Hi,

I'm a 28 yr old male bipolar. been on meds for about 3 years now (religiously). been smoking cigarettes for about 7 years now. i take lexapro, carbamezapine, lithobid daily.

been reading a lot about smoking, quitting and adverse/positive health results of doing so or keeping smoking. i'd love to quit permanently some day.

is anybody here bipolar and quit smoking successfully? did you go cold turkey or use Nicoderm, nicorette, other aid(s)? how did quitting affect your moods?

I've read that a lot of people with depressive disorders tend to smoke. I quit cold turkey very recently for 10 days and started up again. I got very irrationally irritable with violent type thoughts.

calms you down when you're stressed and picks you up when you're bored. plus it's highly addictive. so that's why it's hard for me to quit.

just wondering if the withdrawal effects mess with the meds or if the patch messes with the meds, etc. one of the possible side effects of the patch was depression so I got hesitant. I will consult with pdoc but was wondering what anyone on here had to say about this topic.

any info would be greatly appreciated.

:cool:

rabies, there is a very high rate of smoking for bipolar people especially. I'm bipolar, have been on various meds for about 5 years, and smoked about 2 packs a day for 4 years. I quit cold turkey last summer. I loved cigs, but it was one of those things I knew I was bad for me. I could feel it bring me down over time. I made up my mind months before that I would quit in the summer, finally set a date, and quit. I smoked like mad leading up to this, and it helped because I hurt like mad when I quit.

I got on a 12 step program: the first 11 steps don't matter. The 12th step is don't smoke. I resolved not to take even a drag, buy a pack, or touch a smoke indefinately. As far as withdrawal, nicotine is nice as far as the stimulating but calming effect, but I thought the triggers and the psychological aspect were far harder to conquer. There were a lot of triggers that made me go nuts, but carrying gum helped. I found a type of gum I liked and simply replaced the behavior. You can't get rid of a behavior; you have to replace it. I still go out and "have a smoke" with all of my smoker friends... except I pop a piece of gum instead. While quiting, they respected me for quiting (but they won't if you're not serious or commited), and I felt good about it regardless of how badly I wanted one.

After a few months, my lungs felt better than they had in years, and now when I walk by smokers on a day-to-day basis, I almost always reflect on how glad I am I quit. Now that I'm really glad to have quit and I'm past it, I'll occasionally have a cig if I'm getting hammered... but my lungs can't handle more than one, and it tastes horrible if I'm not inebriated. I used to smoke for taste as well, even carying two packs usually for different flavor, smoothness, harshness, etc. to match my mood.

Anyhow, the only way to quit is to resolve to do it all out. Throwing away a pack is very symbolic, as well. If you have to "just finish this pack," you're probably not ready to quit, as you still value cigarettes that highly. It takes commitment, and the choice not to smoke in any way, shape, or form. Step 12: Don't smoke. Never. Any time you get a trigger, replace the behavior (as I said, I used gum). It really sucks, but in my opinion, it's the only way to do it. Perhaps set out a reward system for yourself, as well.

Oh yeah, there's no way around the irritability. Dunno what to tell you there... heh. I also started jogging once my lungs started to feel better. It sucked at first, but after a couple weeks, it felt great. Now I can breathe again... Anyhow, the key to quiting is resolve and commitment. You have to think of yourself as a non-smoker. I dunno what else to say, unless you have any other questions.

Hi,

I'm a 28 yr old male bipolar. been on meds for about 3 years now (religiously). been smoking cigarettes for about 7 years now. i take lexapro, carbamezapine, lithobid daily.

been reading a lot about smoking, quitting and adverse/positive health results of doing so or keeping smoking. i'd love to quit permanently some day.

is anybody here bipolar and quit smoking successfully? did you go cold turkey or use Nicoderm, nicorette, other aid(s)? how did quitting affect your moods?

I've read that a lot of people with depressive disorders tend to smoke. I quit cold turkey very recently for 10 days and started up again. I got very irrationally irritable with violent type thoughts.

calms you down when you're stressed and picks you up when you're bored. plus it's highly addictive. so that's why it's hard for me to quit.

just wondering if the withdrawal effects mess with the meds or if the patch messes with the meds, etc. one of the possible side effects of the patch was depression so I got hesitant. I will consult with pdoc but was wondering what anyone on here had to say about this topic.

any info would be greatly appreciated.

:cool:




Hi:

After smoking 1 1/2 packs a day, I quit smoking in June 2002. Since then I have had 2 cigarretes, 6 months apart. I don't exactly count that as a relapse. I was highly motivated to quit when I did because I wanted to have a baby. I want to point out, too, that at that time, I was VERY stable. I was also able to go off meds to have a baby. I know this sounds bad, but I would not attempt quitting, unless you are in a stable place to begin with. Those modd swings that plague non-bipolar smokers can be worse in bp smokers trying to quit. I previously tried the patch and gum...they didn't help me. Quitting was very hard, but it is possible. It gets easier, as more time passes since you were a regular smoker. Good luck,


Angie

ps: You'll quit when you are ready to quit.

I refuse to quit smoking.

I smoke about 3-4 a day... I think the stress of trying to "give-it-up" would make me go nuts...

If I feel the urge to smoke, I smoke, if I dont, I dont... I dunno... I am odd... :D

I quit smoking a little over a year ago. I took Zyban and believe it or not, it was easy. I haven't had a smoke, and barely a craving ever since. My bf tried to quit at the same time (with Zyban) and forgot to take his pills, or didn't take them because they made him feel "funny".

I found that the thing that helped me the most was exercise. I felt a little silly going to light up a smoke after a good workout.

I found that the thing that helped me the most was exercise. I felt a little silly going to light up a smoke after a good workout.

Hmm... I found that to be very enjoyable actually :D

I used to love going to the gym getting all pumped, do like 30 minutes of cardio after my 1.5 of lifting, then light a smoke... nothing better :cool:

too bad i dont even care for the gym anymore...

lol this post makes me feel like a smoke now, i think ill light up after i reply.

I too am trying to give up smoking because my psychatrist has said that nicotine can effect the effectiveness of some of the drugs im on (atypical antipsychotics). So im really motivated to quit as i want to get well. He also told me not to take the patches or gum because it will make me "speedy" so im going to try and do it without the help of anything =/

Maybe you should talk to your psychatrist about quitting? Mine helped a lot.

Oh yea he gave me some tips. He told me to only buy smokes that I really hate so when i feel like a smoke it will be something that i dislike. He said that has helped some of his other patients.

Take care

Chris :)

It's interesting to note that while many bipolars smoke because of the calming effect and the stimu-burst, smoking has been identified as a contributor to depression... I felt it in my lungs if I didn't smoke for a couple of days. It used to just wipe me out -- It felt like my lungs were rebuilding or something.