Nicotine withdrawal and heightened anxiety?

Hello! I am a 20 year old female. I have been diagnosed with ocd. My obsessions have ranged from violence/irrational fears/fear of tampering etc. This last summer I had the worst experience of my life and had to deal with depersonalization/derealization. With my therapist and over time I started feeling better. I have a bad habit of smoking so I decided to quit cold turkey. I was fine the first 40 hours then I had my first panic attack in months it feel likes. I succumbed to the stupid addiction and thought that perhaps it would calm me down but the actual opposite happened and I can't seem to reel in my anxiety. I'm not sure what to do right now because I just want to feel okay again. I'm not sure if anyone on here has had similar effects when quitting smoking or if there is any advice I can be given. I'm so terrified that my anxiety has come back and I'm just so scared. I never thought doing something good for myself would cause something so bad to happen.

Nicotine withdrawal is the worst! There's a reason why smokers find it so hard to quit.

I've tried cold turkey (it was absolute hell, like you describe), gum, patches and even Champix which has awful side effects. I just go for the e-cigarette these days and it really is much better than tobacco. No smokers cough and wheezing. I also like the fact that you can get the e-liquids in loads of different flavours. I'm slowly reducing the nicotine strength so I can quit. I'm not saying that you should try e-cigs, as that's probably against forum rules. However cold turkey is horrible.

Maybe try hypnosis? It worked for me for about 2 years, but I got drunk and started smoking again.

Cold turkey really is the best way but the withdrawals are bad I've heard. But unlike everything else, you're not replacing one source for another.

Hi peacefullyamidst059

I "was" a heavy smoker 30 years...i smoked 40 ciggies a day.
I quit over 4 years ago now...

Yes i also thought i couldn't do it ...here's what happened

I enjoyed smoking, so why would i give it up? my brother would always nag "stop smoking" but i didnt want to, and we argued many times about it.

Anyway it came to a point were i had to choose ciggies or gas bill...seriously "was a simple as that.

I made my date of quitting and i placed the unopened pack on my fireplace..i could see them clearly so i had nothing to be anxious about "i thought"

every time i had the craving i would glance up at my unopened pack and smile and take a deep breath and carry on watching TV, sometimes i would have to distract my brain and make a coffee or do the dishes etc..i got some tabs/meds from the doctors but they made my nauseous so i couldnt take them, i did find the inhalator a little helpful (to replace the need for something in my fingers) a pen/pencil would have worked to i guess.

It was tough the first few months, i would chase people that was smoking down the street to inhale their smoke (ha ha ha) that must have looked weird
that went on a few weeks then ..i couldn't stand the smell...that's when the worst is over

Then its just a case of remembering to breathe when you crave.
the rest is history

I have to admit though, my ex was a smoker and it irritated the crap out of me, "i know" how hypocritical of me.

BUT his smoking took several hours out of our day in his "PC/smoke room" he was always in there...smoking.