What's Your Cardiologist's Reaction to Vaping?

[TyPie]

Because I have family that has some heart issues, I'm particularly interested in what the cardiologists and heart specialists have to say about vaping. Since heart disease is so prevalent and one of the main reasons people are forced to quit smoking, I'm surprised there is not more discussion about vaping and heart disease & issues. I have posted a similar question HERE, more specific to vaping after a heart attack, but I thought this might be more general.

So, what are your cardiologists and heart specialists telling you?

 

[Auntie Mame]

This subject comes up frequently on this forum. This is but one example http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-vaping-discussion/592168-my-cardiologist-asked-me-youve-never-smoked-right.html

I've had some health issues recently and when asked about smoking, my answer is always the same, "I quit earlier this year but I am replacing nicotine by vaping". None, not even cardiologist have been horrified and most have said in one form or another, "the smoke is the culprit so while I would prefer you not use any form of nicotine, no smoke is the way to go".

 

[Zelphie]

Cardiology is the only area that Im aware of that cautiously supports ecigs, but as a last resort only,
AHA e-cigarette policy emphasizes caution when using devices to quit smoking | blog.heart.org

 

[TyPie]

Bump.
Any new experiences out there between vapers and their cardiologists? Anything new from the medical front lines?

 

[bruiser]

My BP suddenly shot up earlier this year. My MD finally sent me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist sent me for a nuclear stress test that I aced. No heart problems of any kind and no blockages. I knew I'd ace that test because I stayed up all night studying for it. Anyway, I was asked about smoking and replied I used to smoke but used an Advanced Vaping Device these days. "Oh, so you vape now? That's good" said the cardiologist. She prescribed a couple more meds and said come back in Feb.

 

[Maiar]

I dunno about cardiologists, but my family doctor was pretty happy about me switching to vaping.

 

[dsgrey]

My cardio doesn't like nicotine in any form. But he also walked out on a room full of patients and left for another city so I don't hold him in high regard. My family physician was happy I switched. I have a cardiac stent but I also have peripheral vascular disease which includes leg pain, loss of leg hair due to reduced circulation and a 60% stenosis in my abdominal artery. The latter is almost ALWAYS something only smokers get. I could barely walk two blocks when I smoked due to leg pain, been this way for several years. Once I stopped cigs and started vaping, I'm walking 3 miles without issues. My stenosis still exists but all that other "stuff" in cigs creates a lack of oxygen delivery. Plus I've gone from 36mg down to 6mg. My plan is to get off nicotine and possibly vaping too. As my physician says, if I do this in a year then he's happy since most long term smokers never stop.

 

[Katmar]

Good for you switching to vaping. Better health makes us all happier. And good job reducing the nicotine.

 

[Alicenwonderland]

I work in cardiology. Our docs don't like it they like it better than smoking, but nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which is bad news for people who already have coronary artery disease. That being said, people usually use less nicotine than with smoking, and there is no tar, so it's the least of 2 evils. I recommend vaping to my patients who are very resistant to the idea of quitting cigarettes. Those who already vape, I counsel to lower their nicotine level. Nicotine also increases blood sugar, and hyperglycemia also causes coronary artery disease.

 

[thefleck]

So cardiologists dont have a problem with vaping...as long as there is no nicotine?

I think you'll find that most doctors don't know much about it. They don't teach about eCigs or harm reduction in med school. Since there's not much data out there on vaping yet, it will be very hard for most doctors to wholeheartedly recommend it -- and cardiology is a very evidence-driven specialty. They will always recommend the sure deal, which is that no nicotine is the best option. That said, many docs will use the same logic vapers use to deduce that it must be safer than analogs, since smoking cigarettes is pretty much the most harmful thing humans can do to their bodies. I will also add that it's good to tell our doctors that we vape, because then they can at least correlate our health improvements with the vaping. Sometimes clinical experience makes a stronger impression than data. I'm not a cardiologist but I am a doctor, and I vape, FWIW.

 

[thefleck]

My cardio doesn't like nicotine in any form. But he also walked out on a room full of patients and left for another city so I don't hold him in high regard. My family physician was happy I switched. I have a cardiac stent but I also have peripheral vascular disease which includes leg pain, loss of leg hair due to reduced circulation and a 60% stenosis in my abdominal artery. The latter is almost ALWAYS something only smokers get. I could barely walk two blocks when I smoked due to leg pain, been this way for several years. Once I stopped cigs and started vaping, I'm walking 3 miles without issues. My stenosis still exists but all that other "stuff" in cigs creates a lack of oxygen delivery. Plus I've gone from 36mg down to 6mg. My plan is to get off nicotine and possibly vaping too. As my physician says, if I do this in a year then he's happy since most long term smokers never stop.

GREAT JOB dsgrey. What you've done and overcome seems almost impossible. Way to go!

 

[four2109]

I work in cardiology. Our docs don't like it they like it better than smoking, but nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which is bad news for people who already have coronary artery disease. That being said, people usually use less nicotine than with smoking, and there is no tar, so it's the least of 2 evils. I recommend vaping to my patients who are very resistant to the idea of quitting cigarettes. Those who already vape, I counsel to lower their nicotine level. Nicotine also increases blood sugar, and hyperglycemia also causes coronary artery disease.

