1. < Smoking & Quitting

Stop smoking panic attacks.

Posted by littleonefmohio @littleonefmohio, Mar 28, 2018

I am hoping someone can help me with this. I have been trying to stop smoking again. I thought I was doing good, like I always do. I was wearing the smoking patch and have been on them for over 2 weeks. Yesterday I had a panic attack. This seems to happen every time I try and quit smoking which takes me right back to smoking. I thought for sure I would make it this time. Does anyone have any suggestion as to what to use to help me with these panic attacks while trying to quit? I was on Wellbutrin before and it help me to quit but a month hit of being on it and I started getting very mean and bad thoughts so had to get off of it. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

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bluelagoon | @bluelagoon | Jun 18, 2019

@merpreb Merry- I'm on quarterly visits to Mayo since I'm in my first 2 years. I actually feel better than ever, other than losing my drive to get up as early as I did. But, I have gotten back to where I was with exercise since my PA there said cardio would be great for me going forward. So, likely may have found out I'm more of a late day person!

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jun 19, 2019

@bluelagoon- lol, I was too after my all of my cancers. I'm so happy that you are feeling well. What a relief, eh?

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Moderator
Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Jun 19, 2019
In reply to @bluelagoon "@merpreb @alamogal635 @lisalucier Ladies- Sorry for being slow to respond. Been up to my eyeballs in..." + (show)
@bluelagoon

@merpreb @alamogal635 @lisalucier Ladies- Sorry for being slow to respond. Been up to my eyeballs in stuff here. So much of Alamo gal rang true with me- waking up with the gross cough. knowing I should quit. I ended up using Chantix but what I really think did it was reading Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. He did a good job of illustrating to me how we've been hypnotized TO smoke and this is really reclaiming out lives. In my case I only quit in 2016 and then in 2018 was diagnosed from a routine ct scan and had a lobectomy. Unfortunately, mine did hit one lymph node, so there were 4 follow-up chemo treatments. Fortunately, I had minimal side effects. Most times I don't think about smoking. Unfortunately, when someone smokes I do still like the smell. Humorously, I find when a place is full of smoke (like a garage where the owner sneaks out for smokes) I think it STINKS- didn't even recognize it until it happened somewhere else! My secret weapon when I get smacked on the back of the head with an urge is a wintergreen lifesaver. Works every time- although when very bad I need 2!

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@bluelagoon - will you share more about your secret weapon Wintergreen mints for when you have an urge to smoke? Do you think they are a distraction, keep your mouth occupied, something else?

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1 reply
Christel Pareigis | @pranas | Jun 19, 2019

..what I did, I eat carrots. I prepared them the day before and put them in the refrigerator...so they were ready if I felt the urge for a cigarette I took a carrot instead. Needless to mention, I avoided all things I used to do when smoking...no alcohol, no coffee for one year! Never ever again a cigarette and I used to smoke for 10 years.

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bluelagoon | @bluelagoon | Jun 25, 2019
In reply to @lisalucier "@bluelagoon - will you share more about your secret weapon Wintergreen mints for when you have..." + (show)
@lisalucier

@bluelagoon - will you share more about your secret weapon Wintergreen mints for when you have an urge to smoke? Do you think they are a distraction, keep your mouth occupied, something else?

Jump to this post

@lisalucier Not sure I can explain but the Wintergreen other than they just hit my "it" zone. I recall a friend years ago being told to suck on Cinnamon sticks. On a failed attempt I used those and they did nothing for me. Something about these just comforts my addiction zone, I think.

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trellg132 | @trellg132 | Jul 17, 2019

I quit cold turkey but not sure might be the cause of my anxiety or panic attacks

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jul 26, 2019

Hello All:

On the WebMD daily email, there was a slideshow about how your body begins to heal when you stop smoking. The information provided in this presentation is really remarkable and I thought that you might find it interesting.

Here is the link, https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/ss/slideshow-effects-of-quitting-smoking?

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jul 26, 2019

@hopeful33250- Good morning. May I butt in? As a former smoker for 35 years (an a current lung cancer patient) I was intrigued by this article. And I found 2 more to help. One thing that both addresses is the need to make a plan to cope with with drawl symptoms. According to WebMD nicotine and other lethal ingredients in cigarettes leave your body within about 3 days. That sounds astonishing to me.
So why do the cravings last as long as they do, sometimes coming back years later? Because it's your brain that is remembering, not your body so you have to re-train your mind. Here is some help.
https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/qa/how-long-does-nicotine-stay-in-your-system
https://www.verywellmind.com/craving-cigarettes-3-months-after-quitting-what-to-do-2824897

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trellg132 | @trellg132 | Jul 26, 2019

In going through that rite now I've been stopped for a 1 1/2 month and Man

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1 reply
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jul 26, 2019
In reply to @trellg132 "In going through that rite now I've been stopped for a 1 1/2 month and Man" + (show)
@trellg132

In going through that rite now I've been stopped for a 1 1/2 month and Man

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@trellg132- Good morning and good for you! Oh boy do I know what this Man means. It is so tough. After my surgery which was 1 week after I quit I went home post op and couldn't exercise for a while to help with cravings. They certainly pull your strings, and test you beyond endurance sometimes. There are no rhythm or rhythm to the cravings. Smelling smoke never set me off. I was surprised that drinking coffee didn't either.
What are you doing to off set the cravings? Did you have a plan before hand or set a quit date?

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