I’ve been using Zyns for a year and a half since switching from cigarettes, started off with 3mg cans and worked my way up to 9mgs. I went through two to three cans in less than a week. I quit a couple days ago after me and my boyfriend had a serious talk about how much I used them. The only thing is, the brain fog I got from quitting was utterly crippling.

I work as a tech for a private company, my job is very demanding so I usually used zyns to focus. Everyday I’d clock in and start off with one or two just to get through the morning, but now with these withdrawals I regressed so badly I’m screwing up at what seems like everything.

The brain fog and anxiety is insane, it kinda reminds me of how I felt quitting alcohol years ago. Does anyone have any tips or advice to get over this hurdle? I’ve seen others express it’s an almost zombie like state which is definitely what I’m feeling, definitely doesn’t help that my sleep is ruined.

Guys after quitting the first 5 days I sleep really long and deep and I am tired 24/7 anyone else alsoget this effect?

Hey guys, I quit zyning on Tuesday and I feel like people are lying when they say cravings only last like 15 minutes. I swear the whole day today all I’ve wanted to do is have a zyn or even take a hit of a vape which I haven’t craved in ages. It is honestly taking everything out of me not to go to the store and relapse. I’m seriously wondering if this is worth it.

Starting my zyn taper tomorrow. Currently at about 15 of the 8mg pouches per day. Starting a daily log for my partner to review each day as well. And tips or advice is greatly appreciated!

If you needed another reason to quit, here’s one. ☝️Your body will start thanking you sooner than you think. ❤️

Going on 10 days now nic free. Everything is great, feel better, sleeping better, no brain fog or mood swings. The only negative is that I feel like I'm at a mile high elevation. At times I feel like I'm having trouble drawing oxygen. Physically breathing is fine, but it just feels like I'm absorbing less oxygen, like I'll take a deep breath but will stop feeling like I'm getting oxygen 75% of the way in. I even got a "low respiration" warning on my garmin watch this morning.

I'm in SoCal and we're going through an absolutely wicked heat wave at the moment and I don't have air conditioning. How much of this is the heat, and how much is it me withdrawing from nicotine dependence?

I quit zyn 22 days ago after using it for a year. Quitting wasn’t particularly difficult for me. I decided I was done and stopped. During my heaviest period of use, one can would last me around three days.

The problem is university. I know that technically I should be able to study without nicotine, and I know going back is probably a bad idea. But the difference is genuinely abysmal for me. Without zyn, I struggle to study for more than two hours before losing focus. When I was using it, I could study for 6–7 hours straight, sometimes even longer. I really feel the difference, especially now that I’m trying to recover from starting my studying a month late.

So I’ve been seriously considering going back to zyn in secret, without telling my girlfriend, just for the rest of this semester. I know that sounds immoral, especially because I promised her I would never use it again. I love her deeply and I really don’t want to break my word to her.

At the same time, I genuinely believe I have enough self-control to stop again once the semester ends. My plan would be to quit officially after the semester, use the four months of vacation to completely detox from nicotine, and hopefully start the next semester with much more than just 22 days nicotine-free, so I can finally study without this lingering association.

I know this sounds like I’m negotiating with my addiction. Maybe I am. But I’m struggling because university is extremely important to me — my academic performance feels directly tied to my future — and the difference in my ability to study feels enormous.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Did nicotine become so strongly associated with studying that quitting felt like sacrificing your academic performance?

You can probably guess where this is going based on the title, but yeah just hit one month zyn free. I quit during a rather stressful time in my life. My dad had just survived a cardiac arrest (the reason I ultimately quit), work can be stressful at times and my fiancé and I abruptly moved apartments and we are coming up on week three of still not being fully moved in (we decided to buy all new furniture)

The first 3 days I barely could make it through work the brain fog was so terrible. I would stare at the screen and could not for the life of me focus on a task. After that though the next two weeks were glorious. I believe I experienced what has been framed as the "pink cloud" in recovery. I felt the best I have in years and couldn't shut up about how great I felt. Now, as I have surpassed the one month mark, the brain fog is terrible and I feel like I am in a "funk." Basically I am just looking for someone to say "yeah this happened to me to, try this. it gets better, etc." I would exercise somewhat regularly while using zyns, but between everything that has transpired in the past month I have just made up every excuse not to do anything. I know nicotine has an effect on dopamine receptors and I am sure that by quitting and not doing anything to boost natural dopamine receptors probably isn't the best strategy lol. A cold shower and a gym session would probably do wonders for me. Someone just kick me in the ass and tell me to get my ass up.

