Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsDiagnosisCausesTreatmentCopingPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Causes
Treatment
Coping
Prevention
Smoker’s flu, also known as quitter’s flu, is a slang term used to describe some of the main symptoms ofnicotine withdrawalthat resemble the flu or common cold. Smoker’s flu is not an infectious disease but rather the process a person’s body goes through while transitioning to life after quitting nicotine.
Smoker’s flu refers to the physical effects of detoxing fromnicotineand thechemicals in cigarettes and tobacco products. These symptoms can mimic those of an illness. Most former smokers are familiar with these common symptoms of withdrawal.
At a GlanceCoughing, fatigue, postnasal drip, and sore throat are just a few symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that might make you feel like you have a cold or flu. While unpleasant, it’s normal to experience such symptoms when you are quitting smoking. Keep reading to learn more about the symptoms of smoker’s flu, what causes these symptoms, and how to cope with flu-like symptoms when you are quitting smoking.
At a Glance
Coughing, fatigue, postnasal drip, and sore throat are just a few symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that might make you feel like you have a cold or flu. While unpleasant, it’s normal to experience such symptoms when you are quitting smoking. Keep reading to learn more about the symptoms of smoker’s flu, what causes these symptoms, and how to cope with flu-like symptoms when you are quitting smoking.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Symptoms of Smoker’s Flu
Cravings for cigarettes are also another common nicotine withdrawal symptom. Such cravings often make it more difficult to quit.
While research is sparse, one older study suggests that it is common to feel sick after quitting smoking as 73% of the participants reported cold symptoms or mouth ulcers after smoking cessation.
Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms and Coping
Diagnosis of Smoker’s Flu
Most of the discomfort associated with nicotine withdrawal is similar to the common cold or the flu. This can make it difficult to know whether you’re sick or experiencing withdrawal.
The following questions can help you figure out why you aren’t feeling well.
Are You Using a Quit Smoking Aid?
Quit-smoking aids can reduce or eliminate the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Nearly allquit aidslower nicotine cravings to some extent. While you may still miss the act of smoking, the physical sensations of nicotine withdrawal won’t be as intense as they might be without a quit aid.
If youquit cold turkey(without the use of any quit aid and without tapering your daily nicotine intake) expect symptoms to be very strong for the first few days as your body begins eliminating residual nicotine and adjusting to being nicotine-free.
When Did the Symptoms Start?
Think about when you first started feeling bad. If the timing coincides with when you quit smoking, chances are you’re dealing with nicotine withdrawal. However, if your symptoms don’t improve within a few days, or you are concerned about them, call a healthcare provider.
Increased Risk of the Flu in Smokers
Causes of Smoker’s Flu
It binds to receptors in the brain and affects the activity of chemicals includingserotonin,dopamine, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, and glutamate. These neurotransmitters play a role in different functions including memory, mood, appetite, and feelings of pleasure.
When you quit smoking, your body suddenly has to get used to the absence of nicotine in the brain. As your brain and body try to adjust to this change, the lack of nicotine is what causes symptoms such as cravings, depressed mood, irritability, appetite changes, and sleep difficulties.
Can Quitting Vaping Make You Feel Sick?Withdrawing from any type of nicotine product may lead to feeling sick. In regard to quitting vaping specifically, a 2021 study reviewed 1,228 posts in a Reddit community and found that 31.1% of them mentioned experiencing intense withdrawal symptoms when they stopped vaping, many of which mimicked a cold (i.e., cough, sore throat, and chest pain).
Can Quitting Vaping Make You Feel Sick?
Withdrawing from any type of nicotine product may lead to feeling sick. In regard to quitting vaping specifically, a 2021 study reviewed 1,228 posts in a Reddit community and found that 31.1% of them mentioned experiencing intense withdrawal symptoms when they stopped vaping, many of which mimicked a cold (i.e., cough, sore throat, and chest pain).
Treatment of Smoker’s Flu
While nicotine withdrawal typically goes away on its own, smoker’s flu can last anywhere from a week to a month. The duration and intensity of these symptoms can affect how successful you are at quitting. Fortunately, there are treatments available that can ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and make it more likely that you’ll stick to your smoking cessation goals.
