Anxiety and EJuice flavors

[december120964]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and new to vaping. I smoke around 2 packs of light cigs give or take (depending on my anxiety)a day.
I am trying to switch over - I started with 18mg of nic and started having issues that were signs I was getting "too" much nicotine.
So I cut down to some 6mg and some 12mg - I am having HIGH anxiety - almost feels like a panic attack.
I really don't know what could be causing this and it seems to be related to the trying vaping and stopping analogs. (or maybe in my head I dunno)
I suffer from being Bipolar and Major Depression and other health issues. So sometimes my anxiety can be high with no reason. But I have been tracking this and it is happening when I go totally vaping and no analogs.
Any suggestions ???

Also, second part of my questions is I can go to my local vape shop and pick up a juice that almost everyone in the place just raves about the flavor. But I get it home and I have no taste at all with it none. And it is happening a lot. Could it be again due to quitting analogs??? I read somewhere about vapers tongue and a suggestion to try cinnamon. Well I did and its awesome great flavor etc etc - but I have found NOTHING else that even remotely give me any flavor at all. And I have read in different places about that its bad or not recommended etc etc about vaping the cinnamon. I have tried different companies, different vg/pg ratio's. I am getting really agitated and ready to stop all together

Any help?? Any suggestions??

 

[Maiar]

The high anxiety you're experiencing is just normal withdrawal from all the stuff in cigarettes your body was used to getting. Even though you're getting adequate nicotine the delivery method for said nicotine is different than smoke, so your body has to get used to that as well. I have high anxiety and depression and PTSD and I had very similar symptoms myself. As always though, if it gets bad and you feel something is wrong, say an exeptionally high heart rate or difficulty breathing or you just know something isn't right, seek medical attention. But I think you're fine, you're just adjusting and having some withdrawal

I had similar problems with flavor when I started as well. A few tasted good but most we're tasteless. The flavor will improve over the next few weeks as you start vaping full time but again it takes time. Your tastebuds are recovering from being destroyed by smoking. Vapers tongue does happen though too, I get it once in awhile myself and honestly it seems like most days the flavor just isn't as powerful as it should be. But these things come and go. Just stick with it and things will improve.
Also get yourself some non alcoholic mouthwash and rinse a few times a day. Something like listerine is fine, but if you notice your mouth is really dry try biotene. The only other thing I do is brush my tongue when I brush my teeth. It kind of revives everything.

Good luck though!

 

[Hitmetwice]

Very good post there^^^^^^ vaping will not cure all your pre-existing issues however your overall health will improve over time if you do not smoke. It can be a little difficult at the start finding our sweetspot. Keep trying, don't give up. It will get better. Your health is worth the fight. All the best. Cheers.

 

[djsvapour]

I guess there are 'light' cigarettes and 'ultra-light' cigarettes.
Light cigarettes are really not very light at all averaging 0.7mg Nicotine per cigarette, so I would expect you to have some problems with 6mg liquid unless you are vaping at high power.
I have (in the past) had depressive periods and some anxiety. When I quit smoking, I used 24mg liquid and my anxiety was sky-high due to a very poor vaping device and quitting smoking. It's going to be hard to split the two as even a 'perfect dose' of Nicotine isn't guaranteed to help with all the withdrawal symptoms.
So, question #1 is.... what vaping device do you have? what power do you use it at? (watts - if it has variable power) and how much liquid are you using?
For me (and I do remember it quite well) more Nicotine was better than less. Sure, it kept me awake a bit at night, but rather that than full-on withdrawal.

Hang in there, though. Whatever is going on, it will get easier.

 

[BeOne]

Hi, I suffer from PTSD from a very serious road accident (someone lost control coming towards me at 60mph and I couldn't get out the way and they plunged into me) which manifests itself in high anxiety states and depression which I combat on a daily basis. Vaping aside can I suggest mindfulness meditation based stress reduction? It reprograms your brain so your fear receptor (amygdala gland) isn't connected straight to your 'Me Threatened Centre' (medial frontal cortex) and instead goes through the reasoning part of your brain (can't remember the name of this part).

