Every time I get serious about vaping and quit smoking I get breakthrough bleeding on my birth control. I take the birth control because I have serious endometriosis and ovarian cysts so it's pretty important that it keep working. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a cigarette detox symptom or a reaction to vaping, specifically, perhaps, an increase in nicotine inhalation? I would really like to quit smoking and have been doing great with the vaping this go round, but I can't risk having these other health issues triggered by it. Any advice or information? Thanks.
Breakthrough Bleeding: change in estrogen levels?
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First thing I recommend is talk to your doctor!!
Then I'd try vaping no nic as much as possible to see if it helps.
Then I'd try vaping no nic as much as possible to see if it helps.
My doctor, at this point, is a naturopath who doesn't want me taking the birth control at all and I need to get a new gynecologist because my last one gave me a medication to which I had a severe and ongoing adverse reaction (fluoroquinolone toxicity) and she's in absolute denial that the medication insert with the black box warning listing possible adverse reactions exists because these reactions actually do occur.
I do have some zero nic unflavored in the fridge and can load up a cart with that and see if it helps. I've been vaping a pretty strong mix of 36 mg/ml and 18 mg/ml and it's kept me off the butts, but I wonder if it could be throwing my system out of whack. However, it seems more or, at least, equally likely that the removal of all the other toxins in cigarettes from my system would tip the scales. Obviously, I have no idea.
I only vape VG, if it makes any difference.
I do have some zero nic unflavored in the fridge and can load up a cart with that and see if it helps. I've been vaping a pretty strong mix of 36 mg/ml and 18 mg/ml and it's kept me off the butts, but I wonder if it could be throwing my system out of whack. However, it seems more or, at least, equally likely that the removal of all the other toxins in cigarettes from my system would tip the scales. Obviously, I have no idea.
I only vape VG, if it makes any difference.
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kumquat;
You would really need to see a gyno, it could be the pills, it could be the onset of perimenopause, it could be stress, it could be a lot of things. I don't know if it could have anything to do with not smoking and vaping instead, I've never heard of that being a symptom of quitting. But I have not researched it and am not a gyno. If you don't want to go to your last gyno, you could try Planned Parenthood. If it is something they cannot address, they can refer you to someone new. Or you can just call them and ask in advance.
You would really need to see a gyno, it could be the pills, it could be the onset of perimenopause, it could be stress, it could be a lot of things. I don't know if it could have anything to do with not smoking and vaping instead, I've never heard of that being a symptom of quitting. But I have not researched it and am not a gyno. If you don't want to go to your last gyno, you could try Planned Parenthood. If it is something they cannot address, they can refer you to someone new. Or you can just call them and ask in advance.
Yes, I do need to see a new gyno, it's just not financially feasible at the moment; my savings have been wiped out and I've been unable to work since early April as a result of the Fluoroquinolone Toxicity and the resulting literally crippling pain, multiple appointments with 8 different doctors with no insurance, countless tests and medications, months upon months of physical therapy, acupuncture, a daily arsenal of many supplements and vitamins, a body which no longer tolerates any animal products treated with antibiotics at any time from feed to farm to processing, etc. It's expensive being sick.
However, the breakthrough bleeding is absolutely related to either or both quitting cigarettes and vaping; I've been on this birth control non-stop, meaning I'm meant to have zero periods or bleeding, for over a year and a half now and the only times I've had any bleeding whatsoever during this time has been in conjunction with vaping and stopping cigarettes. So, there's a direct correlation, I just don't know what it is nor if it would even out on its own were I to continue vaping and staying away from tobacco.
However, the breakthrough bleeding is absolutely related to either or both quitting cigarettes and vaping; I've been on this birth control non-stop, meaning I'm meant to have zero periods or bleeding, for over a year and a half now and the only times I've had any bleeding whatsoever during this time has been in conjunction with vaping and stopping cigarettes. So, there's a direct correlation, I just don't know what it is nor if it would even out on its own were I to continue vaping and staying away from tobacco.
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I know it varies from state to state and county to county, but do contact your local county health department and see if they can help. Many have women's health services including but not limited to Planned Parenting. This is not something to put off!!
Best wishes!!
Best wishes!!
Cigarettes were throwing your system "out of whack" whether you had bleeding or not. Getting off them can only improve your life. Your dosage of BC may need to be adjusted or it may be a natural thing due to age and your own hormones.
Give zero nic a try!
well i would not stop seeing the doctor for your conditions,,,btw,,i am NOT a licensed doctor either
36mg is pretty high strength stuff compared to what most vape here also
try vapin the zero stuff and smoking at same time,,,that could possibly rule out the vapin,don't quote me tho
since you can't really afford a bunch more medical bills.
there is a page here somewhere about the effects of quitting smoking,,sorry i don't have the link and can't find it
i seem to remember something about in rare cases ,quitting smoking resulted in bleeding gums due to increased blood flow in the body ??
