Pains from e cig?

[freddy5]

I bought an e cig a couple of months ago and everything was good for a month or so but i started to get some bad pain in my chest. I read it's a possibility that the pains are caused by sensitivity to pg. So i ordered vg liquid with no pg and it was fine for about to days, but it came back worse. pain in chest, shoulders, ears, wierd stomach pain, upper and lower back pain. it lasted about 5 days and then went away. I tryed using it without inhaling and got the earache again and the very strange part is i also got the lower back pain which was very bad and im almost sure that it is my kidneys. Does anybody know anything about this? I have reserched gycerine since and found a couple of pages that say glycerin in very high doses may cause resperitory, liver and kidney damage, but is generally recignized as safe. I know that i get chest and lower back pain, so it seems like to me that i might have a crazy hypersensitivity to glycerin maybe?

 

[kmac]

Don't know, but what nic strength are you using? Can't really tell you about what glycerin can do, but nicotine can have vasomotor effects and if you are having bad chest pains, you might try lowering your nic level a bit and see if that helps. Not to scare you, but those are all signs of cardiac stress. Could also be signs of glycerin sensitivity but I wouldn't know. I don't think the glycerin from vaping would really be considered a very high dose.

 

[Rosa]

The glycerin from vaping is not considered to be a high dose. I'd go see your doctor about it.

 

[yohann976]

I had chest pains my first day of smoking e-cigs. I don't know if it was the e-cig or the fact that I quit smoking. That was only on day one and I haven't had it since. If I was in your position, I would seriously consider speaking to a doctor to check to see if I was having some type of allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in the juice.

 

[dormouse]

It's usually not the PG but rather the lack of buffering of the irritation of nicotine - nicotine is skin irritant and some people have gotten not just sore tongue, gum or throat but also sore lungs. How much nicotine are you using and how long have you raised it recently?

Regardless - I think you need to see a doctor. It could be a heart problem. Nicotine, whether in cigs or ecigs is a vasoconstrictor and can mess with your blood pressure and circulation.

 

[kylerwoods]

Interesting, I've never heard of that happening

 

[kelleymcm]

or dehydration ...are you drinking LOTS OF WATER ...if NOT ...you NEED to !! If it is the water you should see a difference pretty fast ....I would think ...can't hurt to try

seeing a doctor is probably a good idea too...

you might try to pinpoint if you think its an allergy ...one thing is bendryl will make allergy reactions subside ...so benadryl is a way to check to see if you are reacting to something .

if so then I would start... testing the parts separately....
w/vaping plain vg * thin with distilled water 'bout 5-10%,
if that is ok,
then try vg w/flavoring, for awhile, still ok...
then try vg, flav,& nic.

 

[pAth77]

I bought an e cig a couple of months ago and everything was good for a month or so but i started to get some bad pain in my chest. I read it's a possibility that the pains are caused by sensitivity to pg. So i ordered vg liquid with no pg and it was fine for about to days, but it came back worse. pain in chest, shoulders, ears, wierd stomach pain, upper and lower back pain. it lasted about 5 days and then went away. I tryed using it without inhaling and got the earache again and the very strange part is i also got the lower back pain which was very bad and im almost sure that it is my kidneys. Does anybody know anything about this? I have reserched gycerine since and found a couple of pages that say glycerin in very high doses may cause resperitory, liver and kidney damage, but is generally recignized as safe. I know that i get chest and lower back pain, so it seems like to me that i might have a crazy hypersensitivity to glycerin maybe?

It's usually not the PG but rather the lack of buffering of the irritation of nicotine - nicotine is skin irritant and some people have gotten not just sore tongue, gum or throat but also sore lungs. How much nicotine are you using and how long have you raised it recently?

Regardless - I think you need to see a doctor. It could be a heart problem. Nicotine, whether in cigs or ecigs is a vasoconstrictor and can mess with your blood pressure and circulation.

What you are experiencing is not an allergic reaction. I think that dormouse's point is the more likely explanation, but without a complete history and physical it is difficult to say. You have a pretty wide constellation of symptoms listed, and nicotine can explain some but not all of them; an allergic reaction doesn't fit any of them. If you don't mind my asking, do you have any other medical problems. Yes, I am a doctor so I may be able to help explain some of what you are feeling, but the best thing that you can really do is to get checked out by your regular physician.

 

[freddy5]

What you are experiencing is not an allergic reaction. I think that dormouse's point is the more likely explanation, but without a complete history and physical it is difficult to say. You have a pretty wide constellation of symptoms listed, and nicotine can explain some but not all of them; an allergic reaction doesn't fit any of them. If you don't mind my asking, do you have any other medical problems. Yes, I am a doctor so I may be able to help explain some of what you are feeling, but the best thing that you can really do is to get checked out by your regular physician.

Acually no medical medical problems that i am aware of. normal blood pressure. I have had my appendix removed, but no other problems. I haven't been to the doctor in a while because i have no insurance.

 

[pAth77]

Like I said previously, there's only so much that I can do to help you here so my recommendation for you (if you are truly worried) is to go see a doctor. I'm gonna throw out a few questions and explanations here, but if you prefer you can just send me the answers via PM.

General information is always helpful: gender, age, weight, height, occupation, medical conditions (you mentioned that you don't have any that you are aware of), family history, tobacco/alcohol intake (duration and quantity; even if you've already quit)

The character of the pain (plus or minus it's association with other symptoms) is one of the keys here. Is your chest pain a sharp/shooting type of pain, or a dull pressure-like pain (as if someone is sitting on your chest); does it radiate/spread to any other part of your body (shoulder, back, neck, etc).

Stomach pain: Divide your abdomen into 4 quadrants; where does it hurt (upper left/right, lower left/right). When does it occur (before/after eating, only when vaping, etc). Is it a burning pain, sharp pain, crampy pain?