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications
Pain relievers and cough drops can help relieve some symptoms of the smoker’s flu. OTC remedies for upset stomach, runny nose, sore throat, and trouble sleeping might also be helpful.
Some medications that can help includeguaifenesin, an expectorant that can help make coughs more productive, and pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Advil (ibuprofen).
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
Nicotine replacement medications deliver a small amount of nicotine without the dangerous chemical found in cigarettes. They can help you gradually reduce your nicotine intake more comfortably without severe withdrawal symptoms.
NRT products available includenicotine patches, chewing gum, inhalers, lozenges, and nasal spray.
Psychotherapy
Behavioral therapy orcognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)can also be helpful in changing the problematic thoughts and behaviors that play a role in smoking, which can help people learn new skills that will help them quit smoking and stay smoke-free over the long term.
How long does smoker’s flu last?While there’s no way to avoid these symptoms completely, treatments can reduce their intensity and make them more tolerable. The first week is often the worst, but most of your symptoms should largely disappear after two to four weeks.
How long does smoker’s flu last?
While there’s no way to avoid these symptoms completely, treatments can reduce their intensity and make them more tolerable. The first week is often the worst, but most of your symptoms should largely disappear after two to four weeks.
Coping With Smoker’s Flu
Quitting smoking is tough but it’s one of the best things you can do for your health. Unfortunately, symptoms of quitter’s flu are sometimes unpleasant enough that people return to smoking. The following tips will help you feel better as you go through the process of quitting.
Distract Yourself
Distractionis a top tool at your disposal during early smoking cessation.It’s easy for our brains to get stuck on a negative track, fixating on physical irritations, and making us feel worse.
Exercise
Once you get the green light from a doctor, start slow. A short walk around the block can be enough to subdue withdrawal symptoms. Walking provides an instant reward, helping you feel better right away.
Practice Relaxation Technique
Mind-body practices can help promote relaxation and rest while you are coping with symptoms of the smoker’s flu. Some helpful approaches may include deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and progressive muscle relaxation.
Eat Well
The fuel you give your body during nicotine withdrawal can either reduce your negative symptoms or make you feel worse. Think about how your body reacts to food under normal circumstances.
Eating unhealthy food can lead to blood sugar spikes and crashes, leaving you feeling wired or tired as you go through your day. Foods that keep your body in balance will provide you with sustained energy as you detoxify from cigarettes.
Get Enough Rest
When you quit smoking, your body works hard to rid itself of toxins and shake the physical addiction to nicotine. Give yourself permission to go to bed earlier or take a nap if you need it.Don’t worry, your energy will return in time.
Can You Prevent Smoker’s Flu?
It’s hard to predict exactly what type of symptoms you might experience when you quit smoking, but how you quit may have an impact on the severity of your symptoms. If you quitcold turkey(which means suddenly stopping all nicotine use), you may be more likely to experience more severe withdrawal symptoms, including more severe smoker’s flu symptoms.
Talk to your doctor about which smoking cessation options might be the most helpful for you. Your doctor may also recommend prescription medications that can help you quit smoking, such asZyban(bupropion) andChantix(varenicline).
The Bottom Line
Takeaways
For most people who smoke, quitting tobacco produces one or several symptoms of withdrawal. Changing old habits is tough, especially if you’ve been smoking multiple times a day for years.
