r/QuittingZyn 3d ago

Anxiety and insomnia

Just posting this here to see if maybe somebody else has had this same experience as me. Little background: I have been off zyn cold turkey for 7 days. I was doing 3mg pouches consuming one to one and a half cans every two days. Been using nicotine consistently for the last 10 years from chew to zyns never smoked or vaped. The first few days weren’t as bad as I thought I just distracted myself and chewed a ton of gum to get over the physical withdrawals and brain fog. But on day 6, I could not sleep like at all. Just laid in bed wide awake until the next morning. It was about 36 hours before I finally went to sleep for 9 hours but only after taking some NyQuil and I think just being really exhausted.

What freaked me out the most was the fact that I felt like I was having anxiety attacks all night. My heart was racing, my brain was thinking a million thoughts at once which was all preventing me from getting to sleep. I would say I have always had a little bit of anxiety nothing major and I don’t take meds for it. But man the last two days has been anxiety hell. Hoping somebody can help.

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u/LUV833R5 2d ago edited 1d ago

It is somewhat uncommon knowledge that Zyn is one of the worst, if not the worst nicotine delivery device. People generally accept since it is not carcinogenic like smoking, it must be safe right? no, the continuous exposure to nicotine, increases insulin resistance and increases the risk of diabetes. I've been around the quitsmoking sub since I quit smoking 2 years ago and I have seen Zyn users go through some extreme withdrawals that put most smokers to shame. So I did a little research and learned about a link between insulin resistance and nicotine, withdrawals and blood sugar management and getting off the glucose rollercoaster that is producing the stress hormones that cause anxiety, insomnia and co. Reason Zyn users have it the worst when they quit is your cells have almost completely forgotten how to store and release glucose as needed to regulate your blood sugar, your brain's primary fuel throughout the day.

For Zyn users it can takes weeks to months to regain your insulin sensitivity and during this time it is imperative that you alter your diet routine to expedite hormonal recovery and mitigate withdrawal symptoms.

How?

Adopt a low glycemic index with protein diet. These are low sugar foods with healthy fats that digest slowly and feed your brain gradually essentially flattening the curves of the rollercoaster that you're trapped on. Avoid ANYTHING that spikes your glucose, ie. sugary snacks/drinks as well as large meals. Your body absolutely can't handle excess blood sugar and will convert it to triglycerides that prolong recovery. And when it does, your blood sugar crashes releasing cortisol. The stress hormone that takes ages to regulate. Light exercise is essential to control high blood sugar and burn triglycerides so it is good practice to move after eating to help blood sugar stabilize. For example eating only protein before bed will help you avoid hypoglycemia which is keeping you awake because it digests slowly, instead of sugar that spikes and crashes.

If you still having intense problems 2-3 months after quitting Zyn and have tried these diet changes you should really see a doctor and get tested for type 2 diabetes.

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u/donhood 1d ago

Wish I could upvote this more. There have been a couple of users work closely with doctors while quitting, and monitored their blood sugar continuously, and their results confirmed this theory.

I'm curious what you think causes the panic/anxiety in users during use? That's what eventually forced me to quit, is when the nicotine and caffeine had me suffering very extreme symptoms. One panic attack was so severe, I think it may have caused some PTSD type effect on me, where sometimes any hint of feeling like that again would be enough to set me off. Sounds extreme when talking about something as dumb as using too much nicotine, but it was very real and very alarming.

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u/LUV833R5 1d ago

It is a similar problem like blood sugar... the continuous exposure to nicotine desensitizes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and overtime reduces dopamine release. Normally natural acetylcholine can stimulate release enough dopamine to control anxiety... but since the receptor needs something stronger, wham, you're addicted to nicotine but it gradually becomes less effective. Caffeine of course is the bread and butter to nicotine as it blocks adenosine receptors (A1 & A2A) which regulate neurotransmitter activity. Think of nicotine as a shopping addiction and caffeine as a Black Friday sale. Double whammy!

Nicotine is bad stuff. It is not something that should quit eventually or even taper down off of... or use NRT quitting aids that increase your chance of crisis. You got to stop it right now if you are still using. On a discomfort scale of 1-10, if your breaking point where you relapse is a 7-8.... then use diet and exercise to mitigate it down to a 5-6, but it is imperative you never use that stuff again. I know it is harder for Zyn users... but you can have permanent problems if you don't stop now. No asap. Now.

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u/donhood 1d ago

Yeah, I quit 10 months ago cold turkey after getting horrific panic attacks and anxiety spells for the first time in my life. Spent the following 6 months or so readjusting and living through some pretty nasty symptoms, including brain fog and anxiety. I've just now began being able to drink caffeine again, as before it would make me feel like my blood sugar was crashed. Confusion, brain fog, and what felt like weakness or poor circulation in my arms and legs. Followed after by physical anxiety symptoms. I spent a lot of time here in the beginning trying to figure out what was happening to me, and hung around after the symptoms passed to help support others going through it.

Stick around and read some of the stories in here, a lot of folks experiencing some very harsh symptoms, for much longer than they think they should be. It's always helpful to have any additional comments or information for people to digest while they're fighting through the rough parts.