Mild but persistent headaches since I started

Status
Not open for further replies.

WDeranged

Full Member
Jul 30, 2013
51
7
UK
I had a bit of a rough start vaping and while I'm getting over most of the throat and nose issues (reducing PG might be what helped) I can't shake the headaches, I had a few good days where I could truly enjoy the vaping but on the whole these headaches are totally killing it for me.

I didn't vape much at all last night because I was burnt out on the fruit flavours but even so I ended up getting mild but persistent headaches anyway, it kicked in a few hours before bed, has lasted all day and is still there now. Aspirin and Ibuprofen don't really touch it so I tried some antihistamine to discount hayfever or allergy, no luck.


I pondered that I might be badly craving nicotine so I vaped some 18mg juice to see if it helped but it didn't...though it doesn't seem to have hurt either. I did think it might be dehydration so I've been drinking a load of water and even though I'm constantly running to the toilet I still have the headache, I even tried smoking a few analogs to see if I was craving the additives but again, no luck.

My only real option now is to give vaping a complete break and see if I return to normal, then start it up again while being ultra methodical about what I'm vaping :(
 

Unfettered

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 5, 2009
715
2,083
Texas
You did well, upping your water intake. But yes, I too would say that your nic level is too high. I had a mild headache when I came back to vaping that pretty much stayed with me until I got some lower nic juices. And I found that once I acquired the headache, even stopping didn't make it go away.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. :( It can be hard to find your niche, but you will. If you go lower and it persists, definitely stop. And a trip to the doc wouldn't hurt anything either. Best of luck!
 

Rickajho

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 23, 2011
11,841
21,763
Boston MA
Hi

Four things come to mind:

Dehydration. Some people report upping their water intake helps with headaches.

Quitting smoking. Don't know how long you smoked or how much, but headaches are a known 'side effect' of quitting smoking. You system is getting used to not getting that boat load of crap that comes from burning processed tobacco.

Too much nicotine. Could be. But chances are you would have other nicotine OD symptoms too. Like increased anxiety, rapid pulse/heart rate... stuff like that. Lower your nic level to rule in/out.

Other. You may be having an allergic reaction problem to an ingredient in your liquids. Not necessarily even the base liquid - it could be something in the flavoring(s) itself. To rule in/out get some unflavored liquids in your usual nic level. One in 100 PG, 100 VG, and possibility a third with a PG/VG mix somewhere in between.

I had dull, chronic headaches during my first two weeks of quitting smoking/starting vaping. In retrospect I attribute those headaches to quit smoking withdrawal over anything else.
 

WDeranged

Full Member
Jul 30, 2013
51
7
UK
Thanks the replies guys, Nicotine is definitely a suspect and this does feel kind of like my first day on 18mg. I'd been having reasonable results vaping some 50/50 mix at 6mg but on Tuesday I got some new liquid which was 80/20 at 11mg...maybe my body absorbs it particularly well and it's sent me over the edge again?

You may be having an allergic reaction problem to an ingredient in your liquids. Not necessarily even the base liquid - it could be something in the flavoring(s) itself. To rule in/out get some unflavored liquids in your usual nic level. One in 100 PG, 100 VG, and possibility a third with a PG/VG mix somewhere in between..

This is possible but I've tried vaping 100% pure VG and PG without much of an issue, I've even tried rubbing it into my skin (also tried juices) but I didn't get any signs of inflammation or irritation...I almost felt let down :laugh:
 
Last edited:

yzer

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Nov 23, 2011
5,248
3,870
Northern California
A headache is the first symptom I get if I've taken too much nicotine. I was a heavy smoker but still got too much nicotine from time to time when I first started vaping. Pure nicotine in e-liquid contains none of the other compounds in tobacco smoke that accompany and increase the effects of nicotine. You may get the same amount of nicotine from vaping as you did from smoking and still feel unsatisfied without the missing compounds. If you continue to vape all you will get is a headache without feeling satisfied. This is one of the drawbacks to substituting nicotine alone for tobacco smoke and it affects some much more than others.

I felt a definite withdrawal symptom after I quit smoking entirely and relied on vaping. The worst of those withdrawal symptoms were gone after three days.
 
Last edited:

Bob Chill

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jun 22, 2013
1,773
5,360
Sans Nom, USA
Agree here. Sounds like nic. I start my day with 18 but if I don't knock it off after a few hours and go lower the headache quickly follows.

Even with 12 I get a mild and persistent headache if I have too much free vape time on my hands. Now I always take a minimum of several 1 hour breaks during the day and pay close attention. If I'm concentrating on work or anything with my pv in my hands I will chain and not even think about it. The puff counter on my itaste keeps me in check. I reset it and try to take a break after each 50 puffs. Or 100. lol
 

WDeranged

Full Member
Jul 30, 2013
51
7
UK
A headache is the first symptom I get if I've taken too much nicotine. I was a heavy smoker but still got too much nicotine from time to time when I first started vaping. Pure nicotine in e-liquid contains none of the other compounds in tobacco smoke that accompany and increase the effects of nicotine. You may get the same amount of nicotine from vaping as you did from smoking and still feel unsatisfied without the missing compounds. If you continue to vape all you will get is a headache without feeling satisfied. This is one of the drawbacks to substituting nicotine alone for tobacco smoke and it affects some much more than others.

I felt a definite withdrawal symptom after I quit smoking entirely and relied on vaping. The worst of those withdrawal symptoms were gone after three days.

I was a moderate smoker and I've cut out 90% of the tobacco since picking up the e-cig, it's not totally gone but I'd still bet that I'm experiencing some kind of withdrawal.

