Confused with headache

[JudeD]

I'm confused about something. I started vaping two days ago. I use to smoke a pack or more a day of Virginia Slims Super Slims (.5 nic). All the juice I have used so far is a 6 (a little), 12 (this is what I've used the most) or 18 (not very often) and I'm not vaping more often than I would have smoked, yet I keep getting headaches. How do I know if my headache is from too much nic or withdrawal because I'm getting too little? Headache is listed as a symptom of both too much nicotine and withdrawal. I'm not dizzy and I'm not getting the buzz I used to when I smoked after not having one for a long time. I don't think I'm way off on my nic because I've only smoked five or six analogs since I started vaping and I'm not craving more. I'm drinking plenty of water and don't show any signs of being dehydrated, so I don't think it's that. I also don't think it's the PG or VG because it only happens sometimes, not every time I vape.

Do I cut back and see if the headaches lessen? Did anyone else struggle with this when they were first trying to find the right juice and levels?

 

[hairball]

Since it's not happening every time you vape, I would venture a guess that it's from withdrawal from all the other junk on cigs. Keep drinking and drop to the lowest mg that you have and see if you can stick with that.

 

[bebowebb]

I did the exact same thing when I first started.

I started with 18mg and found myself vaping pretty heavily. I wouldn't get the head rush effect, but I was sure getting the head ache effect relatively frequently.

I cut down to 12mg to even out the nic with the increased frequency of use and found it to be a pretty even fix.

No headache and no withdrawal symptoms.

 

[ego-fan]

Hey Jude.......
.I had the same symptoms as you are experiencing....I cut the nic level to 6mg. ,and that solved the problem
I believe a few of us, are reacting this way when getting the nicotine in a pure form with vaping...not being anesthetized by god knnws what secret additives in analogs .....
Just keep vaping the low level...it will pass...I am 8 weeks in today...and the troublesome headaches are gone

Vape on

 

[yiddleboge6]

Hi
I 've been having this happen too with 18mg. I used to get the same kind of thing from too many cigarettes. I called it a smoking "hangover". Ordering new liquid this week, one bottle of 18mg for those times I'm ready to scream, the rest in 12mg and 6mg. I'd already decided it was the nic level as I know it constricts the blood vessels, Just my

 

[swedishfish]

I had headaches sometimes when I first started. I think it was withdraw, because they went away after a week or so.

Don't fool with and lower your nicotine too much or you'll still crave cigarettes. Most people need higher nicotine when they first start vaping. You'll eventually cut down if you want to.

 

[kfig]

I would say Its withdrawl from the cigs. Maybe not as much nic or just getting used to the new way of getting it. You know you've had too much nic when your heart races and u feel anxious. If you aren't getting those feelings and aren't chain vaping I'd say you're just getting used to being off of the stinkie sticks. Good luck and keep up the good work!

 

[Forkeh]

If you were ODing on nic, you'd have more symptoms than just a headache (you'd be sweating like a hog, shaky, dizzy, etc), plus at the levels you vape at most often, that's really just not likely to happen. You may even want to think about moving to 18 full time, if not even higher. I do realize that cigs contain much less nicotine than these liquids, however, because of the ammonia added to cigs and the chemical reaction that happens during combustion of the cigarette, what you're getting is essentially (and I picked this term up from another user, it's not my own lol) nicotine-crack; it's a freebased form of the drug. Far more potent and addictive than natural nicotine. Especially move up if you're not feeling satisfied.

Now, for your headache. I'd guess it's probably tobacco withdraw, or simply detox from all of the nasty things in cigs. There's a big big list of nasty chemicals and toxins in commercial tobacco. You've been pumping your body full of it for however long you've been smoking and now, unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on how you look at it) all that has to come out. Detoxing from anything toxic like what's in a cigarette can be very unpleasant for some individuals.

