Hello from a non smoker

[fogus]

Hello, all.

I've never been a smoker, but a good friend of mine recently started using an ecig to quit smoking, and I got to wondering if I could use an ecig to help with nasal/respiratory congestion. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with a decongestant in an ecig.

1. Is this recommended?
2. Is it safe?
3. Could you use Alkalol or something in an ecig (mixed with distilled water)?
4. Are there actual medicinal uses of ecigs like this?
5. Are there uses for ecigs for those not interested in nicotine?

I realize I might be asking about something that is dangerous. Please understand that this hasn't been recommended to me or anything and I am not a doctor. I'm just curious to know if there is knowledge out there that I could take advantage of.

Cheers,

Fogus

 

[patrao_n]

I wouldnt do it. Its a healthier alternative to actual cigarettes. However its your choice. Just know I wouldnt start using this even with no nicotine. Especially not with nasal decongestants. The only thing I can recommend is using something like a no nicotine menthol e liquid. That may help. It would ve better for you to try this first with your friend ecig. That way you dont spend the money on something you will never use.

sent from my Provari with a mini rda!

 

[AgentAnia]

I would never recommend vaping to a non-smoker, and especially not if you're doing it to treat a medical/physiological condition. You're much better off with a good decongestant. Yes, vaping is safer than smoking, but ecigs haven't been around long enough to establish whether or not they're "safe" in an absolute sense. And in fact, *nothing* is absolutely safe, nothing at all in life!

It is definitely NOT recommended to vape anything but e-liquid.

 

[BlueMoods]

NO, e-cigs are for flavor and/or nicotine ONLY, not for medicines and, why vape if you never smoked? Vitamins, , degongestants and the like DO NOT belong in e-cigs. If you need something to aid your breathing, see a doctor.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

You are congested because you have a medical condition and should consult a physician, not a forum full of ex-smokers (though they can be extremely sympathetic to such an affliction), lol. Being congested is a big fat pain and I hope you get over it soon. You can also ask a pharmacist to recommend something safe.

 

[fogus]

I can understand the timidity at using something to function in a way not intended.

There are several products (albeit not in the form factor of an ecig) that are designed to use vapors to treat congestion.
Vicks Steam Inhaler
Salt Inhaler

Those are what made me think of using ecigs for a medicinal purpose.

I am not actually congested. I'm just curious about other applications of ecigs. To me, it seems like a no-brainer to use this technology for other vapors.

I might give the no nicotine menthol e-liquid a try. That should be totally safe from a known carcinogen/addiction perspective, right? I can't get addicted to menthol like nicotine... can I?

I'm mostly interested in ecigs because they look really cool
Obviously, smoking can look cool too, but I wouldn't do something that would put my health in danger just to look cool, so don't worry, guys. But I think ecigs look way cooler than normal cigs (they're all heavy and shiny and stuff).

I'm curious, from a technical/medical perspective, what would the difference be between inhaling these with a nebulizer vs. an ecig? Do ecigs make their vapor by creating an aerosol (a "mixture of gas and liquid particles")? Or would the atomizer of an ecig not behave in a way compatible with creating a NaCL suspension aerosol?

 

[danny4x4]

I'm mostly interested in ecigs because they look really cool
Obviously, smoking can look cool too, but I wouldn't do something that would put my health in danger just to look cool, so don't worry, guys. But I think ecigs look way cooler than normal cigs (they're all heavy and shiny and stuff).

It isn't cool! PERIOD.

 

[crxess]

My recommendation - consult a Physician.
Make it one that does not have a stigma against e-cigs.


ETA - looks Cool?
Are crutches cool, or a cast on your arm? A necessity maybe but not really cool.

 

[stillalive]

I wouldn't recommend an ecig for decongesting, but a strong menthol eliquid might be good, as others have suggested.

I actually started vaping as a nonsmoker! I had never even gotten close to a cigarette before I started vaping. I knew I wanted to try nicotine therapy for my numerous health and psycholgical issues, but I wanted to be more in control of the dosage and timing and stuff than I would be with the patch my doctor suggested. So I did a ton of research and started vaping. I know that it's not the most common way to start, but you're right, it does look cool! And IMO, if you're going to give into peer pressure, vaping is a way better thing to do than smoke.

