Seeking advice re allergies

[Blackie447]

G'day, Blackie447 from Perth, Western Australia (the police state) here.

I decided to give vaping a go after listening to work mates rave about the benefits and cost savings compared to the analogs I've been smoking.

After checking out various forums for recommendations I opted for the VK deluxe starter kit from an Aussie supplier and nicotine (36mg) in the 75/25 PG/VG ratio from Health Cabin.

I started vaping last week and was pleasantly surprised and pleased at how satisfying it was. After a little experimentation using “eJuice Me Up” software I found mixing it 50/50 PG/VG with a target Nic strength of 12mg was working well for me. I stopped smoking the analogs straight away and wasn't tempted to smoke one at any time. The only downside I found was that I felt a bit lethargic.

After a few beers with mates on Friday night and vaping 1.5ml of liquid within a couple of hours I
woke up Saturday morning with a horrendous rash on my face and forehead. My eyes were stinging intensely and I had trouble opening them for at least an hour. After doing some online research I'm guessing it's a reaction to the PG content in my juice. I've read that 3-5% of users have similar allergic reactions to it and I have fairly sensitive skin as it is.

I'm allergic to the aluminum in deodorants and to the most of the active ingredients in insect repellents so, with hindsight it's no surprise that PG has given me a similar reaction. The itchiness and pain has resulted in 3 sleepless nights and I dare not leave the house for fear of frightening the neighbors. I tried using Aloe Vera gel on my face to stop the itchiness but even that hasn't helped. The only thing that seems to help is organic coconut oil but I need to re-apply it every few hours.

So regrettably I'm back on the analogs until my face clears up. Despite the pain and disappointment from my initial vaping experience I'm determined to give it another shot in the future as I can see a lot of benefits to it though I'll be way more cautious next time around.

I've been looking for a quality VG that isn't derived from soy. Has anyone here tried using coconut glycerin in their vaporizers? I've ordered a bottle of Natures Answer glycerin which I intend to try next time around. I'm going to try diluting it with a homemade peppermint tincture (peppermint leaves and 80proof vodka) which I made a couple of years ago. I hoping a 5-10% dilution will thin it enough for my Aspire K1 to cope with it.

Any feedback, tips and advice re allergies would be most appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[Ryedan]

Hi Blackie, sorry to hear about the issues you're having. I'm in Canada and I can get both PG and VG from many pharmacies and vape shops. I look for USP grade, that's the important part for vaping. It can be labeled kosher, organic, or anything else but it must be labeled USP. I can't help you with sourcing non-soy based VG because I have no experience with that.

As for flavorings, I try to avoid anything organic in my juices. The chance of impurities in anything derived from plant or animal sources is IMO greater than with man-made substances. It's different for ingestion in which case I prefer organics, but there are quite a few thing we can eat with no problems that are harmful to inhale.

There is a very active DIY E-liquid sub-forum on ECF where you'll find a lot of information on making juice and the ingredients.

Be careful with this, allergies can be dangerous specially now that you know something in your juice had such an impact on you. It does not have to be the PG either, anything in it can be the culprit, but PG is a good one to start with.

Best of luck with it!

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

You should also consider some aspects of symptoms could be from quitting cigs :
HEALTH QUITTING Health, Safety and Vaping | E-Cigarette Forum

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

There is also an Australia/New Zealand forum : Australia - New Zealand Forum | E-Cigarette Forum might help in locating equipment or juice.

Good luck in your vape journey.

 

[Blackie447]

Hi Blackie, sorry to hear about the issues you're having. I'm in Canada and I can get both PG and VG from many pharmacies and vape shops. I look for USP grade, that's the important part for vaping. It can be labeled kosher, organic, or anything else but it must be labeled USP. I can't help you with sourcing non-soy based VG because I have no experience with that.

As for flavorings, I try to avoid anything organic in my juices. The chance of impurities in anything derived from plant or animal sources is IMO greater than with man-made substances. It's different for ingestion in which case I prefer organics, but there are quite a few thing we can eat with no problems that are harmful to inhale.

There is a very active DIY E-liquid sub-forum on ECF where you'll find a lot of information on making juice and the ingredients.

Be careful with this, allergies can be dangerous specially now that you know something in your juice had such an impact on you. It does not have to be the PG either, anything in it can be the culprit, but PG is a good one to start with.

Best of luck with it!

Thanks for your input and the links Ryedan. I will most definitely be more cautious next time around. Will firstly try just vaping VG (diluted with water) to see if it causes any allergic reactions. Hopefully not as I'm keen to ditch the smoking ASAP.

 

[Blackie447]

You should also consider some aspects of symptoms could be from quitting cigs :
HEALTH QUITTING Health, Safety and Vaping | E-Cigarette Forum

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

There is also an Australia/New Zealand forum : Australia - New Zealand Forum | E-Cigarette Forum might help in locating equipment or juice.

Good luck in your vape journey.

Thanks for the informative links Sir2fyablyNutz. Perhaps the lethargy I felt was due to quitting cigs? ... From everything I've read the rash on my face and itchiness is most likely a reaction to PG so I'll steer clear of that next time around and see how I go

 

[3mg Meniere]

With such a severe reaction, It might be safer to try a skin test. Make a pin-..... (dang that censor- a tiny hole in your skin), then put a bandaid saturated with the substance on top of it. Leave it alone for a day, and then check for reactions. Personally, having experienced anaphylactic shock, I would give up on vaping after having had such a reaction. The next one could kill you.

