ZYN Nicotine Withdrawal

[someguy]

I wanted to see if anyone had experience with quitting ZYN Nicotine Pouches. I would imagine the journey would be similar to quitting cigarettes, but who knows??

I am 27 and have chewed the 6mg pouches for 2 - 3 years and typically have 3 to 6 a day (18 to 36 mg of nicotine per day on average). It has been about a week since my last one. I never got into smoking and only occasionally chewed red man before these things came around... but after I was introduced to ZYNs, they made my desk job much more enjoyable and I just kept 'em coming!

The symptoms I've had along with some questions are:

   Brain fog (Extreme!) - This was the one i became most concerned with since I didn't associate the extreme fog with quitting these pouches. After reading up on many blogs, it sounds like this can be a pretty intense experience?

   Weakness - This one kind of ties into the brain fog feeling... but I have felt generally weak as well in my body. When it's at it's worst, it feels like my head is faint and my body is drained... but I can also be restless at the same time. I feel like I want to pass out but also run around?! Very weird. The faint feeling is nothing extreme, but it's the only way I can describe the sensation.

   Sleeping trouble - I have been getting to bed fine, but when I wake up in the morning, it is very difficult to fall back asleep and sometimes I feel like my heart is racing. I don't feel like I'm craving anything while laying there. Has anyone else experienced this anxiety/racing feeling after waking up?

   Loss of appetite - This one is different than the majority of things I've read. I have felt like my stomach is cramped up and I generally haven't had a great appetite. The best way I can describe the feelings I get in my gut include intense cramping and just a feeling of your stomach being generally unsettled. I haven't had issues with nausea or anything like that. Has anyone had this experience?

In addition to this, my wife and I are having our first kid and I believe that some of these symptoms could also be a result of increased stress and anxiety associated with that. 

Any answers, experiences, thoughts, solutions are much appreciated! 

Thanks!

[sweetplt]

Hi and Welcome to Ex’s...someguy 

I do not have any experience with Zyn Nicotine patches, however, I have experience with being an addict to nicotine.  I smoked for 34 years cigarettes.  I quit 479 Days ago...”cold turkey” however, after I cut down for many months.  I came to Ex’s and read at My EX Plan | BecomeAnEX and developed a plan for my quit.  You can do the same, by replacing smoking with chewing.  Then I came here for support and to help others in their journey.  The beginning of one’s quit we are physically and mentally withdrawing...all your mentions are big withdrawals we go through when we quit nicotine.  Here is a good blog on this https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex/blog/2018/01/04/early-withdrawal-symptoms?sr=se... ... also, many of us find here that breathing techniques help with they symptoms, meditation, yoga, prayer, walking, etc., It is hard to quit an addiction, but it is doable.  It takes time and a lot of talking to yourself, “That this too shall pass”...keep close to us and we will support you through your craves.  You have a baby on the way, Congratulations...You need to live for that baby...Glad you found us...~ Colleen 

[YoungAtHeart]

Welcome to the community!

Most of what you describe IS withdrawal from nicotine.  It should calm down a bit after the first 2 weeks, then it's a few more for your body to adjust to life without it.  36 mg. of nicotine is almost equal to 2 packs of cigarettes a day - so it makes sense your body will miss it.  Since we mostly have people come to us to quit smoking, my recommendations will include that as the base.  You will just need to substitute "Zyn."  Nicotine addiction is nicotine addiction though - no matter the delivery device.

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

You didn't mention if you are using a quit aid, so I will offer my thoughts on them   If you go that route, I personally recommend the aids that don't let the addict control the dose such as the available prescription drugs or the patch. If used properly, gum, lozenges and inhalers are fine, but they need to be used only as a last resort after you have tried to delay and distract.   I have seen folks become addicted to them if they substitute them for every cigarette they used to smoke - just trading one addiction for another.  You need to start out with a plan to reduce use of them over time - which the patch does by decreasing the dose contained in them..  For the gum, you can start by cutting each piece in half, then in quarters, then sub regular gum of the same flavor in between, adding more and more regular gum.  For the lozenge, you need to start subbing a mint in between to begin, increasing the number of them over time. I do not recommend the e-cigarette for four reasons: 1) the vapor has been compared to the polluted air in Bejing on a bad day, 2) they just provide another nicotine delivery system while continuing the hand to mouth smoking motion,  3) it maintains the addiction to nicotine, and 4) they are proving to be unsafe.

