Following a number of remarks by readers who suppose they could be allergic to the propylene glycol in e-liquid, I decided to write a brief post on allergic reactions caused by e-cigarette use and their symptoms.
Before we get going on allergies brought on by PG and other e-liquid elements, it's essential to be certain the symptoms you are experiencing are truly related to vaping. If you've recently given up smoking and changed to electronic cigarettes, perhaps you are dealing with a succession of smoking cessation sideeffects. These may include mouth ulcers, headaches, nausea, coughing, a skin eruption called "cease zits", sputum and phlegm, amongst others.
The great news is these symptoms disappear after a few weeks to a month, but the bad news is vaping-connected side-effects are very much the same, so that it's difficult to recognize what's causing them. The best thing you can do is stop using e-cigarettes for two or three days and see if your general situation improves. Should it, you need to inquire what kind of e-liquid you've been using and attempt to identify the problem, but when it doesn't, it's safe to assume the issues are connected to tobacco cessation.
One more thing you have to understand is the fact that you don't have to become a new e-cigarette user to see vaping-associated health problems. Humans may get sensitive to several things at any given point in their lives, therefore even though you've been happily puffing in your e-cig for months, even years, you can start to experience all kinds of weird symptoms. The most frequent culprit appears to be propylene glycol (PG), the organic compound used as a base for most of e-liquids on the market today.
It holds the nicotine and flavor in suspension so your e-cigarette can produce those thick plumes of smokelike vapor, but it's also a known irritant and may result in a number of allergy symptoms. In mild cases, they range from a sore throat to even feelings of nausea, headaches, and sinus issues, while in extreme cases PG can cause numbness of the face and tongue and itchy hives to the upper body. The best way to guarantee propylene glycol is liable for any of these symptoms, and at the very same time fix the problem, is to change to a 100% vegetable glycerin e-liquid, or at least one with a lower PG content.
If there's no development several times after lowering and finally removing PG, maybe you are experiencing a nicotine overdose or an allergy due to manufactured flavorings and other added substances. Nicotine overdose is quite a serious condition characterized by headache, nausea, dizziness, accelerated heartbeat and perspiration. In case you've been using high-nicotine juices intensively, change to 0% e-liquid instantly, and when your general health keeps deteriorating it's critical you seek medical help when possible. What most vapers don't understand is that the broad majority of flavors can be found in a base of propylene glycol, so although it's marketed as 100% vegetable glycerin, it can still comprise various quantities of PG and effect allergy symptoms.
I would advise contacting reputed e-liquid vendors (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, nonetheless they have not yet been analyzed for safety when inhaled, so that they may cause discomfort or allergic symptoms when vaped.
The important thing is not giving up on electronic cigarettes and returning to analogs. Switch from propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin, lower the nicotine content, change e-liquid manufacturer, do whatever it takes and you're sure to find what works for you at some point, but going back to smoking tobacco could be the worst thing you could do.
Before we get going on allergies brought on by PG and other e-liquid elements, it's essential to be certain the symptoms you are experiencing are truly related to vaping. If you've recently given up smoking and changed to electronic cigarettes, perhaps you are dealing with a succession of smoking cessation sideeffects. These may include mouth ulcers, headaches, nausea, coughing, a skin eruption called "cease zits", sputum and phlegm, amongst others.
The great news is these symptoms disappear after a few weeks to a month, but the bad news is vaping-connected side-effects are very much the same, so that it's difficult to recognize what's causing them. The best thing you can do is stop using e-cigarettes for two or three days and see if your general situation improves. Should it, you need to inquire what kind of e-liquid you've been using and attempt to identify the problem, but when it doesn't, it's safe to assume the issues are connected to tobacco cessation.
One more thing you have to understand is the fact that you don't have to become a new e-cigarette user to see vaping-associated health problems. Humans may get sensitive to several things at any given point in their lives, therefore even though you've been happily puffing in your e-cig for months, even years, you can start to experience all kinds of weird symptoms. The most frequent culprit appears to be propylene glycol (PG), the organic compound used as a base for most of e-liquids on the market today.
It holds the nicotine and flavor in suspension so your e-cigarette can produce those thick plumes of smokelike vapor, but it's also a known irritant and may result in a number of allergy symptoms. In mild cases, they range from a sore throat to even feelings of nausea, headaches, and sinus issues, while in extreme cases PG can cause numbness of the face and tongue and itchy hives to the upper body. The best way to guarantee propylene glycol is liable for any of these symptoms, and at the very same time fix the problem, is to change to a 100% vegetable glycerin e-liquid, or at least one with a lower PG content.
If there's no development several times after lowering and finally removing PG, maybe you are experiencing a nicotine overdose or an allergy due to manufactured flavorings and other added substances. Nicotine overdose is quite a serious condition characterized by headache, nausea, dizziness, accelerated heartbeat and perspiration. In case you've been using high-nicotine juices intensively, change to 0% e-liquid instantly, and when your general health keeps deteriorating it's critical you seek medical help when possible. What most vapers don't understand is that the broad majority of flavors can be found in a base of propylene glycol, so although it's marketed as 100% vegetable glycerin, it can still comprise various quantities of PG and effect allergy symptoms.
I would advise contacting reputed e-liquid vendors (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, nonetheless they have not yet been analyzed for safety when inhaled, so that they may cause discomfort or allergic symptoms when vaped.
The important thing is not giving up on electronic cigarettes and returning to analogs. Switch from propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin, lower the nicotine content, change e-liquid manufacturer, do whatever it takes and you're sure to find what works for you at some point, but going back to smoking tobacco could be the worst thing you could do.