Quitting smoking and depression

[hittman]

I am 39 and up til a couple months ago smoked 1-1 1/2 packs a day for about 23-24 years. I have never been depressed before. I was doing great cutting back on smoking by vaping instead and actually didn't smoke for 8-9 weeks. I had started feeling pretty depressed over the last couple weeks and started doing some reading about depression being linked to quitting smoking. I don't know if I am screwing up or not but have started having a cigarette each day and that seems to help. I do want to quit completely but I don't want to be depressed either. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

[Caesarea]

Hi, hittman It may be possible to use some smokeless alternatives to help mood and equilibrium. have a browse in the relevant subforum:

Smokeless tobacco - e-cigarette-forum.com • The place for electronic cigarette reviews, news and chat

Best,

C.

[IceCreMan]

Cigarettes are known to have MAOI's in them which is an anti-depressant drug added by some tobacco companies so you're probably feeling the side effects of coming off of them. MAOI's and other anti-depressants can actually cause depression as a withdrawal symptom.That should go away as your body cleanses itself. I would recommend talking to your doctor about it. He or she can help you through this without smoking. Hitting the analogs is the worst solution.

[Madame Psychosis]

I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time, hittman. You're definitely not alone here, though.

Some people consciously self-medicate for depression with cigarettes (like I did). Then others who have smoked for a long time find themselves depressed when they stop. There are a number of psychoactive chemicals in regular cigs aside from nicotine, and switching to vaping can reveal an existing neurochemical depression. It can also cause a temporary one as your body adjusts. This is one of the reasons people are put on Wellbutrin (Zyban) for smoking cessation -- it's a rebranded antidepressant.

A friend in college was always either on Zoloft or a pack-a-day of Marlboro Reds. In other words, he was probably treating some kind of serotonin issue with the cigarettes.
I was only able to cut down on smoking when I went on an MAOI antidepressant (which hits a number of neurotransmitters). There are mild MAOIs in tobacco, so it makes some sense that I was making up for some part of the neurochemical antidepressant effect. It is still hard - anxiety, etc. are still problems with unbalanced nicotine and I've had about 1-2 cigs a week. But I'm not sliding into dark territory this time.

One of the things you can do right away is try some of the safer forms of smokeless tobacco like snus (look in Other Alternatives To Smoking forum), providing the alkaloids your brain isn't getting from straight nicotine alone. You can also talk to your doctor about antidepressant options, but that's a whole other post unto itself (one opening tip: try to get a referral to a psychiatrist. General practitioners know way less about psych meds and individual needs).

(If your depression has come with lethargy, weight gain, feeling cold all the time, etc. you might want to get a thyroid test. Quitting smoking can cause a rebound in TSH levels that reveals hypothyroidism. Another thread reminded me of this.)

Don't beat yourself up about a cigarette a day. You'll find other solutions.

[Madame Psychosis]

Cigarettes are known to have MAOI's in them which is an anti-depressant drug added by some tobacco companies so you're probably feeling the side effects of coming off of them.

The tobacco companies do not "add" the MAOIs. They occur in tobacco naturally as beta-carboline alkaloids, also present in passionflower and Syrian rue.

They are milder in action than the synthetic prescription MAOIs, which require special dietary restrictions and come with a long list of severe drug interactions.

But withdrawal is still quite possible and not fun. They have antidepressant action so there's the effect of removal as well as the "whiplash" of your body adjusting to their absence. Figuring out how much of the feeling is temporary is the hard part.

[Stubby]

Cigarettes are known to have MAOI's in them which is an anti-depressant drug added by some tobacco companies so you're probably feeling the side effects of coming off of them. MAOI's and other anti-depressants can actually cause depression as a withdrawal symptom.That should go away as your body cleanses itself. I would recommend talking to your doctor about it. He or she can help you through this without smoking. Hitting the analogs is the worst solution.

That is not correct. MAOI's are a natural part of all tobacco that is taken out in the processing of e-liquid from tobacco. They are not added by tobacco companies. There are a number of people on the forum who went through the same depression type reactions when quitting smoking. Smokeless tobacco, and snus is the most popular, solves the imbalances almost without fail. I've watched many people pass through the smokeless tobacco section of this forum who come in with all types of phycological problems associated with quitting smoking and all of them get noticeable better, and often dramatically better, within days of starting snus.

