How long does nicotine withdrawal last?

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can last for several months, although they are typically at their worst during the first week of quitting, especially the first 3 to 5 days. Even though physical cravings tend to subside within a few weeks, the mental and emotional effects associated with nicotine withdrawal may last months, and you may need some help from your doctor to get through these, particularly if you have a history of anxiety or depression.

What are some common nicotine withdrawal symptoms?

Nicotine withdrawal occurs when quitting any product that contains nicotine (such as vapes, chewing tobacco, and hookahs) and includes symptoms such as:

• Cravings
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Insomnia
• Tiredness
• Increased appetite, particularly for sweets and carbohydrates
• A persistent cough
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Irritability
• Weight gain
• Constipation – particularly during the first month
• Mental fog.

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms timeline

Day 1
Within 3 to 4 hours, the nicotine from your last cigarette will wear off and you will begin craving another cigarette.

You will start to feel restless, and experience overwhelming thoughts of having a cigarette. Irritability starts to kick in, and you may feel sad and hopeless and have difficulty thinking clearly.

Drinking water can keep you hydrated and help reduce withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, hunger, sweating, and tiredness.

Week 1
As the nicotine completely clears out of your body, you are likely to experience more intense cravings for nicotine, develop headaches, and have difficulty sleeping. Days 3 to 5 are when these symptoms reach a peak.

Cravings are the symptoms that you will deal with the longest. Each one is likely to last 15 to 20 minutes and they can start as soon as 30 minutes after your last cigarette. Try to avoid triggers that were times that you were likely to smoke such as drinking alcohol or being around other people who smoke.

Your appetite is likely to increase for 2 reasons. Nicotine binds to receptors in the brain that release feel-good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine which also reduce feelings of hunger. When you stop smoking, there are fewer of these two chemicals circulating to curb that desire to eat, and feelings of fullness. You may also find you fill in the time you used to be smoking with snacking on sweets and carbs. It is not uncommon to put on 5 to 10 pounds during this time.

Week 2
While you may still have a slight headache and have difficulty sleeping, your cravings should have subsided although you may find that certain activities still trigger you to want a cigarette, for example, drinking, coffee breaks, or even getting up in the morning. Most relapses happen during the first 2 weeks of quitting so read our Quit Smoking page for tips for managing nicotine withdrawal to help you get through this time.

Many people find their moods fluctuate during this time and they are easily upset or irritable. Anxiety and depression are also common.

Week 2 to 4
You are past the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, your energy levels are starting to improve, and your thinking becomes clearer. Slowly your cough resolves and your mood becomes brighter.

Week 5 onwards

From now on it’s a mental gain to overcome the urge to have a cigarette. You have done the hard work by getting through the physical cravings so have a few tools at the ready to get you through these, such as :

• Drink water
• Practicing deep breathing
• Distract yourself with another activity to shift your thoughts away from smoking. Try going for a walk or run or switch to a new task
• Delay – try waiting 10 minutes every time you have the urge to smoke. Usually, the urge will decrease or go away the longer you wait
• Discuss – having a buddy to help you through the withdrawal process can help you to overcome cravings. Surround yourself with supportive family and friends and let them know your intention to quit.

What is the best way to quit smoking? Tapering or going cold turkey?

Although quitting cold turkey does not work for all smokers, some people do find success this way.

Going cold turkey means stopping smoking suddenly, with no outside help, support, or nicotine replacement treatments.

How successful this way is depends on the person’s willpower, and their reason for quitting. Those that can stop smoking suddenly usually have a powerful reason for doing so, such as the death of a loved one, an overwhelming feeling that they need to stop smoking, or a diagnosis of a major medical problem or cancer.

Gradually cutting down on smoking involves slowly reducing the number of cigarettes you are smoking until you are no longer smoking any. This can be done by slowly increasing the time between cigarettes or reducing the number of cigarettes in your packet per day.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) substitutes cigarettes with a purer form of nicotine which avoids all the harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Combining 2 forms of NRT works better than just a single method because they work in different ways – patches release nicotine slowly so are worn usually all or most of the day; gum or sprays release nicotine quickly and can help deal with cravings.

NRT is available from pharmacies and supermarkets without a prescription as patches, gum, oral sprays, inhalers, lozenges, or tablets.

For more information about the best way to stop smoking see the Drugs.com Quit Smoking page.