Smoking cessation has several medical consequences, particularly when long-term high-volume usage is discontinued. We tend to consider a 1PAD (one pack a day) habit as significant today.
According to current data, the average smoker in the UK consumes around ten cigarettes each day.
What appears to be, currently, the most comprehensive listing of symptoms associated with smoking cessation can be found here:
The list is included in vaping since many individuals have previously associated such symptoms with it; we now know that having these ailments is linked to quitting smoking rather than anything that follows.
- Mouth Ulcers
- The Quit Zits
- Headache, Nausea, Shakiness
- Coughing
- Sputum, Phlegm
- Heartburn, acid reflux
- Muscle Cramps and Aches
- Night Sweats
- Diarrhoea
- Hiccups
- Bleeding gums
- Sleepiness
- Thyroid issues when quitting tobacco
A note on harm
It should be obvious that smoking is linked to harm. On average, smoking is harmful, and the longer it is done, the greater the risk rises.
Because of this, although it is incorrect to claim that smoking offers no advantages, as can be seen from the evidence below, there are likely to be better alternatives in the 21st century.
It is also incorrect to claim that smoking cessation has no major consequences – it can and does result in both minor and serious health issues, as shown below.
However, with the 21st century rapidly approaching, it may be time to explore alternative strategies of prophylaxis and therapy for susceptible subgroups.
Minor vs serious symptoms
From the aforementioned list, we see some typical minor side effects associated with quitting smoking, almost all of which go away on their own over time, and much less frequently, symptoms related to some serious medical problems linked to smoking cessation for various reasons.
The Quit Ulcers and the Quit Zits are two less severe but common symptoms.
Some people suffer from ‘quit ulcers,’ which are mouth sores that go away fast.
Facial boils and spots that appear after smoking cessation, even in individuals who never had acne in their life, are termed “quit zits.”
They can be distressing and inexplicable for those who have never had acne and may last a long time.
That is to say, they can last for months, and the sufferers are unlikely to believe the condition to be unimportant or of no significance.
Indeed, some people say that stopping smoking has had a significant negative impact on their lives.
The most serious consequences, fortunately, are uncommon since they can and do affect serious diseases.
Thyroid problems and autoimmune diseases are frequent causes. We must also consider the possible links of non-smoking status to severe neurodegenerative illnesses for completeness.
Thyroid conditions
The thyroid problems are now being studied. Smoking, or quitting, is connected with some people who have thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
To put it another way, we don’t know if smoking causes or raises the condition’s symptoms, whether smoking masks it, or whether stopping smoking causes it to occur in people who had no prior indication of the disease.
While nominally a vaping forum, the Electronic Cigarette Forum is also the world’s most significant smoking cessation platform due to its basic nature as a smoking cessation forum. Physicians, researchers, chemists, and pharmacists have been members, but they’ve also conducted groundbreaking research.
The hundreds of thousands of postings on the forum cover a variety of concerns, and if you’re serious about thyroid disease and smoking, the Health section of ECF is an excellent place to start.
In addition, there are several serious symptoms resulting from improper thyroid drug dosages mentioned there, should it be of interest to anybody.
Neurodegenerative conditions
Non-smokers are more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases.
Smoking cessation has significant consequences for individuals who are vulnerable to one auto-inflammatory disease due to their genes (ulcerative colitis).
It has also been shown that being a non-smoker is one of the most important risk factors for Parkinson’s disease, according to several studies.
Dr Maryka Quik, a senior researcher, states: “A huge literature says that smoking protects against Parkinson’s.”
Because of the nicotine content, smoking may help protect against Parkinson’s disease. Nicotine has been proved to be helpful in the treatment of this illness, and certain genetic groups might require a substantial boost of this basic dietary component.
However, after a period of time, the harmful effects of smoking will most likely outweigh any therapeutic advantages thus, nicotine may be improved in some way if it is truly the only medication in prophylaxis.
Autoimmune conditions
Ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease, is nicknamed “the non-smoker’s disease” because it is so strongly associated with a person’s non-smoking status.
According to a study, which was not confirmed by further research, the notion that presentation may be linked with smoking cessation is apparent: a rise in presentations is observed shortly after quitting.
It’s easy to see that it’s a hereditary disease. It runs in families, and non-smokers are at greater risk than smokers.
Implications
A great deal of these serious issues are unusual. They can, however, be life-changing and even deadly in rare circumstances.
Because of this, some family history research might be beneficial: if such diseases can be discovered in the past, perhaps some preventative measures could be taken before or immediately after smoking cessation.
We don’t know what works best (or at all) in this scenario, but some dietary nicotine supplementation appears beneficial.
The solution is to provide individuals with the information they need to make informed decisions regarding their health. Here’s what we know: nicotine is a dietary element that may prevent neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases in certain persons (although we’re not sure about its only activity).
However, we are unaware of the ideal dosages or if nicotine is only a prophylactic or treatment agent – anatabine, for example, is another tobacco alkaloid that is an effective anti-inflammatory medication.
Since autoimmune diseases are linked to inflammation, this is something to consider.
Doctors have occasionally prescribed two cigarettes per day in such circumstances, according to the seriousness of the diseases involved, for a person with a family history of vulnerability, and because the increase in risk for morbidity from smoking two cigarettes per day is minimal compared to significant risk for a serious illness.
Today, it appears that the same doctor would recommend another type of nicotine supplementation, given the availability of various ultra-low-risk nicotine products both with and without pharmaceutical licenses.
Conclusion
Although we don’t yet have enough knowledge about nicotine-based prophylaxis to make any certain claims, Dr Newhouse of Vanderbilt is heading the treatment research currently.
There are advantages to be seen, and it’s also apparent that nicotine has all of the indicators necessary for classifying as a B vitamin, just like its sister compound, nicotinic acid.
We don’t know enough about its effects on their own or additional dosages (i.e. the RDA and supplementary therapies for vulnerable groups) to offer guidance that is likely to be correct or broadly accepted.
For the sake of clarity, it should be mentioned that if you have a family history of neurodegenerative disease or autoimmune disease and are a smoker thinking about quitting, then it might be worth consulting with your doctor.
Given the ubiquity of propaganda and its proven ability to influence even experts and lead to medical malpractice, you may wish to seek better information if your present doctor has no knowledge of these issues or provides advice that is clearly wrong by contemporary standards.