How to Survive Nicotine Withdrawal
15 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.7 common withdrawal symptoms.Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: a systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-9. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965Ussher M, West R, Steptoe A, McEwen A.Increase in common cold symptoms and mouth ulcers following smoking cessation.Tob Control. 2003;12(1):86-8. doi:10.1136/tc.12.1.86Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).How quit smoking medicines work.Smokefree.gov.Managing nicotine withdrawal.Jiang C, Chen Q, Xie M.Smoking increases the risk of infectious diseases: A narrative review.Tob Induc Dis. 2020;18(July). doi:10.18332/tid/123845Addicott MA, Sweitzer MM, McClernon FJ.The effects of nicotine and tobacco use on brain reward function: Interaction with nicotine dependence severity.Nicotine Tob Res. 2019;21(6):764-771. doi:10.1093/ntr/nty059Struik L, Yang Y.e-Cigarette cessation: Content analysis of a quit vaping community on Reddit.J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(1):e28303. doi:10.2196/28303Martínez-Vispo C, Rodríguez-Cano R, López-Durán A, Senra C, Fernández del Río E, Becoña E.Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smoking cessation: Randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(4):e0214252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214252Ploderer B, Smith W, Pearce J, Borland R.A mobile app offering distractions and tips to cope with cigarette craving: A qualitative study.JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2014;2(2):e23. doi:10.2196/mhealth.3209Klinsophon T, Thaveeratitham P, Sitthipornvorakul E, Janwantanakul P.Effect of exercise type on smoking cessation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):442. doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2762-yAmerican Cancer Society.Quitting smoking: Help for cravings and tough situations.Jaehne A, Unbehaun T, Feige B, et al.Sleep changes in smokers before, during and 3 months after nicotine withdrawal.Addict Biol. 2015;20(4):747-55. doi:10.1111/adb.12151Cui ZY, Li YH, Liu Z, et al.The experience of tobacco withdrawal symptoms among current smokers and ex-smokers in the general population: Findings from nationwide China Health Literacy Survey during 2018-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:1023756. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1023756Carson KV, Brinn MP, Robertson TA, et al.Current and emerging pharmacotherapeutic options for smoking cessation.Subst Abuse.2013;7:85–105. doi:10.4137/SART.S8108
15 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.7 common withdrawal symptoms.Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: a systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-9. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965Ussher M, West R, Steptoe A, McEwen A.Increase in common cold symptoms and mouth ulcers following smoking cessation.Tob Control. 2003;12(1):86-8. doi:10.1136/tc.12.1.86Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).How quit smoking medicines work.Smokefree.gov.Managing nicotine withdrawal.Jiang C, Chen Q, Xie M.Smoking increases the risk of infectious diseases: A narrative review.Tob Induc Dis. 2020;18(July). doi:10.18332/tid/123845Addicott MA, Sweitzer MM, McClernon FJ.The effects of nicotine and tobacco use on brain reward function: Interaction with nicotine dependence severity.Nicotine Tob Res. 2019;21(6):764-771. doi:10.1093/ntr/nty059Struik L, Yang Y.e-Cigarette cessation: Content analysis of a quit vaping community on Reddit.J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(1):e28303. doi:10.2196/28303Martínez-Vispo C, Rodríguez-Cano R, López-Durán A, Senra C, Fernández del Río E, Becoña E.Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smoking cessation: Randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(4):e0214252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214252Ploderer B, Smith W, Pearce J, Borland R.A mobile app offering distractions and tips to cope with cigarette craving: A qualitative study.JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2014;2(2):e23. doi:10.2196/mhealth.3209Klinsophon T, Thaveeratitham P, Sitthipornvorakul E, Janwantanakul P.Effect of exercise type on smoking cessation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):442. doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2762-yAmerican Cancer Society.Quitting smoking: Help for cravings and tough situations.Jaehne A, Unbehaun T, Feige B, et al.Sleep changes in smokers before, during and 3 months after nicotine withdrawal.Addict Biol. 2015;20(4):747-55. doi:10.1111/adb.12151Cui ZY, Li YH, Liu Z, et al.The experience of tobacco withdrawal symptoms among current smokers and ex-smokers in the general population: Findings from nationwide China Health Literacy Survey during 2018-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:1023756. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1023756Carson KV, Brinn MP, Robertson TA, et al.Current and emerging pharmacotherapeutic options for smoking cessation.Subst Abuse.2013;7:85–105. doi:10.4137/SART.S8108
