Intermittent vaping related illness

[AnthonyB]

Here in south eastern Kentucky, we have these. The larval form of these hatch and cluster by the hundreds on underbrush, waiting for something to brush by, such as an animal or human. They attack by the hundreds. Ive had this happen several times to me. This past summer being most recent. They are extremely tiny, can go through your clothes, and cause a horrible rash that is excruciatingly miserable. Itch does not even begin to describe it, lol.

That sounds nasty. It makes me itch just thinking about it. I googled image search on lone star tick larvae form and saw the photos. There about 30 cases a year in Kentucky.


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[AnthonyB]

Hi,
I’m ‘allergic’ to most of the e-juices I’ve tried so far; out of about 20 I’ve tested, only 2 didn’t leave me with bad headaches and hay fever like symptoms immediately after the first few puffs. Pure VG also works fine. Can you also pinpoint your problems to the use of certain juices?

Absolutely I can. Most of the time it’s certain juice that cause the ill effects. I can identify which juices don’t make me sick and which do. The major cause of my intermittent illness is two fold:

1) when I get a new line of juices I don’t initially register the ill effects or am in denial that juices I paid good money for are making me sick, so I persist for a while with them.

2) I misdiagnose the illness. Sometimes I think it’s the nicotine so I vape less or take a break only to get sick again. Other times I think it’s select juices in a line that make me sick and it takes me a while to accept that the whole line is making me sick.

If I stick with juices that don’t make me sick and then return to the offending juice, it will make me sick.

I have isolated the problem to juices. My diet, sleep patterns or general health don’t create differing results.

In my case the effects from flavorings bare no pattern. It’s not like ‘banana’ flavours make me sick while ‘strawberry’ doesn’t. I wish it was that simple.

For instance, the pear in a juice from Stash is perfectly fine for me and does not make me sick while Pear Açaí from Pachamama makes me sick.

In your case, try and figure out what the cause is early. It will ensure you don’t return to smoking and you will save years of inconvenience.

The key areas in order of likelihood of being the cause you should be looking at is:

1) nicotine levels. Experiment with lower levels of nic or vape a bit less. Make sure to keep hydrated. Make sure you eat. Treat vaping like smoking in the sense that you can handle more nicotine on a full stomach than on an empty one.

2) evaluate whether you are PG intolerant. 10% of people are.

3) allergy or intolerance to ingredients in flavors - keep a log of the juices you vape and make notes.


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[AnthonyB]

@AnthonyB - I don't get nearly the symptoms you get. However, within a few puffs...I do get an immediate headache at the back base of my head, a tingling sensation in my tongue, and a not quite right feeling...if/when a flavoring I've used for DIY eliquids contains ethyl alcohol in its base and sometimes if 1 contains quite a bit of ethanol. I've learned to let those eliquids "breathe" for a day or so (with the cap and dropper tip removed) before I vape them. The ethyl alcohol will evaporate off and then it's fine = none of the symptoms at all then.

I know you don't DIY your eliquids, but the presence of EA or ethanol in some of the flavorings the vendors or manufacturers used to make the eliquids that you react to...might be something to consider. I especially wonder about the banana and cigar flavored eliquid you mentioned, as banana flavoring is one of them that sometimes has ethyl alcohol in it. In fact, there are quite a few fruit flavorings and other types that do contain it. I can usually tell if I take a small sniff of the flavoring, because it'll have a sharp sort of harshness to it that kind of "zings" my nose.

If you've been able to make note of some of the specific eliquids that result in your symptoms appearing right away within a few puffs...maybe you could contact the vendor/manufacturer and simply ask if either ethyl alcohol and/or ethanol are in any of the flavorings used to make them. They should be able to tell you that for sure, though it may take them some time to check the ingredients list of each flavoring in those particular eliquids.

This is solid advice my friend and I greatly appreciate it.

Fruit flavours tend to be high risk of illness for me. Pears and some strawberries mixed with gooseberry or banana at times.

You could be onto something because I get that ‘zing’ as well followed by a light headed feeling immediately. These are the symptoms that tell me
Something is wrong in how the juice is reacting with me.

The subject banana liquid I referred to was indeed a new bottle that was sealed. I seem to have instinctively suspected something about the EA could be one of the causes, at least with this batch, and am now giving it a good breathe.

It’s not always the problem though. Being in Australia means I sometimes have to mix my own nicotine in juices I purchase at 0 mg from Australia stores. I expect the mixing process breathes those juices a bit.


