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Stomach pain symptoms from quitting smoking?

Can anyone describe in as much detail as possible what kind of pain or symptoms (if any) they felt after quitting smoking? I have felt this gnawing pain and sometimes sharp pain like being poked with a needle in my stomach somewhere during the time I quit smoking. I can't tell if it is from quitting or a symptom of something else. I know I should go see a doctor but I am so low on money w/ no insurance. Please help. Thanks in advance.
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Avatar universal
I'm a 26y/o F.I quit smoking 20 days ago after smoking a pack a day for 13 years. Best thing I ever did. However the withdrawals are rough. I spent the evening in the ER with SEVERE stomach pain and cramping just to have them tell me they can't find anything wrong. Which is relieving and frustrating all at once. For the past week and a half I have gas so bad I look 5 months pregnant by the end of the day (I'm not prego) and really bad constipation. I couldn't even pass the gas most of the time. Doesn't matter if I eat or don't eat. Had to get meds from my doctor to help with the symptoms but I'm being assured they will pass soon. So sorry to hear of more people having the same issues but remember, in the end it will all be worth it!!! Feel better soon!
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Avatar universal
drink lemon water every two hours, had to go through hell for 3 weeks.
I went to three docs with no relief, in the end got relief from a physiotherapist and drinking lemon water.. hope it helps..
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Avatar universal
drink lemon water every two hours, had to go through hell for 3 weeks.
I went to three docs with no relief, in the end got relief from a physiotherapist and drinking lemon water.. hope it helps..
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I quit smoking 8 days ago. It has not been as hard as I thought it would be. However, I gradually cut back until I was down to 2 cigarettes per day and I was ready to divorce this bad habit.  I have had a little bit of an upset stomach and a sore throat. Only one night did I have insomnia and night sweats.  But I was really ready.. I just woke up one day and said, I am done! I have no desire to smoke a cigarette. Do I have cravings?  Yes I have had some. But my desire to quit is so much stronger.  I am very excited that I have quit.. I am not TRYING to quit.. I HAVE quit!  
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Avatar universal
Hi, I smoked a packet for almost 18 years. But now i have quit smoking since last four days. I am feeling the same aftereffect as u. I have also developed a very strong and painful friendship with my toilet. Initially I got worried that it is something else but after reading your post, it seems that they are the probable after effects of quit smoking. Hope we will overcome these challenges and live a smoke free life.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just quit smoking 73 hours and 41 minutes ago. I had no intention of quitting. I just woke up, had my normal cup of coffee, went outside to smoke my ritualistic cigarette and all of a sudden, I was gasping for air. I could only take short breaths. It was an "all of a sudden" shortness of breath and not a slowly progressing thing. It didn't even occur to me that I wouldn't be smoking again. 37 years of smoking. It just becomes your "backstabbing best friend". I couldn't imagine my life without it. I thought for sure this shortness of breath was just a temporary anxiety and I would try smoking again in an hour or so. NOPE!!!! The shortness of breath lasted for about 36 hours and was replaced by stomach cramps, dizziness, headache and a new friendship with my toilet. We have met about 15 times this morning and about 60 times yesterday. It's been coming out of both ends and I am miserable. My breathing is better but still a little short of breath today. The strangest thing is that I am not craving nicotine at all. I just seem to have these urges based on habit not addiction. Like, in the morning after my first cup of coffee. Or, when I have been at work for 2 hours, I usually go on the patio and smoke. My daily rituals are harder to break. I think that not craving cigarettes has everything to do with the god awful side affects I am currently experiencing. And, strangely enough, I am grateful to be so ill. The more I suffer, the easier it will be to remember how horrible I felt when the first time comes to pick up a cigarette. I am forcing myself to go to work so I can suffer even more. I hope I will learn my lesson. I hope you learn yours too. I pray for all of you to be successful in your smoke free journey. I know it will be rewarding for us all.
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Avatar universal
Just quit smoking 73 hours and 41 minutes ago. I had no intention of quitting. I just woke up, had my normal cup of coffee, went outside to smoke my ritualistic cigarette and all of a sudden, I was gasping for air. I could only take short breaths. It was an "all of a sudden" shortness of breath and not a slowly progressing thing. It didn't even occur to me that I wouldn't be smoking again. 37 years of smoking. It just becomes your "backstabbing best friend". I couldn't imagine my life without it. I thought for sure this shortness of breath was just a temporary anxiety and I would try smoking again in an hour or so. NOPE!!!! The shortness of breath lasted for about 36 hours and was replaced by stomach cramps, dizziness, headache and a new friendship with my toilet. We have met about 15 times this morning and about 60 times yesterday. It's been coming out of both ends and I am miserable. My breathing is better but still a little short of breath today. The strangest thing is that I am not craving nicotine at all. I just seem to have these urges based on habit not addiction. Like, in the morning after my first cup of coffee. Or, when I have been at work for 2 hours, I usually go on the patio and smoke. My daily rituals are harder to break. I think that not craving cigarettes has everything to do with the god awful side affects I am currently experiencing. And, strangely enough, I am grateful to be so ill. The more I suffer, the easier it will be to remember how horrible I felt when the first time comes to pick up a cigarette. I am forcing myself to go to work so I can suffer even more. I hope I will learn my lesson. I hope you learn yours too. I pray for all of you to be successful in your smoke free journey. I know it will be rewarding for us all.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yeah.
Variety of stomach aches or sharper pains and then "stitch" in the stomach area all within 7 days of. Easing.
Have changed my diet to more roughage and fruit. I think the intestine definitely speeds up with smoking so must slow down when stoping the fags.
Try a gentle Senna table to avoid the tummy problems. More veg and water will help
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am on day 8. Quit smoking cold turkey.  I have been a smoker for 20 years.  I'm 38. I quit once for 9 months about 6 years ago.

