Tobacco: withdrawal effects appear one half hour after the last cigarette

The effects related to nicotine withdrawal appear at the thirtieth minute after smoking cessation, say the authors of a U.S. study in the "Psychopharmacology" journal.

Smokers who tried to quit smoking know better than anyone the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal: the need for a new smoking, mood, sleep, increased appetite …

These symptoms reflect the adjustment undertaken by the brain and the body no longer receive nicotine. They reach their peak during the first three days following the cessation of smoking, and last at least two weeks. The beginning of their appearance, however, has not been accurately determined.

In their study, Thomas H. Brandon and his colleagues at the University of South Florida in Tampa have sought to determine the time of onset of signs of quitting. For this, they met for four fifty consuming about smoking a pack a day, allowing half of them smoke and forcing the other half to refrain.

Every half hour, a series of tests were performed on the participants, in order to compare the two groups and determine the start of weaning. These tests included the measurement of resting heart rate, the attention, the attention paid to the stimulus that smoking is ...

Just thirty minutes after crushing their cigarettes, smokers forced abstinence felt a very strong need to smoke, and after an hour, felt them up in anger. Of anxiety, sadness and difficulty concentrating appeared in the first three hours.

The data also show that in the first half-hour after smoking cessation, abstainers have performed more poorly on tasks requiring sustained attention, and other signs of withdrawal, heart rate slowed during the first time, the authors report.

"This study suggests that smoking lambda begins not to be 'on his plate' in the hour of his last cigarette," analyzes Dr. Brandon. "Although they are not yet experiencing a total withdrawal they will experience after a day without nicotine, they can already realize that they do not feel well and bring them a cigarette temporary relief, "he adds.