No doubt Twisted and OTD will show up to elaborate.

Edit: I see the Madame showed up as I typed. You sure type fast.

[IceCreMan]

I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time, hittman. You're definitely not alone here, though.

Some people consciously self-medicate for depression with cigarettes (like I did). Then others who have smoked for a long time find themselves depressed when they stop. There are a number of psychoactive chemicals in regular cigs aside from nicotine, and switching to vaping can reveal an existing neurochemical depression. It can also cause a temporary one as your body adjusts. This is one of the reasons people are put on Wellbutrin (Zyban) for smoking cessation -- it's a rebranded antidepressant.

A friend in college was always either on Zoloft or a pack-a-day of Marlboro Reds. In other words, he was probably treating some kind of serotonin issue with the cigarettes.
I was only able to cut down on smoking when I went on an MAOI antidepressant (which hits a number of neurotransmitters). There are mild MAOIs in tobacco, so it makes some sense that I was making up for some part of the neurochemical antidepressant effect. It is still hard - anxiety, etc. are still problems with unbalanced nicotine and I've had about 1-2 cigs a week. But I'm not sliding into dark territory this time.

One of the things you can do right away is try some of the safer forms of smokeless tobacco like snus (look in Other Alternatives To Smoking forum), providing the alkaloids your brain isn't getting from straight nicotine alone. You can also talk to your doctor about antidepressant options, but that's a whole other post unto itself (one opening tip: try to get a referral to a psychiatrist. General practitioners know way less about psych meds and individual needs).

(If your depression has come with lethargy, weight gain, feeling cold all the time, etc. you might want to get a thyroid test. Quitting smoking can cause a rebound in TSH levels that reveals hypothyroidism. Another thread reminded me of this.)

Don't beat yourself up about a cigarette a day. You'll find other solutions.

You make some good points Madame. Sorry if I came off a little short about the smoking thing. I just hate to see anybody start smoking again although I do completely understand. I suffer from GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) which always got worse when I'd try to quit smoking. This fortunately hasn't happened since I switched to PV's.

[IceCreMan]

That is not correct. MAOI's are a natural part of all tobacco that is taken out in the processing of e-liquid from tobacco. They are not added by tobacco companies. There are a number of people on the forum who went through the same depression type reactions when quitting smoking. Smokeless tobacco, and snus is the most popular, solves the imbalances almost without fail. I've watched many people pass through the smokeless tobacco section of this forum who come in with all types of phycological problems associated with quitting smoking and all of them get noticeable better, and often dramatically better, within days of starting snus.

No doubt Twisted and OTD will show up to elaborate.

Edit: I see the Madame showed up as I typed. You sure type fast.

You learn something new everyday. I always thought MAOI's were added. Had no idea they occured naturally in tobacco. Thanks for the correction.

[Madame Psychosis]

You make some good points Madame. Sorry if I came off a little short about the smoking thing. I just hate to see anybody start smoking again although I do completely understand. I suffer from GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) which always got worse when I'd try to quit smoking. This fortunately hasn't happened since I switched to PV's.

Oh, I agree. Smoking for depression or anxiety is a nasty way to help yourself in the short term by sacrificing the long term. I do think each person has to do some searching to find the right mix of substitutes for cigarettes, whether that involves vaping, smokeless alternatives, medication, therapy, exercise, anything. Given that severe depression and panic can be physically and psychologically detrimental, the speed at which one can make the transition away from analogs can't always be pushed too hard. At least, I sure can understand the need to taper slowly while other solutions are found and turned into an alternative routine.

I do type fast...almost fast enough to make up for my lack of brevity

[hittman]

I thank you for all of the input. Madame I am already exercising regularly and have been for a long time. I really would rather avoid getting on a prescription medicine. I have not noticed any weight gain except the usual pound or two over the holidays.
Icecreman, I'm not too crazy about using analogs again and totally understand where you are coming from. I thought I had this thing beat after being smoke free for 8-9 weeks. I had experienced what I think was some type of withdrawal or detox and thought it was pretty much over. I am glad every day that I found this forum. There are always good people here to give good advice. I think I might check out the link posted above. I have never used snus but maybe it would be a good alternative to try. Thanks everyone.