 

[Blackie447]

So I only vaped for 5 days before the rash appeared. Finally after 4 days the itchiness is starting to go away. I'll leave it at least a week before vaping VG on its own and see what happens.

 

[3mg Meniere]

Might want to try that skintest while you are waiting.

 

[Blackie447]

With such a severe reaction, It might be safer to try a skin test. Make a pin-***** (dang that censor- a tiny hole in your skin), then put a bandaid saturated with the substance on top of it. Leave it alone for a day, and then check for reactions. Personally, having experienced anaphylactic shock, I would give up on vaping after having had such a reaction. The next one could kill you.

Thanks for your input 0mg Meniere. A skin test is a great idea! I'll do that prior to vaping again and see if I can nail it down to the PG, VG, Nic or a flavour I've used. Thanks again

 

[Blackie447]

@0mg Meniere. Bought some lancets and did some skin tests this morning as you suggested. Tested three sites on my left forearm (PG, VG and my Nic mix 70pg/30vg) and the three flavors I tried last week, all PG80/VG20, on my right forearm. I'm happy to report there's been no reaction whatsoever 10hrs later. I also discovered today that the deodorant I've been using for many years contains PG and hasn't ever caused me any problems. Not really sure where to go from here now ???

Thankfully the itchiness and redness on my face is finally starting to clear up. I'll leave it to heal for at least a week before deciding on my next vape move.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

G'day, Blackie447 from Perth, Western Australia (the police state) here.

I decided to give vaping a go after listening to work mates rave about the benefits and cost savings compared to the analogs I've been smoking.

After checking out various forums for recommendations I opted for the VK deluxe starter kit from an Aussie supplier and nicotine (36mg) in the 75/25 PG/VG ratio from Health Cabin.

I started vaping last week and was pleasantly surprised and pleased at how satisfying it was. After a little experimentation using “eJuice Me Up” software I found mixing it 50/50 PG/VG with a target Nic strength of 12mg was working well for me. I stopped smoking the analogs straight away and wasn't tempted to smoke one at any time. The only downside I found was that I felt a bit lethargic.

After a few beers with mates on Friday night and vaping 1.5ml of liquid within a couple of hours I
woke up Saturday morning with a horrendous rash on my face and forehead. My eyes were stinging intensely and I had trouble opening them for at least an hour. After doing some online research I'm guessing it's a reaction to the PG content in my juice. I've read that 3-5% of users have similar allergic reactions to it and I have fairly sensitive skin as it is.

I'm allergic to the aluminum in deodorants and to the most of the active ingredients in insect repellents so, with hindsight it's no surprise that PG has given me a similar reaction. The itchiness and pain has resulted in 3 sleepless nights and I dare not leave the house for fear of frightening the neighbors. I tried using Aloe Vera gel on my face to stop the itchiness but even that hasn't helped. The only thing that seems to help is organic coconut oil but I need to re-apply it every few hours.

So regrettably I'm back on the analogs until my face clears up. Despite the pain and disappointment from my initial vaping experience I'm determined to give it another shot in the future as I can see a lot of benefits to it though I'll be way more cautious next time around.

I've been looking for a quality VG that isn't derived from soy. Has anyone here tried using coconut glycerin in their vaporizers? I've ordered a bottle of Natures Answer glycerin which I intend to try next time around. I'm going to try diluting it with a homemade peppermint tincture (peppermint leaves and 80proof vodka) which I made a couple of years ago. I hoping a 5-10% dilution will thin it enough for my Aspire K1 to cope with it.

Any feedback, tips and advice re allergies would be most appreciated.

Cheers.

I use some VG derived from Palm oil, it is from Now Solutions. Sorry you are having problems with vaping.

 

[3mg Meniere]

@0mg Meniere. Bought some lancets and did some skin tests this morning as you suggested. Tested three sites on my left forearm (PG, VG and my Nic mix 70pg/30vg) and the three flavors I tried last week, all PG80/VG20, on my right forearm. I'm happy to report there's been no reaction whatsoever 10hrs later. I also discovered today that the deodorant I've been using for many years contains PG and hasn't ever caused me any problems. Not really sure where to go from here now ???

Thankfully the itchiness and redness on my face is finally starting to clear up. I'll leave it to heal for at least a week before deciding on my next vape move.

That is a relief!

 

[Blackie447]

I use some VG derived from Palm oil, it is from Now Solutions. Sorry you are having problems with vaping.

Hi Robert, How long have you been using the Palm oil? I like that it's GM free and will keep it in mind if the coconut glycerin from Nature's Answer doesn't do it for me. Thanks for the info

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Been using it for a couple of months, I use both it and some other that says it is derived from non GMO palm oil or vegetable oil. So either from a palm or vegetable who knows. Can't really tell much difference in the two.

 

[Blackie447]

Pleased to report I've been vaping for 3 days without any health issues whatsoever. My VG/nicotine juice arrived in the post on Friday and I couldn't resist trying it out. Been vaping 100% VG using Nature's Answer Coconut Glycerin with 10% vodka to thin it out a bit for my Aspire K1. Has a slightly sweet after-taste without using any additional flavors though I have a few PG-free (organic?) samples on order from Artistry Extracts.

Hopefully off the cigs for good now. Thanks to you all for your words of wisdom.