36mg is pretty high strength stuff compared to what most vape here also
try vapin the zero stuff and smoking at same time,,,that could possibly rule out the vapin,don't quote me tho
since you can't really afford a bunch more medical bills.
there is a page here somewhere about the effects of quitting smoking,,sorry i don't have the link and can't find it
i seem to remember something about in rare cases ,quitting smoking resulted in bleeding gums due to increased blood flow in the body ??
"a daily arsenal of many supplements and vitamins"
Could you list what they are?
Could you list what they are?
I just exchanged a few emails with my naturopath. She says that, yes, quitting cigarettes can affect the progesterone/estrogen levels and that it could take 30-90 days for things to even back out. She suggested I come in to meet with her to get "botanicals" -- I have no idea what that means -- which could ease the symptoms and speed up the process. She cured the bronchitis I had in October in 3 days and has been helpful with the FQ Toxicity, but I'm still a little sketched about uhm the entire methodology or lack thereof.
I'm 30 and have been smoking about a pack a day, sometimes more, since I was 14 so I don't doubt my body will have quite a transition to make. I don't realistically think I'd be able to quit with a lower dosage of nicotine at this point, although my goal is to cut it down gradually once I'm over the hump. Yes, I've read the page with side effects of detoxing on it and I didn't notice anything about hormonal changes beyond acne. Perhaps, they should be added to the list although if I'm the only person here who has experienced this maybe they are too rare to bother listing.
I'm 30 and have been smoking about a pack a day, sometimes more, since I was 14 so I don't doubt my body will have quite a transition to make. I don't realistically think I'd be able to quit with a lower dosage of nicotine at this point, although my goal is to cut it down gradually once I'm over the hump. Yes, I've read the page with side effects of detoxing on it and I didn't notice anything about hormonal changes beyond acne. Perhaps, they should be added to the list although if I'm the only person here who has experienced this maybe they are too rare to bother listing.
This is is what I currently take for my Fluoroquinolone Toxicity:
Ionized Liquid Magnesium
Liquid Chlorophyll
Raw Vitamin D3
Cranberry
N-acetylcysteine
Milk Thistle
L-glutathione
B-Complex
CellFood
CellFood Silica
And I've tried a variety of other things which I either had a poor reaction to or which seemed to provide no benefit.
I have a very difficult time swallowing pills, so I break all the capsules open and add them to a smoothie. The chlorophyll and magnesium come in dropper bottles not unlike e-liquid and the CellFood liquids are added to water throughout the day.
I, also, use Neuragen Gel for nerve pain, Traumeel for muscle pain and Tramadol for joint pain, but they help to a very minimal degree. Epsom salt baths help with the joint/tendon/muscle pain, but aggravate my nerve pain. And I've found nothing so far which helps with the vision loss, memory loss or brain fog.
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The bulk of your symptoms are related to your endometriosis, the diet program probably helps with some of your complaints but the FQ Tox obviously complicates things. Some people seem to have ongoing problems with FQ even after the majority of the problems go away.
What you probably really need is surgical treatment for your endometriosis. Your natro has provided the herbal med route and you're still suffering, you're on the pill (which is another treatment option) and that doesn't seem to be working well. At the very least keep working with your natro on herbal treatment before/during/after your cycle, see a GP for a stronger pill. And keep a daily diary of your experiences, this will help everyone else narrow down what is happening.
36mg nic is extremely high, and for a PAD smoker you probably only need 24 - 16 mg liquid. Don't go cold turkey, you will only relapse back to cigarettes. And I would suggest to keep vaping, the symptoms you are experiencing don't relate much at all to others who have had some sort of allergy reaction, more likely to the info above. You could if you like purchase some PG liquid, or a mix. But as I said the vaping is less likely to be causing any of your problems.
What you probably really need is surgical treatment for your endometriosis. Your natro has provided the herbal med route and you're still suffering, you're on the pill (which is another treatment option) and that doesn't seem to be working well. At the very least keep working with your natro on herbal treatment before/during/after your cycle, see a GP for a stronger pill. And keep a daily diary of your experiences, this will help everyone else narrow down what is happening.
36mg nic is extremely high, and for a PAD smoker you probably only need 24 - 16 mg liquid. Don't go cold turkey, you will only relapse back to cigarettes. And I would suggest to keep vaping, the symptoms you are experiencing don't relate much at all to others who have had some sort of allergy reaction, more likely to the info above. You could if you like purchase some PG liquid, or a mix. But as I said the vaping is less likely to be causing any of your problems.
Usually women on hormonal birth control are taking a high enough dose to prevent ALL natural hormone responses - that's why it works. Your dosage probably needs to be changed.
I'm all for naturopaths. I was born in a naturopathic hospital. The botanicals she mentioned might be chasteberry or related things or she might be thinking of bioidenticals. Stay away from bioidenticals at your age. They are as effective as synthetic hormones but you are already making your own hormones plus the BC. More is not always better.
