Smoking cig’s (stopping) | ADHD Information

Hi everyone!

So, I stopped smoking 2 weeks ago... I have noticed a huge change in how my med's effect me... I have only been taking 36 mg's of Concerta, and I have been fine. My usual dosage is 72 mgs, but I had been sick and wanted to ease my way back up to that. Concerta does give me the urge to smoke, so I talked to my Dr, and I decided to try the Adderall again....it used to give me headaches...and it isn't now.

So I was curious if anyone noticed a change in how your med's effected you when you quit smoking? Or even if you started smoking?

I'm still having ADD issues, and since I stopped...I have been more likely to not pay attention and interrupt people, but I am getting more done because I am having to keep myself busy not smoking, LoL.

Thank you, C. Your post was no problem reading, as is with anything I have an interest in. Thanks sincerely for your response. All of what you say makes lots of sense. I hope you have become a non-smoker for the rest of your life!

However, now it's my turn, and I will tell you....if you start again, no worries...just try stopping again, with out beating yourself up.

Wellbutrin worked wonders for me, It took the edge off it took awhile to get over the habit (waking up, after eating,)Congrats, Chic, on quitting smoking! How did you do it? HELP me!

I'm on 72mg Concerta, and even when I was on lower dosages, I smoked much more than normally.

So do I hear you correctly ... are you saying if I stop smoking, I may be able to decrease my dosage? I know if I stopped smoking (been addicted 40 yrs!) I definitely would get more done!

I saw my dr yesterday to monitor my meds, and totally forgot to tell her about my increased desire to smoke. Nuts! I've been wanting to try something other than concerta, and if I had told her that, she might have looked into something else for me, although I'm limited to stims I can take. Meanwhile Concerta is working for me, I just wanted to know if something else would help more with motivation. I think I'd rather smoke right now, than interrupt people...which gets me into mucho trouble.

Well, this might just be something odd with me, I don't know...LoL Gypsy, this is long, but may be helpful.

I smoked for about 5 years. I stopped once for about 6 months, but I wasn't on med's at the time. At that time, I just wanted to quit, and it wasn't that difficult at that time. Then I started smoking "just 1" and oops!

This time...I actually got really sick (really bad sinus/respitory infections), and I wasn't able to smoke. The last I tried, it made me really sick after the 1st drag. So after the week I was sick, I figured I might as well just not smoke. I'm back to a point where no one I know smokes, so that's a help. And my constant headaches have basically disappeared at this point, and I feel a lot better...after the initial crappy feeling while my body adjusted (and it is rough!) I know I felt a lot worse initially, but I feel better now than I did when I smoked.
It occurs to me that my "real" reason is that I was coughing up a lot of stuff...which has never happened to me before... That honestly scared me, and I'm not sure why that was what finally scared me. My father passed away a few years back from cancer...he smoked for 50 years...it started in his lungs and took over his body... and I still smoked. But the combo of my memories of seeing him and my coughing, I think that was my motivation. And I am also remembering how much I hated smoke as a kid...and how gross it makes everything (smell and 'film' it leaves)....it's amazing how you don't notice it until you stop..

But, ritalin and Concerta always increased my desire to smoke. If I didn't take it 1 day, I would barely smoke...(I actually wanted to try the Adderall again, to see if it didn't give me the same urge...and it hasn't as much.)

I was going to try and quit a while back, and my 'normal' Dr gave me Wellbutrin. I had a bad reaction to it, made me very, very aggitated & high-strung by Day 2, so I couldn't take it. I have learned from my psychiatrist that the combo of something like Concerta and the Wellbutrin can interact w/ each other. But I also know many people who quit smoking w/ Wellbutrin, too. My reaction wasn't typical.

I think you have to really, honestly want to quit. I still battle the "oh, just 1 will be OK" urges, but I know it won't stop there. It is taking a lot of self-control, and it gets easier after the initial few weeks...and I have people who are supportive (not throwing a cig at me if I get cranky, LoL). When I get a really strong urge, I just try to ride it out...I will get up and drive around, inhaling that smoke smell in my car (LoL, odd since my car was my #1 place to smoke, I haven't wanted to at all since I stopped)...or I chew on a pen, or gum....or spazz and beat up a pillow...LoL
I know w/ ADD, control isn't always easy To me, smoking was a habit and something to do. So it is important to replace it with a new habit. (And I think it's important to know the reasons you smoke, so you know what to deal w/ when quitting.)
As I said, I have been keeping myself busier, by doing projects and working out more. The projects keep me occupied, and they are things I wasn't able to finish when I smoked... And working out helps w/ that, as well as burning calories (smoking burns about 200 calories a day, so add that to people replacing cigs w/ food...and thus the weight gain). And we know, not being bored and ADD are not friends, LoL!

Sorry this was so long! I hope it helps some, if you can get thru it!

Thanks, Gypsy. I hope I can keep this up, too!

I'm a firm believer in not being one's self up when mistakes happen, too. But on the flip side, I have to be careful because that actually helps me convince myself one will be ok...just this once... (I think way too much at times, LoL)

Good luck w/ things if you quit. Have you ever tried the Wellbutrin? Almost every1 I know that stopped smoking has quit successfully w/ that stuff. LoL, my godmother quit using the gum-then was addicted to the gum for years...then started smoking again...but she finally quit w/ Wellbutrin as well.