As noted, tobacco, both oral and smoked, contains thousands of chemicals, some of which may have interacted with medications being taken. "Often when people stop smoking they may find that medications that were adjusted for them while smoking may be altered in effectiveness," writes Joel.[1]
"People on hypertensives, thyroid, depression, blood sugar drugs, and others may need to get re-evaluated for proper dosages."
"The first few days, it can be difficult telling the difference between 'normal' withdrawal symptoms and medication dosage issues," notes Joel. "But once through the first few days, if a person who is on medications for medical disorders finds him or herself having physical symptoms that just seem out of the ordinary, he or she should speak to the doctor who has him or her on the medications."
"Point out to the doctor that you have recently stopped smoking and started to notice the specific symptoms just after stopping, and that they haven't improved over time."
Don't think only in terms of new symptoms. Old symptoms can disappear. During a 2008 question and answer session before roughly 200 inmates in a woman's prison that had recently gone tobacco-free, one woman in the back raised her hand.
"Yes ma'am, your question?" "I don't have a question, Mr. Polito, but a comment," she replied. "I knew this policy change was coming so I stopped a month ago. At the time, I was on eight different medications for my heart, blood pressure, hypertension, cholesterol, and breathing. Now I'm down to just two." A big cheer went up.
The key to diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition is effective communication between patient and physician. Be sure to accurately describe any symptoms, when they were first felt, how often they occur, how long they last, what aggravates them, and any medications you've taken.
A complete picture will greatly aid our doctor in determining whether to increase, decrease, change, or discontinue medications.
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