Depression from quitting cigarettes?

To those of you who have quit, did you experience depression? How long did it last for, if you did?

I've been trying to quit for a month now but I keep going back to it because after a couple of days I fall into a depression. I buy a pack, smoke it, and the depression goes away. I have been 2.5 days smoke free but using nicotine through vaping and here I am, depressed again. I went to sleep at 9:15 last night and slept straight through until 6:45am. I usually don't go to sleep unTil 11. And I'm just blah. Down. I don't want to do anything. My class is getting on my nerves. I just want to go home and sleep. I've been consistent with my meds so I know it's not that.

Do you think it is related to the cigarettes? I skimmed an article once that said nicotine could be used as an antidepressant. And it is a stimulant, so logically cutting back could cause depression.

I just don't want this to become an episode. I have way too much going on to deal with depression. And I really want to quit smoking. So I'm going to forge on, practicing self care, and hope it goes away soon as my body adjusts to less nicotine.

Just wondering if anyone has ever heard of this before.

I have not heard of this. Hoping others will chime in with their experiences. I am also quitting smoking this week. Now you have me worried...

I've never smoked so I don't know, but consider how many people use nicotine to control their weight. If it can do that, I don't see why it wouldn't help your mood....

Cigarettes are a coping mechanism for me. My doctor said he doubts I'm even physically addicted because my NEED and urge to smoke in the morning is low. I use it to starve off anxiety and it helps my paranoid thinking patterns by giving me a cigarette to focus on. When my coping mechanism is removed I get very depressed and anxious and worse.

Good luck with quitting.

why the hell would you quit. smoking relieves stress and anxiety. great for bp... plus our life expectancies are like 10 years below average so odds are the lung cancer wont kill you first.

I'm terrified of dying and leaving my son behind all alone. So I have to make an effort to take care of myself.

I know when I quit smoking the nicotine just stimulates me. There may be something else in the cigarette that can be holding back the depression. Maybe you need something extra to get you through the slump.

Worst. Advice. Ever.

To the OP:

It's not unusual to experience depression (or anxiety, irritability, general mood swings) when quitting smoking. It's withdrawal, your body is so used to functioning with nicotine that it temporarily struggles without it. Nicotine in particular is a stimulant, so when you aren't getting the stimulation you are used to, you may feel low for awhile. This happens even in people without mental health disorders.

I encourage you to talk to your doctor because there are medications available to make quitting more tolerable. other people will taper down their cigarettes gradually rather than going cold turkey, so that the amount of nicotine is gradually lessened that way. Word of caution though, for this to be effective you'll want to set goal dates for when you drop down on the cigarrettes. if say you are a pack a day smoker, resolve to drop down to 16 cigs for two weeks. after two weeks, drop to 14, another two weeks to 12, and so on.

Best of luck

I take a lot of b-vitamins, c, antioxidants. Seems to help...a big part of the problem with smoking is that you lower vitamin c levels a whole lot. 25-50mgs per cigarette. The high potency B vitamins seem to be reducing my urges, too. I take 2 b-100 tablets (time release, to reduce stomach probs...) and additional B6. Works for me, and helps the low moods in general.

Sometimes, neuroleptics increased my need to smoke. It was bad on Zyprexa, bad on Risperdal...not nearly as bad now on a full dose of Abilify. Maybe...the cigarettes were counteracting some low mood from the neuroleptic? Just a thought. I don't know.

If your mood gets really low, do you have a Plan B? I seem to recall reading that some people on MAOIs can take Wellbutrin or stimulating tricylics, but...I'm --clearly-- not any kinda expert on that.

But, yeah...supplements. They apparently reduce probs from the cigarettes when you smoke and help clean things up when you quit, or so say the alternative health people. I'm not smoking as much on the high dose C, E, and B-vitamins as I was before. Antioxidants+B-vitamins are also used by these same alternative health people to prevent tardive dyskinesia and make the drugs work better.

Sorry things are rough for you. Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I felt better yeasterday but today am back down. I called out of work bc I woke up a 3:15a with intense anxiety and couldn't go back to sleep. So I called out, got my son on the bus, and went back to sleep for a couple of hours. I got up at one because I figured I'd feel worse if I stayed in bed all day. And I'm not even really depressed, just slightly down. Enough to be annoying. But I'm five days smoke free and not struggling as much as I was so that's good.

If it becomes a real issue I have lots of room to go up on my AD.