Nicotine Patch Withdrawal Symptoms You Need to Know

If you are trying to quit smoking, nicotine patches have become a popular way of delivering a controlled, steady dose of nicotine to prevent cravings. Yet, even with nicotine patches, it does not mean there aren’t withdrawal symptoms, as the body adjusts to a lower nicotine level. This article talks about the different nicotine patch withdrawal symptoms you need to know about how it works & how you can manage them while you’re on the road to a smoke free life.

Understanding Nicotine Withdrawal

You don’t quit smoking cold turkey without the body experiencing withdrawal symptoms trying to adapt to no nicotine. Nicotine is a powerful addictive substance that wreaks havoc on your brain’s dopamine system and goes towards regulating your mood and sense of reward. If one reduces or stops taking nicotine, the brain cannot reach equilibrium, and this results in a variety of withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine patches are a low, steady dose of nicotine and while they don’t completely quell the withdrawal, they’re better than nothing. As you cut back the use of patches, your body further adjusts over time.

Physical Symptoms of Nicotine Patch Withdrawal

Nicotine withdrawal from patches, while having physical effects that differ but tend to mirror many of the same symptoms of quitting altogether, is not nearly as dangerous as withdrawal from smoking.

1. Cravings: One of the hardest of them all is to quit when nicotine cravings begin. Patches provide some nicotine, but they don’t eliminate a user’s strong urges to smoke or to get nicotine some other way — when stressed or seeing triggers like coffee or alcohol.
2. Restlessness and Sleep Disturbances: As your body begins to tolerate less nicotine, you may begin to feel restless or have difficulty sleeping when you first cut back. Reducing usage of nicotine patches can make some people’s sleep worse temporarily.
3. Headaches and Dizziness: And as your brain adjusts to less nicotine, you may experience headaches and dizziness. But these symptoms are short term and can be uncomfortable during the first few weeks of stopping or cutting down on use of nicotine patches.
4. Increased Appetite and Weight Gain: Another reason nicotine causes people to eat less is that nicotine is suppressive of appetite. That’s especially true, especially in the first few weeks when your body’s crav(ing) the hand to mouth (activity) associated with (the act of) smoking. But if many people gain weight and planning healthy snacks can help minimize this effect.
5. Coughing and Respiratory Issues: Many people who decide to quit smoking are faced with a cough after stopping, and using nicotine patches, which seems counterintuitive. The reason for this is your lungs start to heal themselves and the tiny cilia in your lungs start to clear mucus and other debris that built up from your smoking.
6. Constipation and Digestive Changes: Nicotine is a digestive impactor and stopping or curbing nicotine intake can cause a temporary constipation or change in bowel movement. So many foods high in fiber and high in water can be eaten to help ease this symptom.

Emotional and Mental Symptoms of Nicotine Patch Withdrawal

Quitting nicotine with help of patches can bring on a variety of emotional and psychological responses, in addition to the physical symptoms. Those emotional effects are connected to the physical addiction to nicotine and to the behavioral habits of smoking.

1. Irritability and Mood Swings: Irritability or mood swings are one of the most common symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Since nicotine affects neurotransmitters that help regulate mood, it’s likely as your brain adjusts you’ll feel more sensitive to frustration and emotional swings. It’s a temporary phase, which normally sorts out itself in a few weeks.
2. Anxiety and Depression: The withdrawal period is common since nicotine has mood regulating properties and you tend to get anxious or depressed. For the most part, people say they feel more anxious when they’re cutting out their nicotine, which should recede with time.
3. Difficulty Concentrating: The regular doses of nicotine your brain becomes accustomed to are delivered heady doses of focus and concentration. If your cravings are strong, it will be harder to concentrate on tasks during withdrawal. That can be hard to stay productive when, but once your brain gets used to being without nicotine, your concentration will normalize.
4. Cravings Triggered by Stress: By far, the most powerful one is an emotional craving, one that is triggered by circumstances of stress or habit. Even if you use nicotine patches, you can still feel like smoking it when you are in an emotional low point, but practicing mindfulness and good stress management will curb these triggers.

Managing Nicotine Patch Withdrawal Symptoms

Nicotine withdrawal is tough, but there are a number of ways you can beat it and help your quitting through.

1. Stay Hydrated and Active: The way to reduce cravings and stay off the weight at the same time is by drinking plenty of water and being physically active. Your exercise releases endorphins which help combat feelings of anxiety and depression you may experience from nicotine withdrawal.
2. Sleep and Relaxation: Good sleep hygiene and relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation can help with insomnia and irritability. Regular exercise can also help improve quality of sleep, helping you to ease restlessness.
3. Eat Healthy Foods: Since nicotine can help to suppress the appetite, plan your meals high in vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains to help manage weight gain and also spread out your nutrients.
4. Support Networks: It’s hard to quit smoking alone, even with nicotine patches. Discuss experiences and coping strategies with friends, family or support groups. Withdrawal can be an emotional time, and counseling or therapy may help in managing the emotional toll.
5. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT): Some people do it gradually tapering off nicotine patches, rather than stopping cold turkey. They recommend talking with a healthcare provider and developing a plan to slowly decrease your dosage.
6. Avoid Triggers: Avoiding triggers like drinking alcohol or being around an environment where you’d smoke can help decrease cravings.
7. Professional Help: Some might need professional intervention when the process of withdrawal nicotine begins. Prescribed medications serve to free you from cravings and withdrawal symptoms making it easier.

Conclusion

Even if you do the best thing you can with nicotine patches as part of the process of quitting, nicotine patch withdrawal symptoms are still an inevitable part of the process. It’s a fact that the physical and emotional symptoms you go through can be uncomfortable, but they’re temporary and manageable, and they should go away on their own once you do what you need to do. If you stay active, eat healthy, manage your stress, and find support, you can use these strategies, and let your journey to a healthier, smoke free life work.