Vaping with autoimmune disorders?

[wheat3000]

Hi,

I've been vaping for about 5 weeks now. Over the last week I started getting terrible acne, started feeling really tired, had eye discomfort, among other things.

The only changes in the last week or two were my ratio of PG/VG (switched to a higher PG blend) and vaping more.

I have autoimmune thyroid disease, and have been tested several times (with inconclusive results) for adrenal insufficiency.

Is it the PG that's making me feel awful? Simply quitting smoking?

To clarify, I wasn't getting a lot of these symptoms before a week ago. I've actually started smoking analogs again, although less than I did before I started vaping :/

EDIT: Should have mentioned: I had quit smoking once before, for 4 months, after using the patch for just a week. Other than withdrawal symptoms like irritability and fatigue, I hadn't had any of the inflammatory response problems like acne or eye discomfort.

Of course, that was nearly 2 years ago. Something definitely could have changed since then. I will go for the VG, drink more water, and talk to my endocrinologist. Luckily my yearly appointment is only 2 weeks away.

 

[gthompson]

Some people are allergic to PG, try some PG free juice.

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

I get a case of bad zits sometimes too. (@ Age 63 )Sometimes it is the juice flavorings. Sometimes it is what I eat.

Drink water. Lots & lots of water.

-Currently looking good & vaping Johnson Creek Red Oak ( all vg) @ 24 mg.

 

[akatina]

I'm not a doctor, and don't even play one on TV.

But I will throw in there that acne is a very common side effect of quitting smoking. They're called "quit zits"... Even though you're still getting nicotine your body is detoxing from the other 4000+ chemicals found in cigarette smoke and there are symptoms that go along with that process.

And with that said: if you're worried, see your doctor.

 

[KeithB]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hen-quitting-tobacco-changing-ecigarette.html

Worth a read, some of your problems may be related to quitting, not vaping.

 

[mare ze dotes]

If you do have an autoimmune disease. The only person to ask is your Dr. Be safe. It might not be the vaping or quiting at all.

 

[StormFinch]

Something new I discovered recently, aka autoimmune thyroid disease and tobacco;

Tobacco contains anatabine, an alkaloid and MAOI. Anatabine is now being studied for it's effects on inflammatory diseases and disorders, especially thyroid disorders where an autoimmune response causes inflammation of the thyroid gland:

Anatabine ameliorates experimental autoimmune ... [Endocrinology. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI

Star Scientific, Inc./Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals Report Positive Initial Results of ASAP Human Thyroid Health Study Showing Benefits in Immune System Support

If you do an in depth search, you will find that a significant number of new thyroid sufferers developed autoimmune symptoms after quitting smoking. Originally this was believed to have been caused by smoke damage to the gland itself, but since nicotine and now anatabine have been shown to reduce inflammation and possibly the immune response as a whole, I believe that smoking is and/or was an unconscious form of self medication.

I myself had only minor thyroid related symptoms and was clinically euthyroid until I quit cold turkey for seven months. Approximately two months after quitting my TSH shot up to 64 and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I felt so horrid for those seven months that I went back to smoking, and although it did help bring my numbers and symptoms down I never returned to what I had known as normal. A year or so later I went hyperthyroid and was also diagnosed with Graves Disease. I then bounced back and forth between the two diseases. Nicotine alone does seem to help, I feel better on it than off, but knew that there was something obviously missing. That missing puzzle piece could very well be the anatabine. However, since until very recently the only significant way to get that missing chemical was through tobacco, (other nightshade plants carry it, but like nicotine it's in much smaller quantities) I chose to do without it and treat with medication and a thyroidectomy instead.

I would suggest that, on top of making sure you get more water in your system to combat the quit symptoms, you should probably also have your thyroid numbers run, to include your Frees and antibodies, and see where you're currently at. You may need a medication adjustment now that you've quit tobacco.

 

[wheat3000]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hen-quitting-tobacco-changing-ecigarette.html

Worth a read, some of your problems may be related to quitting, not vaping.

This is excellent. Thanks for that.

 

[wheat3000]

Should have mentioned: I had quit smoking once before, for 4 months, after using the patch for just a week. Other than withdrawal symptoms like irritability and fatigue, I hadn't had any of the inflammatory response problems like acne or eye discomfort.

Of course, that was nearly 2 years ago. Something definitely could have changed since then. I will go for the VG, drink more water, and talk to my endocrinologist. Luckily my yearly appointment is only 2 weeks away.

EDIT: Ahh hell, I'll put this in my original post!

 

[Caridwen]

I'm doubtful that it's due to the PG, but it's worth a try.