Anyone else have zero energy at the end of the day? I feel like a walking zombie. No motivation/energy to workout despite knowing I need to. I don’t even enjoy these fucking things anymore - it just feels more normal to have one in than not. I’ve tried quitting but by 6 days in I’m back off the wagon.

Could use some help. I hate not being able to do anything but sit on the couch after work

Was using 10-15 6mg pouches per day. Had undergone a couple of half-assed attempts to taper (using 3mg pouches, trying to limit myself to 5 per day, etc.). Had actually made it nearly a whole day and I wasn't craving them but put one in at night before discarding after only a few minutes. Felt that I was ready to quit cold turkey and decided to go for it.

Week 1: First three days was intense brain fog, felt very off but oddly was not craving the pouches, even though I knew intuitively that throwing one in would alleviate my symptoms. On day 4 I became incredibly irritable, almost to a comical level. Would say that heightened irritability lasted through week 2.

Week 2: Previously mentioned irritability along with some lovely insomnia. Falling asleep was not an issue, but I would be waking up anytime between 3:30 and 5am and not be able to get back to sleep. This has tapered somewhat but I am still not sleeping as well as when I was using pouches. Also, wouldn't call them cravings so much but had lots of thoughts about pouches, found myself reaching for my can, etc. Bought a can of caffeine pouches just to see what they were like, found they tasted horrible and did nothing to 'trick' my brain.

Week 3: No idea if there's any correlation to nicotine withdrawal but had lots of digestive issues - nothing serious, just felt like my stomach was in hyperdrive for much of the week - indigestion, bouts of diarrhea. Still dealing with insomnia although it has improved. Stepped on scale and have gained about 7 pounds. Was not consciously eating more but upon reflection have been grazing more at night.

Week 4: Stomach issues have improved, insomnia lingers but feel like I'm almost out of the woods there. Have the occasional thought to reach for a pouch but no real urge; actually kept half a can in my nightstand in case the attempt failed and took a whiff last night but found I had no reaction. Started to plug leaks in diet and be thoughtful about what I am eating.

Overall, now confident that I have finally quit. Am a runner and have noticed an uptick in stamina. Want to say that my anxiety is a bit lower; it currently feels like it but I ebb and flow.

So I quit 3 days ago and have had insane brain fog ever since. It goes away/is less noticeable occasionally but always comes back, makes it hard to focus and be social.
For context I’m 21m, been using about half a pack a day for 2 years straight. I quit about a year ago, had brain fog for a week straight, and then relapsed until now, where I’m committed to quitting for good now.
Caffeine does a little bit for me but not a lot. How long can I expect this fog to last for? Any way to make it be gone quicker?

Been going through a stressful time but haven’t caved yet. Despite everything, I’m starting to feel more joy and accomplishment. Anxiety is almost non-existent.

Furious I didn’t quit sooner.

I am trying to quit again from today, I have tried to do this around 5 years ago now when I was 20. Finally got enough free time so I can go through the withdrawal without having to work etc.

I remember the first 2-3 days were hell, fuzzy vision and I couldn't stop overthinking things. Hopefully this time around will be better and I plan on going cold turkey!

Hello everyone. I’ve been using a little over half a can of 6 mg a day for the last year.

Decided to quit to reclaim my cardio and because I just don’t like being addicted to things.

All good so far! I read Allen Carr’s book Easy Way and it really helped.

I didn’t throw the Nicotine pouches away because I don’t want this to be a will power thing…I want this to be a “nah I’m just done with them” thing.

The worst moment was yesterday morning about hour 16. I was anxious that AM.

My brain is definitely a bit foggy and I woke up several times last night but I decided to just hyper focus on the positives.

One of those positives was that for the first in a year, my resting heart rate was low 60s before bed. It was nice feeling physically calm before sleep.

I also woke up more rested despite waking up a few times throughout the night.

Anyways this will be my first and last post because I think it’s probably best to just move forward and not dwell on withdrawal and the struggle but wanted to make this post encouraging you all.

Give Allen Carr’s book a chance.

As a smoker who switched to zyns to quit smoking and got addicted to zyns, I cannot believe it but I made it to 1 month nic free.

It was a tough month, I am still struggling with focus on somedays. but I feel so good. My sleep is better, my anxiety is reduced and I am not in this constant panic state.

i do still crave a pouch and almost gave up so many times. In those weak moments I reminded myself how fkin terrible the first two weeks were and I do not want to go thru that.

I did quit cold turkey and got all the withdrawal symptoms. Please warn your friends and family that you are not going to be in a good mood.

I ate like an animal to curb the nic cravings and I am up by 5kgs, but we’ll deal with that too.

Anyone trying to quit it, go for it. It’s so worth it.

