Following a succession of comments by readers who imagine they might be allergic to the propylene glycol in e-liquid, I determined to write a brief post on allergies caused by e-cigarette use and their signs.
Before we get started on allergic reactions due to PG and other e-liquid components, it's essential to be sure the symptoms you're experiencing are really related to vaping. In the event you've recently quit smoking and switched to e-cigarettes, you might be dealing with a sequence of smoking cessation side-effects. These can include mouth ulcers, headaches, nausea, coughing, a skin eruption called "stop zits", sputum and phlegm, among others. The good news is these symptoms go away after a few weeks to a month, but the bad news is vaping-associated side-effects are extremely much the same, therefore it's hard to identify what exactly is causing them. The best thing you can do is stop using e-cigarettes for two or three days and see in case your general situation improves. Should it, you ought to inquire what kind of e-liquid you've been using and strive to identify the issue, but when it doesn't, it's safe to assume the issues are associated with tobacco-cessation.
One more thing you have to understand is the fact that you don't have to be a different e-cigarette user to experience vaping-related health issues. Humans may get allergic to various things at any point throughout their lives, so even though you've been happily smoking on your e-cig for months, even years, you may start to experience all sorts of weird symptoms. The most familiar perpetrator appears to be propylene glycol (PG), the organic compound used as a base for the majority of e-liquids on the market today. It holds the nicotine and flavor in suspension so that your e-cigarette can create those thick plumes of smokelike vapor, but it's also a known irritant and can lead to a lot of allergy symptoms. In moderate cases, they range from a sore throat to sinus troubles, headaches, and even feelings of nausea, in the upper body while in extraordinary cases PG can cause numbness of the face and tongue and itchy hives. The easiest way to ensure propylene glycol is responsible for any of these symptoms, and at the very same time solve the problem, is to switch to a 100% vegetable glycerin e-liquid, or at least one having less PG content.
When there's no improvement several times after reducing and finally eliminating PG, perhaps you are experiencing a nicotine overdose or an allergic reaction caused by manufactured flavorings and other added substances. Nicotine overdose is a very serious condition characterized by headache, nausea, dizziness, accelerated heartbeat and sweating. Should you've been using high-nicotine juices intensively, change to 0% e-liquid immediately, and when your general health keeps deteriorating it's critical you seek medical help as soon as possible. What most vapers don't know is that the wide majority of flavors come in a base of propylene glycol, so although it's marketed as 100% vegetable glycerin, it can nevertheless comprise various amounts of PG and cause allergies. I'd suggest contacting reputed e-liquid sellers (Halo, Totally Wicked E-liquid, Alien Vision, Goodejuice, etc.) and ask if they make accurate 100% VG-based juices. Artificial colorings, artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners and other additives are accepted for human consumption, but they have not yet been tested for security when inhaled, so that they may cause discomfort or allergic symptoms when vaped.
The main thing is not giving up on electronic cigarettes and returning to analogs. Switch from propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin, reduce the nicotine content, change e-liquid manufacturer, do whatever it takes and you're sure to find what works for you sooner or later, but going back to smoking tobacco may be the worst thing you could do.
Before we get started on allergic reactions due to PG and other e-liquid components, it's essential to be sure the symptoms you're experiencing are really related to vaping. In the event you've recently quit smoking and switched to e-cigarettes, you might be dealing with a sequence of smoking cessation side-effects. These can include mouth ulcers, headaches, nausea, coughing, a skin eruption called "stop zits", sputum and phlegm, among others. The good news is these symptoms go away after a few weeks to a month, but the bad news is vaping-associated side-effects are extremely much the same, therefore it's hard to identify what exactly is causing them. The best thing you can do is stop using e-cigarettes for two or three days and see in case your general situation improves. Should it, you ought to inquire what kind of e-liquid you've been using and strive to identify the issue, but when it doesn't, it's safe to assume the issues are associated with tobacco-cessation.
One more thing you have to understand is the fact that you don't have to be a different e-cigarette user to experience vaping-related health issues. Humans may get allergic to various things at any point throughout their lives, so even though you've been happily smoking on your e-cig for months, even years, you may start to experience all sorts of weird symptoms. The most familiar perpetrator appears to be propylene glycol (PG), the organic compound used as a base for the majority of e-liquids on the market today. It holds the nicotine and flavor in suspension so that your e-cigarette can create those thick plumes of smokelike vapor, but it's also a known irritant and can lead to a lot of allergy symptoms. In moderate cases, they range from a sore throat to sinus troubles, headaches, and even feelings of nausea, in the upper body while in extraordinary cases PG can cause numbness of the face and tongue and itchy hives. The easiest way to ensure propylene glycol is responsible for any of these symptoms, and at the very same time solve the problem, is to switch to a 100% vegetable glycerin e-liquid, or at least one having less PG content.
When there's no improvement several times after reducing and finally eliminating PG, perhaps you are experiencing a nicotine overdose or an allergic reaction caused by manufactured flavorings and other added substances. Nicotine overdose is a very serious condition characterized by headache, nausea, dizziness, accelerated heartbeat and sweating. Should you've been using high-nicotine juices intensively, change to 0% e-liquid immediately, and when your general health keeps deteriorating it's critical you seek medical help as soon as possible. What most vapers don't know is that the wide majority of flavors come in a base of propylene glycol, so although it's marketed as 100% vegetable glycerin, it can nevertheless comprise various amounts of PG and cause allergies. I'd suggest contacting reputed e-liquid sellers (Halo, Totally Wicked E-liquid, Alien Vision, Goodejuice, etc.) and ask if they make accurate 100% VG-based juices. Artificial colorings, artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners and other additives are accepted for human consumption, but they have not yet been tested for security when inhaled, so that they may cause discomfort or allergic symptoms when vaped.
The main thing is not giving up on electronic cigarettes and returning to analogs. Switch from propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin, reduce the nicotine content, change e-liquid manufacturer, do whatever it takes and you're sure to find what works for you sooner or later, but going back to smoking tobacco may be the worst thing you could do.