Detoxing from cigs

[ZenCloud79]

Instead of spending hours searching google I figured it better to just ask some questions here and get some feedback. Im about two and a half months not smoking, had a little slip mid way and had a cig. It tasted so foul, i quickly remembered why I quit. I was up to 2 packs a day, 38yo, been smoking since age 14. After getting some pretty scary lab test results back around new years I decided it was time. Bad cholesterol through the roof, (even when eating healthy) systematic chronic inflamation, low testosterone , low vitamin d, depression anxiety insomnia, random achy joints sometimes swelling, and just about a year sober from alcoholism. Very tall order, and its been a slow process turning this all around. I cant really say all these health problems came from smoking, because of many different life factors, but im wondering if some of the troubles im having now are from detoxing from the cigs. Ive been vaping since I quit around 6-10mg of nic per juice batch I make. Around 70/30 vg/pg, and have been experimenting with about 30 different flavors. So not withdrawing from nic. The symptoms I have right now are:
Itchy scalp
Moody, irritable, slightly depressed
Poor appetite, insomnia, racing thoughts, lethargic, and the thing thats really weird for me I havent coughed up any dark stuff like I thought I would from quitting smoking. Has anyone experienced anything similar to any of this a few months into quitting? Thanks for hearing my rant.

 

[Rossum]

36 years of smoking here, also two packs day for at least the last 10 years of it. I didn't cough up anything either when I switched to vaping a bit more than 4 years ago. My smoker's cough just went away, as did the almost incessant low-grade bronchitis-like symptoms I had.

It is fairly normal to go through periods of detox at roughly 3 days in, 3 weeks in, and 3 months in, when your body and brain chemistry adjust to the lack of the other crap in tobacco smoke. In many folks, this manifests primarily as cigarette cravings, but I see it showing up in other ways as well.

Depending on what kind of gear you're using and your vaping style, 6-10 mg/ml of nic might be on the weak side, or it might not be. People are very different in that respect. There are plenty of people who needed 24 or even 36 mg liquid to get off the cigs and are still using much higher nic levels than you are. Yet there are others for whom anything more than 6-10 mg was too much, even with really low-powered, tight-draw gear.

 

[bombastinator]

As someone who’s had low vitamin d, a few can be attributed to that. Low vitamin d messes with your muscles.

 

[ZenCloud79]

Thanks for the feedback. I wonder if i am going through a bit of nic withdrawl mainly smoking 6mg vape. Maybe that is a big jump from 2 packs of palmals a day. I do seem to go through juice really fast, seems like about 14ml a day, and i have sensed a bit of dehydration from all the vg. Im going to make some 12mg and test that out

 

[JCinFLA]

The symptoms I have right now are:
Itchy scalp
Moody, irritable, slightly depressed
Poor appetite, insomnia, racing thoughts, lethargic, and the thing thats really weird for me I havent coughed up any dark stuff like I thought I would from quitting smoking.

I smoked about 1.5 PAD for 42+ years. During the time I dual used while switching 100% to vaping, and since I've been only vaping, I didn't cough up any brown gunk either. My little morning smoker's cough simply disappeared, and at every 6th months check-up since quitting, my doctor has said my lungs sound clear. Also, any evidence of the beginning stages of mild COPD (that I was diagnosed with about 10-12 years ago)...is nonexistant now! My osteoporosis has been downgraded to osteopenia, which is also a positive change.

However, I noticed in your post right away, the 3 symptoms that I underlined in your quoted text. I'd discuss those in particular with your doctor. They may or may not be caused by something similar to what I had happen after quitting smoking.

I experienced what I considered for me to be 2 negatives after quitting, and they developed because my metabolism had changed when I quit. (This was proven by more extensive bloodwork than the usual tests done to check other factors and my thyroid every 6 months.) First, my energy level, which had always been very high, was dropping lower and lower during the first 1.5 years. I also gained about 20 pounds during that time, even though I'd made no changes in what I ate, nor in the amount I ate. I was thoroughly frustrated about both of those things, and in hindsight, was also probably somewhat depressed because of them.

