New to vaping - dry throat, no flavor, and insomnia?

[Fiatrix]

Hello! I've recently begun vaping to quit cigarettes. I started about two weeks ago and haven't had a cigarette since! I'm having a bit of trouble, though.

I'm finding that my throat gets VERY dry and scratchy right from the first hit (not due to over-vaping), and it makes it difficult to enjoy my array of tasties. I've had a sore throat for two weeks, and I'm not sick. Could this be due to a pg sensitivity, or is it a normal occurrence for newbies? I get headaches occasionally now, and a very fuzzy-headed feeling as well. Is this what a pg sensitivity feels like?

Also, while my flavors seemed intense the first day, by the second I couldn't taste any of my e-liquids anymore! I read that dehydration could be a cause and drinking more water seems to be helping, but not entirely. It worries me that I may not be satisfied by the intensity of my flavors - especially if switching to VG would reduce the flavor even more. How often do you experience the inability to taste your vapor? Changing flavors doesn't matter, it's all suffering. Will this symptom go away with time?

Another odd side-effect I'm having but haven't read much about is a sudden insomnia. I had a crazy hyper energy at all times for the first week and a half, and that is tapering off now, but I am still getting very little sleep. Could this be due to a pg sensitivity as well? Or possibly just the effects of nicotine without tar and smoke?

Just for information's sake, I am using Halo's Triton starter kit (650 mAh) with their gourmet sampler pack (plus a free Tribeca).

Any recommendations are appreciated!

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

Hi Fiatrix. Your fuzzy headed feeling, along with the sore throat could be from too high a nicotine. The throat issue could also be from too high a pg level. PG and Nicotine are the two biggest contributors to throat hit.

Vapors tongue sounds like your loss of taste. Use the search box in the upper right of the page above your name and try vapors tongue, there's a ton of info on it. You could also search PG issues. Drink plenty of water/fluids and brush your teeth (sounds weird but it works). I kept one juice flavor when I started as a palate shocker, something to wake the taste buds different from my normal vapes.

As to the insomnia I had a small issue with it. What I did was switch to a lower nicotine level in the hours before bed and it went away. If you're getting fuzzy headed you might want to lower the nicotine level anyways. Once you get acclimated to the vape/level the insomnia should go away (did for me).

You'll probably want to upgrade your equipment in the future so these links could help :

FORUM SUPPLIERS - ECF Forum Suppliers | E-Cigarette Forum
COUPONS - Stores - ECF E-Cigarette Coupons

DEALS and STEALS - Deals and Steals | E-Cigarette Forum (go to last page)

For other health related issues you can check here :

HEALTH QUITTING Health, Safety and Vaping | E-Cigarette Forum

A list of symptoms when quitting tobacco and changing to an ecigarette | E-Cigarette Forum

Good luck in your journey.

 

[k702]

Alot of what you're asking about can be contributed to quitting cigarettes and the stuff you're body is doing to clean itself out after them.

For the flavor thing, make sure you're brushing your teeth/tongue real well in the morning and after meals like you're supposed too. Use mouth wash. It helps immensely.

The dry throat could be a few different things.. PG and VG both have a tendency to absorb moisture which means when you vape your mouth will get dry, It shouldn't be unpleasant though. More water is the first thing that comes to mind..

For the insomnia, slightly restrict the amount you vape before you go to bed. With a cigarette the nicotine absorbs faster and gets used up faster than with vaping. If you're vaping before bed like you would smoke a cig before that could be a cause.

 

[dionysuskiss]

Everything the guy above me (first responder) said is correct. I would like to add, vg is less drying so, if you up it some it won't effect the flavor that much. Not unless you go max vg.

 

[Fiatrix]

Thank you for the quick replies! I should also mention that I am using 12 mg nicotine, and I used to smoke 5-12 cigarettes a day. Perhaps my nic level is too high, but it doesn't feel anywhere near as intense as when I was using a Vuse (holy crap, who needs 48 mg??). Or as intense as a cigarette for that matter (they always made me dizzy). But it is definitely possible. I will try 6 mg next time and see if that helps.

