Quitting smoking and panic?

Last October I was diagnosed with panic disorder w/o agoraphobia after a few visits to the ER and a consult with a psychiatrist.  Since then I've levelled out into remission and I am doing great.  However, now that I'm not in a constant state of panic, I've recently been examining what had been going on in my life at the time it all started and it boiled down to a few things to include finishing graduate school and getting married.  However, one thing has skipped to the forefront of my thoughts; quitting smoking.

You see, I quit smoking in mid-September and by October, I began having daily anxiety attacks.  Given some Xanax by my PCP a couple weeks in to calm my nerves, I woke up the first night taking the Xanax in sheer panic and it was all down hill from there, eventually leading to a partial hospitalization program and a resumption in my smoking habit.  I've read some literature that has spoken to the fact that smoking sometimes hides unknown mental illnesses and that nicotine at times, acts as a mild anti-depressant, but never in my wildest imagination that I thought quitting smoking would lead me into such a sad state.

When I tried to quit again last month, I saw the same development of symptoms of anxiety.  I've talked to my Pdoc about the possibility of using Wellbutrin/Chantix to help with my quit since NRT's don't agree with me at all, but she's been reluctant to prescribe either of them given my diagnosis.

Most of me has accepted the diagnosis and believes I should just stop thinking about it, but part of me thinks that it was, in fact, quitting tobacco that was the catalyst to all this starting.

Anyone have a similar experience?

BTW, I'm currently on 40mg paroxitine/day and 0.5mg clonazepam prn, but haven't used the benzos since last November.

[Jade59]

Ah, yes, the panic attacks when quitting smoking.  I know them well.  Most definitely affects some people this way.  It took me 45days for the increase in anxiety to settle down, but it finally did.  I can tell you without a doubt, the last thing you want to take is Wellbutrin since it has a very stimulating effect and the Chantix, while a good drug for some, not good for people prone to anxiety or depression.  

Your best bet is to try cold turkey again and talk to your doctor about Clonidine which is a blood pressure med that can also be used for opiate and smoking w/d.  I normally take xanax at night only, but was forced to take it during the day to deal with the anxiety.  I am at 90days today and haven't needed xanax during the day since around day 45.  

If you try again, you just have to hang in there.  I know it's scary.  Increase your exercise to cope with the anxiety, increase your vitamin intake and make sure you eat well.  After the anxiety lifts you may find an increase in depression.  At least I have.  You may want to talk to your dr about an anti-depressant - Not Wellbutrin, though.

Best of luck to you!
---
2m 4w 20:46 smoke-free, 898 cigs not smoked, $246.95 saved, 3d 2:50 life saved

[kathyjo]

I'm glad Jade answered that one : )

I have suffered for many years with panic attacks but I have to say, since I quit,I have had very few! I know that many of my issues dealt with illness and smoking related aches and pains. The last 7 or so years I was on an inhaler because I had the beginnings of COPD. I smoked for 40 years and did a lot of damage : ( Also, the worry of affording them, finding a place to enjoy one with all these bans, this all became a part of my worry and made me all the more susceptible to panic attacks.
It is stressful to quit but when you come to terms with it and realize that you are building a healthier you, it can only be a positive thing : )

I agree with Jade on this one, CT is the best way. Try reading through the articles on whyquit.com. I used Chantix but when I stopped the pills, I had to deal with the physical withdrawal and the emotional death of my habit. I think that it just puts off the inevitable.

Good luck and we will be here for you : )

[Jade59]

Let me also mention this is my 4th quit in exactly 3yrs.  My very first quit ever was in 07 and I had no idea what I was in for with the anxiety, hence, several relapses.  I've been able to get through these last 90days because I now know from experience everything I've been through is normal and I'm able to tell myself it all won't last forever...and it hasn't.  Each day that goes by brings you closer to feeling better - that's how I've looked at it.  I've also gained comfort knowing others have been through the same thing and have been successful.  Kathy Jo is coming up on 3yrs and others who used to post here have made it a year so it's certainly possible and I think to myself, if they can do it, so can I.  From what I've read on this forum and my own experience, I figure it will be a year before all the w/d symptoms are gone for good.  A year is not that long.

Another trick I've used is to read the addiction forum and listen to all the advice there.  I've never posted there, just replace the word pills, alcohol, herion...with cigarettes because really, all w/d is basically the same.  Of course, there are different levels, but it's basically all the same.  You might look up the Thomas Recipe under their Health Pages.  Good suggestions on how to get through w/d.  

At first, I was taking 1mcg of Clonidine every 6hrs on the dot for the hot flashes.  Slowly but surely that 6hrs turned into 7, then 8...until I was finally down to 1mcg every 12hrs, then could go an entire day without any.   Like I said earlier, took around 45days and that day was obvious because all of a sudden, the internal buzzing finally stopped.  The hard part about w/d is it feels like it will never ever end and you will never feel normal.  You just need to do lots of positive self talk...and post here on this forum for support if you want.   Know that the physical w/d will end, but then comes the mental which is just as difficult, but if you really want to quit smoking, you will.  We think smoking calms us, but in reality, it only adds to our anxiety.  

Look up whyquit,com as Kathy Jo suggested and read what is IN cigarettes.  You will be shocked and also gain some understanding why when you suddenly deprive your body of all these poisons, you will naturally feel like crap.  

[DavidY10]

I too quit smoking and then started having panic attacks. I too resumed my nicotine habit after a run with wellbutrin. Wellbutrin works okay but one of the main side effects IS anxiety.

