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Questions posted in the
The Addiction Forum have been answered by
Steven Adelman, M.D. and by Richard C. Bozian M.D. F.A.C.P. of Harvard Vanguard Medical Group.
Question Title: Are these common to smoking withdrawal?Forum: The Addiction Forum
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| I quit smoking 21 days ago and am using the patch. I take the patch off around 6pm because of sleep disturbances (weird dreams). My concern is that for the past week I've been getting terrible "night sweats" in bed and severe hot flashes during the day, and my joints all ache. I think the joint pain might be stress related. But I'm only 32 and too young for menopause, so I'd like to know if all these hot flashes/sweating/flushes can be attributed to smoking cessation? I posted this a few days ago also, but I think you skipped by my question. Thank you for your assistance. Debbie
___ Dear Debbie, I have heard similar complaints from others who have quit, although such complaints tend to be most pronounced in people who are not using nicotine replacement therapies. Most people get far less nicotine from patches than they were accustomed to getting from cigarettes, and this may account for these unpleasant sensations. To play it safe, you should chat with your primary care physician about these symptoms. If you are not taking the highest strength patch (21mg or 22mg) you might consider increasing the patch strength. You might also consider switching to another form of NRT such as the gum, inhaler or nasal spray. Of all of these, the nasal spray is the one which provides nicotine in levels that approximate those which people get from smoking. If these strategies do not alleviate the symptoms, talk to your doctor or to an addiction specialist about combination treatments. Some patients do well on the combination of bupropion and NRT, others do well by combining the patch with the gum or the inhaler. Since such combinations are unconventional and potentially tricky, this should only be attempted with the help of a doctor. For more on smoking cessation, take a look at my Ask DrSteve web site, conveniently hyperlinked below. Good luck! Steve Adelman, M.D. (a.k.a. DrSteve)
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