GAD AND SMOKING

[tgr17]

haven't smoked a cigarette in nearly two years but GAD has gotten bad lately. Instead of going back on meds and gaining weight I have been occasionaly smoking again and I know all the research that says smoking actually makes anxiety worse but it really seems to be helping my anxiety and depression. I feel so much better. I'm not trying to justify smoking in any way because I know what a terrible habit it is and just how many health problems it can cause. I'm just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to why smoking after 2 years of not having a single puff is able to calm my anxiety and boost my mood. I'm not looking to pick up the habit again. I actually haven't even bought a pack because I know I will be tempted to have them all.

[Robbed]

One thing you must remember about ALL drugs is that effects can vary WIDELY among different people. You might notice, for instance, that one person on this forum might say that Lexapro is a Godsend, while another might have had a horrible experience, only to have horrible withdrawals when trying to discontinue. Granted, SSRIs seem to be on the bad side as far as inconsistencies between individuals. But all drugs (and cigarettes ARE a drug) exhibit this tendency to some degree. For instance, whenever I have tried to smoke a cigarette, they caused anxiety and stomach upset. But others swear up and down that when anxious or stressed out, cigarettes are their savior. The reason for this is simply luck. Also remember that since you smoked before, you possibly felt good when you first smoked. This likely made you go on to be a regular smoker. A typical nonsmoker, on the other hand, most likely had negative experiences when trying smoking. So they never went on to smoke. It is also worth nothing that the percentage of anxiety sufferers who smoke is HIGHER than inthe general population. So you're certainly not alone here. I would certainly encourage you to try to find other ways to deal with anxiety. And remember that if you don't want to go back on meds, there ARE other alternatives besides cigarettes.

[javaman38]

I have heard of this connection with smoking before. My anxiety problems became much more apparent after I quit smoking. My thinking is that the smoking increases the level of carbon dioxide in your blood similar perhaps to breathing into a bag. Also, the quick intake of nicotine allows for more dopamine in the brain, if memory serves me correctly, which calms you down. However, it's not a good solution since cigarettes will actually kill you and anxiety will only make you think you're dying. My advice is to not take up smoking again or mess around with smoking here and there or you'll be pulled back into the habit. Then, you'll have two problems.