[aidy888]

i have quit smoking tobacco and cannibus about 2 months ago,, about 3 weeks ago i had to go to hospital with severe anxiety and panick attack ( which i didnt know at the time ) ive been back 3 times since and been to gp had bloods took chest x rays ecgs and eveything is fine..although i have almost constant anxiety now,physical not mental as im am happy in life apart from the physical effects of this and the question of will i ever feel better...the doc has gave me beta blockers but i feel no different.. should i start smoking again.. in such a bad place right now and never expected this to happen 2 me as i am a happy person normally.. ps was a 9year smoker of both... any1 experienced this and how long will it last.any help muchly appreciated

[neenj61]

I've smoked for a long time and am trying to quit myself.I have several panic disorders and I think smoking effects your body in that way the longer you smoke.I also have chronic back pain thrown in for good measure.My doc put me on the standard opiates and xanax.And let's just say hell began for me.But to make a long story less long..I had to pick the lesser of 2 hells..I chose to give up opiates rather than having panic attacks for the rest of my life.At 0.5mg..I'd toss them since you ain't taking them anyway.Smoking is a hard habit to break and the ONLY way to stop is to never start.I wish you all the best baby.

[carbonk]

I've literally quit around about 10 weeks now and am still getting intermittent panic mode. I initially gave up early January by using Nicotine Patches for around 10 days, but then decided that I had lost the hand-to-mouth association so decided that I could drop those and go cold turkey.

It was my 30th Birthday early Feb and I had taken the week off of work to chill out and simply enjoy some downtime, but then ended up rushing myself to hospital because I was getting heart palpitations, chest pains, hot and cold flushes and dizziness. I went down and waited 4 hours to not be seen by anyone, but by this time it was midnight and I was feeling a little more stable, so just got up and went home to try and sleep it off. I got little spins and such here and there over the passing weeks and finally felt like it was subsiding, but then it kicked back off the other day when I was in my home recording studio (where my first attack came at me) so now I am looking around these forums, still completely off the cigarettes and without any drugs and I feel better just for reading all of your words. The power of the mind over the body is quite incredible, but I am sure I can get through this, as can you all!

Remember, Breath low and slow, drink LOTS of water and make sure you keep a little sugar in your system, (Don't OD on chocolate lol!) but you'll get there, even in the darkest feeling of this horrible response to quitting, I can see a pin-***** of light at the end of the tunnel.

I'll see you there!

-

[danimo29]

same exact thing. i smoked for 13yrs pack a day. quit cold turkey 2wks ago and have been to the ER 3xs with constricted throat and thinking i was suffocating. It has been terrifying and ive never experienced anything like it before.  im so worn out from not feeling well that i dont know whether to cry or scream.  im going to an EarNoseThroat specialist in a couple weeks and I am eager to see what they find because i am clueless. Idk if it's allergies, panic attacks, or something wrong with my esophagus etc. it makes me feel better to see that im not alone, some days are better that others and im just hanging in there hoping ill feel like myself again. good luck to everyone going through this!

[JonCommington]

I quit smoking on June 10th, 2012 after being a pack-a-day smoker for the past 18 years.

Since I've quit, I've had several short term spikes in blood pressure (highest was 185/118 for 15 minutes) and several episodes of heart palpitations that lasted for a few hours each.  I've had three trips to the ER to deal with the above in the past two months.  Before I quit smoking, I'd never been to an ER.

All these issues serve to remind me how hard a habit it is to break, and will give me motivation to never have another cigarette again.

[Kmat187]

The other day I was at the gym, must have gone a little too hard and felt light headed and felt as though I was going to pass out. My heart was pounding and I was really worried about it. The following morning as I was dropping my girlfriend off at work I felt this "disconnectedness" from my body (sounds strange I know) and was further worried. Got back home and ended up having a full panic attack believing something was seriously wrong and I was going to die I went to the ER. Doctors at the ER didnt do much for me so I ended up going to see a GP instead and was prescribed diazepam and referred to a psych.

Psych taught some breathing techniques which really isn't my thing. Have symptoms of: tingly skin/hot flushes, racing heart, feeling tense, nausea.
Quit smoking (almost 10 years) the day I had the panic attack and not sure if its connected to my attacks. The worst feeling is will I ever be myself again. I'm now experiencing these constant feelings as described above. Has anyone successfully gotten over this. Reading your posts gives me a sense a calm knowing that I am not alone in this. I'm a normal guy with no history of mental illness and this experience has been very terrifying for me.

The worst thing is that I've been having the panic attacks in my sleep which wake me up. Does anyone else experience this?

[nhaz]

This is encouraging. I quit with my boyfriend on 9/16. I've been an off and on smoker for 15 years and a pretty hard core dipper for 5. He's smoked a pack a day for 15. We spent two weeks camped out in the woods cold turkey and had little trouble during that time. SInce being back in the real world, I have been suffering some pretty intense panic attacks. I've never been diagnosed with a mental disorder, but have always suffered from these to a degree. I typically self-medicate with nicotine and alcohol. I am also abstaining from alcohol for awhile in order to quit smoking, so without these crutches, I have apparently exacerbated whatever anxiety condition I have. In addition to an increase in frequency and intensity of attacks, I have been in a pretty constant state of less intense panic. My chest is always tight and I have to constantly concentrate to breathe correctly. Exercise has been necessary and helpful, but I have been worried that I have completely lost it and won't ever go back to normal! Reading the above comments in this thread are reassuring to me.