I also developed thyroid issues when I quit smoking/started vaping.

For me, I found I couldn't vape high VG. It felt like I had a weight sitting on my chest. I don't think it was related to the thyroid issues, but I don't know for sure. I just found I do better with higher PG.

 

[rolygate]

@ Stormfinch

Did you ever try WTA liquid? I'd like some input for this in case it can be added to the Symptoms article. We probably get to see much of this stuff first on ECF and I think the symptoms page is a valuable resource because of that.

Thyroid issues are something that could become quite interesting, this group of conditions is probably a lot more prevalent than is thought. Anatabine sounds like a useful avenue of research. Syntroid meds OD caused a problem for one person (or more, probably), and maybe thyroid issues or even the meds involved will cause problems for more people than is currently realised.

I'd like to know why thyroid conditions seem more common now, or maybe it's just they are diagnosed better.

 

[cheaterbug]

As I see it, it's just the way your body is adjusting to the lack of tobacco from your normal analog.

 

[StormFinch]

@ Stormfinch

Did you ever try WTA liquid? I'd like some input for this in case it can be added to the Symptoms article. We probably get to see much of this stuff first on ECF and I think the symptoms page is a valuable resource because of that.

Thyroid issues are something that could become quite interesting, this group of conditions is probably a lot more prevalent than is thought. Anatabine sounds like a useful avenue of research. Syntroid meds OD caused a problem for one person (or more, probably), and maybe thyroid issues or even the meds involved will cause problems for more people than is currently realised.

I'd like to know why thyroid conditions seem more common now, or maybe it's just they are diagnosed better.

Sorry for the late response Roly, this thread kind of dropped off my radar for a few days.


I've actually never tried the WTA. If I remember correctly it was just starting to roll on the market about the time I hit my two year vaping mark. By then I was dealing with switching back and forth between hormone replacement and anti-thyroid medication, and had found my sweet spot with just nicotine.

Speaking of more prevalent than thought, did you know that typically a thyroid panel isn't included in the blood work done during a yearly physical, and that many doctors will blame thyroid problems on obesity and/or mood disorders before they will think to run a thyroid panel? Did you know that, like most blood tests, the normal range is taken from averaging the tests of a small percentage of the population, some of whom could have possibly had an undiagnosed thyroid condition? Or that the test most commonly done, the TSH test, isn't even gauging what your thyroid is doing, but what your pituitary gland is telling it to do? I could write you reams on the disconnect between our doctors and our thyroid health.

As to the whys, I believe thyroid conditions are more commonly seen now for several reasons. The amount of chemicals we are now exposed to daily in addition to the relatively recent nuclear age, too much iodine in the diets of industrialized countries and continued deficiencies in third world countries, our increased ability to gather health related information from the internet, more people stepping up and becoming their own health advocates... and these are just off the top of my head.

 

[rolygate]

It's an interesting subject. Lots and lots more to be discovered here, I think.

 

[wheat3000]

Posting an update because I know people search these forums...

I started doing the DIY thing and went to 25/75 PG/VG, will continue to move toward 100%VG when my 50/50 nic base starts to run out. Also, I picked up some Omega-3 supplements to see if that would help with inflammation. One or both of these changes seems to be helping; unfortunately I didn't do it very scientifically by changing two variables at once - oh well.

Finally, at yesterday's appointment, my endocrinologist seemed impressed that I was on the e-cig. I explained the various chemicals and everything to him, and he didn't personally know of any reason that PG or VG could cause any problems for me.

Thanks to everyone for their input, I really appreciate it.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Thanks to everyone for their input, I really appreciate it.

We thank you as it's input such as yours that will help others. Great thread.

 

[seahawkin]

Something new I discovered recently, aka autoimmune thyroid disease and tobacco;

Tobacco contains anatabine, an alkaloid and MAOI. Anatabine is now being studied for it's effects on inflammatory diseases and disorders, especially thyroid disorders where an autoimmune response causes inflammation of the thyroid gland:

Pretty much my story too.

Also I found each time I quit my symptoms, like quit zits, got worse and worse. I was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder before I quit, but quitting cause my Hashimoto's to flare and I bounced back and forth between high and low for almost a year. Visiting doctor's, specialist's and having blood drawn almost once a week.

Vaping saved me from caving again, because I am miserable without my nicotine and my last bought of quitting really showed me I can't go back to smoking.

PS - Awesome post StormFinch. I think it is more common and just found more when people quit. I always just assumed smoking was masking my symptoms.

PPS - Diet soda was also REALLY bad, had to give that up too.