not sure if Im fooling myself or not...

[mel_vin]

I've read through this forum for like over a month before I made my purchase, and originally was leaning towards VG thinking it was more "natural" However the recent talk about VG with it turning into that other chemical (and the name escapes me now) when heated, lead me to try PG and thats why I ended up ordering.

So before I say anything well I hate to admit, but Im a bit of an anxiety sufferer...not sure why but I am what I am. So I havent vaped much, treated it more as a very casual. Im not sure if my anxiety is kicking from over thinking, or if I really am a bit short of breath due to the PG.

Can anyone tell me if they were affected by PG and lead them to go to VG, what they were expierencing? Im not sure if Im tricking myself in believing I am short of breath..

 

[mel_vin]

further to this, could this also be a flavor thing? Im only tried some menthol from the sampler kit...

 

[Deena]

Have you read the health forum Health, Safety and E-Smoking - E-Cigarette Forum There are tons of threads on health issues like you've mentioned. I have some allergies to PG and the health forum has been tremendously helpful for understanding what's going on.

Here's are a couple of threads that you may find helpful: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/health-safety-e-smoking/75675-allergies.html http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/health-safety-e-smoking/75739-short-breath-vg.html, http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ing-your-symptoms-while-adjusting-vaping.html, and http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...able-glycerin-vg-polyethylene-glycol-peg.html

 

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

Mel, first don't worry about the VG. It isn't Acrolein. That has been gone over a zillion times on the forum.

It wouldn't surprise me if what you have is a bit of anxiety. I had quite a bout of it for a little while after quitting. It's natural for lots of folks who have quit smoking. We're elimanated the chemicals that we received through smoking (which made our brain give us of seratonin and dopamine). We aren't getting getting all that happy stuff now that the ciggys are gone, only the nicotine. Some don't miss it. Others like me know something is missing and life is off kilter for us.

This could help you to understand. It is a LONG read, but worth your time (I promise) http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/nicotine/44958-so-we-getting-we-not-nicotine.html

If you continue to have difficulty, try checking out snus or other smokeless reduced harm tobacco products. Snus gave me my happy back when I needed it. I used 3 or 4 packets a day for about a month and it got me over the hump. I still have some here, just haven't needed to use it lately. Gives you back the whole tobacco alkaloids that nicliquids don't have. Clean stuff in small mini teabag material, no spitting (it isn't like chew) and doesn't hang in your teeth since it is in the little bag. More info here on our forum Smokeless tobacco - E-Cigarette Forum PM me if you are interested and I'll send you links for free samples from a few places.

Also bumping up your nicotine level a bit could help. I was too low, and recently went back up to 18mg. That helped a bunch.

 

[CaptJay]

I actually have more issues with VG than PG lol Mostly I found a nice compromsie with 70/30 PG/VG mixes - some VG however tastes nice n clean (the stuff i get off Cignot, BASC juice, is clean tasting) but some leaves an icky coating on my tongue/mouth.
There is no doubt though that some people are sensitive to PG, others just have really bad quitting symptoms that could be mistaken for anything. Its kind of hard to work out what it is as you're doing TWO new things at once. Quitting cigs and starting with a PV.
Definitely the links already linked are useful to read through as they may allay some fears you have - and remember that anxiety can lead to breathlessness too, but it could be many other things.
You might find true peace of mind comes from getting an exam done by a trusted doctor. Have them listen to your breathing/lungs, take a BP reading. No doctor is going to say that using a PV is 'good' for you but many think its BETTER than smoking (in fact from anecdotal evidence, MOST of them agree on that). Nicotine isn't without side effects - its a vascular constrictor - but a good excercise regime, which includes high cardio workouts, can help balance this. Endorphins are also a natural anti-depressant and stress reliever! Yoga can also help lower anxiety levels if you fancy going that route.
Good luck

 

[mel_vin]

Thanks all for your feedback...

