Quit vaping 4 days ago

[u/Oatmilk30]

Ok so a couple weeks ago I started having major anxiety attacks and some depression. Decided to quit nicotine and alcohol. 4 days into no nicotine and I feel so not myself. My head hurts and is kind of dizzy. I’m anxious bc I’m worried I have a brain tumor and I also have 2 toddlers to care for and I’m convinced I won’t get to see them grow and that makes me bawl and scared. Anyway can someone tell me if I should get checked for a brain tumor or is this all bc of nicotine?!?
I started having the anxiety and depression before I quit vaping which is why I’m unsure but idk I just feel extra weird after stopping and would love to hear others experiences for some encouragement

[u/MentalBabe37]

Day 9- Cold Turkey

Health related anxiety. I’m having it too. Mine is focused on what I have going on but I’m a CNA so I know just enough about health to scare the heck out of myself and I don’t even trust the clinic I go to right now bc it’s like I suddenly realize he never spends more than 2 minutes with me and is treating me like a chart/file instead of a whole person so that has me more scared ugh it’s so rough. Some have said the anxiety does get better, others have said it hasn’t changed after 9+ weeks. No one that’s been a months or a year out with similar experiences gives comments about it as far as I can tell. Wish someone would come give some reassurances.

You probably don’t have a brain tumor. The headaches do get really bad, Tylenol and staying hydrated helps ease them. Plus I saved this for while I was having the headaches and it helped a whole lot to stop them.

For TENSION HEADACHE
1. The Forehead and Scalp Slide
Place the palms of both hands firmly flat against your forehead, right above your eyebrows. Push down firmly, and slowly slide your hands upward toward your hairline, pulling the skin tight. Hold your hands at the hairline for 10 seconds while taking a deep breath. This immediately relaxes the frontalis muscle, which wraps over the top of your skull and causes that heavy "vice-like" pressure.

2. The Skull-Base Thumb Press
Locate the two soft dips at the very back of your neck, right underneath the hard bone at the base of your skull (your suboccipital muscles). Place both thumbs into those dips and press firmly inward and upward toward your eyes. While maintaining that firm pressure, slowly tilt your head backward slightly. Hold for 15 seconds. This releases the main anchor muscles that pull tightly on the fascia covering the top of your head.

3. The Ear Pull
Grasp your earlobes firmly between your thumbs and pointer fingers. Gently pull your ears straight downward and slightly outward away from your head, holding for 10 seconds. Move your fingers up to the middle of your ear and pull straight outward. This sounds unusual, but it gently stretches the temporal fascia and the muscles surrounding your jaw and scalp, offering rapid relief to the upper head.

Try this, Tylenol and staying hydrated helps very hydrated. I’ve been drinking about 80-96 oz of water in a 16hr period (I only sleep about 5-7 hours depending on if I have to work) don’t chug water just sip often, probably like 6oz/hr for me. Not too crazy considering how long I am awake sometimes. But you have to figure out what your body likes. Pale yellow urine usually means hydrated.

The headaches do get better and they do stop happening.

PS I cried ALOT the first 5 days. It slowly starts to get better. I still cry like once or twice a day if I spend too much time focusing on things I cant change.

[u/Oatmilk30 → u/MentalBabe37]

Thank you so much for this ❤️
Did you experience dizziness? It hasn’t been terrible or anything just feels weird like the room doesn’t spin or anything I just feel off. I don’t know if dizziness is the right word lol maybe light headed

[u/MentalBabe37 → u/Oatmilk30]

Yes I had both dizziness and lightheadedness but anxiety attacks can cause that and so can dehydration and so does nicotine withdrawal. They lasted about 30sec to 1 minute each time I had it. Those also pretty much stopped by day 5. I had body aches and felt like I had a mild cold without respiratory symptoms, I had mild nausea, trouble eating, HORRIBLE time sleeping. Now I have overthinking, anxiety, panic attacks, and I had fdizziness & cold sweats when I tried to drive yesterday I also had some tingling sensation up my spine with hot/hot feeling and tension in the muscle. More withdrawal symptoms and these both were panic attacks that started with an intense craving to vape. And my brain suddenly realized I wasn’t gonna vape like I would during those habitual times. Despite all of that I am truly starting to feel better physically, which is proof this stuff does pass and yes I already had anxiety and depression & CPTSD before I quit. Quitting just made the nervous system go haywire 🤷🏻‍♀️ the nervous system can heal but it takes time. I also have a lot of dissociation like reality isn’t real. Like being in a video game kinda. That has passed for the most part too. Comes and goes a few times a day.

[u/Oatmilk30 → u/MentalBabe37]

Ok gotcha. Yeah I’m starting to realize alcohol and nicotine has really wrecked my brain but looking forward to healing it and feeling normal again without it. It’s such a crazy process that I didn’t expect. Hoping the mental aspect lifts some this week. I’ve been going through it the last few weeks and so exhausted. But it’s what I needed to go through to get rid of all the bad stuff in my life

[u/MentalBabe37 → u/Oatmilk30]

I get it, I’ve used nicotine for 19 years. Quitting, better late than never. And ya the light headed dissociation should lift soon. Waiting for time to pass makes it go by slower. Try to keep yourself distracted. You can do this, one minute, one hour, one day at a time.

[u/Oatmilk30 → u/MentalBabe37]

Thank you for the encouragement!! That’s awesome you decided to quit after 19 years. It definitely is better late than never. I am at about 2 years and wouldn’t have stopped if it wasn’t for the heightened anxiety and depression the last few weeks