Trying to solve the mystery of my allergy to an unknown impurity

[D Persimmons]

I've been trying to use nicotine vaporizers for a long time now, but i just can't get over the itchy, cutting sensation it has on my throat (which also usually causes me to caugh). I have completely ruled out pg as an allergy because i have tried 100%vg and have tried 100%pg and 50/50 pg/vg, all of them without nicotine and all of them with nicotine. The only time i get the terrible side effect is when it contains nicotine. But it can't be nicotine that is causing the problem because i can many strong cigarettes without ever feeling any discomfort of the sort. Then when i started using nasal tobacco to cut down on smoking, i regained a large part of my sense of smell. And so i noticed that my e-juice smells like alcohol or something of the sort. Could alcohol be the culprit? What other impurities could possibly be the cause of my distress?

I am DIYer, so i start with high strength nic liquid. I haven't opened my 1L bottle of 100mg/ml so i don't know if it is the same as the other stuff i've been using.

Where can i get high strength nic liquid which does not contain things like alcohol?

EDIT: i noticed my zero nic 50/50 pg/vg also smells like alcohol, i opened my second bottle of the same but no alcoholic smell. Does pg/vg ferment or something? I don't really get that.

 

[David1975]

Do you by any chance use the organic cotton? The only time I had issues with a scratchy, "something's stuck" to my throat feeling was when I was using Kogendo cotton.... started a few weeks after I used it exclusively. After switching back to cotton balls, and everything else the same, I'm fine.

 

[HMav]

PG, VG, and nic base should not smell like alcohol, and alcohol can produce a wicked throat hit.

Wicking can also have a lot to do with it as well, this should be another variable that you investigate.

 

[D Persimmons]

I solved the problem after 1.5 years of hopelessness. I took my 1L of VG with 100mg/ml and diluted it with 1L of PG with 0mg/ml, then i took i took 30ml of that and mixed in with 90ml 50/50 pg/vg with 0 nic, thus creating 12.5mg strength liquid. And surprise, surprise. I can vape this liquid from 3 sources without feeling pain or coughing of any kind. For so long i assumed i was allergic to nicotine. Now i now that some stuff is just contaminated. So glad my 2L 50mg/ml is not contamined.

 

[daviedog]

I've heard that 'big tobacco' added cough suppressants to cigarettes.
Could be an urban myth ??..

 

[D Persimmons]

That's what i have suspected for a long time now. They must be using antitussives in their ingredients.

UPDATE: the same liquid that i vaped with no problem last night is now (this morning) starting to itch. Perhaps there is an oxidation product that causes the discomfort? Does anyone know what new chemical would have been created overnight?

 

[Danbrooks2k]

Well your base shouldnt smell like alcohol.

When you vape you deliver nicotine to the mucas membranes in your body in a different way.

What are you vaping with? If its an RDA RBA take a look at the wick and wire.

Have you tried a different tank or dripper or juice from a friend?

Rule out every possibility first. Also has this been since day one of vaping or just since you started to DIY?

 

[AndriaD]

I've heard that 'big tobacco' added cough suppressants to cigarettes.
Could be an urban myth ??..

Not so much cough suppressants, but topical anesthetics, yes, definitely; it takes a couple weeks of being smoke-free to lose that effect, but after it's gone, the throat and lungs become a great deal more sensitive to everything.

I think they do it to make burning leaves and paper smoother on the throat. Which is bad for us vapers, trying to nail down the reason why vapor can be so much more irritating-feeling than actual smoke.

So glad you resolved your issue, David F!

Andria

 

[D Persimmons]

Andria you are definitely right. My current batch hasn't gotten too bad yet. Its more irritating than when i first made it, but its still vapable. I noticed that if i breath from both my vaporizer and cigarrette at the same time, i can vape 36mg without even feeling the itch, something that normally i wouldn't be able to do for even a second. The analgesic effect lasts for awhile after you stop smoking, but not weeks like you said. Within an hour, i will feel the itch again.