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.7 common withdrawal symptoms.Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: a systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-9. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965Ussher M, West R, Steptoe A, McEwen A.Increase in common cold symptoms and mouth ulcers following smoking cessation.Tob Control. 2003;12(1):86-8. doi:10.1136/tc.12.1.86Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).How quit smoking medicines work.Smokefree.gov.Managing nicotine withdrawal.Jiang C, Chen Q, Xie M.Smoking increases the risk of infectious diseases: A narrative review.Tob Induc Dis. 2020;18(July). doi:10.18332/tid/123845Addicott MA, Sweitzer MM, McClernon FJ.The effects of nicotine and tobacco use on brain reward function: Interaction with nicotine dependence severity.Nicotine Tob Res. 2019;21(6):764-771. doi:10.1093/ntr/nty059Struik L, Yang Y.e-Cigarette cessation: Content analysis of a quit vaping community on Reddit.J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(1):e28303. doi:10.2196/28303Martínez-Vispo C, Rodríguez-Cano R, López-Durán A, Senra C, Fernández del Río E, Becoña E.Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smoking cessation: Randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(4):e0214252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214252Ploderer B, Smith W, Pearce J, Borland R.A mobile app offering distractions and tips to cope with cigarette craving: A qualitative study.JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2014;2(2):e23. doi:10.2196/mhealth.3209Klinsophon T, Thaveeratitham P, Sitthipornvorakul E, Janwantanakul P.Effect of exercise type on smoking cessation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):442. doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2762-yAmerican Cancer Society.Quitting smoking: Help for cravings and tough situations.Jaehne A, Unbehaun T, Feige B, et al.Sleep changes in smokers before, during and 3 months after nicotine withdrawal.Addict Biol. 2015;20(4):747-55. doi:10.1111/adb.12151Cui ZY, Li YH, Liu Z, et al.The experience of tobacco withdrawal symptoms among current smokers and ex-smokers in the general population: Findings from nationwide China Health Literacy Survey during 2018-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:1023756. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1023756Carson KV, Brinn MP, Robertson TA, et al.Current and emerging pharmacotherapeutic options for smoking cessation.Subst Abuse.2013;7:85–105. doi:10.4137/SART.S8108
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.7 common withdrawal symptoms.
Prasetyo A, Sadhana U, Budiman J.Nasal mucociliary clearance in smokers: a systematic review.Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;25(1):e160-9. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702965
Ussher M, West R, Steptoe A, McEwen A.Increase in common cold symptoms and mouth ulcers following smoking cessation.Tob Control. 2003;12(1):86-8. doi:10.1136/tc.12.1.86
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).How quit smoking medicines work.
Smokefree.gov.Managing nicotine withdrawal.
Jiang C, Chen Q, Xie M.Smoking increases the risk of infectious diseases: A narrative review.Tob Induc Dis. 2020;18(July). doi:10.18332/tid/123845
Addicott MA, Sweitzer MM, McClernon FJ.The effects of nicotine and tobacco use on brain reward function: Interaction with nicotine dependence severity.Nicotine Tob Res. 2019;21(6):764-771. doi:10.1093/ntr/nty059
Struik L, Yang Y.e-Cigarette cessation: Content analysis of a quit vaping community on Reddit.J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(1):e28303. doi:10.2196/28303
Martínez-Vispo C, Rodríguez-Cano R, López-Durán A, Senra C, Fernández del Río E, Becoña E.Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smoking cessation: Randomized controlled trial.PLoS ONE. 2019;14(4):e0214252. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214252
Ploderer B, Smith W, Pearce J, Borland R.A mobile app offering distractions and tips to cope with cigarette craving: A qualitative study.JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2014;2(2):e23. doi:10.2196/mhealth.3209
Klinsophon T, Thaveeratitham P, Sitthipornvorakul E, Janwantanakul P.Effect of exercise type on smoking cessation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC Res Notes. 2017;10(1):442. doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2762-y
American Cancer Society.Quitting smoking: Help for cravings and tough situations.
Jaehne A, Unbehaun T, Feige B, et al.Sleep changes in smokers before, during and 3 months after nicotine withdrawal.Addict Biol. 2015;20(4):747-55. doi:10.1111/adb.12151
Cui ZY, Li YH, Liu Z, et al.The experience of tobacco withdrawal symptoms among current smokers and ex-smokers in the general population: Findings from nationwide China Health Literacy Survey during 2018-19.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:1023756. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1023756
Carson KV, Brinn MP, Robertson TA, et al.Current and emerging pharmacotherapeutic options for smoking cessation.Subst Abuse.2013;7:85–105. doi:10.4137/SART.S8108
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