It has worked wonders for me and now I usually only feel high anxiety when a vehicle comes round the corner too fast, too close to the white lines, or overtaking someone in my line of sight.

You can do free online courses for mindfulness based stress reduction such as this:
Online MBSR (free)

I'm not a doctor (although I was recommended to do this by my doctor and a psychiatrist that I went to see about the PTSD) and you don't need to take my advice but I thought I would share my newly found knowledge on this as, like I said, it has helped me immensely and my depression from the PTSD has lifted although I do still have bad days.

Sorry, can't offer advice for the vaping tastes as I am new myself.

Wish you all the best.

James

 

[december120964]

I want to thank everyone for your wonderful advice. I will take them all in and try some of the things that were given. I don't want to give up I know with the health problems alone that I "need" to badly. I just gotta set my mind to it and do it. But like I said with my "anxiety and depression" alone. When things tend to go awry I want to run back to my analogs. So from what I have read I just need to push thru it. I was smoking (if anyone is familiar with them) USA Gold Lights. Some days I could easily go thru 2 packs and some days maybe not over 1 pack. It differs all the time.
Thank you all again - this is what I needed to hear that I wasnt all alone in this

Thank you all again !!!

 

[daviedog]

How many years did you smoke? The longer the habit, the more psychological issues to confront. It's doable as you'll see on this forum.
Cigarrettes destroy your sense of taste. Far mote likely than vapors tongue..

 

[december120964]

I have smoked for almost 30 yrs when I was around 20 I became an everyday smoker. Before that I was more of a recreational smoker. Have you ever heard if you sinus' can play a factor. It is summer and my sinus' really flare up. So I was just curious ! Thank you so much

 

[janiegrl]

Whether the 18 mg juice or the 6 mg juice is appropriate depends on the equipment you're using, and what wattage you're vaping at. If you can let us know the ohms and wattage, we can advise you on which is more appropriate. 6 mg is a long ways from 18 mg.

Quitting smoking produces high anxiety for me, although otherwise I don't think I'm highly anxious. The anxiety you're feeling might be withdrawal. My suggestion is to have a cigarette if you feel you need it. You don't need to quit cold turkey. It's not for everyone. You need to be able to trust that the vape will supply you with the nicotine you need. Once you trust in vaping, and trust that the nicotine level is right for you, it's much easier to quit smoking. You can dual use for a while, then gradually reduce the cigarettes as you increase the vaping. Or dual use for bit, and when you're ready, set a quit date for the smoking. Whatever works best for you.

 

[seahawkin]

Hey there, anxiety and bipolar myself. Every time I quit it was a major upheaval causing panic attacks. I was lucky this time I discovered vaping, that doesn't mean it wasn't easy, still had the wicked mood swings, despair and panic. Do you have a doctor or psychiatrist you can talk to? My doctor was really helpful. There are many side effects to quiting smoking, makes it hard to know what is withdrawal (can take up to 10 days), detox (took me about 4 months) and what my head space is up too. Good luck and welcome.

 

[december120964]

Hi All, thanks for all the replies - seahawkin - yes I have talked to my Dr - he wants me to QUIT and not vape either but he said if thats what I have to do then ok but he'd rather I didnt do either.

As for what setup I am using - currently I have a Eleaf Ijust 2 and a Joyetech Ego One - I use the Nautilus Mini tanks with each one - I dont care for the tanks that came with them. Oh I also have an Istick20w, Mini (10w) and the Basic but if I use any of them its mainly the 20w

Does that give you more idea?? Getting into ohms sub ohms all that - just confuses me more and causes more anxiety LOL

I also was under the assumption not to do both - don't vape and smoke?? But I am struggling with that also

Thank you all very very much I at least feel like I am not alone and this is all in my head

 

[Grimwald]

I was a heavy 3 pad smoker for 40 years. I started vaping 4 years ago with old fashioned cig-sized and cartomizers, 24mg cheap tobacco flavored liquid. In my case, vapor's tongue was a good thing.

After 2-3 months my sense of smell and taste began to return and all of the tobacco liquids began to taste awful.