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, but have the cardiologists that you work with analyzed the degree of constriction caused by vaped nicotine? I just wonder because most studies so far show the absorption rate to be much lower than smoking.

 

[Alicenwonderland]

I think vaping is a pretty exciting concept. I recently had a patient coming in for her second stent. After her first one she stopped smoking. I caught her vaping on an aspire nautilus setup, and another nurse was with me. I praised her for quitting but told her that heavy vaping with nicotine can induce chest pains from vasoconstriction. She was excited I knew anything about vaping, and told more she was down to 6mg. Her son was there and told me huge quit with her and was down to 3mg. So vaping really does work to help people quit. They got nothing but praise from me. The other nurse was not happy about it. When she left the room I showed the patient my vape pen as I was walking out, and she laughed out loud.

 

[skye]

I just had a checkup with my cardiologists.
He said I should cut back because of the formaldehyde in the juice, and that I'm getting more of it than when I smoked traditional cigarettes.
That was the first time I had heard that formaldehyde was an ingredient in e-liquid.
On the flip side, my PCP doesn't have a problem with it, and the nurse vapes.
So I don't know what to think. I'm wondering if organic liquid has formaldehyde in it.. Or is it in the PG?
I've been vaping for four (almost five) years.

 

[bruiser]

Skye, your cardiologist undoubtedly either read, or was told about, the stupid report that came out a couple of weeks ago. The people performing the study used a device with the voltage turned up as high as it would go. Much higher than a vaper would use. What they found was, at a high voltage, the liquid would produce formaldehyde However, the liquid would taste so bad, and be so hot, it would be unusable. When the media got their hands on the report it was reported as "OMG, You're Vaping Formaldehyde"! A couple of days later, the lead researcher says the researcher never said the report never said vapers were vaping formaldehyde. There's a very long thread about about this in the Media section. E liquid does not contain formaldehyde. BTW, your body produces formaldehyde. .

 

[Rickajho]

I work in cardiology. Our docs don't like it they like it better than smoking, but nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which is bad news for people who already have coronary artery disease. That being said, people usually use less nicotine than with smoking, and there is no tar, so it's the least of 2 evils. I recommend vaping to my patients who are very resistant to the idea of quitting cigarettes. Those who already vape, I counsel to lower their nicotine level. Nicotine also increases blood sugar, and hyperglycemia also causes coronary artery disease.

All of my MD's - GP Allergist & Cardiologist ran the numbers - we played a little "fun with math" regarding the nicotine intake - and none of them have a problem with the nicotine intake. However they all have serious issues with smoking so... There are also a lot of things in smoking that contribute to the vasoconstrictor experience beyond nicotine.

 

[greenmonster714]

I wonder how much money those pharmacy companies make a year making the nicotine gum and patches? Not to mention the drugs that are supposed to help one stop smoking or at least put them into such a fog they forget they need a smoke...lol. Dr's and drug companies scratch each others back. Ones a supplier the other is the dealer.....legal dealer but none the less Dr's play the roll of drug dealers.

It's not totally surprising to see all these studies on vaping. Of course they want to do away with it. Of course they don't want the general public to have the power to deny the system a chance to make a few trillion bucks. Plus, if they can find a way to down grade the safety of vaping it will be easier for the government to slam taxes and tough regulations on it.

 

[TyPie]

With the prevalence of heart / vascular disease in the US, it's particularly interesting to me to see the wide variety of responses and reactions from, particularly, the cardiology community. One would think that even the CHANCE that a new product such as the e-cig might greatly benefit the smoking public, that the professionals would be clamoring for info, testing, studies, science, and answers. Cardiology, to me, is likely one of the very important 'front lines'. Anecdotal evidence and reports from us 'regular people' can shed some important light.

Please keep the responses coming folks!

 

[xtwosm0kesx]

I just had a checkup with my cardiologists.
He said I should cut back because of the formaldehyde in the juice, and that I'm getting more of it than when I smoked traditional cigarettes.
That was the first time I had heard that formaldehyde was an ingredient in e-liquid.
On the flip side, my PCP doesn't have a problem with it, and the nurse vapes.
So I don't know what to think. I'm wondering if organic liquid has formaldehyde in it.. Or is it in the PG?
I've been vaping for four (almost five) years.

I know you probably don't want confrontation with your doctor but maybe you should politely remind him of a few things.

Formaldehyde is an irritant, as little as 5ppm in the air will cause irritation to the respiratory tract, you can't sit and inhale it (in any significant concentration) all day long.

Formaldehyde is also only produced at VERY high heat levels (dry hit conditions) that no vaper could ever possible inhale (see above).

In other words you're inhaling negligible amounts of formaldehyde (re: little to no risk) and he's reading a headline, ignoring the actual study, and, as mentioned above, the fact the author of said study has since said they have grossly misrepresented his statement/findings.

It sickens me that someone who is supposed to be protecting peoples health is "Doctor Ozing" it off a headline he read.

 

[dannyv45]

I was a smoker for 45 years and my GP is thrilled that I now vape. He would rather I do none of it (Smoking/Vaping) but is not on my back about vaping as he was about cigs. As far as he's concerned it's the far far lesser of two evils.