Does everyone really have an allergy to PG?

[93gc40]

I am more sensitive to VG than PG.. I get I'll feeling when I vape at More than 50% VG. This is the man reason I do DIY other than cost. It's getting hard to find High PG juices these days.

 

[GeorgeS]

I'm not a doctor, I don't have a license to practice medicine anywhere on the planet. With that said and out of the way, while I was searching for the 'perfect vape' for ME, I started by taking control of what was in MY juice and playing with PG/VG ratios and nicotine levels.

• juices with PG are not as smooth as juices without PG (PG creates unwanted 'harshness')
  
• juices with PG seem to cause nose/nasial/sinius issues (clogged, runny, sneezing)
  
• I'm not allergic to PG, I just don't prefer it in my juice
• I don't care much for a 'throat hit'
• for much of the gear that I use, thicker juice flood less than thinner juice

Personally, since both PG and Nicotine can add to 'harshness' and 'throat hit' and the entire personal point of vaping is alternate nicotine delivery system the personal choice was clear - lower nicotine content or lower PG content. (do I really have to spell out which won out here?)

While my usual vape is %100VG (no flavor) I THINK the idea that PG is needed for 'flavor' is bogus. Personally I think it boils down to most STUFF dissolve better in thinner fluids then thicker fluids. Its as simple as that. Want thin VG? Just add some H2O.

 

[ReigntheGamer]

Glycerin doesn't sound explosive?

Tapatyped

With enough soap you can blow up just about anything.

 

[beckdg]

With enough soap you can blow up just about anything. [emoji38]

Funny story...

After watching that movie, a bunch of my friends immediately dubbed me Tyler Durden.

The name stuck long enough that my oldest is named after my alter ego.

Tapatyped

 

[skoony]

From Wikipedia
"Nicotine is optically active, having two enantiomeric forms. The naturally occurring form of nicotine is levorotatory with a specific rotation of [α]D = –166.4° ((−)-nicotine). The dextrorotatory form, (+)-nicotine is physiologically less active than (–)-nicotine."
End Wiki article.

if i am getting this right one form gives you less of a buzz.
where does the cheaper part come in?
regards
mike

 

[coolvapes]

Glycerin doesn't sound explosive?

Tapatyped

Not with vegetable in front, bacon glycerin on the other hand

Ps, not surprising, I didn't spell vegetable right. Spell check to the rescue.

 

[Robino1]

Back to the topic: I know of someone that has a true allergy to PG. She cannot use products that contain PG such as lotions, shampoo etc. She breaks out when she applies these products to her skin. She cannot vape PG at all. She has found E-Liquid companies that do not use PG based flavors. Yes, there are companies that do have flavoring that does not contain PG.

I believe (not a doctor but an observer) we can acquire sensitivities to products over time. Sensitivity does not necessarily equate to allergies.

 

[roxynoodle]

Back to the topic: I know of someone that has a true allergy to PG. She cannot use products that contain PG such as lotions, shampoo etc. She breaks out when she applies these products to her skin. She cannot vape PG at all. She has found E-Liquid companies that do not use PG based flavors. Yes, there are companies that do have flavoring that does not contain PG.

I believe (not a doctor but an observer) we can acquire sensitivities to products over time. Sensitivity does not necessarily equate to allergies.

You are correct. I also have sensitivities that are not true allergies. I can't eat soy or I'll get very nauseated. That's not an allergy. Allergies generally produce hives, swelling of the mouth, lips or throat and/or breathing problems. If I'm stung by a wasp or hornet, I will have an allergic reaction.

And yes, you can develop allergies or sensitivities at any point. I was not always allergic to wasps.

I had a severe allergic reaction to Chantix even though I had never used it before. So even something you haven't been previously exposed to can have that effect.

 

[Robino1]

I think people equate a Sensitivity as Allergy. But then we can go back and forth forever on the definition of Sensitivities and Allergies

The only thing that is accurate, if you do have either a sensitivity or an allergy to a liquid, it could be a number of things that is causing the issue. The only ways to determine what it is, is to see a doctor and/or take all things away from the equation and slowly introduce the products (one by one) back into the equation.

Start with unflavored, either a pg or vg mix. Vape that for a few days. Introduce the next ingredient. So on and so forth. Sometimes it is as simple as a flavor or flavor company that doesn't agree with you.

It is all trial and error. Even when you go to a doctor, it is trial and error. The best a doctor can do are the spot tests to determine if a particular substance causes a reaction. Better to know though.

 

[NancyR]

I have a pg sensitivity, I get massive headaches and coughing when a juice has over 30% pg in it. I know it isn't the flavors or other things in the juice in my case as I DIY, if I mix a bottle at 50/50 I have issues, if I mix the same bottle at 30/70 I do not, only difference being the amount of pg.

I even have some minor issues if I have to use my asthma meds as they have a pg base. Thankfully tho I don't have as much issue as a friend of mine, hers is so bad even her hubby vaping a high pg juice around her will give her problems.

I switched to all VG in my DIY because my wife is nervous about PG. She has never shown any sensitivity to it, but in the last few years she has developed sensitivities to things that never bothered her before, like latex. She is afraid that constant exposure to PG will have a similar result, so we use vg only. It actually helps to make DIY that much simpler, and the VG has a naturally sweet taste so I don't need to add any sweetener.
Now, if I could just get her to give up the cigs...

If she is that concerned about intaking pg you can tell her (truthfully I might add) that tobacco companies add pg to their products.

 

[NancyR]

I also would like to add, not everyone goes through the same symptoms when they do have an allergic reaction. While the ones stated so far in the thread are common, not everyone will have those.

I am highly allergic to bee stings, but I don't have the problems breathing from them nor do I get a rash. However I do have site swelling and my blood pressure drops dangerously low. First time I wound up in the ER due to this they made me wait as the triage nurse didn't think I was having a major problem. As a result they almost admitted me because my BP wasn't going back up.