The urge to smoke decreases with time The most common withdrawal symptom is the urge to smoke. This usually declines over the first few weeks but some ex-smokers experience an urge to smoke several months after stopping. Increased appetite and weight gain are common. One year after stopping, ex-smokers, on average have put on 3kg in weight. This is not due to replacing the pleasures of smoking with eating, but rather catching up with what your weight would have been had you never smoked.
Mood changes such as irritability, anger and depression usually settle within three or four weeks.
Other withdrawal effects include a decrease in your heart rate and an increased warmth of the skin. Non smokers also clear caffeine from their body more slowly. After stopping smoking tea and coffee drinkers may experience side effects from high caffeine levels. These include tremor, palpitations and abdominal discomfort. This may be countered by reducing the amount of caffeine you take by making tea and coffee weaker or reducing the number of cups that you drink.