I would guess that your allopathic gyno or family doc can tinker with your BC. See your naturopath for things to reduce your stress over getting off nicotine (if you want to get off it).
Nice post ginger.
I think that getting off nicotine should be the least of your worries at this stage though. As I posted before use a lower nicotine dose and make vaping your new cigarettes. The stress of withdrawal with the complications of your above problems would only serve as a compound effect. The nicotine will help with stress, once the bulk of your problems go away I would then look at quitting vaping/ or use 0 nicotine liquid.
I think that getting off nicotine should be the least of your worries at this stage though. As I posted before use a lower nicotine dose and make vaping your new cigarettes. The stress of withdrawal with the complications of your above problems would only serve as a compound effect. The nicotine will help with stress, once the bulk of your problems go away I would then look at quitting vaping/ or use 0 nicotine liquid.
Thanks! I love alternative medicine but people should be as suspicious about them as they should be about regular docs. Anybody can be running a mental script that's not true.
I didn't have any of these symptoms until I was floxed. I took 2.5 pills of Ciprofloxacin for a UTI on April 2nd/3rd of last year and my symptoms began 2 pills in as a pain in my left ankle and gradually spread throughout my body.
Eliminating antibiotic treated foods has been very helpful. When I've slipped, I notice it right away. Caffeine also exacerbates my symptoms. And, yes, there are thousands of us who have had severe adverse reactions to FQs as the numbers of people in the support groups confirm. Unfortunately, there is still very little research being done on how to reverse the condition or, for that matter, how exactly it's even caused as the only groups with the kind of money to fund such research are the very drug companies who produce the poisons and they have no incentive to admit culpability nor to slash their profit margin.
This was suggested to me by the gyno who floxed me, but she also admitted that there's a tendency for re-growth and even more growth of rogue endometrial tissue at the sites where surgery is performed.
She, actually, wants me to take an iodine test to see if my levels are low and, if so, to supplement with iodine instead of the birth control. I've been procrastinating taking the test even though I've had it in my bathroom for months. I just feel like I have so much going on that dealing with one more thing is kind of overwhelming. You're right that a symptom diary would prove helpful. I should try to get into the habit of that. I kept one, initially, of my FQ symptoms, but petered off as the months passed.
I'm rarely vaping pure 36. My Vermont Vapor Tobacco flavor is 36, but it's so thick that it kills a carto before you can even finish it. So, I mix it with 18 of Johnson Creek's Domestic or Tenessee Cured which is thinner. I don't do this in any scientific way, however, so I have no real idea what actual percentage of nic I'm getting. I just know it's been enough to keep me off the smokes -- until the bleeding starts and I freak out.
Yer I agree ginger. As with all health professionals there is the good and the bad, and different treatment approaches work better for some people than others. Then you have the placebo effect as well, that's why I love my snake oil it fixes everything 
Which means finding another gyno...
Wow, I didn't even know there were naturopathic hospitals!
Thanks. Noted.
My naturopath is relatively new to my area, but I hope she'll be able to point me in the direction of a new gyno who isn't in the pocket of big pharma. I haven't asked her. She wants to try the iodine supplementation and, from what I've read, it seems like a legit treatment, but we don't even know, at this point, if my levels are abnormal.
My naturopath said that quitting creates cellular stress from the chemical withdrawal independent of nicotine.
Firstly, please buy some nicotine juice from a manufacturer on the forum for a dose that you would like Mixing stuff in a non scientific way is only going to make vaping worse for you.
FQ is extremely complicated, and the long term CNS effects and the like aren't well documented. You should still keep a daily diary and document your endo attacks. You may well of had the condition your whole life and it is presenting itself now.
The surgery option allows the visual examination of how bad the problem is. Your previous gyno gave good advice for the surgery but obviously you shouldn't use her anymore due to the FQ.
Iodine deficient? I doubt it. Your supps are loaded with micro-nutrients. Do not go off the pill, and see your GP/family doc for advise on other pill options. Ginger gave similar advice to this.
The diary might help with determining what the FQ and endo symptoms are or there triggers.
Mixing stuff in a non scientific way is only going to make vaping worse for you. FQ is extremely complicated, and the long term CNS effects and the like aren't well documented. You should still keep a daily diary and document your endo attacks. You may well of had the condition your whole life and it is presenting itself now.
The surgery option allows the visual examination of how bad the problem is. Your previous gyno gave good advice for the surgery but obviously you shouldn't use her anymore due to the FQ.
Iodine deficient? I doubt it. Your supps are loaded with micro-nutrients. Do not go off the pill, and see your GP/family doc for advise on other pill options. Ginger gave similar advice to this.
The diary might help with determining what the FQ and endo symptoms are or there triggers.
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