Nicotine withdrawal chills and fever: what is and is not

By Antonio Cappiello · Last reviewed 2026-09-22

Chills and fever are on no nicotine withdrawal list: not the NHS, CDC or smokefree.gov. Australia's health department says a cough, dry throat and nasal drip can feel like flu for a few days to a few weeks. A temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above is a fever, not withdrawal: rest, fluids, a doctor if it is not settling.

Does nicotine withdrawal cause chills or a fever?

Not on any official list. Between them the NHS, the CDC, smokefree.gov and the National Cancer Institute name cravings, irritability, restlessness, anxiety or low mood, trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping, hunger, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, coughing, mouth ulcers and constipation. Chills, fever and sweating are on none of those lists.

Nobody has measured them in vapers either. The one trial that tracked withdrawal in daily vapers, 109 former smokers paid to go 6 days without their vape, published in 2020, rated 14 symptoms; chills, sweating and temperature were not among them. Some quitters say they felt cold or sweaty in the first days, and no source here has counted that.

What is quitter’s flu?

Quitter’s flu is not a medical term, and none of the health services here uses it. It describes a real overlap. Australia’s health department lists “cough, dry throat and mouth, nasal drip” among withdrawal symptoms and sums them up as “feeling like you’ve got the flu”. Tiredness, headaches, poor sleep and appetite changes sit on both the NHS flu list and the withdrawal lists.

Two flu symptoms are on no withdrawal list: “a sudden high temperature” and “an aching body”. The NHS says a high temperature “is usually considered to be 38C or above” (100.4F) and is “often just caused by your body fighting an infection, such as a cold or flu”. If you have one, you have a fever, whatever else nicotine is doing.

Which of these is withdrawal?

Column two checks the NHS, CDC, smokefree.gov, NCI and health.gov.au lists. Timings are the NHS pattern for smokers, which the CDC says is likely similar for vaping.

Symptom	On a withdrawal list?	Likely explanation	What to do
Chills, feeling cold or shivery	No	Not measured in quitters; the NHS says feeling hot, cold or shivery can mean a high temperature	Take your temperature; 38C (100.4F) or above is a fever
Fever, 38C (100.4F) or above	No	Usually your body fighting an infection such as a cold or flu (NHS)	Rest, fluids, paracetamol (acetaminophen in the US) or ibuprofen as directed; urgent advice if it is not improving
Sweating or night sweats	No	Not measured; anxiety, on every withdrawal list, is an NHS-listed cause of night sweats	See a GP (a UK term for a family doctor) if they wake you regularly or come with a temperature or cough
Cough, dry throat and mouth, nasal drip	Yes (health.gov.au)	“Feeling like you’ve got the flu”; a few days to a few weeks	Fluids; treat symptoms as a health professional advises
Aching body	No	On the NHS flu list, on no withdrawal list	Treat it as illness: rest, fluids, pain relief as directed
Tiredness, poor sleep, anxiety, appetite changes, headache	Yes (all lists)	Withdrawal: strongest in the first 3 days, 3 to 4 weeks on average	Water, a sleep schedule, less caffeine, activity; a doctor if low mood or anxiety is intense or not easing after 2 weeks

How long do flu-like feelings last?

Australia’s health department says withdrawal symptoms “can last from a few days to a few weeks”, with the first week the hardest, and its flu-like row sits in that window. The NHS puts withdrawal at 3 to 4 weeks on average, strongest in the first 3 days, and in the 2020 vaping trial it peaked on day 1 or 2. Real flu keeps its own clock: the NHS says to get urgent advice if flu symptoms do not improve after 7 days. The quitting vaping timeline gives the day-by-day view, and the symptom page times each one.

What helps a flu-like week?

Much the same whether the cause is withdrawal or a virus: rest and fluids. Australia’s health department’s advice for the flu-like symptoms is fluids and treating them as a health professional advises. The NHS list for a high temperature is rest, plenty of fluids and paracetamol (acetaminophen in the US) or ibuprofen as directed on the label. Smokefree.gov adds water for withdrawal hunger and fatigue, a steady sleep schedule, less caffeine and activity, echoed by the CDC and the NHS. The how to deal with nicotine withdrawal page goes symptom by symptom.

When should you see a doctor?

A fever is not withdrawal, so use the fever rules. The NHS says to get urgent advice, from a GP, NHS 111 in the UK, or your local urgent care line, if you have “a high temperature and you’ve been treating it at home but it’s not getting better or is getting worse”. It says the same for flu symptoms if you feel very unwell or short of breath, or if you are 65 or over, pregnant or have a long-term condition or a weakened immune system. Sudden chest pain, severe difficulty breathing or coughing up blood means 999 in the UK, 911 in the US, or your local emergency number.

One pattern is vaping-specific. In the 2019 US lung injury outbreak, EVALI, 85 percent of 339 patients had fever, chills or weight loss alongside cough, chest pain, shortness of breath or stomach symptoms; 76 percent of those who reported what they vaped had used THC products, and 13 percent nicotine only (the lungs page covers it). Fever or chills with breathing trouble is a same-day doctor visit: say what you vape. The nicotine withdrawal headache page has the headache red flags.

Where are you in the window?

Puff Counter’s timer and daily count are free and do one simple job here: put a number of hours or days next to a symptom before you decide whether it fits the withdrawal window above. It counts puffs, not your temperature.

Count your own puffs

Puff Counter logs each puff in one tap and shows your daily pattern. See the timer. Free on iPhone and Android.

Questions people also ask

Can nicotine withdrawal cause fever?

No health service lists fever as a withdrawal symptom: it is on none of the NHS, CDC, smokefree.gov or National Cancer Institute lists. The NHS says a high temperature is usually 38C (100.4F) or above and is often just your body fighting an infection, such as a cold or flu. Treat it as a fever, not as quitting.

Can nicotine withdrawal cause chills?

Chills are on no withdrawal list either, and the one trial that measured withdrawal in daily vapers did not rate them, so nobody has counted how often quitters get them. The NHS says feeling hot, cold or shivery can mean a high temperature even if a thermometer reads below 38C, so take your temperature.

Why do I feel sick after quitting vaping?

Withdrawal can make you feel unwell without making you ill. Tiredness, headaches, poor sleep, appetite changes and anxiety are on the withdrawal lists, and Australia's health department adds a cough, dry throat and nasal drip that feel like flu. A sudden high temperature and an aching body are on the NHS flu list and on no withdrawal list.

How long does quitter's flu last?

Quitter's flu is not a medical term and no health service times it. Australia's health department puts withdrawal symptoms, the flu-like ones included, at a few days to a few weeks, and the NHS puts withdrawal at 3 to 4 weeks on average. Real flu runs its own course: the NHS says get urgent advice if symptoms have not improved after 7 days.

Is it normal to feel cold when quitting nicotine?

Nobody has measured it. Feeling cold is on none of the NHS, CDC, smokefree.gov or NCI withdrawal lists, and the 2020 trial of daily vapers did not ask about it, so this page cannot say how common it is. Since the NHS says feeling cold or shivery can mean a high temperature, check with a thermometer.

Sources

This page is general information about vaping and nicotine, not medical advice. If you are worried about your health or want help quitting, talk to a doctor or a stop-smoking service.