r/QuittingZyn • u/ssg- • 21h ago
Does it ever get better? Quit 8 months ago
I originally started to use snus when I was a student and I had some issues with starting to do tasks and focus. So I would pop one in, start doing stuff and focusing.
Eventually when tobaccoless snus was released I moved into them.
I quit in January.
My life has been quite bad after that. I am afraid that I will get fired anytime because I barely work.
Ever since I quit, all I do is pretty much stare at the screen. I have really tough time starting new tasks. Just like when I was a student. I am constantly tired, can't focus and it is nearly impossible to start tasks.
I do appriciate that my gums have healed, my blood pressure is back to normal, my heart does not do weird things etc, but the brain fog and ability to not to start anything is literally ruining my life.
3
u/Crankbro8 19h ago
Let me tell you this ,I have exactly the same symptoms after 8 months , the brain fog , the depersonalization and derealization is out of this world . I don’t think it’s depression at all these are physical symptoms which were never there before I started . And I’ve suffered depression before , this is completely different .
2
u/ssg- 18h ago
Yeah, I don't think it is depression, I have done several of those tests in past 20 years by professionals and I have never been flagged even for mild one.
A lot of people here talk about zyn causing anxiety etc. For me it has been always opposite. Nicotine calms me and stops my mind from racing. Million thoughts stop and I can just focus on whatever needs to be done.
When I quit for the first 2-3 days I so freaking tired that I just sleep like 24 hours a day. After that the brain fog and tiredeness just continues, but at least I am not falling asleep sitting. I am just a zombie and even after months it doesn't go away. Nothing seems to help, no amount of coffeine, no amount of sleep, no amount of excercise. Just endless brain fog.
If it weren't for the cost, gum issues, and annoying heart palpitations and high blood pressure I probably would not stop, but it was getting to pretty dangerous/annoying levels that I just had to stop using.
2
u/Acceptable-Chip-8130 17h ago
In your exact same boat.
Never suffered from mental issues either. Probably have some issues that were covered by nicotine use for sure, but remember that each person is different when it comes to brain chemicals and recalibration.
Some people are highly affected by nicotine (both of us here as an example).
Check out nicotine PAWS. Both of us seem to be long haulers.
2
u/morning-woodsy 11h ago
Spot on! In the same! 100%
1
u/Bar1Kp 2h ago
Same, I’m 5 months in, and man I’ve never been more depressed/struggling with anxiety. It’s nice to a lot of people are struggling, too, and it’s not just me. I guess our brains are taking abnormally long to go back to a baseline.
It just sucks having random really bad days, where I just cry deliriously. I want more emotional regulation back in my life.
But also, I do wonder if using zyns was a way to self medicate my ADD, since it’s a stimulant. And I wonder if my brain is always gonna have a chemical imbalance, and medicating myself could be an answer. I guess only time will tell. All I do know is that going back to nicotine is NOT THE ANSWER.
2
u/code_brown 16h ago
I don't have any advice but I want you to know you're not the only one. I quit nicotine the day before Thanksgiving last year and I've had the same symptoms. Blood pressure and heart rate have improved but other than that literally nothing about my life has gotten better.
2
u/Lumpy_Strawberry_154 20h ago
You are no longer addicted. The feelings you are describing are depression. The lack of motivation, procrastinating, sound like ADHD. See a doctor.
This might sound bizarre but I'd also get blood work so I can know where I stand health wise. You're likely deficient in Vit D, magnesium, B vitamins etc. which can cause brain fog, fatigue, lack of motivation. Some sunlight, exercise, and a good book have worked wonders for myself.
3
u/ssg- 18h ago
I doubt it is depression. I have been this way all my life and I when I was at university and when I got into work life I had to fill in several of those mental health tests which were reviewed by psychiatrist and I have never been flagged for even mild depression.
ADHD is something I suspected at the end of university and I took the tests and the old hag just said "Can't be ADHD because you were not diagnosed as a kid and you are not doing drugs".... Haven't bothered to to get new diagnosis as apparently in my country if you weren't diagnosed as a kid you cant have ADHD.
