Hello Doctor, I'm suffering from smoking problems and feeling stressed I smoke 10 cigarettes a day. Please help me to quit this problem.

Question

Dear lybrate-user, Congratulations for deciding to quit smoking. Please try to stop smoking at the earliest. It has many health benefits in the long run. When you stop suddenly, you may get withdrawal symptoms like restlessness, irritability, lack of concentration, increased hunger, sleep disturbance, headache, impatience, anxiety, depression, etc. If you have them please don?t get back to smoking, take nicotine gum or lozenge or patch. They are available in all medical shops. You don?t need a prescription from doctors. Use 2 mg gum since you smoke 10 cigarettes/day. First 6 weeks, use 1 gum every 1 ? 2 hours. Reduce it in week 7 ? 9 to one gum every 2 ? 4 hours. In week 10 ? 12, reduce it further to 1 gum every 4 -8 hours. By 3 months, you will be able to stop both cigarettes and gum fully without any withdrawal symptoms. Please feel confident that you can do it and give yourself some gift for doing it like vacation or books or new mobile. Smoking is a chronic relapsing condition like diabetes and B.P. So please don?t worry if you restart smoking. Start all over again to stop. You will learn the situations that make you smoke and avoid them. Please think of health benefits and money saved often. Plan how to avoid relapsing situations, like smoking friends, use of alcohol, stressful feeling or depression. Delay, drink, deep breathe, distract and discuss are the helpful tips. Increase of non smoking zones, gift yourself for stopping smoking. Even chewing cinnamon may delay. Please remember that the urge to smoke comes and goes like waves. Delay and see whether it goes away. It will be like a passing cloud. All the best.

Saranya Devanathan · Accepted Answer

Dear lybrate-user, Congratulations for deciding to quit smoking. Please try to stop smoking at the earliest. It has many health benefits in the long run. When you stop suddenly, you may get withdrawal symptoms like restlessness, irritability, lack of concentration, increased hunger, sleep disturbance, headache, impatience, anxiety, depression, etc. If you have them please don?t get back to smoking, take nicotine gum or lozenge or patch. They are available in all medical shops. You don?t need a prescription from doctors. Use 2 mg gum since you smoke 10 cigarettes/day. First 6 weeks, use 1 gum every 1 ? 2 hours. Reduce it in week 7 ? 9 to one gum every 2 ? 4 hours. In week 10 ? 12, reduce it further to 1 gum every 4 -8 hours. By 3 months, you will be able to stop both cigarettes and gum fully without any withdrawal symptoms. Please feel confident that you can do it and give yourself some gift for doing it like vacation or books or new mobile. Smoking is a chronic relapsing condition like diabetes and B.P. So please don?t worry if you restart smoking. Start all over again to stop. You will learn the situations that make you smoke and avoid them. Please think of health benefits and money saved often. Plan how to avoid relapsing situations, like smoking friends, use of alcohol, stressful feeling or depression. Delay, drink, deep breathe, distract and discuss are the helpful tips. Increase of non smoking zones, gift yourself for stopping smoking. Even chewing cinnamon may delay. Please remember that the urge to smoke comes and goes like waves. Delay and see whether it goes away. It will be like a passing cloud. All the best.