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I Tried Vaping for 3 Months... Here's My Experience

Mad Mensch

Member For 4 Years
Hi all,

I had a very short but intense stint with vaping and it came to a premature end just a few days ago. Let me start by saying that I was not a tobacco user when I started vaping so my experience was a little different. Most vapers that i've spoken to used vaping as a means to transition off analogs which seems to be a logical strategy. So why in the world would someone who was not addicted to cigarettes (or any other tobacco product) get involved with vaping?

The reason for me was, as unusual as this sounds, nail biting. For most of my adult life I have suffered from the addiction of biting my nails which may seem harmless, but is in fact a classified obsessive compulsive disorder. My profession is in the medical sales industry and I can't count how many times physicians, nurses, and even sick patients have commented on the conditions of my nails! As a creative effort, I tried vaping due to the fact that it addresses both the oral fixation while the nicotine assists in calming some anxiety which usually triggers the nail biting impulse for me. Surprisingly it worked to a degree.

So in the 3 months I vaped, at the very peak I was vaping 1.5 mg nicotine about 5-6 ml/day. It became a real crutch for me and I found myself constantly vaping, especially during times I would normally bite my nails. The vaping seemed to help curb my desire to bite my nails and I was pretty satisfied with that trade-off. In the beginning I started off pretty advanced with a SMPL mod and a RDA and then transitioned to a subtank mini with a Vaporshark DNA40. I also purchased a bunch of tanks, RDA's, box mods, tube mods, coils, and everything in between. All was going well and I got really into the "hobby" when something strange started happening. I woke up one morning with an intense ringing in my ear accompanied by severe dizziness and vertigo. I waited a few days, saw a Doctor, and he mentioned it was some sort of middle ear infection or inflammation and prescribed prednisone. I've never in 35 years had an ear infection or experienced any type of dizziness or tinnitus so this was completely new. Aside from the nail biting I consider myself a pretty healthy individual. So I did some research and found multiple threads/articles from individuals who experienced the exact same issues, as well as a medical journal publication on the "ototoxicty" of propylene glycol. The juice that I exclusively vape is 70 VG and 40 PG so there is obviously that probable correlation. But as with all illnesses I knew it would pass with time so I continued to go about the same daily routine (still vaping) while being more conscious of the symptoms I was experiencing. After about 3 weeks the symptoms not only persisted but they intensified. It got to a point where I was waking up in the middle of the night due to dizziness! If you've ever experienced a migraine so bad that it wakes you in the middle of the night you know how serious of a condition that is. That really caught my attention so about a week ago I decided to stop vaping cold turkey to see if that would help and that was the beginning of the end so-to-speak.

It's been about 7 days now and the tinnitus and dizziness are nearly 100% gone. At this point the only real negative symptoms I am experiencing is nicotine withdrawals. I can also admit that my nail biting has come back in full force now that I feel more anxiety due to the withdrawals. While all this does suck, I'm grateful that the dizziness is mostly gone since it was a very scary and debilitating experience. I should also take the time to say that I'm not a Doctor or scientist so I can't confirm 100% that PG is the cause of the medical issues I experienced. For those that are wondering why I didn't switch to just vaping 100% VG, I sometimes wonder the same thing. But truth-be-told, right now I'm feeling the best I've felt in months and I don't want to risk the issues coming back even to a small degree. Now, if I was someone who was transitioning off cigarettes I would definitely try 100% VG since cigarette smoking is a lot more lethal than nail biting!

Anyway, I wanted to share my experience to you all not to warn or dissuade anyone from vaping. Heck, I WISH I didn't experience the things I did because I really enjoyed vaping. I share this story mainly as a way for me to gain some closure on this whole experience and wave goodbye to a hobby that I hardly knew. Goodbye VU and thank you for the great resources while I was here!
 
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Time

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Well, that sucks. It's good you got it figured out though. I've had vertigo for years and it can be awful experience.
 

conanthewarrior

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Ahh that is awful man. My daily, home made 'pep' is Propylene glycol based, as it is easy to dissolve and measure dosage that way, so I would be buggered if I had problems like this from PG. I have been having about 2MLS PG oral daily though for around 8 months, with no symptoms, and then I have the PG from my VG 70 PG 30 mix.

You seem to have bought quite a few devices, so maybe one day try 100Percent VG? Even 100% VG alone is very sweet, and makes a very sweet tasting vapour.

I wish you the best, wether that is continuing vaping or not :).
 