At about the same 2-3 month time frame I began to have a lot of anxiety, wooziness, sleeplessness...symptoms of too much nicotine. I explain it as running around like a chicken with its head cut off. In addition to slowly cutting back on the nicotine level, I found that I also had to cut back on other stimulants like caffeine and sugar. It took me a couple of months to get the balance right, but after a few more months I was back to my beloved coffee and vaping good fruit flavors at a lower 3mg nicotine level.

 

[december120964]

Thank you so much @Grimwald. Right now I cant vape a reg tobacco flavor. I have been able to do a few "mixed" with reg tobacco flavors - like a mint or cinammon etc But straight tobacco flavor YUCK !!
My anxiety does feel like what you described "a chicken with his head cut off"
Im trying - I keep telling myself this is better for me !!

 

[janiegrl]

I also was under the assumption not to do both - don't vape and smoke?? But I am struggling with that also

There's no reason not to do both. Maybe not at the same time though I used to wear a patch and smoke. Or chew nicorette gum, then have a cigarette when that wasn't enough. Your body will tell you when you've had enough nicotine, just like you could tell if you smoked too much, and just like it feels when you've had too much caffeine. Don't worry about nicotine "poisoning". I think a lot of people worry about it, and lots of people ask about it, but I think it's a very rare situation. I've only ever heard of one adult case, and that was a suicide attempt.

If a cold turkey quit is the way to go for you, then go for it. But if a gradual cut back is easier, then try it that way. Whatever works for YOU is the best way to do it. One of the best pieces of advise I ever read here was to not count the cigarettes you smoke, but instead count the ones you DON'T smoke.

 

[djsvapour]

As for what setup I am using - currently I have a Eleaf Ijust 2 and a Joyetech Ego One - I use the Nautilus Mini tanks with each one - I dont care for the tanks that came with them. Oh I also have an Istick20w, Mini (10w) and the Basic but if I use any of them its mainly the 20w

Does that give you more idea?? Getting into ohms sub ohms all that - just confuses me more and causes more anxiety LOL

This is very helpful. For example, the iJust2 with the tank it comes with is so powerful I could not even use it.
If you are using mini Nautilus, then you are vaping under 10w most probably. That is not too powerful.

 

[djsvapour]

Oh, by the way...

I used e-cigarettes, nicotine patches and smoked a few in the early days.
The problem was my low-power hardware. Once I bought a proper e-cigarette, I dropped the patches and the smoking.

Some doctors are pessimistic about vaping. They are not the best at researching about these things (maybe that's a little unfair) and they are known to be anti-vaping in some cases.

 

[december120964]

@djsvapour - Is there a set up you would recommend thats not difficult to run ?? I am such a newbie I don't understand ohms sub ohms etc etc I just don't understand the concept on what needs to be done and be effective. I use the mod only with the Ijust - I don't use the tank that came with it - I use the Nautilus Mini tank - as for the Istick - I have the others (mini and basic) but I use a 20 w at 8.2 watts.

Thank you for your help

 

[djsvapour]

@djsvapour - Is there a set up you would recommend thats not difficult to run ?? I am such a newbie I don't understand ohms sub ohms etc etc I just don't understand the concept on what needs to be done and be effective. I use the mod only with the Ijust - I don't use the tank that came with it - I use the Nautilus Mini tank - as for the Istick - I have the others (mini and basic) but I use a 20 w at 8.2 watts.

Thank you for your help

In my opinion the mini Nautilus is just fine. If you use the 20w iStick at 8.2 watts and also on the iJust battery, it'll be about the same power, maybe just a little more when the iJust is charged.
You don't really need to know much more. Keep the iJust battery charged up when you use the iStick(s). Both are about the right level of complexity.

You can avoid temperature control and all that jazz.... all you do is go up and down on a variable battery. That's it! enjoy...

 

[december120964]

Thank you so much @djsvapour

 

[DC2]

Please consider trying some WTA eliquid...
Aroma Ejuice Manufacturer of WTA Whole Tobacco Alkaloid Eliquid

It may be just the thing you need.
At the very least, it's well worth giving it a try.

Read this for more information...
Everything there is to know about Whole Tobacco Alkaloids