my "stressor". And then all hell broke loose.

 

So I guess my question is - in addition to stress, could quitting nicotine/vaping also trigger a massive wave/setback? I was very dependent, vaping literally all day (I work from home).

 

Anyone have input or experience?

If you quit nicotine abruptly after heavy dependency I think that would be a big stressor for your system.  Stressors of all kinds can lead to a setback.  Of course quitting nicotine is great- I don't know very much about recommended ways of quitting but I imagine it would be tapering gradually so it's gentler for your body.  Our bodies can heal from stress though and I hope your system settles down again soon.

Yeah, it was cold turkey - I was so sick of my heart racing constantly...it wasn't enough that I had constant palpitations from anxiety - the nicotine made it so much worse. I noticed improvements within a day, but then a week or so later I got slammed with mental symptoms again.

 

I don't want to start back up again obviously because I've made great progress, but I'm willing to if this wave starts getting in the way of life more than it has been. The morning waves have been consistent since 2021 and they have been killing me.

 

Thanks for your input. Good to know I'm not going crazy. <3

It's a rough road, that's for sure, but you'll get there.

Hey Bless,

 

I read your post, and its striking how similar we are in our own benzo Journeys! I also jumped the 5/2022, started smoking over 10 years ago first weed with tobacco then since last year only cigarettes since the weed started triggering my anxiety. I stopped smoking since the end of last month (mostly because of the anxiety I get when I go outside since I know my neighbors don't like it and it rests on my mind). TBH at first it was bad because of the extra strain from both withdrawals, but now I honestly feel better. There's no more urge to smoke, the cravings are mostly gone, I honestly think I somewhat have more control of myself mentally, plus I no longer feel that triggering anxiety from disturbing my neighbors in addition to the health benefits.

 

I think its better in the long run even though it does add a lot of extra stress at first especially when dealing with benzo withdrawal.

Hey Bless,

 

I read your post, and its striking how similar we are in our own benzo Journeys! I also jumped the 5/2022, started smoking over 10 years ago first weed with tobacco then since last year only cigarettes since the weed started triggering my anxiety. I stopped smoking since the end of last month (mostly because of the anxiety I get when I go outside since I know my neighbors don't like it and it rests on my mind). TBH at first it was bad because of the extra strain from both withdrawals, but now I honestly feel better. There's no more urge to smoke, the cravings are mostly gone, I honestly think I somewhat have more control of myself mentally, plus I no longer feel that triggering anxiety from disturbing my neighbors in addition to the health benefits.

 

I think its better in the long run even though it does add a lot of extra stress at first especially when dealing with benzo withdrawal.

 

Wow, definitely similar! Weed used to trigger mine so badly. Yeah, I think I'm around 17 days nicotine free - we got this! I can relate to the fixation on your neighbors...I'm always worrying about what other people think, and just want to please everybody and make them happy.

 

Cheers to us being healthier

Hey guys,

Now I am trying to quit smoking 🤨. In October + I was smoking 3 packs a day due to the brutal w/d, then a month ago I realized that it makes me sweat and just makes my head, mind go crazy! Yet…my body, or well, just I am SO accustomed to it actually helping….UGH!

Any tips??

Ex-smoker here, just want to say congrats on putting down the smokes! 

I decided today is my LAST day of smoking. It revs me up like no tomorrow and then I grab for another. It’s a viscous cycle. When I run out I definitely feel better a couple hours later, so here goes nothing!

I do have the patches and lozengers. My insurance actually paid for them, so you might look into that. However? 18 days? I really think you’ve got this! WTG!!!!