Amy,
Dripping is a bit of an art that takes some trial and error. I don't know if this is what's going on or not, but I have noticed the same symptoms when I overfill/flood the atty. It seems different for everyone based on prefs and equipment, but what I have found is this: about 5 drops in a dry/blown out atty to get it primed. Take 3 or 4 long slow drags, top off with about 3 drops. From there I add three drops when the flavor seems a little burnt. Right before the burnt flavor there is typically no gurgly sound, and the vapor production is pretty high. I tend to run on the slightly flooded side most of the time so I get a nice gurgly sound. There is also more potential for leakage around the bottom of the atty when you flood it.
Of course if you happen to be using a brand new atomizer, that could be the problem as well. They all need a break in period of (typically) a day or less before they really start to put out. I don't know if any of this helps you or not, but I thought I would give it a go. Once I got a good feel for dripping, I never went back to carts! It really lets Ms T's great flavors come through.