In terms of pain, I feel pain in my stomach and haven't slept a good night since.  I still don't want to smoke and just keep reading on the internet about other peoples symptoms and come to the conclusion that everything is going to hurt and feel different.

Allen Carr's book is Easy Way to Stop Smoking is a good book for a logical person who can analyze and identify what the author is saying and not want to be a smoker anymore.  You are suppose to smoke will you read it.  I read it and quit smoking 45 days later but it was part of the medicine I needed to quit smoking.  The last straw for me was going to a party of 30 people and I was the only smoker.  I quit smoking less than 24 hours later.

Quitting smoking will be the best thing you ever did.  I hope to read this 1 year from now and know the quitting was best thing I could have ever done for myself as an adult.

Good luck !!

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Avatar universal
Andrew would you be able to send me the PDF please I'm on day 2 an if tomorrow is any worse than today I'm in big trouble I too have had stomach pains and bloating and awful headaches not much else tho apart from being very snappy lol I now this is a while ago so ill see if by reply before I post my email address : )
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Rachael, I don't think the hunger pangs are psychosomatic.  I found this info at:   http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/nicotine/a/nicotineeffects.htm

Nicotine and Insulin
Nicotine also inhibits the release of insulin from the pancreas, a hormone that is responsible for removing excess sugar from a person's blood. This leaves the smoker in a slightly hyperglycemic condition, meaning he has more sugar in his blood than is normal. High blood sugar acts as an appetite suppressant, which may be why smokers think their cigarettes reduce hunger.

Apparently, nicotine acts like an appetite suppressant.  I didn't know that until here recently.  Reminds me of the 'Kate Moss' diet:  Coffee, cocaine, and cigarettes.  lol.

Don't give up on trying to quit.  It gets a lot easier after 3 to 4 weeks.  Nicotine gum will relieve almost all of the withdrawal symptoms, especially the anxiety and depression.  I quit six weeks ago, and all I felt were a few hunger pangs, maybe a headache or two, and I was a bit irritable.  I drank orange juice or chocolate milk for the hunger pangs, or just had a snack.  Ibuprofen will help the headaches.  You can handle the irritable part of it as well.  Carry on with life as usual.  Stay away from your friends who smoke for at least 3 days.  If they won't support you, or tease you about wanting a cigarette, just avoid them.  After a few days, you begin to feel a lot better.  The gum really does make it a lot easier.  Cigarettes will stink when you do smell them, at least most of the time. You will still have psychological cravings to smoke a cigarette, but you won't experience the anxiety as bad, if at all.  The cravings decrease in intensity and frequency after 3 - 7 days, and are almost completely gone after 4 weeks.  After that, the occasional, weak craving is easily resisted.  After a month or so, just taper off of the gum.  You can cut it into progressively smaller pieces every week.  Read Allen Carr's book, 'The Easy Way To Stop Smoking.'  I can send it to you on pdf if you need it.  It will help you to see the real truth about cigarette addiction.  It's not as hard as we have been led to believe.  Don't give up, you can do it.  YOU are in control of your smoking habit, not the addiction.  You can quit whenever you want, but you will have to be willing to endure a temporary, somewhat unpleasant time period.  If you or anybody else needs more advice on this, just message me, and I'll get back asap.