HeadInClouds

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Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Vape Media
Unlisted Vendor
I woke up one morning with an intense ringing in my ear accompanied by severe dizziness and vertigo. I waited a few days, saw a Doctor, and he mentioned it was some sort of middle ear infection or inflammation and prescribed prednisone. I've never in 35 years had an ear infection or experienced any type of dizziness or tinnitus so this was completely new. Aside from the nail biting I consider myself a pretty healthy individual. So I did some research and found multiple threads/articles from individuals who experienced the exact same issues, as well as a medical journal publication on the "ototoxicty" of propylene glycol. The juice that I exclusively vape is 70 VG and 40 PG so there is obviously that probable correlation.

PG worsening (my existing) tinnitus is exactly why I use max-VG. Most flavorings contain PG, though - so I have to flavor lightly or live with tinnitus. I'm glad you made the connection so quickly. It took me months to make the connection and learn that PG is ototoxic. I've never had the infection or dizziness you experienced, but if I vape too much PG, the squeal is unbearable.

If you want to continue vaping, max-VG is the best option. There are alcohol-based flavorings to avoid PG completely (not many of them, though). Different people have different tolerance for PG, so the amount in the most popular flavorings may be fine for you. You can also vape without flavoring, believe it or not - I do that regularly to offset the PG flavorings that I DO vape.
 

Huckleberried

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Member For 5 Years
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Moving this to Vaping Health Related.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, very much. This is really good information and you've likely helped another.

I have tinnitus, have had for many years from hearing loss. I do vape higher PG because I'm more sensitive to VG. My tinnitus has been pretty bad since before I was vaping, and I haven't noticed it getting any worse, so I continue with PG. I simply don't want to smoke again.

I wish you well in whatever you find to help you with your journey. You're always welcome here. :)
 

Mad Mensch

Member For 4 Years
Thank you all for the responses! I do think about trying 100% VG just to see if any symptoms come back but right now the "experience" of dizziness and tinnitus is still fresh in my mind so I've been to fearful to pick up a vape again.

The withdrawal symptoms are at an all time high right now and so far I've managed to piss off almost everyone in my family including my kids. I'm considering using a nicotine patch to try and wean myself off the nicotine a little easier. We'll see what happens.

Thank you all again for the responses and encouragement!
 

Markw4mms

#Team Jimi Supporter
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Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Thanks for posting this! I've had tinnitus for many years, and luckily I haven't noticed it getting any worse. I had no idea that PG or VG could have an effect on it though. Wishing you much luck in whichever route you go to help you in your situation.
 

Neunerball

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
ECF Refugee
....I do think about trying 100% VG just to see if any symptoms come back but right now the "experience" of dizziness and tinnitus is still fresh in my mind so I've been to fearful to pick up a vape again....
I would try the max VG, just to try to confirm, if PG was the cause of your problem.

I do have Tinnitus myself. I will experiment with the PG issue myself. Currently, most of my DIY juice is 80VG/20PG.
 

Vlad1

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Wow your story sounds very similar to me but I've never read anything like this before. I've had dizzy spells a couple times in fact to the point of fainting and my wife finding me laying on the floor. Went to the doctor and after some very very expensive tests on my heart and getting the all clear (healthy as a horse) from the doctor went about my business as usual. Then 6-8 months ago started hearing constant locust sounds that eventually turned into constant ringing "Tinitus", I had never heard of Tinitus until I started researching the noises I was hearing, I haven't seen a doctor about the constant ringing as I attributed it to a root canal I had about two months prior, or the neck injury I had or the extremely loud noises I submitted myself to when I was younger. I seem to be a prime candidate for Tinitus. I'm going to see if max VG helps any or not as I'm not at the point I can quit vaping. I started vaping at 24mg and now down to 6mg, tried going to 3mg a couple months ago but kinda went a little nuts. I Was a 2 pack smoker for 30+ yrs and only been vaping 1 yr. 4 months.

Thank you for sharing.
 

Mad Mensch

Member For 4 Years
I'm going to see if max VG helps any or not as I'm not at the point I can quit vaping.

Thanks for your reply and I'm glad my story was able to speak to someone experiencing the same thing. I would definitely try 100% VG if you can in lieu of MAX VG so that you can determine if PG is the sole culprit. The juice I was vaping exclusively when I experienced the issues was a MAX VG juice at 70/30 so I think even a small amount can affect someone who is sensitive to PG.

If you don't mind, if you do get around to switching to 100% VG would you mind posting your experiences on this thread? I'd love to see if it helps get rid of the tinnitus and dizziness.

Thanks again for your post!
 

nabibrian

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I wish you the absolute BEST in whatever it is that you find yourself doing.
Hope you choose to continue here @ VU because I am glad you are here!
 

Satchvai

VU Donator
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
70VG/30PG 18mg Nic DIY mix I made for my brother had my ears ringing like a Christmas Bell concert last night while I was testing it. I'm not sure how much was the PG and how much was due to Nic overdose. I usually drip Max VG at 3mg and I do vape some 70/30 mixes at that nic level that don't have the same effect. Could it possibly be a sensitivity to Nic as well. Dripping 1.5 mg nic, while for the majority of ex-smokers who have been using it for years or decades, isn't a big deal, could be a whole different story to someone who is just starting out.
 

