Wahhh! Am I allergic to PG?

[nunya]

Update 10/21/11

Yeah - DEF allergic to PG. Have an order of Virgin Vapor PG on the way. Cut waaaaay back on the vape and supplementing with crappy lozenges. HURRY VV!

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Day 21 of vaping. Yesterday I noticed some swelling in my right eye. Today my face is slightly swollen, most people wouldn't notice, but I can see it, especially when I got up this morning. My eyelids are a bit enflamed, right eye is itchy. I've had similar allergic reactions to cosmetics with certain red dyes.

Could be any number of causes w/in the juice. Dye, maybe nic level?, flavoring. I was vaping a juice my friend gave me a sample of for a couple of days: Riskee, an RY4 type juice with a PG base.

ANYWAY, here's my plan and I'm open to suggestions:

Stop vaping Riskee altogether.
No vaping today. (WAHHHHHH) Back to nic lozenges for the time being.
Take some benedryl when I go to bed tonight.
Start back slow tomorrow or Saturday with another flavor with which I didn't notice symptoms.

Problem is that it's a process of elimination, not sure if it's THAT juice, a cumulative effect of PG in my system, or not vaping related at all (doubtful).

Secondary prob is all the juice I ordered! May have to pitch it. *sniff*

I know I'll figure it out with your help. Besides, Mama didn't raise no quitters.

 

[madjack]

...process of eliminating is about you can do...only question I would askya...didja possibly get some nic juice in your eye...that is extremely irritating............
madjack

 

[nunya]

No, I didn't. I listened to a Vaporcast about a guy mistaking juice for eyedrops. Have been VERY careful.

 

[Spazmelda]

No, I didn't. I listened to a Vaporcast about a guy mistaking juice for eyedrops. Have been VERY careful.

OMG, OMG, OMG! Ouch! I splashed a drop of 16 mg juice in my eye. I was putting the dropper cap back on a bottle and a little drop flew right into my eye. It hurt so bad! I can't imagine dripping an entire drop or two in my eye! Btw- it didn't swell, just turned extremely bloodshot and burned like a ...

I haven't heard of PG causing swelling, but I'm not that informed on what the allergic reactions to it are. As a side note... my son woke up with a swollen eye this morning. This happens to me about 2x a year (for about 20 years now), way prior to vaping. It could just be a coincidence that it happened to you this particular day?

 

[carpedebass]

Secondary prob is all the juice I ordered! May have to pitch it. *sniff*

If you do find yourself in that unfortunate situation, don't pitch that juice. You can sell it on the classifieds or even better, offer it up on the Pay It Forward Treasure Chest thread.

 

[Amutt]

ejuice to the eye burns just a bit
I would think too early to call PG, particularly if you haven't had trouble with it before. Could be the flavoring itself. I'd carefully try the process of elimination. I would also avoid that particular juice in the future.
*not to be construed as medical advice, at your own risk, blahblah disclaimer.

 

[nunya]

Thanks, y'all. I'm going to stick to my plan. No vaping today. I'm in two lozenges and they SUCK. Anyone use Virgin Vapor? Found a link about allergic reactions to PG. I don't have hives. Sometimes swelling is also caused by dehydration, so I'll pound the water today.

 

[Lethalp]

Mad jack may be onto something there. Hope u feel better!

 

[nunya]

Also, I should mention that I have allergies to sulfa drugs, iodine, shellfish, and red wines. My face does this with those products/foods in varying degrees. Any chance of iodine or some derivative or chemical cousin being in the juice?

That link I posted said: "In extreme cases, PG can even cause numbness in the face and tongue as well as swelling and redness in these areas."

I have no numbness, just mild swelling and mouth watering. Anyone think it could be nic OD?

 

[nunya]

Spaz: Anything is possible, but I doubt it. And trust me, I want that to be the case bc I love my ecigs!

 

[carpedebass]

Also, I should mention that I have allergies to sulfa drugs, iodine, shellfish, and red wines. My face does this with those products/foods in varying degrees. Any chance of iodine or some derivative or chemical cousin being in the juice?

That link I posted said: "In extreme cases, PG can even cause numbness in the face and tongue as well as swelling and redness in these areas."

I have no numbness, just mild swelling and mouth watering. Anyone think it could be nic OD?