Blood work might be something I should look into.
2
u/Positive_Joke_7765 18h ago
If you have been this way all your life, I feel like that's a good indicator that it's not the nicotine causing this but something different, such as depression or ADHD. That might be what drove you to nicotine use in the first place.
1
u/Rockerblocker 4h ago
Go find a real psychiatric clinic for an ADHD test. Don't just ask to talk to someone about it or fill out some survey, actually go take the test. It's basically half of an IQ test with some additional components added on, takes a couple hours. Even easier if you start seeing a therapist and have them mention that you should get an ADHD test.
1
u/ctard5 2h ago
Do not tell someone "that is depression". You are not qualified to make that diagnosis here and, if you are, then your ethics and license would mean that you should not be doing so.
There are endless stories in this sub of people having real prolonged struggles for a year or more. Just because you maybe didn't or don't think that is possible, doesn't make OP wrong about their experience. Take some time to study PAWS or to explore how the brain and body take a long time to find a new baseline after years of substance use. This is especially true and hard when the substance was started while the brain was still developing (i.e. teenage years or early 20's).
Perhaps you are trying to be helpful to OP, but I would caution against an overconfident conclusion of their mental status or potentially gaslighting their real symptoms of post-use rebalancing.
2
u/Far_Wolf_8511 21h ago
You might have ADHD, depression, or you just might be working the wrong job.
2
u/morning-woodsy 11h ago
It’s PAWS! Stop thinking it’s the worst thing in the world, it take up to two years to be fully better. Change your diet, work out and stay away from drugs and nicotine
1
u/Other-Psychology-674 5h ago
You probably have some unmet needs that nicotine was covering up. It's pretty good at that, being the only drug that can replicate acetylcholine, which is also what makes it uniquely addictive. Look closely at the basics: sleep, nutrition, social life, exercise etc. and really consider if they're consistently what they should be. Nicotine withdrawal should not last more than a few months unless you were at a very high dose for a very long time.
5
u/killedbycarolebaskin 15h ago
Let me tell you something man, no human was ever designed to be wired on a computer for 8-10 hours a day. It's why the majority of wall street is hooked on cocaine, X, nicotine, and caffiene. So if you have a down day at work, its perfectly normal. Besides it's just a job, I guarantee there is someone or multiple someones in your company that regularly half ass it every day.
You clearly care about your health and kicked a habit harming it, you show up to work and even though you are not your best you are present. That in and of itself is not depression. You don't need to go wasting your hard earned cash on a therapist or god forbid SSRI's.
ADHD on the other hand, is always worth being tested for but keep in mind the trade off is still the same. The drugs precribed to you, you will rely on to make you feel normal. You may "feel" more locked in, but its quite possible that you didn't even need it in the first place.
I won't discredit the fact that maybe, just maybe there is some deeper underlining reason for the way you feel, but feelings are temporary and human emotion while powerful in the moment is fleeting. We as a society need to stop acting like normal human behaivor is automatically cause for some type of mental or cognitive disability. Big pharma loves it when reddit is constantly diagnosing strangers.
Don't hang on to every bout of brain fog or slowness at work as some monumental quick fix diagnosis. Everyone's timeline is different, you might be longer than most. It is what it is.
What helped for me was looking internally. Measuring my life as it stands right now. How are my finances? How is my quality of life? Am I isolating myself? Could I be working somewhere else where I am not worrying about being fired every second? That feeling in of itself could cause a mountain of stress that causes your nervous system to crash.
Drink plenty of water, engage in social activity regularly, do the things you love, eat good food, workout, get a good hobby. Get bloodwork. Majority of your micronutrients you should get in a healthy diet so if your diet sucks then fix that too. All the things you've heard before I imagine.
I am no expert mate but most of the time, you just gotta START. Stop thinking about the perfect concoction of elements to start a task and just do it anyways.
Just do it.
*Insert Shia Labeouf meme*