My doctor was aware of these gradual changes, and we discussed them every 6 months during my check-ups. He always said my weight was well within the "normal range" for someone my age and height, and that in his opinion, I looked healthier with the additional weight. My regular bloodwork testing had always showed my thyroid functioning was well regulated, too. But, I knew and physically felt that neither were "normal for me". It wasn't until push came to shove, and he ordered more specific bloodwork to be done, that my change in metabolism was pinpointed.

The only change I made (with my doctor's approval, after first briefly trying a new Rx that my body didn't like), was to slowly increase my nic mg in my DIY. I wanted to see if I could find "the happy place" my metabolism was at, all those years while I was smoking. So, for 3 months I made my DIY at 6.5mg instead of my usual 6mg. I dropped 9 pounds in those 3 months and my energy level started slowly increasing. The next 3 months I raised it to 7mg and dropped another 6 pounds. Again, I could tell my energy level was rising. I don't plan to go any higher, since my energy level is nearly "my normal" again, and I'm OK with the remaining 5 pounds that haven't come off. Many people thought I could use a few more pounds before anyway.

So, if I were you...if you haven't already discussed your current symptoms with your doctor, I'd do it ASAP. I'd make sure to mention all of them, as you did in your post. It's possible that something as simple as current bloodwork could help provide some answers.

ETA: I was busy writing and editing all of the above, and didn't see your most recent post until just now. What you said sure sounds familiar to me, though I didn't need to raise my nic mg nearly that much.

 

[Fog n Vape]

You smoked for 24 years, I smoked for 45 years, been vaping almost 4years with a 4/5 month relapse two years ago.
I still get urges n cravings but realize, for me, a 45 year addiction takes awhile to recover from.

Appetite will improve as your taste ability heals, some of the other stuff you mention may be related to detox as it has only been two n a half months or not.

I'm not qualified to give medical advice but my 2 cents is it may be time to seek proper medical advice and maybe a nutritionalist.

A year isn't that long since leaving the booze behind and two n a half months isn't long at all to recover from a 24 year addiction.
Here in Canada Doctors and Nutritionalists are covered by our medical, I don't know if covered where you live but if you can swing it it may be time for that.

I congratulate you on the wonderful healthy changes you are making in your life and wish you continued success on your journey.

 

[stols001]

I don't have much to add other than my detox from smoking was lengthy and unpleasant. I would also suggest checking in with your PCP and getting some medical testing done.

Lots of things can change when you switch to vaping. I had a preexisting thyroid condition, but I had to increase my thyroid medication, as vaping nicotine and smoking cigarettes are vastly different animals, and it is my understanding that cigarettes can "mask" thyroid problems (possibly, other metabolic disorders) and can also require medication dosing changes if you are on any meds, that may need to be evaluated by a doctor.

I didn't cough up much huge gunk quitting (although I did cough a bit as I transitioned). Since I had pneumonia pretty much 18 months straight, my theory is I did all my coughing then (although, some folks don't cough up "tar" for literally no reason at all.)

Best of luck, maybe try some changes in your vape as well, but you are getting good advice, and it never hurts to see a doctor to rule out any major changes or underlying health issues. It's normal to feel bad detoxing, but it's a bit different for everyone, as is the switch to vaping a bit different for everyone.

Best of luck

Anna

 

[ScottP]

As someone who’s had low vitamin d, a few can be attributed to that. Low vitamin d messes with your muscles.

QFT, a couple of years ago I thought I had arthritis in my knees. Turned out to be just a D deficiency. I started taking a quality D supplement (4kmg/day) plus a multi-vitamin and my symptoms have mostly disappeared.

 

[zoiDman]

... The symptoms I have right now are:
Itchy scalp
Moody, irritable, slightly depressed
Poor appetite, insomnia, racing thoughts, lethargic, ...

