Stopping
smoking can
cause constipation.
Hajek P, Gillison F, McRobbie H.
Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry,
University
of London, UK. p.hajek@qmul.ac.uk
SETTING: Constipation is mentioned occasionally as a possible tobacco
withdrawal symptom, but no systematic data have been published on this
issue.
DESIGN: Smokers' clinic patients provided ratings of their level of
constipation on three occasions prior to their quit date, and then
weekly after
they stopped smoking. The total of 1067 participants maintained at
least 1 week
of continuous abstinence and provided usable data. FINDINGS: The three
precessation ratings of constipation were stable. After cessation of
smoking,
the ratings increased significantly (P < 0.01). In 514 patients who
maintained continuous abstinence for 4 weeks and provided complete
data,
constipation peaked at 2 weeks but remained elevated over the whole
period. The
net proportion of patients affected was 17%, including 9% who were
symptom-free
at baseline and became very or extremely constipated. In patients on
nicotine
replacement the increase in constipation, although significant, was
less than
in patients on bupropion. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians treating smokers need
to be
aware of a possibility that one in six quitters develop constipation,
and that
for about one in 11 the problem can be severe. Descriptions of tobacco
withdrawal syndrome should include constipation.
PMID: 14616182 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]