nicotine and depression

[Gamekeeper]

Found this forum via google and a very interesting thread on nicotine and depression

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/nicotine/295734-nicotine-helps-depression.html

unfortunately I cant post into it as a new member

Great.

 

[Gamekeeper]

oh, by the way I have stopped smoking now for 3 months. I have absolutely no nicotine in my body and no desire to smoke whatsoever. Unfortunately I am angry and depressed but not because i want to smoke and cant (as I dont) but because nicotine has flowed through my brain since the age of 11, 30 years ago. My brain grew up on nicotine and there is none now. Should I use the ecig.

 

[MMA1985]

Hi and welcome!

Congrats on being smoke free for 3 months and no nicotine either. Were you depressed when you were smoking cigarettes or did it just develop after you quit?

 

[AttyPops]

oh, by the way I have stopped smoking now for 3 months. I have absolutely no nicotine in my body and no desire to smoke whatsoever. Unfortunately I am angry and depressed but not because i want to smoke and cant (as I dont) but because nicotine has flowed through my brain since the age of 11, 30 years ago. My brain grew up on nicotine and there is none now. Should I use the ecig.

That's how addiction works. The brain is...modified... as you more or less say. Also the earlier you start smoking the worse it is. Of course, nic is naturally ocurring...but the large amounts in tobacco combined with the other chemical's effects make it a very hard addiction to break. The MAOI effects in cigs play a role too... particularly in depression... as I understand it.

There are other safER ways to get nic and/or MAOI effects than smoking. E-cigs with WTA are one way. There's snus too.

You'll have to read up on your options and make your own informed decisions. I can't do that for you. However there are other ways too... your doctor can discuss other pharmacological solutions to the depression thing.


I haven't broken the nic addiction yet. I found the depression to last only a couple/three weeks when I quit cigs. So I'm lucky that I don't need to worry about the WTA/MAOI stuff. However, many find that they need WTA with e-cigs or whatever solution they select for harm reduction vs smoking.

Good Luck!

 

[AttyPops]

BTW... since a few posts got deleted....umm... the easy way is to just go say "Hi" to some other newbies. "Welcome to ECF" works too! Then wait for (at most) an hour. You'll be able to post in other areas.

The 5 post min helps keep the spammers out... it's a good thing really.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Certain drugs, such as nicotine, can act A's a stimulant or a relaxant. Some allergy medications work the same way on certain people. Scientists did a study and concluded it takes 6- 12 months to rewire the brain in regards to smoking. Heck 4 months after I had begun Vaping/ quit smoking I was still sometimes looking for my analogs, ashtray and lighter. 3 months after I had quit, my wife who's a non smoker, asked where the ashtrays were so she could wash them. Years ago when I quit smoking for 6 months, using the patch, I never understood why I was so miserable the entire time and was white knuckling every second. Thanks to research I, my wife, family and friends, now understand smoking goes much deeper than just stopping smoking and going through a few weeks of withdrawal. Tobacco is a VERY powerful drug and I'm just glad there's finally a working and realistic program available to assist us in quitting smoking.

 

[oxygen thief]

Nicotine works on the pleasure center of your brain by way of dopamine. Wellbutrin (Zyban) also ramps up that effect and is a clean antidepressant with few side effects and is used to help stop smoking.
I'm not saying to replace nicotine with a drug but if used for a limited amount of time could get you through this.

 

[ricklynchcore]

Certain drugs, such as nicotine, can act A's a stimulant or a relaxant. Some allergy medications work the same way on certain people. Scientists did a study and concluded it takes 6- 12 months to rewire the brain in regards to smoking. Heck 4 months after I had begun Vaping/ quit smoking I was still sometimes looking for my analogs, ashtray and lighter. 3 months after I had quit, my wife who's a non smoker, asked where the ashtrays were so she could wash them. Years ago when I quit smoking for 6 months, using the patch, I never understood why I was so miserable the entire time and was white knuckling every second. Thanks to research I, my wife, family and friends, now understand smoking goes much deeper than just stopping smoking and going through a few weeks of withdrawal. Tobacco is a VERY powerful drug and I'm just glad there's finally a working and realistic program available to assist us in quitting smoking.

Had to laugh, you mentioned your still looking for your ashtray, lighter, etc.... I quit smoking cigs 10 years ago, (replaced them with cigars till I started to vape), but anyway. To this day, when I step off the train from work, my right hand goes to my shirt pocket looking for a cig. I laugh at myself every-time, but the hand still reaches on instinct. Still amazes me!!

 

[Gamekeeper]

Thanks for all the advice. I have suffered depression for as long as I can remember, certainly aged 11. I understand there is always a bit of depression and "loss" after quitting smoking and it is temporary. But I was depressed when I smoked, but it went to a whole other level when I quit nicotine. I have tried to quit many times. 6 times to Allen Carrs's easy way clinic, £5000 on hypnotists, 5 courses of zyban, 2 champix. Never mind NRT, that was just a way to top up my levels between cigarettes. But I quit, on my own, no drugs, no nicotine and it was easy, amazingly.

But if someone starts smoking at 11 whilst there brain is still developing and quits at 41 I am not surprised the depression worsened. Lets get it straight, its not getting depressed because I feel deprived of smoking. I have no desire to smoke whatsoever. But I have now just started with an ecig, after my fist post, as the depression was too much. It feels as if my brain is firing/online again now. Yes, still depressed, still moody, but nowhere as bad. However after stopping for 3 months and now ecigs, I feel I can just stick to ecigs. Before i used ecigs when I needed nicotine but my lungs couldnt cope with any more smoke, ie between cigarettes. Rather ecigs and happier.

