E-CIGs and increased OCD symptoms?

[Droopy]

Hi Guys,

First, a quick background: I quit smoking 20 years ago. But even after all that time, I still had cravings, especially whenever I see someone smoke (either in real life or on TV).

In other words, I am a life-long tobacco addict who takes it "one day at a time", but have done so for TWENTY years!

So, since my cig cravings did not diminish as far as I would have liked after all this time, I looked into e-cigs, and took the plunge and bought njoy ECIGS with 12mg standard tobacco carts (boy, are those njoy carts EXPENSIVE!!! Wow!!).

To me, the NJOY's taste, "smoke" production, and throat hit almost duplicated my last remembered smoking experience of two decades ago with ultra-lights analogues. (But years before ultra lights, it was strictly non-filtered Lucky Strikes and Pall Malls! ).

A few days after I started with my new e-cigs I started to have a severe attack of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), which is VERY rare for me: Normally, I have "only" mild to medium OCD (fear of germs, intrusive thoughts, hand washing, etc.).

For me, OCD has always been incredibly annoying, but never truly horrible and majorly life-interfering. This time, it was. (FYI: This particular OCD "attack" comprised an endless loop of disgusting images [called "obsessional thinking"], for those who are interested).

Now, I don't know if it was just an amazing coincidence that days after I start "injecting" nicotine into my system I start to get major intrusive thoughts, but I have now stopped e-smoking, and things have gotten much better (not 100% yet, 'cause the thoughts were really disgusting, mentally painful, and unremitting ).

Anyone else experience this OCD issue with vaping?

BTW, two things:

One: I plan on continuing to vape, but now only with 0mg nicotine.

Two: Anyone with OCD may understand what I am talking about, but those who have never experienced its oh-so enjoyable and delightful mental effects will probably not understand this post at all…

-Droopy

 

[CES]

Hi Droopy,

Welcome. I don't know the relationship (if any) between nic and OCD, but nicotinic receptors are in many brain areas. But since you've been nicotine free for 20 years- and did it the hard way it sounds like staying with 0mg liquid is a good idea.

 

[CaptJay]

yes I'd agree why go back to nic after 20 years free of it? 0mg for you sounds perfect; all of the habit with none of the nic. If it ain't broke...

Good luck to ya!

 

[krill]

It might just all be in your head, but I guess nicotine could do that.

 

[underwater goddess]

I'm in the OCD-spectrum, and found 2 things that greatly improve it:

5-HTP (dietary supplement sold at the health food store. Take only 1/4 of the daily amount recommended on the bottle, its strong stuff)

or

eating an entire bunch of bananas.

Hope this helps

 

[Droopy]

I'm in the OCD-spectrum, and found 2 things that greatly improve it:

5-HTP (dietary supplement sold at the health food store. Take only 1/4 of the daily amount recommended on the bottle, its strong stuff)

or

eating an entire bunch of bananas.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the 5-HTP pointer, Goddess, but unfortunately it is contraindicated for people with high blood pressure and liver damage, and I have both in spades (the first problem I was apparently born with, the second problem is due to my excessively stupid youthful behavior in the 1970's ).

And the eating of a bunch of bananas would be great, but I have always had very little appetite!

Best,

-Droopy

 

[SlowsIsFast]

Hi droopy. Welcome to the forum. I personally have severe OCD and take 2mg of klonopin twice daily along with daily journaling and weekly counseling. So I definitely know what you mean when you say you have OCD, but when I started vaping (yesterday) I have not noticed an increase in my OCD habits or rituals, but then again I started vaping in trade for smoking anywhere to a half a pack to a full pack of Marlboro Reds a day. So it is possible that with nicotine being introduced to your body your OCD got worse, but it is definitely not anything else in the e-liquid. So I would say if you want to vape go ahead and get some 0mg nicotine e-liquid and vape away. Hope that helps.

 

[Droopy]

Hi droopy. Welcome to the forum. I personally have severe OCD and take 2mg of klonopin twice daily along with daily journaling and weekly counseling. So I definitely know what you mean when you say you have OCD, but when I started vaping (yesterday) I have not noticed an increase in my OCD habits or rituals, but then again I started vaping in trade for smoking anywhere to a half a pack to a full pack of Marlboro Reds a day. So it is possible that with nicotine being introduced to your body your OCD got worse, but it is definitely not anything else in the e-liquid. So I would say if you want to vape go ahead and get some 0mg nicotine e-liquid and vape away. Hope that helps.

