I started smoking about a year ago, but now I have decided to quit. I tried 3 time before cold turkey, but for some reason it caused immense amounts of anxiety, frustration, agitation, tiredness and mood swings. I was honestly at lost why it was like that, it was worse than I could ever imagine and every time I picked up a pack again it was after crying my eyes out for hours. I have some mental illnesses and 3 different medication for them, so at one point me and my boyfriend we're Googling how smoking affects them, and there the reason for my immense emotional imbalance was. All of my medication became less effective when I was smoking (I had to increase the amount of the medication for a bit after I had started smoking, not really understanding why my mood was so bad) and when I quit nicotine they regained their effectiveness and all of the side effects came on stronger than ever. So I decided to go buy some over the counter nicotine patches, and they have worked wonders! I barely think about smoking, I do have some cravings but mostly out of habit. Once I start to decrease the amount of nicotine I have to be prepared for some moodiness again, but I believe I can do it. I have also decreased the amount of my medication to counteract this BUT! It is important to talk to your doctor before doing this to see if you're in a state to do so.
This an important message for anyone who is thinking of quitting smoking and has some kind of (mental health) medication, they might become less effective when you start smoking regularly, so be sure to check online or ask your doctor how nicotine affects their effectiveness. You can Google the name of your medication (make sure it is the generalized name and not the one used in your country) and nicotine interactions. I.E. Quetiapine Nicotine Interactions. It might take some digging, but it'll be worth it.
Thank you for reading, and I hope the best for your journey!