It might also just be allergies. Vaping irritates my sinuses. No I don't think it's a PG allergy. I just have very sensitive sinuses because I do suffer from seasonal allergies and it's that time of year. I'm already irritated. Vaping causes more irritation to already irritated tissue. I sometimes get a very minor sinus headache when I vape. Not a big deal to me. You could be in the same boat. Sinus headaches have a very specific feel. It's a stuffed up feeling right between the eyes.

 

[Samyaza]

Try drinking more water, it may simply be that you aren't getting enough liquid.

Vaping dehydrates you and when you first start it's a good idea to drink tons of water. I drank about 3l a day when I first started, it was the only way I could keep the headaches away

Gl!

 

[JudeD]

Thanks everyone! My heart isn't pounding and I'm not shaky at all or sweating. And I've had sinus headaches before and this doesn't feel like one of those. I'm going to try starting out with 18 this morning when I need the biggest hit of nic and then move down to 12 for the rest of the day, maybe even using 6 this evening when I'm watching TV and seem to pick my eGo up more often without thinking. I'm a little limited on juices right now since I ordered mostly 18 and only small bottles of 12 in my first batch. I have two more orders in at Mrs. T's and KBV with everything from 0 to 24 so I can dilute or spike as needed, but KBV isn't due to arrive until tomorrow and Mrs. T's hasn't even shipped yet.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will definitely keep playing with levels and frequency until I find what works for me. Last night at about 10 pm I noticed I only had two analogs left in my pack which would normally be cause for panic and a trip to the WaWa, but instead I was like, "Meh, I don't feel like going out," and I didn't. That is an incredible milestone for me because I'm the type who doesn't have to smoke as long as I know they are there if I need them. I would never go to sleep with only two in the pack in case I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. I would have gone to the store for more. But those two analogs are still in the pack and my eGo is doing the job of getting me through my morning coffee. Amazing. Simply amazing.

 

[Dana A]

Welcome JudeB. It will all work itself out in time. You have some good suggestions here from some great people and now you just need some time to work out the kinks. It's so liberating the 1st time that pack of analogs gets low and you know you can just get past the problem with your EGO LOL

 

[YoureFired]

On my second day without smoking cigs, I became quite nauseous for a few hours. On the way home, stopped at a red light I could smell the oil and gas fumes on the street and it made it worse. I could even smell the rubber tires in the street. I smelled dog poop in the air. It was a weird rush of smells that I hadn't remembered since I was a kid. I decided to take a nap and hope it would end. Fortunately a couple of hours later the nausea stopped and I felt a lot better.

 

[DaveP]

On my second day without smoking cigs, I became quite nauseous for a few hours. On the way home, stopped at a red light I could smell the oil and gas fumes on the street and it made it worse. I could even smell the rubber tires in the street. I smelled dog poop in the air. It was a weird rush of smells that I hadn't remembered since I was a kid. I decided to take a nap and hope it would end. Fortunately a couple of hours later the nausea stopped and I felt a lot better.

Stopping smoking can put you back in touch with nature ... the good parts and the (phew!) bad parts. I remember walking outside and smelling dirt and pine trees. It was a memorable experience. I hadn't sensed those smells since I was an early teenager.

To the OP,
Headaches are most likely to be from stopping smoking. You get much more oxygen to the brain a few days after stopping and that can bring on slight dizziness for a few days. Nic overdose would introduce slight nausea, ears ringing, slight dizziness, a "buzzy" feeling and other symptoms. Remember when you first smoked and thought if one made you feel that good, another would be even better and you got a little green around the gills?

I'd find the level of ecig nic that alleviates the cravings for cigarettes and work from there. Most of us vape 24mg, at least while quitting ecigs. It's easy to overdose at that level if you treat it like a pacifier, but we soon find the point we need to be without creating symptoms of OD.

