we are marchers!

[ms.kmartinez79]

I quit march 10th! Been a hard road so far! Can hardly wait till it gets easier! Hope you all have a much much smoother journey than I have so far! Maybe we can share withdrawal symptoms and side effects of medicines/patches. I think it might help to know what we are each feeling is "normal"

[elvan]

We have all had various experiences, I don't think anyone will tell you it has been easy.  I didn't use any nicotine replacement so all of my experiences were withdrawal, pure and simple.  I read everything I could before I quit and then I set my quit date for my first day back at work after over a month off for a break during which time I got really sick.  It DOES get easier,the urges come much less frequently and you begin to recognize them and realize that you CAN get past them without going stark raving mad.  I had quit in the past and had much worse symptoms because I did not prepare myself and because I concentrated more on the bad parts than I did on the good parts.  Congratulations on 15 days...you have made it through the first two weeks.  Your physical withdrawal symptoms are over now and the psychological ones that you share here you will find are not unique.  Search for what you are feeling and chances are you will find a blog talking about how someone dealt with the same issues.  Drink lots of water, congratulate yourself, tell everyone you know that you have quit smoking! Hugs.

[cheryl_1-1-14]

You are working on week 3.  Still tough but you should start having more good moments than bad.  Time between craves will continue to get longer and your thoughts will be less consumed.  Hang in there.  I promise it gets better.

I used the patch for 8 weeks.  Some will tell you to stop them sooner and I was tempted to but scared of being overwhelmed with withdrawl symptoms.  Using the step down method, I felt nothing when I stoped using the patch, so don't worry about that.  I did have crazy dreams when I wore them at night so when I stepped down, I would wear the new lower mg patch 24 hours for a day or two and then go back to taking them off before I went to bed.  Worked well for me. 

Anything and everything you are feeling is normal.  Your body is confused and trying to heal.  Just embrace it and go with it.  You've come a long way and the first part of the journey is the worst.  Take a deep breath (because you can now) and keep on moving forward.  You can do it!!!

[candylance]

Congratulations on 15 days or 2 weeks and one day and welcome to the Double Digit Club. Everyone's side effects or withdrawal is different. I quit cold turkey and had bad insomnia for a few months. More anxiety than usual and the usual oral urges that I combatted with cinnamon sticks, straws, sugar free gum, hard candies, etc. On day 95, I had the biggest crave of all but I blogged and asked for help. People came from everywhere and got me thru it. The crave was sooo bad that i had a panic attack. Have learned to get thru hard times now with opening the freezer door and inhaling the cold air. Janet, who helped me most got me to deep breathe and I became relaxed and the panic attack was over. REMEMBER!! Always ask for help BEFORE YOU SMOKE. Wishing you well on your journey. It's really quite exciting!!

Candy     d196

[LouiseR]

The first month for me was kind of being on a roller coaster, lots of ups and downs.  I just went with it.  I Drank lots of water(still do) and did a lot of slow deep breathing through the craves.  I came on here daily throughout the day(and do so now)and just kept reading and getting info from others especially the elders on how to deal with craves, depression, stress, etc.  The longer you stay quit the better it gets!!

[tambolina]

There are so much info on here that is so good, I just get on here and read.

I had more mind games this time than any other. The only physical symptoms I have had are the sore mouth and gums teeth so sensitive still is really. I go to the dentist 4/3 and I am really scared to go.

Did you have any symptoms that you were suprised by??

Tammy

[YoungAtHeart]

Here is a link to a blog I copied early in my quit that lists normal early withdrawal symptoms.  We put a LOT of chemicals besides nicotine in our bodies and eliminating them is a shock to our systems!

https://excommunity.becomeanex.org/blogs/Youngatheart.7.4.12-blog/2013/12/30/withdrawal-symptoms

You should find your craves getting further apart and easier to get past in about three weeks.  You are doing GREAT!  Just keep at it!

Nancy

[meme21]

You certainly are marching right along, and from the sound of things you've been fighting the good fight all along the way. Be proud of yourself....you're WINNING!!!

I started on Chantix last week and my quit date was set for this coming Friday, but I was truly so sick of smoking that I quit yesterday.....right now I'm 1 day, 2 hours, & 42 minutes free of cigarettes and I'm excited!!!

I used Chantix once before and so I was well aware of the few not so great side effects, but I really didn't want to get the nicotine withdrawel out of the way in the beginning of my quit so I decided to go with Chantix again.

I seriously think now that I could have done it "cold turkey" because of all the great help I got on this site  helping me prepare for my quit. I'm still debating as to whether I will continue to take the Chantix or not??

Hang tough lady, keep marching, and stay with us....we need each other!

(Now I'm off to check out the blog link that Youngatheart posed 🙂

[ms.kmartinez79]

The withdrawal symptoms are wild for me but I guess pretty normal? Irritation anger sarcasm. The crying and sadness really surprised me! I wasn't expecting it! I'm a little nervous about maintaining my quit... the generic patches that I am using are giving me a really bad rash! Its like a welt! At first there was mild itching and burning but this I can't do! So I put one on today and took it off 2 hours later. I couldn't stand the pain. I'm afraid the urges will come back in full force if I don't get something else to help!