Mad Mensch

Member For 4 Years
70VG/30PG 18mg Nic DIY mix I made for my brother had my ears ringing like a Christmas Bell concert last night while I was testing it. I'm not sure how much was the PG and how much was due to Nic overdose. I usually drip Max VG at 3mg and I do vape some 70/30 mixes at that nic level that don't have the same effect. Could it possibly be a sensitivity to Nic as well. Dripping 1.5 mg nic, while for the majority of ex-smokers who have been using it for years or decades, isn't a big deal, could be a whole different story to someone who is just starting out.

I've considered that as well. That's why right now although I'm going through hell with the withdrawals I haven't picked up the vape to try and wean myself.
 

Hhh

Member For 1 Year
Hi all,

I had a very short but intense stint with vaping and it came to a premature end just a few days ago. Let me start by saying that I was not a tobacco user when I started vaping so my experience was a little different. Most vapers that i've spoken to used vaping as a means to transition off analogs which seems to be a logical strategy. So why in the world would someone who was not addicted to cigarettes (or any other tobacco product) get involved with vaping?

The reason for me was, as unusual as this sounds, nail biting. For most of my adult life I have suffered from the addiction of biting my nails which may seem harmless, but is in fact a classified obsessive compulsive disorder. My profession is in the medical sales industry and I can't count how many times physicians, nurses, and even sick patients have commented on the conditions of my nails! As a creative effort, I tried vaping due to the fact that it addresses both the oral fixation while the nicotine assists in calming some anxiety which usually triggers the nail biting impulse for me. Surprisingly it worked to a degree.

So in the 3 months I vaped, at the very peak I was vaping 1.5 mg nicotine about 5-6 ml/day. It became a real crutch for me and I found myself constantly vaping, especially during times I would normally bite my nails. The vaping seemed to help curb my desire to bite my nails and I was pretty satisfied with that trade-off. In the beginning I started off pretty advanced with a SMPL mod and a RDA and then transitioned to a subtank mini with a Vaporshark DNA40. I also purchased a bunch of tanks, RDA's, box mods, tube mods, coils, and everything in between. All was going well and I got really into the "hobby" when something strange started happening. I woke up one morning with an intense ringing in my ear accompanied by severe dizziness and vertigo. I waited a few days, saw a Doctor, and he mentioned it was some sort of middle ear infection or inflammation and prescribed prednisone. I've never in 35 years had an ear infection or experienced any type of dizziness or tinnitus so this was completely new. Aside from the nail biting I consider myself a pretty healthy individual. So I did some research and found multiple threads/articles from individuals who experienced the exact same issues, as well as a medical journal publication on the "ototoxicty" of propylene glycol. The juice that I exclusively vape is 70 VG and 40 PG so there is obviously that probable correlation. But as with all illnesses I knew it would pass with time so I continued to go about the same daily routine (still vaping) while being more conscious of the symptoms I was experiencing. After about 3 weeks the symptoms not only persisted but they intensified. It got to a point where I was waking up in the middle of the night due to dizziness! If you've ever experienced a migraine so bad that it wakes you in the middle of the night you know how serious of a condition that is. That really caught my attention so about a week ago I decided to stop vaping cold turkey to see if that would help and that was the beginning of the end so-to-speak.

It's been about 7 days now and the tinnitus and dizziness are nearly 100% gone. At this point the only real negative symptoms I am experiencing is nicotine withdrawals. I can also admit that my nail biting has come back in full force now that I feel more anxiety due to the withdrawals. While all this does suck, I'm grateful that the dizziness is mostly gone since it was a very scary and debilitating experience. I should also take the time to say that I'm not a Doctor or scientist so I can't confirm 100% that PG is the cause of the medical issues I experienced. For those that are wondering why I didn't switch to just vaping 100% VG, I sometimes wonder the same thing. But truth-be-told, right now I'm feeling the best I've felt in months and I don't want to risk the issues coming back even to a small degree. Now, if I was someone who was transitioning off cigarettes I would definitely try 100% VG since cigarette smoking is a lot more lethal than nail biting!

Anyway, I wanted to share my experience to you all not to warn or dissuade anyone from vaping. Heck, I WISH I didn't experience the things I did because I really enjoyed vaping. I share this story mainly as a way for me to gain some closure on this whole experience and wave goodbye to a hobby that I hardly knew. Goodbye VU and thank you for the great resources while I was here!
Did u back to vape max vg ?
 