@capjtay, well truth be told I have been off anologs for a while, now. Smoked my last one on Jan 5th. I got my PV this past thursday. I know one would ask why would you since you've been 2 months anolog free, but its really really hard, and wanted the PV for comfort. Im actually vaping Zero MG right now (but keep a low 4MG dosage on standbye). Using this mainly for the oral hand fixation, along with the social aspect of it. Most of my friends still smoke (and hopefully will convert to vaping as they were all impressed with my KR808D). Plus Im planing a wedding so my chances of caving were high and I really dont want to go back to anologs...

My last physical (back in december) my blood pressure was a tad high, borderline hyper tension. (but I have sleep apnea and I know this contributes to this quite a bit, plus High BP runs in the family) Blood work came back good, ekg good, lung test good. Since I've stopped smoking I have been going to the gym 4 days a week with a good 25 min cardio routine in there to try and get these lungs back into shape and see if I can get my BP back down. (and for the most part Its come down a few points since I've started)

Anyway, I have been panicky/anxious latley, and Im sure you right, as this is a by product of quitting smoking. My DR is a fan of perscribing drugs, and Im the type of person who prefers drugs as a last resort,or only if there is an imediate need. He wanted to put me on full blown BP pills, and Im only 33...that seems a little odd to me, since my numbers arent that bad I dont think (the highest I've seen is 145/92, but that was after a night of drinking and eating wings). Most DR would ask for a lifestyle change first. Hmm Im curious on what he would say about e-cigs.

I've read through most of whats been posted before (I've spent hours here over the last month learning). I just couldnt remeber if anyone had complained of short of breath with PG. I've heard other things, dry throat. achey muscles etc...And I've heard people get wheezy with VG. I'm probably gonna pick up a VG carto set just to do the pepsi challenge myself.

 

[planetofthevapes]

OP- when I first started vaping, PG made me literally lose my breath. I started mixing it down with just a little VG and it took some of the "hit" away that was causing me to unconsciously push all air out of lungs...and painfully at that. I noticed some flavors are worse than others (like janty coffee, loved it, but couldn't breathe). However, over the course of the year PG doesn't do that to me anymore (it was more of just for the first few hours in the morning after starting vaping). After I began to hate the way VG made me want to smack my tongue around (felt like I always had film on my tongue and in my throat), I switched to more pg and less vg again...and I'm doing fine. For me, it was just something my body had to get used to. Just like the first couple weeks of smoking when you would hack and gag!

So, I guess what I'm saying is...you can use a bit of VG to knock that reaction down a bit or totally switch over to VG in case of a pg allergy (which has been known to happen). My husband was vaping VG liquids in a 9v battery box (bypassing the 5v regulator, which he unsoldered from his mod after getting a bad batch of attys that wouldn't vape at anything other than the 9v) and he never got any kind of bad chemical reactions...so, if he could vape VG at that high of a voltage and that hot of an atomizer without any health issues, I'm sure it's fine on a stock battery! This is just my opinion though. Take it or leave it.

 

[bestthingever]

To add to the good advice already given, it may be that your anxiety (however mild it may be) could be contributing to the feeling that you can't catch your breath....especially someone with a wedding coming up !

I am someone who has suffered anxiety attacks in the past, and the tendency to over-think things seemed to contribute to that, as you stated.

 

[mel_vin]

@planetofthevapes, LOVE your name

Thanks for all that info. I am going to try some VG cartos and getting some blanks on my next order and playing some mixes. Appreciate the time

 

[mel_vin]

@bestthingever - possibly. I mean Im not dreading the wedding or anyting..things in that dept are actually going smoothly. But anxiety is a .....! I had this in my teen years and remeber it being scary.

