withdrawl symptoms

[UCLB80]

I have recently stopped smoking and am now experiencing stomach problems. I feel so bloated and feel like my stomach is just growing, now I am suffering from constipation. I have done some research and have found that this is a common withdrawl symptom due to the fact that nicotine is no longer stimulating my gastrointestinal system. After reading these articles I feel better knowing that this is normal however most of the advice given to help with this roblem is to eat a diet high in fiber and drink plenty of water, two things that I already do. Has anyone else experienced these problems and how did they deal with them? The constipation makes me feel ill and the bloating makes me feel like I am gaining weight from quitting smoking even though I am staying OP this is all very dicouraging.

[pooder]

I'm sorry it took so long to get back with you. I have been on vacation and just returned. Let me tell you what I learned about the gas and bloating. Everyone on the quit smoking site kept saying they had so much gas when they quit. I too had the gas problem. The one thing I learned (about a year later), is that I was eating a lot of sugar-free hard candy. A diabetic friend said he can't eat much sugar free products due to gas. Bingo! It occured to me that this is probably what everyone was dealing with. I might suggest the extra water for constipation and maybe some metamucil or citracell until your body adjusts to the lack of nicotine. I've had constipation all my life, so this one wasn't new to me. It seems the fiber, water and the walking that I did kept me functional. Hope this helps.

Clara