Good luck,
Andrew
Helpful - 0
1534282 tn?1294328945

Thats great that youve been eating more greens and vegetables, its always good to do right by your body. Also glad to hear you're getting insurance and may can get it looked at if it comes back or gets worse.

Hope you get to feeling better!
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Avatar universal
Actually in my opinion I've been eating more healthy in terms of greens and vegetables, plus little or no greasy stuff compared to what I was eating before I quit.
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Avatar universal
Hello everyone. Thanks so much for the responses. It has been a little over a month since I quit but had 3 slip ups (only a few drags). I believe the feeling is in my pancreas or somewhere near that area since it feels like middle right below my rib cage toward middle abdomen. It seems like everyone gets an assortment of symptoms from quitting and none the same. I have read some have stomach discomfort or pain for months after wards but I am having my doubts that nicotine is the cause. I have smoked for about 5 years, about 6 cigarettes a day. The pain hasn't gotten any worse and it comes and goes. A few days ago I haven't really noticed it and thought it was finally going away until it came back again. I am getting insurance now and going to try and get this looked at.
Helpful - 0
1534282 tn?1294328945
I dont specifically remember any abdominal pains when I attempted to quit smoking recently, although I couldnt take the other withdrawal symptoms, headaches, cravings, etc and I broke down and started smoking again after only 4 days - so other people may know better.

Not sure about stomach pains from not smoking, but you may need to look at if you've changed your eating habits like other people mentioned. If you are eating more or less, or eating greasier foods, etc it could be upsetting your stomach. Alot of people turn to food when trying to quit smoking, which is not the way to go.  
Helpful - 0
1533352 tn?1307054656
One time when I tried (and failed) to quit smoking I found myself alot hungrier all the time, which seemed like it made my stomach growl more. I dont know if that was psycho-somatic or what, but when I get that hungry stomach feeling it would start to make me feel a bit queesy and like I had a stomach-ache from not eating - even though I was mostly eating the same as before, if not more. It wasnt long before I gave in and started smoking again, like I always do, because I didnt want to put on the weight and just missed smoking too much.

See if your diet may have anything to do with it, and if not, you may want to see a doctor. Goodluck with your quit, hope it goes better than mine did.

Helpful - 0
326505 tn?1304169225
Are you coughing?? Sometimes you can pull a muscle when you cough too hard. My son got an inguenial hernia from coughing and my daughter bruised a rib!
I truly haven't heard of stomach issues connected with a quit, other than with coughing too hard. If it continues you might want to see a doctor.
Helpful - 0
948349 tn?1294380237
I can tell you my list of symptoms I just had last week.

Shortness of breath, burning like feeling in the entire area of my lungs, tightness in my heart(lack of oxygen to heart I think), high blood pressure(I can tell because of a pulsing feeling in my head), 1 time I had a sharp pain in my larynx lasting 15 seconds, my eyes were blood shot, I had nausea, also had a headache.

All these symptoms were for the first 3 days after quitting.  

They gradually subsided  From days 4-6... but the shortness of breath continued on day 4.  Now I'm on day 6 and all I feel right now is very very mild heaviness in my chest.

I get pains in my liver from drinking alcoholic beverages, and today I ate McDonalds and immediately after I had pain in my stomach.  Also I get pains in my kidneys sometimes from drinking.

Are you sure the pain is in your stomach?  A little to the left of the stomach is the pancreas, and to the right in a large area is the liver.  
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Avatar universal
I can't remember where I saw the list of "quitting symptoms" but it had just about every kind of pain, in about as many locations as you can think of.  I recently quit tobacco after about 30 years of use and I've experienced mild to moderate headache, mild stomach ache, mild fever, slightly dizzy/queezy.  It could be anything.

How long ago did you quit?  If it bothers you enough to mention, perhaps its worth getting it looked into.
Helpful - 0
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