Nicotine and depression?

[Smocian257]

...I went into a mild depression when I was done the patch. I found that I just felt blah all the time and nothing really made me happy. I read that depression can be a side effect of nicotine withdrawal,...

you should look into WTA (whole tobacco alkaloid) ejuice, nicotine isn't the only culprit

 

[AndriaD]

you should look into WTA (whole tobacco alkaloid) ejuice, nicotine isn't the only culprit

I agree, WTA has helped me a great deal, both with cravings and depression-related problems.

Andria

 

[MikeNice81]

Howdy everyone. I've been vaping for 6 months now and have been quit since Feb. I quit twice before using the patch. Once for a year and once for 8 months. I fell off the wagon both times because I went into a mild depression when I was done the patch. I found that I just felt blah all the time and nothing really made me happy. I read that depression can be a side effect of nicotine withdrawal, but should last for only a few months. I felt that way for the entire time I was off cigs. I instantly felt better once i started smoking again. So this time after I quit again using the patch (couldn't go straight to ecig, failed at that attempt), I picked up my ecig and I haven't felt that depression which is amazing. I don't think I mind vaping forever to help keep me on even keel but was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience? I may want to quit vaping too but not if I get into a crappy state again. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Nicotine sparks the pleasure center of the brain. After being hit with that intense pleasure for long periods of time it can rewire the brain. So, other things don't make it fire the way that it did previously. That is one of the reasons all drug addicts usually have a hard time quitting. If you smoked for a long time your experience makes perfect sense.

You could try DIY and make your own juice. Then slowly drop the nicotine level 1 or 2 mg per month until you hit zero. That may help with quitting. However, it may not. That pleasure center triggering may still be warped. That is why you see a lot of alcoholics turn into coffee hounds or smokers. I know of lot of recovering addicts that have taken up things like car racing, rock climbing, and motorcycle riding to trigger stronger releases of body chemicals to help deliver that strong jolt to the pleasure center.