I've actually discovered this herbal tea called Easy Now. Very good, and I recomend to any person who has mild anxiety

 

[TWISTED VICTOR]

mel, here's what I can say......I've suffered chronic depression for years and had anxiety problems all my life. Lots of alcohol and drug abuse 'til 5 1/2 years ago. Smokes and coffee were what held me together 'til I quit smoking and started vaping. First, nicotine is a stimulant and is a likely candidate for upping the anxiety, it did for me. Second, eliquid has nic stripped of all it's alkaloids, the very things that give the calm feeling of relaxed focus that normally is associated with smokes. In my case I started to come unglued in my 2nd month of vaping. Anxiety was full-force and all the signs of depression were thick, no motivation, no appetite, just emotionally dead. Through volunteer testing by DVap, a chemist on the forum, I started vaping what became known as WTA eliquid, a liquid DVap had purified from tobacco that still contained the alkaloids. Within 24 hours I was who I was before I quit smoking, depression gone, anxiety in check. Unfortunately, DVap's not in the eliquid business so I started using Swedish snus, a well studied, spitless, smokeless tobacco. Regulated as a food product in Sweden, potatoes are more likely to cause a health problem. It's not chew or dip, I really can't imagine vaping being any healthier. You might take some time to look through the Smokeless Tobacco section here on the forum and maybe post a few questions. It works and is quit the anxiety reliever. Also, if you're interested, click on my avatar and go to my "user notes". That'll give you a good idea about WTA. Good luck, friend .

 

[BHedge]

If you hadn't already quit smoking, I'd suggest weaning yourself down from the analogs while vaping more and more. But since you've already quit, I think your problem is possibly coming from any of 3 sources.
1) Your anxiety
2) Your adjustment to vaping
3) The type of ejuice you are using

I doubt it's your anxiety if you are on a regular exercise program. Exercise usually helps greatly to relax the body. IMO, it sounds like a combo of adjusting to vaping and the ejuice you are vaping.

I had nosebleeds that took a couple of months to go away, even with saline spray. But when I started vaping, any shortness of breath was much better than with analogs. But vaping effects everyone differently. Especially, some brands of juice cause me more problems than others, and this is all PG. I love PureSmoker's Cash juice, but there's something in it that hurts my throat and nose if I vape it too much. Myfreedomsmokes tabacco juices are all very smooth and I don't have the same problems with them. The chinese dekang juices are not as harsh as Cash juice, but harsher than chris' freedomsmoke juice. Nhaler's high voltage juices (none at that low of nic level) are very smooth, but I think they have a little bit of VG in them cause they have lots of vapor.

The one thing you risk going straight to VG is clogging up the atty. Not sure if it's the same problem with cartomizers, but straight VG has clogged up any atty I've used it on.

Hope this helps....there is a video out there showing how to easily refill cartomizers if you want to try different juices.

 

[mel_vin]

Im thinking its flavouring. I switched to apple flavor yesterday and I havent noticed anything yet. Maybe Im not digging/agreeing with the menthol that I was vaping.

Thanks everyone truly. I am so happy I found this forum!

mel

 

[me who]

mel, here's what I can say......I've suffered chronic depression for years and had anxiety problems all my life. Lots of alcohol and drug abuse 'til 5 1/2 years ago. Smokes and coffee were what held me together 'til I quit smoking and started vaping. First, nicotine is a stimulant and is a likely candidate for upping the anxiety, it did for me. Second, eliquid has nic stripped of all it's alkaloids, the very things that give the calm feeling of relaxed focus that normally is associated with smokes. In my case I started to come unglued in my 2nd month of vaping. Anxiety was full-force and all the signs of depression were thick, no motivation, no appetite, just emotionally dead. Through volunteer testing by DVap, a chemist on the forum, I started vaping what became known as WTA eliquid, a liquid DVap had purified from tobacco that still contained the alkaloids. Within 24 hours I was who I was before I quit smoking, depression gone, anxiety in check. Unfortunately, DVap's not in the eliquid business so I started using Swedish snus, a well studied, spitless, smokeless tobacco. Regulated as a food product in Sweden, potatoes are more likely to cause a health problem. It's not chew or dip, I really can't imagine vaping being any healthier. You might take some time to look through the Smokeless Tobacco section here on the forum and maybe post a few questions. It works and is quit the anxiety reliever. Also, if you're interested, click on my avatar and go to my "user notes". That'll give you a good idea about WTA. Good luck, friend .

