Emergency room visit

[babydoll]

I have been having some major issues since I started vaping. Before anyone gets all bent out of shape, because I have seen the comments made when anyone dares to knock vaping, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. I am only telling this because I think people need to know as much information as possible when it comes to vaping. That is what this forum is supposed to be about.

Three weeks ago, I went to the emergency room because I felt like I was having a heart attack. I have been having chest pains, tingling and numbness of my legs, blurred vision, and dizziness. I thought to begin with that I may be diabetic because I was also feeling like I was going to pass out during work and would just start sweating and shaking and feeling really dizzy. I would begin to feel better after I ate something.

I am not the type of person who goes to the doctor unless I feel like there is something seriously wrong with me. (Haven't been to the doctor in over 5 years, prior to ER visit)

I had an EKG ran, X-rays of my chest, blood work, etc. I DID NOT tell the doctor that I had been vaping, because I love vaping and didn't want him to tell me I needed to stop. They could not find a cause for my chest pain. However, they did tell me that my lungs looked really good. Now I have smoked analogs for over 20 years. I found it hard to believe that my lungs could look good. I think that maybe the vaping had something to do with that. I didn't smoke analogs for 3 months prior to that. So maybe vaping did help my lungs.
Please, don't get me wrong, I love vaping, but I quit vaping 2 weeks ago and have not had any of these symptoms since then. I am not sure if it had to do with vaping per say, or maybe the juice that I was vaping. Anyone that could shed light on this, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to go back to vaping so badly. BTW, the strongest nic content I have used has been 16mg.

 

[Xanax]

Jesus, I'm really glad you're okay. I'm not gonna flame you because I know these things are REAL and vaping CAN cause this to happen. This sounds like general nicotine poisoning to me though. Do you think that's possible? And I read that you said your highest is 16, don't get the facts mixed up because you DEFINITELY can get nicotine poisoning from 16mg. Like I said though I'm glad you're okay. That's scary stuff.

Also, could you have had an allergic reaction to PG? Even if you only vape VG, most all flavors are PG based so it's hard to find a truly 100% VG juice. If you have a severe allergy to PG you can definitely have a bad reaction to a juice advertised as 100% VG, but the flavoring is PG based.

 

[babydoll]

Thanks Xanax for your understanding on this. It was really scary. I love the cinnamon e-juice. It is definetly one of my favorites, but I found out online that it is not good to inhale cinnamon oil, so that may be what caused it. I'm not sure. I have started back smoking analogs when I gave up vaping 2 weeks ago and I feel much better than I did when I was vaping. I have not had anymore of those symptoms. I was so proud of myself for quitting analogs and really wanted this to work for me. I have just recently ordered some more e-juice to try and am going to lay off of the cinnamon and see if that helps. If not, I will try to just use 100% VG and see how that goes. I really don't want to give up vaping. Thanks so much for your helpful information. It means alot.

 

[Xanax]

Omg, the cinnamon oil thing. This is EXACTLY the reason I don't vape cinnamon juices from certain suppliers anymore. I got really sick from a certain cinnamon juice just like you, but less severe. It was incredibly scary though. We are proof that cinnamon oil or ANY oil based flavoring should never be used for e-juice.

But I'm really glad you're giving it another shot. It really is miserable having to smoke analogs, I feel your pain. Good luck with everything, keep us posted about how you handle the new juice.

 

[Xanax]

And PS: is the cinnamon juice the only juice you tried before having the reaction? If so, you may be in luck

 

[tybin]

seems like most reports about chest issues i've read have been about using pg. I wouldn't think cinnamon would be a good thing to vape tho. glad you feel better!

 

[kpax]

Glad you're Ok. You are the fourth person that I have counted in a little over a week to seek medical attention for side effects. I haven't read all of the threads though. One other person went to ER too. I don't know what is going on with some of us, (I think I had nic poisoning and should have went at least as a precaution) but you are very wise to take a break until you figure out what is going on.