I ended up smoking 1-2 cigarettes a day for a while because I found that the stuff in burning tobacco treats my issues way more quickly, plus it's freaking amazing for pain relief for me. I was able to get completely off of all of my prescription pain medicine (which would have killed me probably in 10 years or so, at the levels I had to take them) and stop using my walker and wheelchair thanks to that pack-every-two-weeks. I was even able to start running! Now I'm trying to quit even that small amount of smoking, but it's with the understanding that if I start having severe health or psych issues again, I'll just go back to smoking occasionally. But so far so good! I'm able to run a lot faster than I was before.

HOWEVER, my special case aside, I've never known another nonsmoker-turned-vaper who went from vaping to cigarettes. Cigarettes are really nasty, and nicotine by itself is not super addictive-- about the same as caffeine. And no, I don't believe menthol is addictive, but I could be wrong. So if you're a grown adult and you have the money and you really want to try it, give it a shot. IMO, it's probably safer than driving a car, and you might even inspire smokers you know to quit.

 

[fogus]

I was just saying it *looks* cool. And you've got to admit, a thing that looks like a miniature light saber looks cooler than a standard nebulizer.

I'm all for inspiring people to quit And I certainly don't want to accidentally encourage someone to start. Several good friends of mine smoke, and their children worry about them. Their daughters worry they will lose their fathers. I'm under no illusions about the glory of smoking. My grandfather saw on the news one day that a study showed tobacco was linked to cancer. He quit cold turkey, and it's probably why I still know him today. I look up to all you guys trying to quit, and I realize this is a sensitive topic. My questions are really, actually, truly aimed at a positive health idea for some people I know. As of now, it's just a hypothesis I'm throwing out there for discussion. Thanks for the helpful posts, guys. I'll let you know what I learn in the future.

 

[stillalive]

Also, no, ecigs and nebulizers don't work the same way at all. You know how if you accidentally get a little oil on the bottom of a pan it will "smoke"? That's more similar to what vapor is. Ecigs heat a liquid until steam-like stuff is produced. A nebulizer shakes or otherwise agitates liquid particles and then blows them toward your face with a fan, as far as I can tell. It's extremely different, and that's why we don't recommend using nasal decongestant. No telling what heat will do to the stuff. It could really mess you up.

 

[Tvan]

Unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember when smoking "looked cool".

I would highly recommend seeking the advice of your Dr.

 

[fogus]

Here are a few interesting threads:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...004-do-nebulizers-work-same-pvs-answered.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/health-safety-e-smoking/286192-ashma-nebulizers-e-cigs.html

What do you guys think about this product that is advertized as a nebulizer?

 

[Margate69]

have to agree with a lot of the posts I see here, it sounds dangerous, and should not be used as a medical device.

 

[SFBrianT]

1. It's silly to use an PV because you think it looks cool. PVs or ecigs are not cool. A PV is a tool to help smoker quit smoking. Would you use a nic patch because your friends use it?
2. Nebulizers use an entirely different physical principal to deliver medicine. They use compressed air to deliver a mist where as PVs use heat to create a vapor. Heat can change the chemical composition of the liquid.
3. That product being advertised as a nebulizer is false advertising but is done to get around the laws of countries that prohibit the sale of PVs.

 

[onion456]

i just want to add...

i've been thinking about getting into DIY. I was cleaning out my kitchen shelves this weekend, and came across a bottle of Kahlua. i'd recently got some Kahlua Ejuice, and wasnt incredibly impressed with it, so im thinking hmmm, maybe i can reduce this bottle of kahlua down to a nice thick syrup, steep some PG into it, and extract my own flavor. oh how smart i am, it will taste so good.

then i think it was this morning, im poking around on ECF, and come across a post that was talking about Diacetyl or whatever it is, and it had a wiki link. so i clicked the wiki link, and it talks about how this is bad poisonous crap for your lungs, and its naturally occuring in alcoholic beverages.

and then a few weeks ago, i read a post from somebody who tried to make a coffee extract for DIY, vaped it for a while and woke up to a bloody nose & throat. a 'blood fest', they so endearingly put it.

moral of the story, im not as smart as i think i am. **something i did not even know about at the time could have seriously messed me up**. i made a commitment to my self to never, ever, ever use anything other than the stuff i can buy from reputable DIY vendors, and even then im nervous as hell. im gambling with my lungs.

i would seriously urge you, and anyone else thinking of using thier PV for some 'other' use, to reconsider.