Ecigs deliver from 10% to 30% of the nicotine that a cigarette delivers. The difference is that we tend to keep an ecig in our hand more than cigarettes. It's easy to get involved in something and suddenly realize we have vaped non-stop for the last 15 minutes without realizing it. Experience will tell you where the excess point is for you. Most of us talk about how we frequently vape non-stop.

 

[YoureFired]

I have yet to smell dirt again.. Sounds funny, but I actually kind of remember it being a fresh and somewhat cool smell. I recently smelled those little white flowers that grow about grass high at the park the other day. It was a sweet smell and I see why the bees like them. Haha, this is pretty funny.

 

[TarFreeMe]

Some of this info may be redundant, but I've found so much help here that my greatest hope is to be able to pay it forward to others looking for help.

I agree with most that the headaches are probably due to quitting smoking. I quit completely when I started vaping. Day 2 I had a headache in the evening that got worse for a couple days (really bad) and then tapered off over the next couple days. I also went through a myriad of other "side effects" over the next couple weeks like nausea, dizziness, night sweats, etc. I recognized all these as being the same as a couple experiences when spending time in very remote, sandy areas and not being able to get cigarettes or mail for weeks at a time.

I'm now over the most shocking side effects (I hope!!) and am just dealing with the lighter side of detoxing. These include occasional gum bleeding when brushing, zits now and then (I think they call it the "quit zits"), still hard coughing a little dark phlegm now and then.

Everything has been worth it thus far as I feel so incredibly much better. I breathe better, sleep better (big one as I've been an insomniac since the aforementioned remote times), no longer get winded climbing stairs at all. The most surprising good side effects have been the normal aches and pains of aging are almost nonexistent compared to before.

I smoked fairly heavily for 30+ years and can hardly believe that in such a short amount of time so far I feel so much better all around.

As you've already heard, keep drinking plenty of water. This helps avoid dehydration which will help with a lot of things, not the least of which being cleaning all the nastiness out during the detoxification phase.

You came to the right place for this kind of info. ECF and its members have been an invaluable source of information to me in my short time being an ex-smoker.

 

[DaveP]

I have yet to smell dirt again.. Sounds funny, but I actually kind of remember it being a fresh and somewhat cool smell. I recently smelled those little white flowers that grow about grass high at the park the other day. It was a sweet smell and I see why the bees like them. Haha, this is pretty funny.

Dirt reaches its best aroma right after a rain. Not so much if the dirt around your house is red clay

The Honeysuckle vines in my side yard will knock your nose out of joint 200 feet away! it's a great smell, but sometimes overpowering.

 

[swedishfish]

Dirt reaches its best aroma right after a rain. Not so much if the dirt around your house is red clay

The Honeysuckle vines in my side yard will knock your nose out of joint 200 feet away! it's a great smell, but sometimes overpowering.

That is the best smell ever!

 

[Vchick]

Sorry you're having this problem. I suffer from headaches as well and sometimes they're from dehydration. I know that from time to time I think I'm getting enough water, I have to remember most of my liquids at times are with caffeine which is very dehydrating. If I feel one coming on I drink 1-2 large glasses of water, most of the times it does the trick.

It may well be due to the withdraw of all the other junk in mokes, if it continues please see a doc, keep us posted!

hth!

 

[MarcK73]

On my second day without smoking cigs, I became quite nauseous for a few hours. On the way home, stopped at a red light I could smell the oil and gas fumes on the street and it made it worse. I could even smell the rubber tires in the street. I smelled dog poop in the air. It was a weird rush of smells that I hadn't remembered since I was a kid. I decided to take a nap and hope it would end. Fortunately a couple of hours later the nausea stopped and I felt a lot better.

I'm going through the same thing! Started tasting and smelling new things even though I still have an analog on occasion. Very odd sensation!

 

[outofbreath]

All along I thought my loss of smell was caused by my cerebral hemmorage. After getting down to 1 or 2 anologs a day the sense of smell started to come Back. I can actually smell the distinct smell of the beach after rain. WONDERFUL.