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[JCinFLA]

Fruit flavours tend to be high risk of illness for me. Pears and some strawberries mixed with gooseberry or banana at times.

It's not all fruit flavorings though, nor every eliquid that contains pear or banana or strawberry or gooseberry....right? That's because there are many variations of those fruit flavorings...depending on what manufacturer made them and even different variations of that same fruit within the same manufacturer. For example: TFA makes a Blueberry Wild (contains ethyl alcohol) and a Blueberry Extra (doesn't contain ethyl alcohol). Same thing with TFA Strawberry (contains EA) and their Strawberry Ripe (doesn't contain EA). TFA Ripe Banana has EA, yet Banana doesn't. There are many others like that made by TFA and by other manufacturers.

It's not only fruit flavorings though. Some other types of TFA flavorings I've used in DIY that also contain EA are: Dulche de Leche, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, English Toffee, Creme de Menthe, Graham Cracker Clear, Graham Cracker Dark, Butterscotch, Orange Cream, Cola Syrup, Vanilla Bean Gelato, and on and on. The same holds true with the other brands, too, as far as some besides fruits also have it. I just know before I ever use them in 1 of my elquids...that I'll need to let the eliquid "breathe" for a few days after I make it...before vaping it.

The subject banana liquid I referred to was indeed a new bottle that was sealed. I seem to have instinctively suspected something about the EA could be one of the causes, at least with this batch, and am now giving it a good breathe.

I've found that it helps the EA to evaporate off quicker...if I give the bottle a good shaking about 2 times a day, to cause lots of bubbles in it. When those bubbles burst the EA evaporates off faster in my experience with it. Many times a sort of "whitish" frothy ring will form then, around the inside of the bottle, at the top of the eliquid) when the bubbles have burst and the EA is gone.

It’s not always the problem though. Being in Australia means I sometimes have to mix my own nicotine in juices I purchase at 0 mg from Australia stores. I expect the mixing process breathes those juices a bit.

IMO, I don't think it breathes nearly enough though, just during your mixing process. Needs to be shaken causing bubbles several times over at least 1 day's time for maybe a 10-15mL mix. For a larger batch (like 30mL-60mL) I shake it 2 times a day for about 1.5 days. For my 100-120mL mixes I shake it 2 times a day for at least 2 full days. Of course, it also depends on how much of the flavoring containing EA has been used in my mix I've made, too.

Just might be something you want to further check on.

 

[AnthonyB]

It's not all fruit flavorings though, nor every eliquid that contains pear or banana or strawberry or gooseberry....right? That's because there are many variations of those fruit flavorings...depending on what manufacturer made them and even different variations of that same fruit within the same manufacturer. For example: TFA makes a Blueberry Wild (contains ethyl alcohol) and a Blueberry Extra (doesn't contain ethyl alcohol). Same thing with TFA Strawberry (contains EA) and their Strawberry Ripe (doesn't contain EA). TFA Ripe Banana has EA, yet Banana doesn't. There are many others like that made by TFA and by other manufacturers. It's not only fruit flavorings though. Some other types of TFA flavorings I've used in DIY that also contain EA are: Dulche de Leche, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, English Toffee, Creme de Menthe, Graham Cracker Clear, Graham Cracker Dark, Butterscotch, Orange Cream, Cola Syrup, Vanilla Bean Gelato, and on and on. The same holds true with the other brands, too, as far as some besides fruits also have it. I just know before I ever use them in 1 of my elquids...that I'll need to let the eliquid "breathe" for a few days after I make it...before vaping it.



I've found that it helps the EA to evaporate off quicker...if I give the bottle a good shaking about 2 times a day, to cause lots of bubbles in it. When those bubbles burst the EA evaporates off faster in my experience with it.



IMO, I don't think it breathes nearly enough though, just during your mixing process. Needs to be shaken causing bubbles several times over at least 1 day's time for maybe a 10-15mL mix. For a larger batch (like 30mL-60mL) I shake it 2 times a day for about 1.5 days. For my 100-120mL mixes I shake it 2 times a day for at least 2 full days. Of course, it also depends on how much of the flavoring containing EA has been used in my mix I've made, too.

Just might be something you want to further check on.

All great advice and insight.

You are right in that it won’t be all the juices in one flavor that cause the problems. One banana will be fine while another will make me sick and that goes with most flavors.

EA is definitely one area I should look into more closely.

I might breathe the problem bottles and test again.


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