I'm totally starting to think that it must be the 11mg liquid I got on Tuesday, things were settling down and I really wanted to try this natural banana extract juice, 11mg is the lowest they produced.

When I think back to the first day on 18mg, the only thing that really helped with the headache was to suck on an icepop, I just got one out of the freezer and it's instant relief so I guess this speaks for itself.
 

7sixtwo

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 5, 2013
1,355
3,695
the hinterlands
The throat irritation you describe might be due to the way you're vaping. Try not inhaling it directly into your lungs, but rather filling your mouth with vapor, holding for a few sec, then inhaling just a little, (if you want to), followed directly by a strong exhale.

If I just puff on mine like I did analogs, it's irritatingly harsh, but the above method seems to be the best, for me at least.

I don't know if the irritation you're experiencing has any direct causal relationship to your headaches, (which are probably due to too much nic), but it sure can't help.

And.. if you already know all of the above and have tried it with no improvement.. sorry. Jus' tryin to help with what little experience I have. :D
 

mkbilbo

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 4, 2013
2,294
2,874
Austin, TX
www.thesmilingwolf.com
I had a bit of a rough start vaping and while I'm getting over most of the throat and nose issues (reducing PG might be what helped) I can't shake the headaches, I had a few good days where I could truly enjoy the vaping but on the whole these headaches are totally killing it for me.

I didn't vape much at all last night because I was burnt out on the fruit flavours but even so I ended up getting mild but persistent headaches anyway, it kicked in a few hours before bed, has lasted all day and is still there now. Aspirin and Ibuprofen don't really touch it so I tried some antihistamine to discount hayfever or allergy, no luck.

I pondered that I might be badly craving nicotine so I vaped some 18mg juice to see if it helped but it didn't...though it doesn't seem to have hurt either. I did think it might be dehydration so I've been drinking a load of water and even though I'm constantly running to the toilet I still have the headache, I even tried smoking a few analogs to see if I was craving the additives but again, no luck.

My only real option now is to give vaping a complete break and see if I return to normal, then start it up again while being ultra methodical about what I'm vaping :(

Yeah you've had an unusually difficult start. I'm at a loss myself.

I wouldn't normally advise anybody to stop vaping but I think you've got a point. Go back to square one and start over.

Might be time to consider seeing a doctor too. There's always the chance that it's something that has nothing at all to do with vaping. It just began about the same time.

I mean, you've tried just about every combination anybody has suggested. I'm sure out of ideas!
 

WDeranged

Full Member
Jul 30, 2013
51
7
UK
The throat irritation you describe might be due to the way you're vaping. Try not inhaling it directly into your lungs, but rather filling your mouth with vapor, holding for a few sec, then inhaling just a little, (if you want to), followed directly by a strong exhale.

If I just puff on mine like I did analogs, it's irritatingly harsh, but the above method seems to be the best, for me at least.

I don't know if the irritation you're experiencing has any direct causal relationship to your headaches, (which are probably due to too much nic), but it sure can't help.

And.. if you already know all of the above and have tried it with no improvement.. sorry. Jus' tryin to help with what little experience I have. :D

I've smoked more than just tobacco over the years ;) so adjusting to the vaping method has actually been a breeze, thanks for the reply though, I've needed all the help I can get.
 

WDeranged

Full Member
Jul 30, 2013
51
7
UK
Yeah you've had an unusually difficult start. I'm at a loss myself.

I wouldn't normally advise anybody to stop vaping but I think you've got a point. Go back to square one and start over.

Might be time to consider seeing a doctor too. There's always the chance that it's something that has nothing at all to do with vaping. It just began about the same time.

I mean, you've tried just about every combination anybody has suggested. I'm sure out of ideas!

On the bright side I've learnt a hell of a lot about this subject and my only real issue now is the headache, the other symptoms seem to have almost gone so I'll be back in action soon enough :)

I think I'm going to have to stick purely to 50/50 6mg liquids and dilute all the ones I've got.


I wouldn't have any idea what you could possibly mean by that...

And I certainly wouldn't elaborate beyond what the rules of this forum would allow :2cool:
 

BlueMoods

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 19, 2010
1,654
1,395
USA - Arkansas
Just don't do what I did - gave myself one of those persistent headaches RESEARCHING and SHOPPING for vape stuff online - bad posture while at the computer and, too many hours per day sitting that way, a week of that and, I had one of those headaches for a good month before I went to my chiropractor with it.

Got a new desk chair and moved my keyboard so I had to sit properly, headache gone the next day.
 

WDeranged

Full Member
Jul 30, 2013
51
7
UK
Just don't do what I did - gave myself one of those persistent headaches RESEARCHING and SHOPPING for vape stuff online - bad posture while at the computer and, too many hours per day sitting that way, a week of that and, I had one of those headaches for a good month before I went to my chiropractor with it.

Got a new desk chair and moved my keyboard so I had to sit properly, headache gone the next day.

:laugh:

I'm thinking all the stress filled research hasn't helped, also the amount of money I've spent on liquids that are too potent.
 

mkbilbo

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 4, 2013
2,294
2,874
Austin, TX
www.thesmilingwolf.com
On the bright side I've learnt a hell of a lot about this subject and my only real issue now is the headache, the other symptoms seem to have almost gone so I'll be back in action soon enough :)

I think I'm going to have to stick purely to 50/50 6mg liquids and dilute all the ones I've got.

I still wouldn't rule out a doctor visit. Just because two things happen about the same time doesn't mean one necessarily caused the other.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread