Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome: Symptoms and How Long It Lasts

How can I deal with withdrawal symptoms if I want to stop smoking?

Stopping smoking will undoubtedly be one of the best and most important decisions you make in your life, as smoking is directly linked to respiratory disease, vascular problems and different types of cancer. However, many people try and fail, because it is usually not an easy task. That is why, in this post, we are going to talk about withdrawal syndrome, its most common symptoms and how we can try to cope with it in the best possible way.

What is tobacco withdrawal syndrome?

It is a syndrome that appears when a person who is used to a substance, in this case nicotine, stops using it. The body begins to adapt to functioning without it. It is this adaptation that causes a series of physical and psychological symptoms of discomfort that characterise withdrawal syndrome.

And although it is completely normal for our body to react like this when an addictive substance is stopped, it is quite uncomfortable and it can be difficult to adapt to life without nicotine. This is part of the detoxification and recovery process from smoking.

Most common withdrawal symptoms:

• Irritability and anxiety.
• A stronger urge to smoke.
• Insomnia, disturbed sleep with waking during the night and unrefreshing sleep.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Physical discomfort and/or headache.
• Increased appetite.
• Mood changes and irritability.

The number of withdrawal symptoms or their intensity can vary from one person to another, especially depending on their level of tobacco dependence and how many years they have been smoking.

How long does withdrawal syndrome last?

• The first few days: the first 3 to 5 days are usually the hardest, as this is when people notice the sharp drop in nicotine levels in the blood.
• Week one to week four: physical symptoms and discomfort start to ease, although psychological dependence can still feel harder to manage.
• From the first month onwards: during this stage, many people begin to find it more manageable and notice a significant improvement, both physically and psychologically.

However, as mentioned above, not all cases are the same. It is not an exact science and it will depend largely on each person’s degree of nicotine dependence.

On the other hand, it is essential to be very aware of how beneficial stopping smoking is, because the urge to start again can always appear. It is very important to have support from the people around you to make the process easier, and you can also make use of some alternative therapies, such as certain medicines.

Pharmacological support

To make the process of stopping smoking easier and help prevent relapse, pharmacological therapies can be useful, although they should always be used under medical or pharmaceutical advice. For example, Nicorette offers different products that can help during this process.

We can find transdermal patches, chewing gum or sprays that help control the urge to smoke by keeping nicotine levels stable and reducing the anxiety caused by withdrawal syndrome.

They can be used on their own or combined with other therapies if a doctor considers that appropriate for each individual case.

Likewise, at FarmaciasDirect you can also find medicines to help you stop smoking with different options that may help you cope with the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome.