Why am I so tired?

[Bklynzfinest]

Hey everyone, I've been a lurker for a couple weeks now and thought I would introduce myself and finally ask this question. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced overwhelming fatigue from vaping? I quit smoking almost 2 months ago now, and have been vaping steadily since, and I absolutely LOVE it, except one major issue. It's exhausting!

I don't know how this can be but I strongly believe the vaping is making me extremely tired. I feel completely useless most days now, and feel like I need a couple cans of redbull just to get me through the day. I'm an otherwise healthy 26 year old girl, and never had any issues with fatigue before I started vaping. Since I've started, I've even tried to 'test' it by going the first half of the day without vaping at all (tough!) and noticed I was not tired at all anymore, and felt like myself. Then once I resumed, within only 15 minutes of starting, the wave of exhaustion hits me like a wall. So I'm almost positive it's the vaping causing this As I said, I really do love vaping otherwise, and at this point I'm too invested in it to move on -- I also know as long as I continue to vape I can confidently say I will NEVER touch another cig again!! That is an unbelievable feat for me!

My only guess is it could be dehydration. Although water is literally ALL I ever drink, and I probably consume a gallon or more a day. I'm also taking a diuretic so maybe it's still not enough, because I know vaping is also dehydrating. Maybe I'll switch to water with electrolytes to see if that helps. Although other than the fatigue I don't have any other symptoms of dehydration. So I really want to figure out what's causing this and fix it, Any advice?

(Using 50/50 juice, 12mg nic, all well known brands - Mount Baker Vapor, ECBlends, Alice in Vapeland, Roar Vapor etc) . Tried a sample of Virgin Vapors 100% VG to see if it was the PG that was bothering me, and had serious wicking issues and horrible taste. I don't think I can enjoy pure VG... HELP! )

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[casher78]

That's odd. Have you been to the doc to check for other problems like amemea. I know pg gives me a bit of a headache so I switched to vg and that went away, some people seem to have weird reactions to pg. I know years of smoking do ALOT of unseen damage to your body and when you quit your body goes into overdrive to repair the damage, and that could cause fatigue also. If you think it's the pg try using vg with an rba. The rba ended my problems with wicking and bad taste from vg.

 

[CreepyLady]

Edit: First most - congrats on quitting and welcome to ECF

I can only theorize here. I would suggest just man up and get through the tired part, maybe add a daily multi and B12. If it is unbearable or there is more than general fatigue - stop vaping and see a doctor.

Well...nicotine is a stimulant. Even with the nicotine replacement of an ecig you are still absorbing far less than you were from smoking cigarettes.
"Scaling this figure up to a 20mg solution (as used by many vapers), Farsalinos concludes that 1mg per 5 mins, and 4 mg per 20 mins of nicotine would be consumed. In other words, then, this puts somewhat paid to the notion that e-cigs do not provide substantial amounts of nicotine to the user."

(from How much nicotine do we get from e-cigarettes? - ECF InfoZone)

Less nicotine = less stimulant.


The other factor is the removal of thousands of nasty chemicals and toxins from your daily life. Your body has to adjust to no longer receiving them as well as expelling all of the toxins remaining from cigarette smoking....

Acetaldehyde: suspected carcinogen.
Acetone: irritant: can cause kidney and liver damage.
Acrolein: extremely toxic.
Acrylonitrile: suspected human carcinogen.
1-aminonaphthalene: causes cancer.
2-aminonaphthalene: causes bladder cancer.
Ammonia: raises blood pressure.
Benzene: carcinogen.
Benzo[a]pyrene: mutagenic and highly carcinogenic
1,3-Butadiene: suspected carcinogen.
Butyraldehyde: damages the lining of nose and lungs.
Cadmium: a heavy metal and highly toxic
Carbon Monoxide: decreases heart and muscle function.
Catechol: causes respiratory tract irritation and dermatitis.
Chromium: heavy metal and carcinogen.
Cresol: causes upper respiratory, nasal and throat irritation.
Crotonaldehyde: thought to interfere with immune function.
Formaldehyde: carcinogen
Hydrogen Cyanide: lethal poison
Hydroquinone: affects central nervous system effects.
Isoprene: irritates skin,eyes and mucous membranes.
Lead: causes brain damage
Methyl Ethyl Ketone: depresses the central nervous system.
Nickel: causes bronchial asthma and is a known carcinogen.
Nicotine: increases in heart rate and blood pressure, addictive element
Nitric Oxide: linked to Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and asthma.
NNN, NNK, and NAT: known or possible carcinogens
Phenol: damages the the liver, kidneys; respiratory, cardiovascular and central nervous system.
Polonium - radioactive*
Propionaldehyde: skin, eye and respiratory system irritant
Pyridine: causes eye and upper respiratory tract irritation
Quinoline: causes genetic damage and is a possible carcinogen
Resorcinol: skin and eye irritant
Styrene: carcinogen
Toluene: linked to permanent brain damage