Don't feel bad about slipping up - I am sure you are so stressed.....I know cigarettes are terrible long term, but at least they won't put you back in the ER tomorrow.

 

[StormFinch]

I would hope that no supplier is using actual cinnamon oil in their juices, there are too many other options available. I know Perfumers Apprentice makes a cinnamon flavoring that is water based.

Cinnamon used to be known as a warming herb, along with cayenne and a few others. In quantity it can cause increased heart rate and flushing.

Something that caught my eye in your post was that you mentioned that you felt like you were having a diabetic episode. Cinnamon is now being commonly used by diabetics to lower their blood glucose levels. Some have even been able to reduce or stop their insulin shots because the cinnamon has brought their sugar levels back down to normal levels.

I'm glad you're doing alright. IF you decide to attempt vaping again, please be very careful. If it were me, I'd start with small amounts of plain PG and then plain VG to rule them both out as the culprits, then unflavored nic juice if both of those turned out okay. I'd also stay away from cinnamon just to be safe.

 

[tababomb]

Can you explain what you mean by feeling like you were having a heart attack? Also, I'm sure they drew blood in the ER, so do you by chance have those lab values? This would help to see the metabolic effects of vaping on your body at that time. It would also be useful to get the cardiologist's report of your EKG not only for your records, but to see if the doc noted anything.

 

[musiceqlslife21]

Glad to see ur ok. If u like cinnamon, I suggest you go to vapor renu and pick up some Big Red Gum, it is my all day vape. I got 36mg of nic, triple falvor shot, ginseng vita boost, and a mix of 60/40 (pg/vg) and it is absolutely delicious, even tastes like the real thing. It even gives the tingly tongue feeling. To date I have not had any problems with this juice. When you switch back to vaping, I suggest you try some.

 

[mianker]

Please note that there ARE NON-PG BASED FLAVORINGS AVAILABLE I am almost 100% DIY due to PG allergies/sensitivities.

 

[Drozd]

just as a side note...everyone seems to be mentioning PG sensitivity right off the bat...I would scheck with a doctor to see if that's the case and not self diagnose that...

some peple have just as many problems with VG.....I for one do fine with PG but have side effects to VG.... so switching to VG is not always the sollution...

if and when you switch back I would start slowly with an unflavored 100% PG juice and an unflavored 100% VG juice and try one for a bit and then the other to see if it's one or the other....and rule out one base or the other without flavorings in the mix to complicate things..then go with a juice that has no oils in it in the base that does better for you

 

[keyzygirl]

I agree Drozd,I have a real sensitivity to VG.I can add maybe 10% anything more and I break out in a severe rash.I try to use all PG liquid.You have to try both.You never know whats going to cause a reaction.

 

[babydoll]

I appreciate all the responses. I am really going to be careful from now on. I DO NOT want to give up vaping. I love it. Maybe I overdid it a bit. It is addicting. The surprising news for the ER visit that really shocked me was that my lungs looked good. I had to ask the Dr. again, because I thought I heard him wrong. It's hard to believe you can smoke 20+ years and your lungs look good. Maybe laying off of the analogs & just vaping for 3 months had something to do with it. When I first started vaping, I was vaping Marlboro flavor and Menthol from Ecigs. Marlboro was 16mg and Menthol was 11mg. The menthol was absolutely awesome and very addictive. I did reorder the menthol from them in a bigger size and it was not near as good. I had no problems at all the first 3 weeks of vaping. I ordered some Cinnamon e-juice and that is when I started having so many issues. I have made some e-juice myself and it was delicious. I got a recipe from the forum called yellow cake batter. I vaped that like it was going out of style. lol. It is the best juice I have ever tasted. I think I'm going to stick with menthol for a while since I had no problems with that. I have some VG and am going to just mix that with some flavorings that I have and see how that works out. If I have any symptoms, I am going to try the PG with flavorings. Once again, thanks so much everyone for your help and input on this. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[babydoll]