Very interesting TV, thanks for sharing. I had suspected as much but couldn't put my finger on it.

 

[TWISTED VICTOR]

Thanks me . Hope my experiences and some stuff I've learned will help some others to carry on a normal life without smokes .

 

[mel_vin]

I have not felt the same since I've starting vaping. I was fine before, but now I am feeling quite dizzy and short of breath and generally feeling like crap. (not to mention a mouth full of canker sores) Im a Zero MG person, so I know its not that.

Tuesday night, meet up with 'Born, vaped a bit there, and on the ride home. Wednesday, vapped twice during the day (but I had already woke up feeling off) By nightfall I was feeling really dizzy, (had a bit of a panic attack as a result) and just plain feeling weird....

I havent vapped at all today, but at this point im going to give it a break all together. (im still feeling off, but at least the diziness is a bit better) I actually helped 2 other people place an order yesterday, and I piggy backed some VG cartos on their order.

Really disapointing, cause I was enjoying the motions of vaping, even with Zero MG. I could be like one of those annoying casual smokers that would bum smokes off you if they were arround but would never buy them, but instead being an annoying bum, I could vape my own and not be worried about getting hooked...

 

[Israfil]

VG seems to have a much smoother hit for me, especially at a higher voltage level. I've also noticed shortness of breath with pg and if I vape enough of it a pain in the center of my chest (almost dead center). Probably allergic, but most of my juices are VG so I'm not too worried.

 

[DVap]

I have not felt the same since I've starting vaping. I was fine before, but now I am feeling quite dizzy and short of breath and generally feeling like crap. (not to mention a mouth full of canker sores) Im a Zero MG person, so I know its not that.

Tuesday night, meet up with 'Born, vaped a bit there, and on the ride home. Wednesday, vapped twice during the day (but I had already woke up feeling off) By nightfall I was feeling really dizzy, (had a bit of a panic attack as a result) and just plain feeling weird....

I havent vapped at all today, but at this point im going to give it a break all together. (im still feeling off, but at least the diziness is a bit better) I actually helped 2 other people place an order yesterday, and I piggy backed some VG cartos on their order.

Really disapointing, cause I was enjoying the motions of vaping, even with Zero MG. I could be like one of those annoying casual smokers that would bum smokes off you if they were arround but would never buy them, but instead being an annoying bum, I could vape my own and not be worried about getting hooked...

PG ragged my lungs out a bit. I went from 70/30 PG to more like 70/30 VG. Much better. Thicker and less likely to run too.

 

[aine]

I have not felt the same since I've starting vaping. I was fine before, but now I am feeling quite dizzy and short of breath and generally feeling like crap. (not to mention a mouth full of canker sores) Im a Zero MG person, so I know its not that.

Tuesday night, meet up with 'Born, vaped a bit there, and on the ride home. Wednesday, vapped twice during the day (but I had already woke up feeling off) By nightfall I was feeling really dizzy, (had a bit of a panic attack as a result) and just plain feeling weird....

I havent vapped at all today, but at this point im going to give it a break all together. (im still feeling off, but at least the diziness is a bit better) I actually helped 2 other people place an order yesterday, and I piggy backed some VG cartos on their order.

Really disapointing, cause I was enjoying the motions of vaping, even with Zero MG. I could be like one of those annoying casual smokers that would bum smokes off you if they were arround but would never buy them, but instead being an annoying bum, I could vape my own and not be worried about getting hooked...

Sounds exactly like what happened to me, switched to 100% VG and haven't had any of those symptoms since. I've been breaking out like crazy (those painful zits that take forever to come to the surface) but I've been to the dermatologist and she's given me Metrogel. It seems to be getting things under control. Fingers crossed! Good luck, hope you can find a way that works for you.