 

[suspectK]

Yeah, mineral enriched water...juice. Reverse osmosis is good, but it doesn't have any minerals/electrolytes. It sounds like you're flooding your system out too fast.

 

[pascloud]

Cigarettes used to make me feel like this...unless I was high on caffeine. lol Like I'd smoke a cig, then just feel like napping, of course this was later in the day though.

Possibly good call on the dehydration. I drink lots of water and always have. So, maybe try that? And exercise if you don't? That's something I have been doing since vaping...when smoking, my lungs were just too weak.

The last thing I thought about was the withrawal symptoms of tobacco. Everyone seems to experience this differently. For me - it was increased ear ringing. Check out this thread:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...how-others-experience-tobacco-withdrawal.html

Hope you get back your energy soon!

 

[Amraann]

I am going to + casher78.

I think that you should go buy a good multi vitamin OTC and see if that helps along with gatoraid.
Dieretics and vaping could really dehydrate.

 

[Hill]

I would suggest all VG as well if you find it too thick you can thin it out with distilled water I know MBV offers that as an option.

 

[DetraMental]

I too got tired after vaping. It could be caused by too little nicotine. Do you find yourself vaping alot trying to reach your nicotine fulfillment? If so you may want to raise your nicotine level by 2mg's. You can lower it later once you get going. Keep drinking your water so as to stay hydrated. But know you are not alone in the tired after vaping, I too suffered with it. Know that the fatigue shall pass in time if you decide not to increase your nicotine. Hope this helps, good luck, and Happy Vaping

 

[ImThatGuy]

I would suggest just man up and get through the tired part..

^this I approve! J/K

 

[StormFinch]

Tis definitely odd, and I can't say I've heard of of this one in the last 3+ years on the board. If it wasn't happening within the window of picking up your e-cig I'd tell you to go have your thyroid checked. Cigarettes artificially stimulate your metabolism and hide possible thyroid problems. That doesn't sound like it though since you're fine when you abstain.

I would definitely say to try keeping a water diary, too much and too little can both cause adverse effects. And I second a good multi-vitamin. Make sure it has at least 2000 IUs of vitamin D and a good iron source in it.

You might also try going through the testing process like we suggest for someone sensitive to something in their juice. Pick up some plain PG and VG and try vaping each of them alone. (thin the VG with a little water so that it will wick properly) then pick a completely different, simple flavor from what you typically vape and try that. Next try 0 nic, and finally change vendors all together.

 

[Golem]

Are you eating enough? Sometimes I loose appetite by vaping and forget to eat breakfast, which leads to a crash and tiredness later in the day.

 

[Bklynzfinest]

Wow thank you everyone all the advice! I really appreciate it .. I'm definitely going to try these suggestions and see if it helps.

I wish it were that easy to just "man up" but this isn't the kind of fatigue that you can just brush off.. It's a stop you in your tracks, very lethargic feeling. The same way you'd feel after hard drinking all night or taking a xanax. Initially I thought it would pass because my mom had the same issue and after a couple weeks it passed for her.. but it's been 2 months now.

I'll try to up my water even more (my husband complains I already drink too much & it's expensive but he'll deal) lol. I chewed 4mg nicorette gum on & off before vaping (quitting weeks at a time) and I never noticed any fatigue. So maybe there was more nic being absorbed with the gum, so maybe I should up my level.. but I was only a half pack smoker a day, and they were lights at that. So I don't know if that's my issue...

