# Nicotine withdrawal causing dp/dr to return again



## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

About a month ago i started smoking again after being quit for almost 2 years ( I know this was incredibly stupid so don't bother pointing that out). Anyway i tried quitting smoking twice since then and my dp/dr came back with a vengence. Ive mostly experienced derealization and a general sense of everything being off, as well as a decline in cognitive abilities. As soon as i have a ciggarette again all these symptoms disappear and im back to normal.

Up until now ive been almost entirely free of dp/dr for about 6 months, so this really sucks bad. Not only do i have to go through the hellish nicotine withdrawal again but having my dp/dr come back really makes me want to kick myself in the butt for taking up smoking again.

Anyway i was just wondering has anyone had any similar experiences when they have tried to give up smoking?


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## enngirl5 (Aug 10, 2004)

Have you tried using some kind of smoking aid like nicorette gum? I would think that would help you quit without increasing your symptoms too much.


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## Inflammed (Aug 10, 2004)

Yeah I got this.

Even with patches and gum, I've read many posts about people getting spaced out while stopping smoking with patches.

My theories are :

- Less Carbon Monoxid makes you overbreath (hyperventilate)
- The simple stess of withdrawing (stress causes DR)
- Nicotine could cause DR, therefore, withdrawing from it enhance it.
- Blood pressure drops (nicotine highens BP)

Thats what happens to me each time I give it a try, my blood pressure drops badly, I get very dizzy so I smoke again. Usually after only a few hours without smoking.

Do you overall feel less DPDR as a non-smoker ?


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## jc (Aug 10, 2004)

not much to add other than the fact that my first smoke of the morning causes me to go into a massive state of anxiety .......... any kind of stimulants seem to send me into a frenzy... i havnt even drank a cup of coffee for a year


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Inflammed said:


> Do you overall feel less DPDR as a non-smoker ?


 Well when i was a non smoker and i wasent taking any medication my dp/dr was through the roof. I could barely function. I think my dp/dr was a little better before i quit smoking about 2 years ago but im not to sure. I still had it back then but maybe not as bad, it was awile ago so i cant really remember all that well.

When i started taking clonazepam to treat my anxiety and dp/dr about 6 months ago my dp/dr pretty much went away altogether. I didnt have a single ciggerette during this time and i was feeling the best i had ever felt in my life. It was only because i had some chronic pain issues about a month ago that made me kinda flip out and start smoking again.

I also get really dizzy when i try to quit smoking, i dunno what the hell causes that. Once i have a ciggarette the dizzyness goes away. I find that nicotine patches and the gum only makes quitting harder, because its a constant reminder of trying to quit. I find its easier to quit when i just focus on other things.

The last time i quit i went cold turkey but i was on alot of opiates at the time so thats probley why i had such an easy time quitting.


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## Bedge (Nov 2, 2005)

Hey!

17 days since I had a ciggi. I quit cold turkey. On day 3 I started getting really really bad DP. My DP has been at minimum and completely manageable over the last four years.

I can only just manage to get myself to work each day, and it is peaking horribly at least once a day. I had four days of relief (this Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) and I felt completely normal, so it has proved to myself that it's just thanks to the ciggis. But it is back again as of yesterday.

I am terrified I am loosing my mind again. I can't get control over it. Each morning I wake up and know if it is going to be a good day or bad day. I am completely over analyzing things again too. Bad habits!

Does anyone have any good words of advise cause I am desperate. Has anyone given up smokes, had bad DP for a while and then it vanished a little while later? Does anyone one know why my DP has got so bad all of a sudden (being: does nicotine muck with serotonin?) HELP! 

On the up side, I have to thank DP for taking over - cause it has taken my mind right off smoking! hahaha. Thanks DP!

Ta, Bec


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Well i quit again and i havent had a smoke in about 12 days i think. The first few days my dp/dr came back horribly but after about a week it went away.



> Does anyone have any good words of advise cause I am desperate. Has anyone given up smokes, had bad DP for a while and then it vanished a little while later? Does anyone one know why my DP has got so bad all of a sudden (being: does nicotine muck with serotonin?) HELP!