Does anyone happen to know approximately what sort of pg/vg ratio Halo uses? I'm guessing it varies, but that might give me a better idea of what sort of ratio to try next (instead of just going to max vg).

 

[Fiatrix]

Also, thank you for the links!! I know I will want to upgrade eventually, but I'm pretty broke so I've got to stick with what it got for now. That will come in handy in the future.

I always smoked the most before bed, so cutting out vaping at night likely won't work out well -- switching to lower nic juice in the evening is a great idea that I hadn't thought of.

 

[ivapemeth]

Once I switched to 3-6mg higher VG juices I had none of these issues. As for the vapor tongue/flavor loss issue I find that for some reason it depends on the maker of the juice.. never had the issue with fresh mixed clear juices personally only the darker tinted ones.. not sure why

 

[dionysuskiss]

Not sure sure about the Halo. From what I understand they are pretty closed mouth about it. There are endless vendors online that let you chose your pg/vg mix, as well as nic. My goto is Vape Wild. Very good juices at very good prices.

 

[Red74]

Ya defiantly sounds like a pg reaction I have one too and drink water like crazy and nicotine is a stimulate so if you are smoking a high level like 12 and up your body will respond

 

[salemgold]

Ya defiantly sounds like a pg reaction I have one too and drink water like crazy and nicotine is a stimulate so if you are smoking a high level like 12 and up your body will respond

I disagree with this info. 12mg mg juice is actually to the low side. We do not absorb nicotine from vaping the same as we do from cigs. Use the strength that you need in order to keep you off the cigs. Plenty of time later to drop the level if that is what you choose to do. I started out on 36 mg and my mom on 48 mg. Granted the delivery devices were no where near as good 5 years ago as they are now but, let your body be your guide. I now use 12 mg juice after vaping for 5 years.

A few things that I find very helpful to keep the taste buds in top shape while vaping is to drink citrus type drinks. They do a great job at cleansing the palette. Also, try to change flavors throughout the day using totally different flavors. This will help while your buds recover from smoking. It will get better though.

Hang in there and good luck!

ETA- I currently drink a tangerine lime flavored water. You could also add some lemon or lime to your water and get the same results

 

[NealBJr]

I'd have to agree with the first responder. Too much nicotine. Like they said, try lowering the nicotine content a bit.

Some things I might want to add though.. Even if you have low nicotine content, it depends on your gear and how often you vape as to how much nicotine your body is recieving. If you had one of those ultra powerful mech mods, and chain vaped 6mg nicotine (which is considered on the low side), you'd get dizzy, sore throat, and what not. However, put that exact same nicotine in a device that puts out little vapor, and you wouldn't notice anything.

PG, and VG is also used as a humectants. That means it draws in moisture from it's surroundings.. like your mouth. Most vapors know.. drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. It's what's causing your mouth to dry out. There's not much that can be done about it, but it's really minor if you just take a swig of water from time to time.

As far as PG allergies, what most people don't understand, is that some people are just sensitive to PG. This can be confused with it's humectant properties. When your skin gets dry, you itch, and some people take that as an allergy to PG. If you vape a lot,drink water a lot while vaping, and still get the itchy skin, then you might be hyper sensitive to PG.

Lastly, when you quit smoking, you still go through some withdrawl symptoms. These can include headaches, mouth ulcers, excess phlem, etc. These effects are usually temporary. I never experienced the headaches, but I did get sore throat and excess phlem. when I first started, I thought I was getting worse when I switched... I was clearing the phlem constantly. Mine happened for about three months. Needless to say, I don't have that problem anymore. I vape quite a bit now, and I no longer have to clear my throat in the morning.

Congrats on the quitting...

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Yep too much nicotine Is my call on the headache and insomnia.