Depression?

[anna20]

How will quit smoking affect depression? Will it make a person more depressed?

Anna

[edith2]

I have been diagnosed with major depression and have been taking medication for it for years. I have noticed that I'm not as depressed as I was when I was smoking. I believe that smoking makes depression worse. I feel better now because I have more self-esteem since I quit. I feel better about myself. I'm not as anxious or nervous. I don't rely on a chemical to cover up my feelings. I'm not a doctor, so I don't know about studies about smoking and depression. But I know I feel alot better since I've become a non-smoker.

[JonesCarpeDiem]

Can I say everyone is different here.

What affects someone one way may not affect another the same


dale

[dan15]

I have heard that smoking makes antidepressants less effective, so the lack of smoking should make you less depressed. However, it is a major life change, and major life changes are stressful. In the past I have had an increase in depression when I've tried to quit smoking. That lasts for a few days and then gets better (at least it did for me) and then I felt happier because I was proud of myself for quitting. I stayed off cigarettes for six months, then went back to smoking and felt really lousy.

I tried Chantix, and it wiped out the effectiveness of my antidepressant and I felt awful. Now I'm on day 6 and I'm taking Wellbutrin to help me quit. It is also an antidepressant so that seemed like a logical choice.

Anyway, if your depression gets worse when you quit, talk to your doctor. Medications, including nicotine, affect everybody a little differently. Just know that if depression comes when you quit, it is temporary and you can do something about it. Don't let it stop you from going after your goal to be smoke free.

Best of luck to you!

[ms.jen]

I'm concerned about this too. I'm already on a trio of medications to treat my major depression. After over a decade grappling with depression, I finally have a handle on it. Due to the success of my drug therapy, I think I could handle the life-change of quitting better than I ever have in the past. 2008 was a rough year for my family and me, with huge crisis after huge crisis. Prior to this combination of meds, I would not have been able to take hit after hit after hit, and remained standing. I'd have slipped into a deep depression and stopped functioning.

So I've rolled with the punches through several major life changes in the past year: daughter moving out, son starting kindergarten, cutting my work hours down to part time, the death of a pet, and major financial problems. I can't believe I'm not curled up in a ball, sleeping 18 hours a day. That's a testiment to the effectiveness of this regime I'm on. Quitting should be easier for me this time (I've yet to set a date); not much easier, but not as horrific as the last couple of times.