 Well my dp/dr has gone away again so yours probley will as well just give it time. I think the reason giving up smoking brings back dp/dr is that nicotine boosts the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. There are actually nicotinic receptors in your brain and when they are stimulated the production of acetylcholine goes up.

Acetylcholine is responsible for memory and other cognitive functions. So when you give up smoking and your acetylcholine production drops your memory and everything else is going to be abit wacky for awile. When i give up smoking i get really bad brain fog and my memory gets bad for awile.

Tobacco also acts as a mild maoi which is a class of now rarely used anti-depressants that work quite well. The non selective ones boost serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. I think tobacco mainly boost's dopamine i dont know if it has much of an effect on serotonin. This could be another reason that giving up smoking brings back dp/dr.


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## mulder (May 8, 2005)

I met somebody the other day, who I don't think has had DP before she started smoking, but when she gave up, within a few hours she had DP. She lasted until the afternoon on the same day she started to give up before she had to start smoking again to get rid of the DP. She hasn't tried to give up again since, and feels she can never give up smoking as she'll have to deal with the DP instead.


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## Bedge (Nov 2, 2005)

comfortably numb said:


> Well i quit again and i havent had a smoke in about 12 days i think. The first few days my dp/dr came back horribly but after about a week it went away.


So your saying that you haven't had reverted back to smoking and your DP/DR has gone? I am hoping this is the case with me. It's just in the last two days, 'ladies problems' (sorry guys!) has started which could be the reason for it all coming back again. As mentioned, I had those 4 days of fantastic clarity.

Fab news you haven't had a ciggi for 12 days! Keep it up!

I'm feeling ok this morning, so hopefully i'll have a better time at work.

Thanks for all that info about the chems and stuff. Makes it easier to pass off when I know big words and things to blame it on!


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2006)

I just quit smoking after about 3 failed attempts, I quit at night that way i could sleep some time off.. Then the next morning i bought chewing gum after that i started getting bad cravings so instead of buying camels like i usually do. I bought nat sherman nicotine free cigarettes and smoked those for 3 days enough time for nicotine withdrawals to die down. After that pack i didn't feel like smoking anymore.


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## Bedge (Nov 2, 2005)

Did you DP or DR get bad while you were trying to quit, Radiohead?


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2006)

Bedge said:


> Did you DP or DR get bad while you were trying to quit, Radiohead?


Nope not really just my anxiety went high and i just felt like something was missing. I kept making excuses to catch a smoke and i finally gave in but only to nicotine free nat shermans (7 bucks) those are good they calm you down enough and fool your mind into thinking your fulfilling your nicotine addiction. Then its just easy and you dont get cravings through out the day. My lungs feel alot better now and i can smell things better.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Bedge said:


> So your saying that you haven't had reverted back to smoking and your DP/DR has gone? I am hoping this is the case with me. It's just in the last two days, 'ladies problems' (sorry guys!) has started which could be the reason for it all coming back again. As mentioned, I had those 4 days of fantastic clarity.
> 
> Fab news you haven't had a ciggi for 12 days! Keep it up!
> 
> ...


 Yes i havent gone back to smoking and my dp/dr is now gone. Thank christ for that. The first few days i had pretty bad dp/dr and the brain fog thing and my memory was crappy as well. But after a week or so it went away and now im normal again.

I only wish the cravings would go away as easy :evil:


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## Bedge (Nov 2, 2005)

That's heaps good! I can't help but think people thinks it's hard enough to quit, but they don't have DP to contend with!

Looks like mine has gone now. Had a fab day yesterday. And still no ciggi.

Horrah for us!


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## Space Cadet (Nov 17, 2005)

Nicotine withdrawal caused my DR. I now smoke again and probably will for the long haul. I just think fu(k it, I'd rather be dead of cancer at 50-60 then spend the rest of my life with DR. I still have DR, but not as bad as when I quit smoking. Sorry if that doesn't sound very inspirational.


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## Bedge (Nov 2, 2005)

Makes perfect sence to me. Am completly shattered, am getting back on to the anti depressants now. Have had to send email out to all my clients explaining why i now sometimes show up for work, and why some times I dont. I can't believe that I am back in this state again within 3 weeks. Oh well.


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