The idea is to change up your routines so the smoking associations are reduced.  Drink your coffee with your OTHER hand in a place different from when you smoked. Maybe switch to tea for a bit.  If you always had that first smoke with your coffee, try putting your tennies on right out of bed, going for a quick walk, then taking your shower and THEN your coffee! Rearrange the furniture in the areas you used to smoke so the view is different. Buy your gas at a different station. Take a different route to work. Take a quick walk at break time where the smokers AREN'T.
 
You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that smoking thought rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

The conversation in your head in response to the "I want a cigarette" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

 Nancy

[Barbscloud]

Welcome to the Ex.  I hadn't every heard of this before so I had to look it up.  If understand correctly, it's nicotine delivery system that also contains carcinogens.   Of course it's still a nicotine addiction and obviously you want to quit.   It certainly sounds like the typical nicotine withdrawal symptoms.  Big congrats on your one week smoke free.  You're well on your way to successful quit.   Be patient with yourself.  This is a journey with various stages along the way.   We're here to support you, so just reach out anytime you need encouragement and want to share. 

Barb  

[Giancarlo]

I read your statements about Zyn withdraw from a websearch and joined to make this comment.

I have much experience with Zyn.

For me it was a potent source of nicotine free from tobacco and/or potential cancers or lung complications. I have asthma and never smoked but I had chewed Scoal in the past, periodically over a few decades, and always thought it was disgusting and dangerous and never was a full-time chew fiend. Zyn chanced all that and provided a clean jolt of nicotine, which I had always liked, and without the tobacco. I also thought Zyn was great for the cognitive benefits of focus and the flow-state that nicotine provided me when doing anything that required concentration. But I ultimately became a nicotine fiend with Zyn after a few years. Before I quit, I would consume a can or more of 6mg pouches a day.  Purchasing rolls of 5 cans at a time a few times a week, I had no ceiling for nicotine at this point, and any cognitive benefits I once thought were beneficial were overshadowed by my constant need to buy and use this stuff all the time.  I made a plan to quit which consisted of taking a two week trip away from home, bringing no Zyn, and using 21mg daily nicotine patches.  My physical and mental symptoms of needing nicotine were immediate: brainfog similar to what you state, depressed mood, irritability, and anxiety. However, the trip I took to the open county of Montana and Wyoming and a few days in Yellowstone helped me cope with my post-Zyn symptoms, and possibly also helped my wife cope with me during this time. I accommodated the withdrawal symptoms while hiking and seeing beautiful and mesmerizing natural landscapes and doing nothing stressful.  After the trip most of the symptoms diminished and I continued on the patch, and still continue on the patch two months later, but now on the 14mg patch. Some withdrawal symptoms continue, and the need for nicotine remains on my mind. Foremost on my mind if I let it, but that is not where I desire my mind to go. I am learning to accommodate the feeling of needing nicotine as normal to who I am now, and not as something that needs to be fixed with more nicotine. I plan to be completely free of nicotine by Election Day, Nov 3. I figured it would be a good day to quit all nicotine because if I seem irritable after this day at least half the US population will be probably be irritable anyway and no one should notice. I think in time I will also not feel this way and I look forward to that future and it gives me hope to be who I was before I became a Zyn fiend. I also quit drinking any alcohol about a month ago because of a very intense need for nicotine that came with alcohol, and that made any drinking quite unfun and ruined it for me. I also now feel healthier, best I have felt in three years, and winning my addiction to nicotine gives me confidence in my ability to address other difficult issues to improve my life.  I hope this story/information helps others who may question if nicotine pouches are addictive, or wonder if they can become a problem, and perhaps how to deal with them on your own terms if they are a problem for you.