Ear pain is typically due to either infection (otitis media or externa), trauma, or referred pain from dental problems.

At this point, I'm not inclined to think that your lower back pain is due to your kidneys. Back pain due to kidney problems is typically an infection, most commonly due to stones. Because you are also complaining of upper back and shoulder pain, I'm leaning more towards a muscle strain type of picture.

Don't worry about PG and VG. Vendors use USP grade PG/VG, which means that they are deemed safe for both food and pharmacological use. And as others have already pointed out, the quantity that you are vaping is nowhere near "high dose."

 

[freddy5]

pAth77- im a 25 year old male, about 5 foot 8". I work as a cook. i weigh about 130 pounds. i smoke about a pack to a pack and a half a day. i only drink occasionally. Gall bladder problems in family history but i haven't had any problems. The chest pain is a dull pressure pain that radiates to my shoulders and back. stomach pain feel about top/center, maybe toward the right. also feels like pressure, like someone is jabbing me in the stomach. hurts the same before or after eating but a little worse as i swallow.

 

[pAth77]

The chronology of symptoms (which comes first, or are they all at the same time) would help too, but in all honesty, I think you should get checked out. If you were a 55 year old obese male, then I would have an entire laundry list of things to explain why you feel the way you do. But being a relatively fit and healthy younger male (even though you smoke), you shouldn't be having that type of chest pain. Your stomach pain sounds more like non-ulcer dyspepsia and you might be developing a moderate amount of GERD (both are very common side effects of nicotine). These can also result in symptoms that are perceived as chest pain. The only discrepancy is that you describe your chest pain as dull. GERD chest pain is typically a burning-type of pain that may radiate upwards but not to the shoulders or back. Chest pain is something that we never take lightly so the best thing for you is to get checked out.

 

[freddy5]

Ok i tryed vaping just usp glycerin cut with 10% water. My chest didnt hurt but my lower back was hurting again within a few minutes and also my legs became sore, tingley and slightly swollen. The next day i had very foamy urine. I did some research and these are all signs of kidney damage including the sore chest and muscles. I am sure it is from the glycerin and i think it may have to do with how it converts to glucose in your system. Maybe i have high blood sugar already and didnt know it? The weirdest think that happened was every time i vaped the gylcerin i had this strange ringing in my ears that i never experinced before. it really sounded like something in the room was making a sound, but it was my ears for sure. It faded in and out every few seconds. Kind of hard to explain but it is a very scary feeling. I dont know if this could be a symptom of kidney failure or not. Unfortunately i have to give up vaping for good

 

[MickeyRat]

If you suspect something like that, you NEED to see a doctor. It may be that vaping uncovered a condition you haven't been aware of. Whether you are able to continue with vaping or not this doesn't sound like a normal reaction. You need to get it checked out. Best of luck!

 

[kraylen]

Seek medical man...

 

[hippiebrian]

These symptoms may have nothing to do with vaping, might just be a coincedence they started now.

There has to be a free clinic somewhere near you...I suggest seeing a doc as soon as possible to find out what's really going on. Let's face it, we all inhaled the waste gasses of burning vegitation for years, there's bound to be some side effects eventually.

 

[pAth77]

Please so somewhere, anywhere, to get checked out.

Yes, foamy urine is an indication of renal problems and is a result of the presence of protein in the urine (normally, protein should not be present in urine). But when we say foamy/bubbly urine, it is really bubbly, as if you poured a bunch of dish soap in the toilet. Only a small amount of bubbles in the toilet water is just a result of the air pockets that happen when your piss hits the water. When you say foamy, how foamy is it? Is your urine a different color (pinkish)? Glycerol induced rhabdo was a thought I had when reading your post. One of the ways that glycerol is metabolized is by conversion to glucose, but the amount you're taking in shouldn't be a problem, even if you were a diabetic. Which is another thought that I had. As others have already said, please go see a doctor so that they can run the appropriate tests. All I can do is come up with possibilities based on your descriptions, but the only way to rule out/confirm things is by a face-to-face visit in conjunction with tests.

 

[mylose64]

You could be associating other problems with the e-cig. I'd def go get that checked out by a doctor.

The worst thing you can do is ask a forum/message board for medical advice. It could be cigarette withdrawal, but Idk.

My father always said "Don't go to a barber to do your taxes"

So don't go to a message board for medical advice!

 

[Pip-Boy]

Be safe, see a doctor.

Consider, if you have started vaping and quit smoking, your body chemistry is changing. Even though you are getting nicotine, you are forgoing a thousand other chemical your body is used to receiving. Also, your nicotine level may be too high or low, depending on your previous smoking habit. GL.

 

[HedonismBot]

Agree with all above about the doctor. Vaping could be functioning as a trigger of some kind but I think it very unlikely that it's the cause of these symptoms.

You mentioned family history of gall-bladder problems. I had a cholecystectomy at 24 after nearly two years of undiagnosed intermittent abdominal pain. The worst pain of my life, and it radiated everywhere - I'd be laying on the floor in the fetal position, sweating bullets, when an attack hit. Food was a common trigger: my gall bladder was almost completely blocked and so when I consumed fats, it tried to pump bile, and the result was crippling pain. I have no idea if glycerin would possibly trigger bile flow, but if it does, family history might be catching up to you.

Re-reading your post above makes me a little more certain: chest pain like heartburn, that makes swallowing hurt; abdominal pain that seems to be a bit to the right, maybe just under the bottom of the ribcage? I was also very thin at the time, I'm 5'11" and I was about 140lbs back then... if it is the gall bladder, it can be confirmed with an abdominal ultrasound which shouldn't be too expensive.