Thanks SlowIsFast,

If my symptoms get worse, I will have to go back to my GP (I hate -- no fear -- doctors!).

I tried Paxil once, but it sent me into a deep depression for a few weeks, so I dropped it fast. I hope klonopin is working for you.

What I am going to try now, since I have the juice, is with and without nicotine, and see how that works. (Nicotine is supposedly able to help some OCD sufferers, so I want to see if it may actually "work wonders").

I also ordered Inositol Caps, 500 mg, but I have VERY little faith in ANY untested herbal "remedies"!

Best Regards,

-Droopy

 

[Mr.Frost]

I would suggest a moderator move this to the Health and Medical section of the forums before it gets lost in the threads.

Keeping an accurate and on-going record of users' experiences with regard to health issues will surely prove to be a valuble resource.

I'm sorry to hear you aren't feeling very well Droopy.
Feel well soon and speedy recovery to you.

Frost

 

[Droopy]

I would suggest a moderator move this to the Health and Medical section of the forums before it gets lost in the threads.

Keeping an accurate and on-going record of users' experiences with regard to health issues will surely prove to be a valuble resource.

I'm sorry to hear you aren't feeling very well Droopy.
Feel well soon and speedy recovery to you.

Frost

Thank you Mr. Frost.

And yes, I completely agree thumbs, this thread should have been originally placed in the 'Health and Medical' section of the forums, but when I originally posted this thread, I had no power to place it there! (I was told that I could only post in the 'New Members Forum', no matter how inappropriate I felt that posting was to this current forum. (At least until I had finally reached 10 postings or so, then I was told I could choose forums [I'm sure there is a really logical reason for this...]).

Best Regards,

-Droopy

 

[SlowsIsFast]

Hey Droopy, yeah I would try no nicotine e-liquid and see how you do. If no change then we can rule out the nicotine as the cause of the increase in OCD symptoms, and start looking at the PG or something in the flavoring. Nicotine does seem to help me with my OCD and since I started vaping I havent noticed an increace in my OCD at all, ( but then again I was alread soming cigarettes.) Anyways I know how bad OCD can feel and how you feel like there is no escape from it so I really hope you start to feel better soon.

 

[mathc2003]

+1 to trying a 0mg cartridge.

I don't know if this helps much, but I used to have REALLY crazy dreams when trying to quit using a nicotine patch. Nicotine works as a stimulant, so your brain will become more active when nicotine is present. Since I was wearing them while I slept...my brain went really active during the dream phases. I could see nicotine overstimulating the mind and having OCD thoughts.....going from no-nicotine to the 12mg will really shock your system.

 

[Droopy]

Hey Droopy, yeah I would try no nicotine e-liquid and see how you do. If no change then we can rule out the nicotine as the cause of the increase in OCD symptoms, and start looking at the PG or something in the flavoring. Nicotine does seem to help me with my OCD and since I started vaping I havent noticed an increace in my OCD at all, ( but then again I was alread soming cigarettes.) Anyways I know how bad OCD can feel and how you feel like there is no escape from it so I really hope you start to feel better soon.

Thanks SlowIsFast. I agree, those tests are valid.

So far, going back to the nicotine-based juices appears to now actually help my symptoms (could be a placebo effect, of course, or just a coincidence of timing; as we both know, we can have bad OCD days (or even bad OCD hours or minutes!), and then have good days (or good hours or minutes); so it's so hard to tell what's what. But so far so good with the nic).

Either way, I'm very thankful that my current OCD "attack" lasted only a week, and that it is now lessening...

Best Regards,

-Droopy

 

[Droopy]

+1 to trying a 0mg cartridge.

I don't know if this helps much, but I used to have REALLY crazy dreams when trying to quit using a nicotine patch. Nicotine works as a stimulant, so your brain will become more active when nicotine is present. Since I was wearing them while I slept...my brain went really active during the dream phases. I could see nicotine overstimulating the mind and having OCD thoughts.....going from no-nicotine to the 12mg will really shock your system.

Thanks Mathc2003; I went through the same thing twenty years ago just before I quit cigs, and was put on the patch -- the only problem was that my doc at the time gave me the strongest patch available: I almost OD'ed with the amount of nic in my system (I was jumping out of my skin!).

BTW, both the patch and the gum didn't work for me at all -- I had to go cold turkey (if they had had e-cigs then, it would have been a walk in the park in comparison: You now get the hand to mouth thing going, the nicotine, the smoke, the red "cherry", the throat hit, the look and feel of a cig: WOW! . )

-Droopy

 

[bobtow]

Is it possible you associate vaping with smoking? That could help trigger your OCD!

