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Am I experiencing nicotine withdrawal?

Dr_Hays
Mayo Clinic
2 27 1,065

Nicotine withdrawal can be severe.   For many people withdrawal symptoms peak between 3-5 days, but they can last for many weeks.  Recognizing and alleviating withdrawal from nicotine can be extremely helpful in stopping smoking.

The most common withdrawal symptoms are irritability, anxiety, craving difficulty concentrating, depressed mood, insomnia and restlessness.  Symptoms can also include constipation, dizziness, nausea, sore throat, nightmares, tremors, rapid heart-beat, stomach irritation, anhedonia, and fatigue.  These unpleasant physical sensations, emotions, and cognitions can trigger an intense urge to smoke, however smoking in response to these symptoms is very reinforcing and strengthens the cigarette addiction and builds the ‘habitual’ component of smoking.

Nicotine replacement alleviates withdrawal and is a very safe alternative to smoking.  Nicotine medications don’t deliver the rapid and high doses of nicotine like a cigarette, and are not addictive like the cigarette.  More importantly the nicotine medications don’t contain the 1000’s of chemicals that are in cigarette smoke, and which cause the tremendous toll to health.

These days, there is no reason to suffer from nicotine withdrawal.

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About the Author
An expert in tobacco use and dependence, Dr. Hays has authored and co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and book chapters on various aspects tobacco dependence and its treatment. Since joining the Nicotine Dependence Center in 1992, he and its staff have treated more than 50,000 patients for tobacco dependence.