 

[TheColorGreyx]

When I first started vaping I encountered the same problem. The way I coped with it was raising my nicotine level. It seemed to do the trick for me.

 

[emus]

I drink lots of water and reduce nic.

 

[ZW99GT]

I had a very similar experience a few weeks after I started vaping as well. I was using either 18 or 24mg in a cartotank exclusively and for about a month I was starting to get pretty worried about my energy. I never smoked, but used smokeless tobacco for over 7 years. At the time I was very active in the gym and had been for two years prior. I work from home sometimes and I was napping like a mad man during that time, I could not stay awake. I figured it was the ecig or my body adjusting to something. I don't specifically remember when it stopped or how it got better, but it sure did. I'd just try to fight through it and check back in a few weeks.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

"The action of nicotine in the body is very complicated. It is a mild stimulant which has an effect upon the heart and brain. It stimulates the central nervous system causing irregular heartbeat and blood pressure, induces vomiting and ........, and first stimulates, then inhibits glandular secretions. Despite this, smokers often say they use cigarettes to reduce stress and anxiety and claim their use has a calming effect. Cigarette smoking was encouraged for just this reason by the governments on both sides amongst soldiers in the First and Second World Wars. Nicotine seems to provide both a stimulant and a depressant effect, and it is likely that the effect it has at any time is determined by the mood of the user, the environment and the circumstances of use. Studies have suggested that low doses have a depressant effect, whilst higher doses have stimulant effect."
Nicotine

 

[CreepyLady]

Wow thank you everyone all the advice! I really appreciate it .. I'm definitely going to try these suggestions and see if it helps.

I wish it were that easy to just "man up" but this isn't the kind of fatigue that you can just brush off.. It's a stop you in your tracks, very lethargic feeling. The same way you'd feel after hard drinking all night or taking a xanax. Initially I thought it would pass because my mom had the same issue and after a couple weeks it passed for her.. but it's been 2 months now.

I'll try to up my water even more (my husband complains I already drink too much & it's expensive but he'll deal) lol. I chewed 4mg nicorette gum on & off before vaping (quitting weeks at a time) and I never noticed any fatigue. So maybe there was more nic being absorbed with the gum, so maybe I should up my level.. but I was only a half pack smoker a day, and they were lights at that. So I don't know if that's my issue...

Please don't take the man up statement as derogatory - If it is ^^that bad. See a Doc. Cant hurt, and could settle other underlying problems. Also as mentioned before thyroid problems- they can be exacerbated and spiral into a noticeable problem with smoking cessation. Fatigue can be normal with cutting out tobacco and NRT, but knock down unable to function fatigue - especially for extended time is not. It may not be related to vaping or quitting the smokes. Vitamins and electrolytes shouldn't hurt in the interim, but a professional is the route to go when health deterioration is that substantial to your daily life.

Keep us posted, I hope all goes well.

 

[patkin]

Sounds like a hormonal problem to me but, were I you, I would up my nic level to 24mg. You can always cut it down by adding either VG or PG or mixing it with a low nic flavored juice you already have if the higher nice doesn't help. When you get that tired feeling after vaping, then try the 24 mg to see if it revives you.

 

[Bklynzfinest]

Wow definitely did not know that about nicotine dual effect !! Looks like I'll have to try some higher nic juices. Kind of scared of the 18mg, I tried it once and the throat hit killed me! haha. I wish they put out juice in the 14-15mg range, and I guess with 18mg's I'll have to cut some of my chain vaping habits. Good point on the exercise too.. I used to work out all the time a couple years ago and even as a smoker, I had so much energy and felt soo much better. It's just kinda tough finding the motivation to get back in the gym when you feel like this. Thanks again, everyone. My next juice order will include some 18mg to test this out!

Creepylady - Not offended at all! I would totally think the same if I wasn't experiencing it first hand.. and maybe I will go have some tests done if it persists, couldn't hurt.

 

[RosaJ]

Check your blood pressure and your blood sugar if you can.

I used to feel fatigue when I first started and reduced the pg. The lethargy went away after a while. Now, I vape 50/50 pg/vg and it's fine. However, when I do feel more tired than I should be I check my blood pressure and it's on the low side.

Good luck to you and welcome to ECF.