I doubt it. It sounds more like allergy to me...or even possibly withdrawal from analogs. Drinking lots of water will help flush those toxins out if that's what it is. As far as what is in the flavorings...I'm not sure.

 

[DSS61]

Good luck with figuring it out...you will. I had an issue as well, my chin would feel all dry and tight and tingly, very unpleasant. At first I thought it was PG, then I thought it was VG. Through that process of elimination I found out it was a particular flavor from a particular vendor. I was so disappointed because I enjoyed that flavor too. I stayed away from it for a month, no problems....tried it again the other day to double check the reaction and yes indeed, it happened again. Had to put it away in the closet for now.
So....with any luck, maybe it's just that flavor for you. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[nunya]

DSS61 - yeah, I'm like Vaping CSI right now! I so appreciate all the comments. Do you use VG? What vendor do you recommend? Will VG work with KR 808 blanks?

 

[tyleris12]

DSS61 - yeah, I'm like Vaping CSI right now! I so appreciate all the comments. Do you use VG? What vendor do you recommend? Will VG work with KR 808 blanks?

Virgin Vapor's VG is thinned so it works in all cartos and even Ego-T's, which usually have problems with any VG liquids. Give it a try! Also, all her flavorings are very pure, clear, and clean tasting, so no chance of any additives you don't want. Good Luck!!

 

[dormouse]

The problem is usually the nicotine, not the PG. But PG is thin and it lets nicotine throat hit AND irritation through best, and I believe that is true for both the vapor and the liquid itself.

That happens to me when I get liquid on my fingertips (even a little) and I don't wash my hands. I usually just wipe my hands with a tissue or on my jeans but that is not enough. If the juice has nicotine you then touch more sensitive areas like your face or eyes then your eyelid can get crusty/irritated and itchy, you can get dry irritated patches on your face etc.

You can also get irritation if a lot of vapor blows in your face, if you inhale vapor through your nose a lot, etc.

Wash your face and rinse your eyelids well in the shower and use a lotion like Mennen or Johnson & Johnson Baby lotion on dry skin patches. For your eyelid - don't touch it with your fingers - use wet tissues etc. And keep your hands clean. It should clear up. Use moisturizing eyedrops if anything at all but only after the area is clean.

The lower I got my nicotine the more unlikely it became that I would irritate myself this way with nicotine.

Yes it is possible you could be sensitive to PG but I have no problem at all with PG yet I have done the same thing to myself with the red eye and irritated itchy eyelid but it's from the nicotine. Nicotine is a known skin irritant. Even the patch has warnings about skin irritation. PG ivapor is used in hospitals to delivered inhaled medications even to lung transplant patients.

So the most likely thing that irritated you is nicotine because it was in the thinner PG juice. Could you have gotten a bit on your fingers then later touched your face or rubbed your eye?

I did this to myself many times, even with 11mg juice. Now that I am way down at 4mg I only get mild irritation if I get traces of liquid on my face or eyelid.

 

[Beans]

When I first started vaping I had a few similar reactions. I narrowed it down to cinnamon flavors and dark juice that I suspected to have cinnamon in it. IDK eating it I've never had issues but vaping I did.

Maybe look at the flavors your using. Your already sensitive to so much (like me ) Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[nunya]

Dormouse and Beans. Thanks to both of you for offering your knowlege. I ordered a small sampler pack of VG juice at a lower nic level from Virgin Vapor just in case. Beans, I have been using 24mg cinnamon too! Maybe it's more flavor related and/or nic level. ARGGHHH a lot of variables and I just wanna vape!

I'm going to start keeping wet wipes to wipe my hands, may be that all this is contact allergy. Good thing I read all that Nancy Drew as a kid.

 

[Beans]

I love the cinnamon flavors but my reactions were too harsh to keep using it. If I remember all the symptoms correctly........Some mornings my eyes were very swollen, I looked like I had down syndrome. (I also get this from non hypoallergenic makeup) My throat was raw like I garggled razor blades (this can happen if you don't drink enough water and recently quit smoking) and some congestion. So for a while i didnt know what the cause was, it could have been several things. When I stoped all cinnamon use these symptoms went away. I hope you figure your allergies out quickly so you can get back to enjoying not smoking. Best of luck!

 

[dormouse]

Yeah I've heard cinnamon can be extremely irritating.

 

[nunya]

Yeah, remember that no vaping today plan? Me neither.