Depression And Nicotine: Is Smoking Making Me Sad?

Correlations between nicotine use and depression have been discussed and pondered over for decades, but many people are not familiar with these possible links between them or what they mean. Is nicotine bad for you? Do depressive symptoms lead to smoking, or is tobacco use a product of depression? To understand the link more fully between anxiety and depression and substance use, we will take a closer look at the accepted body of research and the conclusions professionals have reached, considering mental illness, brain areas, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors as potential factors in this complex relationship.

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Depression and nicotine

If you experience symptoms of depression (also known as Major Depressive Disorder MDD) and use nicotine, you may have wondered whether this substance helps or hinders your ability to lead a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life. How does nicotine addiction affect health? Many adults turn to smoking for stress relief and a sense of well-being, but these experiences usually don't last long-term.

Even in the absence of causation, some public health advocates and health professionals have discouraged the practice of smoking tobacco or other substances for those seeking or actively in treatment for MDD. This is due to a number of factors, including the following:

• Addictive Effect: Tobacco and tobacco-related products are addictive substances. Individuals with existing disorders may be at increased risk of developing an addictive response to this substance.
• Adverse Physical Side Effects: Clinical research has linked tobacco and tobacco-related products to substantial adverse health outcomes, including lung cancer. Pursuing optimal physical health can be helpful when working toward mental health.
• Additional Stress: Smoking and other methods of consuming this substance can further stress the body, potentially worsening existing symptoms. Eliminating your use can help support the efforts of people looking to reduce symptoms of mental health conditions.

The effects of smoking on mental health

People with depression have often reported that cigarette smoking limits or improves their symptoms. This is due in large part to the effect that nicotine can have on the nervous system. This substance is considered a stimulant and encourages the body to release dopamine (commonly called the “feel-good” chemical). When dopamine is released, it can create a feeling of calm or relaxation, or can even induce a feeling of euphoria. This can make cigarette smoking a powerful pull for people currently experiencing symptoms of MDD.

Using stimulants and dopamine enhancers is ultimately considered a form of self-medicating, which is the use of a substance that alters your emotional or mental state. Common legal sources of self-medication include cigarettes, alcohol, and in some states, THC. While these substances are legal, they are rarely professionally utilized or encouraged to address mental health conditions and may even be linked to poor outcomes in the short and long term. As a result, public health officials advise against self-medicating by smoking. 

Self medication and substance use

Smoking is commonly found in populations with high rates of depression. For some, this means of self-medication started in youth, while for others, smoking was taken up after its mood-boosting effects were discovered and symptoms of MDD lessened. Nicotine is most commonly associated with cigarettes, but it can also be found in chewing tobacco, and vape pens (also called e-cigarettes). All of these forms can be used as a means of self-medicating.

For some, nicotine is used as a localized agent, and is utilized only when symptoms have peaked or surged. For others, it is used on a regular, ongoing basis. In both cases, usage can become habitual or addictive, leading to a loss of control via addiction.

Nicotine use can cause people with depression to feel as though they have achieved a more “normal” baseline of dopamine production. In professional medicine and treatment, this baseline is achieved using approved drugs that do not pose the same risks and offer more effectiveness. These approved substances can be delivered in more consistent doses, providing a safer alternative.

Withdrawal and side effects

Nicotine use may result in addiction, or a seeming inability to function without the substance in your body. As is the case with all addiction, removing the source of the addiction can result in withdrawal, or a number of symptoms that occur when a substance is removed from the body or no longer provided. Symptoms of substance abuse withdrawal frequently include the following:

• Low Mood. Withdrawal can cause low mood or persistent depressive symptoms. Low mood can contribute to irritability and restlessness or may produce a feeling of sadness, lethargy, or low motivation. People with a history of depressed mood can be especially at risk of developing low mood during withdrawal.
• Shaking And Fidgeting. Because the substance can have a relaxing effect, some people experience shaking, fidgeting, and physical restlessness in response to detoxification from the body.
• Nausea. Withdrawal can cause stomachache and abdominal discomfort.
• Fear Or Anxiety. Finally, withdrawal can create feelings of fear or anxiety, which can compound existing symptoms.

Symptoms of withdrawal can be quite similar to the symptoms of MDD that people are trying to avoid, which can further complicate an individual’s attempts to quit. If nicotine was being used to manage depressive symptoms, withdrawal can feel unbearable—and, consequently, smoking cessation can feel intolerable, too. For some, it can be useful to address mental health and well-being prior to quitting, and for others, a medication regimen under a doctor’s care can help alleviate withdrawal symptoms and manage depressive symptoms while lessening or eliminating nicotine use.

Learning new coping techniques

Depression is a mental illness and is treated as such by mental health professionals. People can learn to use techniques to address this condition and its most common symptoms effectively and safely. A combination of therapy and medication has a greater rate of efficacy in addressing depression and can produce more reliable results.

Coping techniques are often one of the first steps established when treating depression. Coping techniques are used to develop safe and healthy responses to MDD symptoms, and they are also used to identify how to respond to the craving for nicotine. Breathing exercises can be useful in both situations, as breathing can help ground you and connect you to your body to lessen dissociation anxiety. These exercises can also help manage the anxiety and shaking that can be caused by withdrawal.

Physical activity is another common coping tool used to manage both depression and nicotine withdrawals. Physical activity has been proven to help symptoms of MDD, and getting active can help replace the urge to smoke a cigarette or dip into a tin of tobacco. From developing a yoga practice to taking a walk in the park, physical activity is enormously valuable to mental and physical health.

Mental health benefits to smoking cessation

Over time, eliminating nicotine can actually lead to improvements in mental health. Though the substance may initially boost mood, as discussed above, can rapidly lead to additional mental health symptoms and further compound issues common to MDD. Quitting smoking can result in positive physical health outcomes, which may further improve mental health challenges.

Discontinuing nicotine use can improve health in two important ways: increasing one’s feeling of self-control, and improving one’s sense of well-being. Smoking creates feelings of calm or euphoria but may do so at the expense of feeling in control of yourself and your faculties and feeling as though you are healthy and well.

Therapy can help

If you find yourself in need of help managing your depression symptoms or eliminating nicotine use, consider reaching out to a mental health professional like those found on BetterHelp. A mental health professional can help you develop the coping tools and mechanisms required to manage your symptoms and quit smoking.

Online therapy provides the benefits of traditional therapy while increasing convenience and lowering costs. Internet-based therapy can be conducted from your home or anywhere you have an internet connection, eliminating the need to commute to an office. Additionally, because our therapists do not need to rent or buy office space, sessions are typically cheaper than in-person therapy, even without health insurance.

Research suggests that online therapy is an effective form of care for those looking to address depressive symptoms. The National Center for Health Research conducted an in-depth analysis of dozens of these studies. They found that online therapy is just as effective as traditional therapy for a variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.