I had very bad chest pains that would not ease up. They did draw blood in the ER, but I don't have those lab values. The doctor told me that everything looked really good. He said my heart looked great, my lungs looked good. He could not find anything that would cause the severe chest pains I was having. He also said my EKG was fine. I did not tell him that I had been vaping, I guess I probably should have, but I guess deep down I really didn't want that to be the cause of it. I will call and see if I can get the results of my EKG and blood work. I forgot to mention that he also said my triglyceride level was good, which is shocking too, because I have high cholesterol. He also did a blood sugar test, I think that's what you call it, and it was 80, which the nurse said was good. I will repost my results as soon as I get them.

 

[salemgold]

I am also glad that you are OK. I think that the suggestion to take it slow and try straight PG and straight VG was some good advice. Maybe you could get a little bit of flavoring, PG and VG along with some plain nic juice to test and see what the issue that you had came from. Maybe you want to start with a low strength juice and then try some 0 mg juice. I think that may help to narrow down what started the problem for you. Good luck to you and keep us posted with your progress.

 

[Xanax]

I would hope that no supplier is using actual cinnamon oil in their juices, there are too many other options available. I know Perfumers Apprentice makes a cinnamon flavoring that is water based.

VaporBomb uses cinnamon oil in their cinnabomb. That's the one I had a reaction to. I know they use cinnamon oil because they admitted to it publicly. Strange.

 

[TheBulla]

Wow, glad to hear that you're okay. I, too had a bad experience with cinnamon based juice, actually it was COLA flavored. I found out that they make cola by mixing vanilla and cinnamon flavor, so I assumed it must be the same for e-juice. My symptoms were chest pain, tightness in chest, burning sensation in my throat and it felt like there was acid coming up my throat.

Ever since I quit vaping the cola juice, all is well. I'll never touch another cinnamon based juice again!

 

[Papa Lazarou]

It certainly sounds like a flavour to avoid (in any form) for those who are sensitive to it. Found this related to the claimed medical properties of cinnamon from here - cinnamon

"Attributed Medicinal Properties
Recent studies have determined that consuming as little as one-half teaspoon of Cinnamon each day may reduce blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels by as much as 20% in Type II diabetes patients who are not taking insulin it is mildly carminative and used to treat nausea and flatulence. It is also used alone or in combination to treat ......... Chinese herbalists tell of older people, in their 70s and 80s, developing a cough accompanied by frequent spitting of whitish phlegm. A helpful remedy, they suggest, is chewing and swallowing a very small pinch of powdered cinnamon. This remedy can also help people with cold feet and hands, especially at night. Germany's Commission E approves Cinnamon for appetite loss and indigestion. The primary chemical constituents of this herb include cinnamaldehyde, gum, tannin, mannitol, coumarins, and essential oils (aldehydes, eugenol, pinene). Cinnamon is predominantly used as a carminative addition to herbal prescriptions. It is used in flatulent dyspepsia, dyspepsia with nausea, intestinal colic and digestive atony associated with cold & debilitated conditions. It relieves nausea and vomiting, and, because of its mild astringency, it is particularly useful in infantile ......... The cinnamaldehyde component is hypotensive and spasmolytic, and increases peripheral blood flow. The essential oil of this herb is a potent antibacterial, anti-fungal, and uterine stimulant. The various terpenoids found in the volatile oil are believed to account for Cinnamon’s medicinal effects. Test tube studies also show that Cinnamon can augment the action of insulin. However, use of Cinnamon to improve the action of insulin in people with diabetes has yet to be proven in clinical trials."

Interesting to note it contains eugenol like cloves.

 

[eciglopedia]

Has anybody heard reviews on Tasty Vapor's-Atomic Cinnocide?
I absolutely love it, havent been able to put it down really
since I got it. But have been noticing the last week since
getting it more headaches, although have suffered from mild
to severe headaches off and on for years though...