Wow... That sound's like Me before I quit Smoking! LOL.



Seriously though, I can relate with some of those Symptoms. Especially Irritability and Insomnia. After quitting, I seemed to have Lots of Nervous Energy. And would find it Hard to Sleep.

Getting More Exercise helped with this.

 

[VHRB2014]

This, I firmly believe, is the biggest impediment to quiting smoking, the detox. I know for me, it took the better part of a year, of not the whole year. Iv read it's usually 6 months to a year for the heavy smoker. And it's just like anything else your body gets used to, only time will make the real difference. Vaping is a commitment. It's not a "dual use hope it works" fairly tale. You have to WORK IT before it works.

BOL.

 

[j3000]

30+ years smoker here smoked 3+ packs a day. The best advice I can give you is vape a higher nic level and don't change your habits. I use to wake up in the morning and smoke 6-10 cigarettes before I even get out of bed. Now I wake up and vape for 15-20 minutes. I don't change my habits. And my advice to you don't change your habits instead of cigarettes use your device.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Has anyone mentioned to you that you need to increase your liquid consumption? As you noted, you are dehydrated. When vaping you need to be drinking....water, tea, coffee, etc. Reasons for this is that vg/pg will draw moisture from your mouth, nose and throat to help produce the vapor you see coming out of your mouth. If you increase your level of liquids consumed this will help with the dehydration, and also make the vaping more pleasant for you. The added liquid to your daily routine will also help to flush out any toxins from smoking quicker therefore aiding in the total detoxing from cigarette phase. Hope this helps.

 

[ZenCloud79]

Great feedback all, much appreciated. I've uped my water consumption and adding a bit of salt to help with the dehydration. Also mixing some 12mg nic juice, going to see how that works out. I've lost some weight which is a good thing for me since quitting cigs, and ive noticed my body is way less inflamed. Went for a jog last night and kinda surprised myself how long I can run now, been a while since ive done cardio because of hip joint pain. The supplements I take are vitamin D , bcomplex, and Bromelain. All were suggested by my doc, and yea ive been talking to them about everything. I mean overall I do feel way better having quit, this is definitely worth it.

 

[Mike P]

subohm vaping is great, its what got me off cigs. i love rda's and big flavorful clouds of vapor but at the end of the day its a mtl setup (aspire breeze) and a high mg salt based juice that has kept me off cigs.

everyone is different though, my mom successfully quit for the first time in her life after smoking for 45 years with regular 6mg juice and an innokin t20...

 

[tgs3]

45+ yrs 25/30 cigs per day. When I started vaping and joined ecf last August I had many of the physical problems you mention. I knew I had to change. Vaping was a huge part of that but I also began to investigate diet and supplements. One thing I learned is that vitamin D and magnesium are really important. I was sure I was deficient in both. I began to supplement both (as well as a few other things.) My last blood work in December was really good though my vitamin d could still be higher. My cholesterol which had been high had improved immensely (I put that down to supplementing fish oil). Getting healthy takes time and patience.

Cutting back on cigarettes has been a major factor in improving those other areas of my life. I still vape pretty high nicotine (16-18mg) but plan to slowly reduce. I do still smoke occasionally. I bought a pack at the end of January and finished it in the first week of March. I know that is weird, but cigarettes are slowly falling by the wayside.

Good luck. Sounds to me like you are on the right path.

 

[LyLyV]

I haven't smoked in decades, so no detox symptoms from not doing so. However, I do regular water-only fasting, and the 1st couple of times I did one (5-7 days), the detox symptoms were pretty bad. As time goes on, it's much easier. As long as you don't continue putting bad crap in your body, there is less of it to be removed. But yeah - fasting will bring out every detox symptom imaginable - headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms, flare-ups from old injuries. All of these go away if left alone. Congrats on quitting smoking!

 

[90VG]

If you are in a bad relationship, it can cause all those symptoms, just talking from experience.