 

[Raven_Blackblade]

I have always had a bit of OCD. Things have to be in a certain place. I like for things to as well look good together/match. This means that when I was smoking, that my cigarettes had to be a certain distance from my lighter, or that when things are on a shelf they have to go in a certain order, or be directed a certain way.
I also have the hand washing thing, and germ thing as well.

Since I have been vaping (see sig), There has been an increase in some, a decrease in others, and some new ones.

The Increase: Orderliness. I attribute this to my need to have everything involving my vaping to have to have its own place out of safety as well as always knowing where everything is at. When my husband went on a cleaning spree of his own, he picked up one of my 3ml juice bottles and tossed it into a junk drawer. He wont be doing that again anytime soon.
Germs: I soak all of my carts that have been used that day in an alcohol solution sans the stuffing. The stuffing goes though a cleaning of scalding water.

Decreased: I dont have a specific smoking/vaping place anymore. Used to be that I have a specific smoking chair.

New: collecting/hording (be careful with this one). I seem to be collecting batteries, attys (dead and alive), juice, and empty bottles. I want to make sure that I can figure out how an atomizer is made (just in case). I also want to make sure that I have a supply enough incase something happens. Last time I was vaping I kinda went out of control with the juice a bit. This time it seems that it is atomizes, and batteries.

All you can do is rationalize with yourself (haha yeah right sometimes), and really think things though.

Bad thing is.... some of my OCDs came from being in the Army. hahaha!

 

[Droopy]

Thanks for the input, Raven. OCD is so complicated and varied: For instance, I don't have the hording instinct. In fact, anything that I don't use very often I throw out, since I like everything uncluttered and rather neat.

My main symptoms -- and compared to some OCD sufferers they are rather "mild" in intensity (but not to me!) -- are intrusive thoughts [mainly of the disgusting, gross variety], fear of germs/illness, and revulsion at seeing (or touching!) a few common, but completely harmless, objects [such as paper clips!! Lame, I know].

Wish there was a magic pill to suppress my idiotic thoughts, but so far no-soap!

Best,

-Droopy

PS: I lived, at one time, just south of SLC, in Draper. A small world!

 

[Droopy]

Is it possible you associate vaping with smoking? That could help trigger your OCD!

Hi BobTow,

I know this isn't an OCD forum, but how would that trigger OCD symptoms? (In fact, when I smoked unfiltered Lucky Strikes and Pall Mall reds at two packs a day, I never had any bad OCD "attacks" at all, which kind of makes me think that one of the OCD studies that suggested that nicotine may actually help OCD may be correct...).

Best,

-Droopy

 

[SlowsIsFast]

Thanks SlowIsFast. I agree, those tests are valid.

So far, going back to the nicotine-based juices appears to now actually help my symptoms (could be a placebo effect, of course, or just a coincidence of timing; as we both know, we can have bad OCD days (or even bad OCD hours or minutes!), and then have good days (or good hours or minutes); so it's so hard to tell what's what. But so far so good with the nic).

Either way, I'm very thankful that my current OCD "attack" lasted only a week, and that it is now lessening...

Best Regards,

-Droopy

Glad to hear that you are doing better Droopy, and yes I know exactly what you mean. It is hard to tell what effects your OCD because OCD symptoms change on their own from day to day, (sometimes even minute to minute) just as you said. So yes it is very hard to track what is effecting your OCD, but I'm glad that you are doing better.

 

[bobtow]

Hi BobTow,

I know this isn't an OCD forum, but how would that trigger OCD symptoms? (In fact, when I smoked unfiltered Lucky Strikes and Pall Mall reds at two packs a day, I never had any bad OCD "attacks" at all, which kind of makes me think that one of the OCD studies that suggested that nicotine may actually help OCD may be correct...).
Best,

-Droopy

By associating the dirt brought about by having butts, ashes and smell of cigarettes.One would tend to be consious of the need to keep thing clean. Doing basically the same things with an ecig that you have done with analogs Only with ecigs it is washing to get nicotine spills on hands, and the danger of spills on the floor or furniture. I myself try to be carefull about the spills, but accidents happen. I have five cats, and I'm always consious of what PG and nicotine could do to them. I do not think nicotine can help, I think the ecig could bring back mild cases. Not from the contents, but through association of the actions.