It has long been established that nicotine is a drug and as such when people attempt to kick the smoking habit they will suffer stop smoking side effects associated with giving up nicotine. The type of stop smoking side effects and their severity will vary from person-to-person, yet the effects are real and will have to be dealt with.

Possibly the most common and talked-about stop smoking side effects is irritability and aggression, which is the result of nicotine withdrawal. Typically, this will last less than four weeks, however it is common that those suffering through this withdrawal, or someone close to them will prompt them to resume using nicotine believing the stop smoking side effects are worse than the effects of smoking.

Depression and restlessness may also accompany a person’s attempts to quit smoking and these stop smoking side effects will usually cease within four weeks. Researchers attribute the depression to the effects of drug withdrawal while restlessness may be caused by the smoker not having something to do with their hands, now that they are not holding a cigarette. Poor concentration also plagues some who quit smoking, but normally this disappears in about two weeks.

Weight Gain Associated With Smoking Cessation

Some researchers contend that one of the stop smoking side effects is a craving for sugar due to the change in the person’s blood sugar level. This sweet tooth craving as well as the new non-smoker’s desire to have something in their mouth often leads to weight gain. Some trying to quit say they use eating as a replacement activity for smoking but the increased appetite generally lasts only about 10 weeks. Others trying to quit claim using physical activity as a replacement for smoking has helped them overcome the increased appetite and helped them lose weight.

Feeling lightheaded and waking up during the night have also been associated as stop smoking side effects but lasting only a short time. Lightheadedness usually disappears in two days while waking up in the middle of the night should stop within two weeks.

The nicotine replacement therapies on the market are designed to reduce the stop smoking side effects experienced by many, and are to be used until the effects of the nicotine and completed removed from the body. They are designed to remove the effects while not creating a dependency on the replacement product so that once a person is completely over their nicotine addiction they can stop the replacement therapy.