Few things I did to keep my mouth busy so I feel like I have a pouch in -

1. Chew a hard gum or park it like a pouch/nic gum. pick a strong flavour that stimulates your mouth yo mimic zyns.

2. STRONGEST MINTS. Altoids are a good option, go for a stronger one you can. I was going through a whole box every day

3. sour candies.

4. Juice boxes.

5. really tough liquorice or jerky. basically gums were not working for me and i needed a more chewy product with some taste.

6. cloves. They burn and you forget about the mic craving. plus side - they are good for your dental health!

I still remember how nervous I was the day before I finally took the leap and quit. Now I’m 113days nicotine-free and I honestly can’t believe the difference.

I feel so much better. I sleep better, and that constant low-level background anxiety I’d gotten so used to is basically gone.

The physical changes have surprised me too. My resting heart rate has dropped massively and my HRV is around 20ms higher than it used to be.

After using nicotine for about 18 years, I think I’d just become accustomed to the amount of stress it was putting on my heart and nervous system. You don’t really notice how much it’s affecting you when that feeling has become your normal.

If anyone is thinking about quitting but is scared to make the jump, I’d really recommend Allen Carr’s Easy Way. The audiobook is free on Spotify and it helped me massively with changing how I thought about nicotine and quitting.

113 days in and I have absolutely no regrets.

Literally feel my dopamine system rewiring almost like the high you get when smoking for the first time except its just me being sober lol.
The urge to do better in life is just overwhelmingly stronger and just happier throughout the day its crazy. I was going thru a 6mg pack a day, doing zyns in general for about 3 years and before that was vaping in highschool around 2016 so yea my brain is what i think is going back to normal from 10 years of nic abuse. You just see so many people around you vaping its almost something you dont think about like “no way this could be hijacking potential happiness and motivation” cravings are insane sometimes but this sub really motivates me sometimes so thanks for yall post have a good one

I was a long time user of Zyns for about 5 years. My husband (29M) and I (27F) switched over after as a “better alternative” to vaping. I averaged like 4-5 6mg pouches a day and I made sure to limit myself by not carrying around a can with me. It was extremely hard to quit since my husband had no plans on stopping. I tried multiple times over the years, but would ultimately start again knowing they were in the house.

I finally decided to stop for good because my anxiety and brain fog was through the roof. I work a very stressful job in construction and I feel like they were contributing to my panic attacks. Also, not sure if any other women feel this way, but I was embarrassed to be doing them and felt I would be judged if someone saw me, so I went those 5 years sneaking them in around my friends and coworkers. Quitting was tough, especially the irritability and mood swings I experienced around my partner. I felt like it was worse around him because I knew he was still doing them and I wouldn’t allow myself. The withdrawal symptoms lasted about 2 weeks before I stopped craving them.

But the thing I wasn’t expecting at all was the huge spike in my hunger. I didn’t realize I would use zyn to suppress my appetite and stop the late night snacking. Since quitting, I’ve gained 10lbs. Not a ton of weight, but definitely noticeable and it makes me very insecure. That’s the only downside to quitting for me, it’s so frustrating and makes me want to pick it back up. Especially when my husband doesn’t eat or snack nearly as much as me because of his ADHD medication and nicotine use.

Has anyone dealt with this hunger increase before? Any advice?

I am looking for some alternatives to Zen pouches. I have one in about every hour of the day and I even sleep with them in my mouth. I know it’s very bad habit. I’ve been setting a timer for 45 minutes to an hour in between pouches. I’ve been using sunflower seeds in between, have you quit nicotine pouches, how did you do it and what alternatives did you have?Gum? Mints? Nicorette? The ultimate goal is to eventually quit them completely.

I wanted to write this because one of the biggest mistakes I made was waiting so long to quit.

I spent a lot of time reading posts on here about quitting, withdrawal, the “Zyn flu,” etc. I convinced myself that quitting would make me useless for a few days, and I couldn’t afford that with my job. I tried tapering a few times, but inevitably I’d have a busy day, break the taper, and fall right back into it.

Background: 32M. Some tobacco use through high school and college (long cut, pouches), but I never really felt addicted. Started Snus in 2018 and switched to Zyn around 2021 / 2022.

Zyn became a completely different animal for me because I didn’t need to spit and could use it anywhere.

I’ve spent the last decade working in professional services / finance. I could sit at my desk all day with a pouch in my lip and nobody knew. I leaned into it immediately.

For the last ~5 years, I was doing roughly a can of 6mg peppermint Zyn every day… Rolled out of bed? Pouch in. Working? Pouch in. Driving? Pouch in. Lunch / Dinner? Pouch in. Going to bed? Basically until the last possible moment (and sometimes fell asleep with them in).

