Recently Answered Questions
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Can smoking cessation cause strained bowel movements?
Query: Hello doctor, My age is 39 years. I have quit smoking, cold turkey after smoking for almost 18 years. It is my 29th day of being smoke-free. Everything was going fine until last 7 to 10 days my bowel movement has been strainful. Few days I have seen very small sized hard stools and sometimes small ... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I went through your post, it is normal to have hard stools after quitting smoking for that you have to add a salad, do exercise, and take enough water. It is a temporary phenomenon which usually settles in three months till intestines adapt nicotine free blood. You h... Read Full »
Can a smoking cessation drug induce acute pancreatitis in my mother?
Query: Hello doctor, My mother is 57 years old and was put in the hospital for acute pancreatitis two days ago. She takes anti-anxiety medication, blood pressure medication, and cholesterol medication. About a month ago, she was prescribed the drug Chantix. My mother has had previous problems with hard dru... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I agree with you that it is a rare side effect of Chantix (Varenicline). But to produce acute pancreatitis, the particular drug might have been taken for at least 6 to 12 months; only then will it produce fibrosis and inflammation in the main pancreatic duct or bile ... Read Full »
Query: Hi doctor, I am having mild chest pain like the type of middle pierce on the upper part of my chest. The pain migrates from left to right, sometimes on the LLQ and RLQ. But the pain resides for only about 2 to 3 minutes and goes away. This has been happening for the last 3 weeks since I suddenly de... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I read your query and can understand your concern. At the age of 29 years, it is usually not common to have heart disease. But it is better if you rule out the same with an ECG (electrocardiogram) done. In the background history, some respiratory illnesses may have rec... Read Full »
Does alcohol smell from a diabetic a sign of ketosis?
Query: Hello doctor, My husband is a type-2 diabetic. He takes Metformin, Januvia, and Zoloft. He smokes marijuana and cigarettes. He has been on the strongest nicotine patch for the past week, but still smoking occasionally. Twice in the past week, he smelled strongly of beer or alcohol and I thought he h... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I just read your query and from what you have mentioned, it appears that your husband has diabetes and he is trying to quit smoking. I would like to answer each one of your questions one by one: Yes, withdrawal from cigarettes can cause the person to be highly irrit... Read Full »
I got my LFT done, and everything is normal except GGTP and SGPT levels. Kindly advice.
Query: Hi doctor, I am a 29 year old male. My weight is 75 kg and height is 5'11". Two years ago, I was a heavy drinker. But, nowadays I only drink beer once a week for about 6 to 7 pints. My SGOT AND SGPT levels were much higher two years ago. I think they were around 150 to 175. I just got my LFT done b... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. The liver function test report looks fine (attachment removed to protect patient identity). Although slightly elevated liver enzymes could mean slight inflammation, this is well within acceptable limits. There are a few precautions you must observe with complete av... Read Full »
How to quit cigarette smoking in three weeks time?
Query: Hi doctor, I want to quit smoking. Is it possible to quit cigarette smoking within three weeks time? What are the side effect after quitting cigarette smoking? Is Nicotex recommended by medical council? Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Yes, you can certainly quit cigarettes within three weeks. Because, smoking habit is more about self-control and determination than anything else. Also, medical council does not recommend any one particular brand or medicine. It recognizes that Nicotex (chewing gum wit... Read Full »
Can Nicotex chewing gum help me quit smoking?
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 28 year old male and a regular smoker. I do smoke 10-15 cigarettes a day and have been smoking like this for almost 10 years now. When I started, I used different brands, from ultra mild to regular bidis. But now, for almost 3 years I am stuck with regular gold flake.Now, I am ... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. As you have been a chronic smoker since last 10 years smoking 10-15 cigarettes per day, the body is presently addicted to nicotine and hence if you intend to leave it for a day, the nicotine withdrawal sets in. This may include: Headache. Nausea. Constipation or ... Read Full »
Does intake of Chantix alter a person's memory?
Query: Hi doctor, I started taking Chantix to quit smoking for around three months now. The side effects I noticed were vivid dreams and becoming more withdrawn. Two months back, my girlfriend and I got into a domestic dispute. My honest memory of this incident is that she started verbally abusing me from ... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. The behavioral disturbances that you had exhibited were unlikely to have been caused by Chantix (Varenicline).It is just that you got disturbed that day and had reacted to the stressful situation. The memories that you have are real time memories and not imagined as you t... Read Full »
If I quit smoking, will my RBC, hemoglobin, and PCV levels come back to normal?
Query: Hello doctor, I am suffering from hypertension since few years, and I am currently on medication Telmisartan. I am an alcoholic and smoker, and I smoke approximately 15 cigarettes a day for the last five years. My current CBC report suggests high RBC, hemoglobin, and PCV. Though it reduced slightly ... Read Full »
Dr. Goswami Parth Rajendragiri
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. I have gone through your attached reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity). The diagnosis is polycythemia. Polycythemia can be secondary or primary. Secondary polycythemia occurs because of hypoxia, which activates the oxygen sensor and more erythrop... Read Full »
Can smoking cause clubbed nails?
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 23 year old male, who weighs 195 lbs and I am 5.10 feet tall. All of my fingers are clubbed. My nails have become wide and thick giving them an abnormal round appearance. The skin above my cuticles is slightly raised and red. My nails do not extend straight out, but they curve d... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I have seen the photo (attachment removed to protect patient identity) of your nails and fingers, and it is in fact clubbing. The cause is smoking-induced lung damage and bronchiectasis. Regarding the reversibility, we cannot be sure at this moment, as it wi... Read Full »