 

[m30r]

oh, by the way I have stopped smoking now for 3 months. I have absolutely no nicotine in my body and no desire to smoke whatsoever. Unfortunately I am angry and depressed but not because i want to smoke and cant (as I dont) but because nicotine has flowed through my brain since the age of 11, 30 years ago. My brain grew up on nicotine and there is none now. Should I use the ecig.

I think you should...if you don't want nicotine just vape with 0 base nicotine with any flavour that suit you. I hope the inhale and exhale of e-juice vapour will make your body feels like you are smoking and less depress. Then you are going to go crazy trying unlimited choice of flavour like me...

 

[ebbrey]

You should give it a try. I "stopped" smoking for 2 years, and i was so bothered about it, first 3 months was actually easy for me. After 3 months tho, it just became worse and worse. And i kept .....ing about missing nicotine and the feel of smoking it to those at home every day, until my gf suggested i tried vaping to see if that could help my addiction. And stop my QQ'ing

(Should add to the story that i never stopped using analoges when i was drinking, but that only results in findind excuses for a party in the end :S)

Vaping has replaced my cravings for nicotine, and it also works as the only nicotine i need when drinking/partying also.

It has happened a coupple times last 3 months where i would like to have a cigarette.. Just because that relaxing part of the poison in a cigarette does not exist in ecigs.. But i just hit my PV hard for a minnute and usually get past it hehe.. Maybe WTA would be something that could help for those cases.. But im afraid of trying it, maybe i love it more than regular eliquid :S

Good luck if you end up trying!

 

[TBinAZ]

Do it man, you won't regret it. I, being a smoker for 34 years, dropped it cold turkey after trying the el cheapo e-cigs. Now I have a handle on the phenomenon, and am enjoying the heck out of it. Bottom line, if you do it right, and gain pleasure from it, your brain won't know the difference. And remember, the usual habit is broken after 30 days. Just don't give in to temptations. Besides, how could you go wrong with a support group this large... most of us have been in the same spot you're in.

 

[chips]

I believe that it is not the nicotine in tobacco that causes symptoms of depression in smokers.

Tobacco smoke also contains a powerful MAOI anti depressant called Harmine....so you would think that meant no depression right..however what happens is that over time smokers become dependant on the anti depressant in tobacco smoke and they need more of it to stay on a level. This means that they get depressed, as there is only a limited amount they can smoke.

hence alot of smokers may get symptoms of depression, it is also another reason why tobacco is hard to quit

 

[Gamekeeper]

well, I am into my second day on the ecig, and I love it. I don't have the dirty, stained, smelly feelings of a smoker, it seems much cleaner.
I see WTA referred to a few times. I have tried searching, is this a product type?

 

[hairball]

well, I am into my second day on the ecig, and I love it. I don't have the dirty, stained, smelly feelings of a smoker, it seems much cleaner.
I see WTA referred to a few times. I have tried searching, is this a product type?

WTA stands for whole tobacco alkaloid. It has a calming effect on the people who use it. Similar to the calming effect that cigarettes have.

 

[Warren D. Lockaby]

well, I am into my second day on the ecig, and I love it. I don't have the dirty, stained, smelly feelings of a smoker, it seems much cleaner.
I see WTA referred to a few times. I have tried searching, is this a product type?

Yes, sort of: wta - Search Results - E-Cigarette Forum It's a type of e-liquid containing more of the alkaloids than just nicotine found in natural tobacco. I haven't tried it (yet) but it appears some folks require it to kick the addiction to tobacco.

 

[KevinNash]

In some rare high depression cases, it's better to continue smoking than quit because of the nicotine effect on the brain.

 

[Icegunner]

In some rare high depression cases, it's better to continue smoking than quit because of the nicotine effect on the brain.

I should think that in those cases the better option would be to get professional help to get meds for the condition?

Btw is that Harmine ingredient present in all cigarettes?

 

[TBinAZ]

well, I am into my second day on the ecig, and I love it. I don't have the dirty, stained, smelly feelings of a smoker, it seems much cleaner.
I see WTA referred to a few times. I have tried searching, is this a product type?

The best is yet to come friend. You will be pleasantly amazed. Yes there is an initial investment, but once everything is in place, you will be hard pressed to look back. Good luck with it.

By the way, and I'm not sure of your past history with the depression and what meds have been tried, but Wellbutrin or Zyban is touted to work very well and probably has the least side effects. I actually have a friend who quit smoking by only using Wellbutrin. He said that he lost the craving. Just an FYI.

 

[Tracey1]

Since you are smoke and nic free at this time, why not try a patch to see if the nicotine helps you feel better. If not, then try a kit with some nicotine in the juice. The hand to mouth habit of smoking is satisfying and relaxing. The pleasure of seeing the vapor as you exhale the vapor is too. You may be mourning the loss of your "habit" resulting in more depression. These are all things that can help you relax. You'll also, most likely, find a great hobby to share with a lot of great people here on ECF which is uplifing in itself. I do hope that you will see a doctor. You may need medication to treat your depression. Especially since you've been experiencing it for such a long time. We are here for you.