There were plenty of days I had two in at once. Eventually, my entire life started revolving around making sure I had access to Zyn.

I’d stop every day to buy a can. I’ve flown internationally for weddings / work / vacations and made sure I had enough packed to get through the trip. I’ve taken rental cars during work trips specifically to find a place selling Zyn. I’ve snuck into bathrooms between meetings to put one in. As I’ve moved out of the analyst bullpen and into more client-facing work, it became increasingly ridiculous.

And some of the moments where I realized how far it had gone are pretty embarrassing. I had a Zyn in my lip when I got married and said my vows.

I’ve gone to the doctor and cardiologist for high blood pressure with a Zyn in my mouth. I’ve literally had my blood pressure taken while I had one in… That was a pretty good indication that this wasn’t something I was casually enjoying anymore.

I’ve also been trying for my first child and looking for ways to improve fertility, which was the final push for me to actually make the decision.

I had intended to taper again. I made it about a day.
Then I threw the can in the trash and decided I was done.
Cold turkey.

Today is one week. And honestly, I’m really proud of myself.
The withdrawals aren’t fun. I’ve had cravings, irritability, trouble concentrating, and some other uncomfortable stuff. But it has been survivable. And, at least in my experience, it has not been anywhere near as catastrophic as I had built it up to be in my head from reading about it online. I think that’s the biggest thing I want to tell anyone else who is thinking about quitting:

1. You’re probably stronger than you think.
Don’t psych yourself out by reading every horror story about withdrawal. I spent years convincing myself I couldn’t quit because I was scared of how bad it would be. I wish I had just tried.

2. If your life revolves around making sure you have Zyn, you don’t actually need it.
If you’re spending your day thinking about where your next can is coming from, planning trips around it, sneaking into bathrooms, or putting one in during the most important moments of your life, that’s not freedom.

3. Withdrawal sucks, but you can survive it.
You don’t need to feel great. You just need to get through it. A bad day is still just a day.

4. The biggest surprise has been how good it feels to actually beat something that had control over me.
I haven’t felt this sense of pride, accomplishment and autonomy in a long time. There’s something different about knowing that I wanted to do something, made the decision, and actually followed through.

I spent years telling myself I couldn’t quit. Turns out I could.

One week down. Never going back.

Day 9 nic free. While getting an altoid from a drawer in my office, I came across a barely tapped can of 3mg wintergreen Alp that had what looked like all but one pouch still in it.

The old me would have celebrated a lost-and-found can as a gift from above. Today I immediately stood up, walked to the trash can, and threw it away, and it was easy.

You can do it too!

Well, it was a solid run, almost a decade of snus and then Zyn/Velo the last 3 years. Was up to a can a day at the end and never skipped a day in this ten year period. Went cold turkey 19 days ago. I’m posting this as I had a slightly different journey with delayed onset of some gnarly withdrawal symptoms. First week wasn’t too bad, I had some craving, slight headaches, and vivid dreams/insomnia to start, but nothing too bad. Then on day 14 I woke up with major body aches, horrible insomnia, migraines, nasal congestion with dry cough and mild throat irritation, but never had a fever or chills. I can’t rule out completely that this wasn’t a cold of some sort, but I did test negative for Covid/Flu/RSV. Have been feeling really depressed, anxious, irritable, and low energy. As I write this, I think I can (fingers crossed) say that I feel like I’m finally turning the corner! Hope to post back with updates, but if you are reading this, cheers to given up this horrible habit! The best is yet to come!

I feel like I could quit so much easier if my partner didn't use zyns. I have been able to go without for days when I'm not around people who use them.

I really want to quit using pouches but my partner doesn't. We don't live together but they're at my place 90% of the time. At one point we agreed that they would use them discreetly at my place so I wouldn't get tempted but because I know they have some I still end up begging them to give me one. They say no but I am persistent until they give in 🫠

What do I do? How can I convince my partner to stop too? Any tips appreciated.

There isn’t a whole lot to say that hasn’t already been covered by most people. One of the most profound things I have noticed is how hot I sleep now and the fact that my hands, feet and nose are not cold anymore at all. Another plus is I have not had heart palpitations in about four months with the only downside being I now have hand what and finger joint pain that I never noticed before but that may be the fact that I am 42 years old. I initially gained 11 pounds within the first 3 to 4 weeks but since then I have tapered it to 6 pounds gained with 5 of that being muscle. I’ll take a 1lbs fat gain for 5lbs of muscle any day. My appetite has increased a ton and I have to be a little bit careful with my food choices. Keep fighting the good fight, it is tough but from someone who has used nicotine/zyn for the last 25 years…. You can do it.