Quitting smoking and brain fog.

[bloomen]

How common is this? If you experienced this did you bounce back?

I threw in the fags a few months ago. I can't say I feel better or worse, but one thing I am sure about is that my brain still isn't the same.

I find myself missing out masses of words and making basic spelling mistakes when writing these days whereas before that would never, ever happen, plus I have a noticeably lower level of mental agility in general.

[MYOB]

Funny you say this. Everyone assumes I feel better for quitting smoking a year ago. But no I don't. I felt much fitter, healthier and more productive as a smoker than a non-smoker.

[bloomen]

I don't have any physical benefits or detriments. I feel exactly the same. My sense of smell, breathing, skin, everything. It's the brain that's suffered.

I only quit because I don't want to die from anything along the lines of emphysema. I couldn't care less about cancer or heart attacks.

How do you feel degraded?

[MYOB]

Degraded?

For me, it was the simple matter of smoking over £10 a day that made me stop, plus I have kids now and want to set an example.

But I feel so unhealthier despite continuing with my exercises. I need to stop snacking

[bloomen]

That's what I mean. How do you feel unhealthier?

[MYOB]

Because rather than smoking, I am now eating like a fat pig.

Eating is my new addiction. Fortunately I haven't gained too much weight because of my fitness regime but all that junk food I'm eating is messing up my inside.

I tell you what, imho, smoking is healthier than eating junk.

[bloomen]

I've had no change in appetite either. Perhaps my body never really it was smoking.

[StevieBee]

bloomen said:

I couldn't care less about cancer

I take it you've not experienced someone close suffer from this then.

You've removed nicotine from your body which your body has come to recognise as something it might need. You brain is therefore trying to compensate but can't. This manifests itself differently for different people. Some get tetchy. Some eat. Some get confused.

In my experience, and it seems for many others here, replacing nicotine with another regular stimulant tends to foreshorten the weaning period and the most effective means is ramping up the endorphins and dopamine you get through exercise....by which I mean the sort of exercise that leaves you in a sodden, sweating heap when you're done and not a brisk walk every now and then.

Keep at it.

[bloomen]

[quote=StevieBee]

I take it you've not experienced someone close suffer from this then.

/quote]

Yes. I've had it myself but nothing smoking related and quite a few I know have died from it. Its horrendous but the only way I couldn't handle going would be slow suffocation.

Perhaps I should've said that I still occasionally vape low nicotine amounts so that hasn't been cut off. Maybe it's too low an amount.

[LordGrover]

We, the Internet doctors of PH, may not be the most reliable source of help.
Nicotine addiction has a trivial physical effect on your body and is 'forgotten' in days. It's the mental side that can be more long lasting.
I doubt more of the poisonous drug is going to help - If you're genuinely concerned go see your GP.

[Nutty9000]

bloomen said:

How common is this? If you experienced this did you bounce back?

I threw in the fags a few months ago. I can't say I feel better or worse, but one thing I am sure about is that my brain still isn't the same.

I find myself missing out masses of words and making basic spelling mistakes when writing these days whereas before that would never, ever happen, plus I have a noticeably lower level of mental agility in general.

Have you ramped up your exercise since quitting smoking?

Brain fog is a key symptom of low dopamine levels - Perhaps consider joining your local park run and do 5k every Saturday morning at 9am?

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/events/events/

I suffer from depression and am on 30 mg/day of Citalopram and this has helped a lot, but regular exercise and a varied diet have helped also.

I had my last cigarette (after 20 a day on and off for 10 years) on January 2nd 2017 so nearly a full year now, and the only way I succeeded was by replacing smoking with another addiction - running.

You need to replace it with something, not just twiddle your fingers.