[YoungAtHeart]

giancarlo 

Welcome to the community!

This blog was last active 6 months ago - so the folks may or may not still be active. To  introduce yourself to the community, you might write a blog - that area is the most active here.  You do that by going to "Home" - top left; then center blue box, "Post to my Blog."

I am glad you have decided to free yourself from nicotine addiction.  It is not easy, but it IS doable.  Smoking and cigarettes are mostly mentioned in the information I will offer, so you will need to sub nicotine in the reading.  You might also move down to a 7 mg patch a couple of weeks before your quit date. 

The important thing you can do right now is to educate yourself on what nicotine does to your body and mind. To that end, I highly recommend Allen Carr's “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.” This easy and entertaining read provided a world of good information about nicotine addiction, most of which I was not aware.  I credit it in large part with my success at quitting.   You can search for it online or at your local library.

 You should also read the posts here and perhaps go to the pages of folks who you think might be helpful. You might visit whyquit.com, quitsmoking.com and livewell.com for the good information contained there. @https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/groups/best-of-ex has lots of blogs written by members of this site with their experiences and guidance. Here is a video to inform you further about nicotine addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpWMgPHn0Lo&feature=youtu.be.

 You need to distract yourself through any craves.  You can take a bite out of a lemon (yup - rind and all), put your head in the freezer and take a deep breath of cold air, do a few jumping jacks, go for a brisk walk or march in place, play a computer game.  Keep a cold bottle of water with you from which to sip. Don't let that craving rattle around in your brain unchallenged. Sometimes you need to quit a minute or an hour at a time.  You will need to be disciplined in the early days to distract yourself when a crave hits.    Get busy!  Here is a link to a list of things to do instead of smoke if you need some fresh ideas:
 https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/02/25/100-things-to-do-instea...

The conversation in your head in response to the "I need nicotine" thought needs to be, "Well, since I have decided not to do that anymore, what shall I do instead for the three minutes this crave will last?"  Then DO it.  You will need to put some effort into this in the early days, but it gets easier and easier to do.

Stay close to us here and ask questions when you have them and for support when you need it. We will be with you every step of the way!

 Nancy

[CommunityAdmin]

giancarlo‌ Glad you posted here.  I'm sure there are others on the web like you and someguy‌ who are also addicted to this product but aren't finding many resources since it's not as common as cigarettes, chew, vapes/e-cigs. Similarly we have people who come to us after quitting smoking but are then wanting to quit using the gum or lozenges.

Keep posting. Keep sharing. This community is a great resource to help you quit but it's also important to have people like you who are here and trying to quit document their journeys so others in your position coming after you will easily discover a place to get support for a lesser known product.

Mark
EX Community Manager

[CommunityAdmin]

@someguy @Giancarlo 

How are things going for you? There are others who would benefit from your experience with zyn pouches. 

[Giancarlo]

I’m nicotine and Zyn free, have been since Nov 2020 and after years of a can or more of Zyn every day. It was very hard to quit, 3 or so months of nic patches helped to taper off on a controlled dose and it still requires discipline for me to not get a can at the gas station every time I fill up. I miss the mental focus that nicotine gave my brain in times of stress but do not miss being a slave to that crap, the pounding chest and gurgling stomach and the anxiety when I needed it, and living my life around managing an addiction. I feel I still need to quit every day and make a conscious decision to not go back. But it is now far easier to avoid urges to use it again and I no longer have any physical cravings at this point and my life is far better. I no longer have a $5-$10 habit - that alone makes me feel better than I was before and I do not want to lose my self control again and have more money in my pocket. Good luck to all who are wrestling with this issue. You can find yourself again. GC

[Giulia]

What a wonderfully informative response!  You're doing a magnificent job of getting nicotine out of your life.  Big Bravo!  Stick around.  We can all use your input here.  Welcome to the family!