Hhh

Member For 1 Year
Hi all,

I had a very short but intense stint with vaping and it came to a premature end just a few days ago. Let me start by saying that I was not a tobacco user when I started vaping so my experience was a little different. Most vapers that i've spoken to used vaping as a means to transition off analogs which seems to be a logical strategy. So why in the world would someone who was not addicted to cigarettes (or any other tobacco product) get involved with vaping?

The reason for me was, as unusual as this sounds, nail biting. For most of my adult life I have suffered from the addiction of biting my nails which may seem harmless, but is in fact a classified obsessive compulsive disorder. My profession is in the medical sales industry and I can't count how many times physicians, nurses, and even sick patients have commented on the conditions of my nails! As a creative effort, I tried vaping due to the fact that it addresses both the oral fixation while the nicotine assists in calming some anxiety which usually triggers the nail biting impulse for me. Surprisingly it worked to a degree.

So in the 3 months I vaped, at the very peak I was vaping 1.5 mg nicotine about 5-6 ml/day. It became a real crutch for me and I found myself constantly vaping, especially during times I would normally bite my nails. The vaping seemed to help curb my desire to bite my nails and I was pretty satisfied with that trade-off. In the beginning I started off pretty advanced with a SMPL mod and a RDA and then transitioned to a subtank mini with a Vaporshark DNA40. I also purchased a bunch of tanks, RDA's, box mods, tube mods, coils, and everything in between. All was going well and I got really into the "hobby" when something strange started happening. I woke up one morning with an intense ringing in my ear accompanied by severe dizziness and vertigo. I waited a few days, saw a Doctor, and he mentioned it was some sort of middle ear infection or inflammation and prescribed prednisone. I've never in 35 years had an ear infection or experienced any type of dizziness or tinnitus so this was completely new. Aside from the nail biting I consider myself a pretty healthy individual. So I did some research and found multiple threads/articles from individuals who experienced the exact same issues, as well as a medical journal publication on the "ototoxicty" of propylene glycol. The juice that I exclusively vape is 70 VG and 40 PG so there is obviously that probable correlation. But as with all illnesses I knew it would pass with time so I continued to go about the same daily routine (still vaping) while being more conscious of the symptoms I was experiencing. After about 3 weeks the symptoms not only persisted but they intensified. It got to a point where I was waking up in the middle of the night due to dizziness! If you've ever experienced a migraine so bad that it wakes you in the middle of the night you know how serious of a condition that is. That really caught my attention so about a week ago I decided to stop vaping cold turkey to see if that would help and that was the beginning of the end so-to-speak.

It's been about 7 days now and the tinnitus and dizziness are nearly 100% gone. At this point the only real negative symptoms I am experiencing is nicotine withdrawals. I can also admit that my nail biting has come back in full force now that I feel more anxiety due to the withdrawals. While all this does suck, I'm grateful that the dizziness is mostly gone since it was a very scary and debilitating experience. I should also take the time to say that I'm not a Doctor or scientist so I can't confirm 100% that PG is the cause of the medical issues I experienced. For those that are wondering why I didn't switch to just vaping 100% VG, I sometimes wonder the same thing. But truth-be-told, right now I'm feeling the best I've felt in months and I don't want to risk the issues coming back even to a small degree. Now, if I was someone who was transitioning off cigarettes I would definitely try 100% VG since cigarette smoking is a lot more lethal than nail biting!

Anyway, I wanted to share my experience to you all not to warn or dissuade anyone from vaping. Heck, I WISH I didn't experience the things I did because I really enjoyed vaping. I share this story mainly as a way for me to gain some closure on this whole experience and wave goodbye to a hobby that I hardly knew. Goodbye VU and thank you for the great resources while I was here!
Hi thanks for the post its exactly how i felt i for the past 3 months (wake up in the middle of the night dizzy) now that was at 2015 can you tell us now in 2018 if you still have ear ringing do you still vape anything you know some people including me suffering from vaping allergy i used to vape 50pg mtl before i start to have ear ringing then dizziness
 

Mad Mensch

Member For 4 Years
Hi thanks for the post its exactly how i felt i for the past 3 months (wake up in the middle of the night dizzy) now that was at 2015 can you tell us now in 2018 if you still have ear ringing do you still vape anything you know some people including me suffering from vaping allergy i used to vape 50pg mtl before i start to have ear ringing then dizziness

Yeah after that original post I made I stopped vaping completely for about 2 years. Good news is the dizziness and ringing in the ears went away completely. Looking back that was one of the scariest times of my life.

Bad news (for me at least) is that I started a new job that requires lots of travel and I picked up vaping again to deal with some stress. The difference is I only use those disposable e-cigs that you can get at gas stations and I don’t vape nearly as much or as often as I did 3 years ago. It’s been about 3 months since I started back up again and I have not experienced anything like I mentioned in my original post. On long road trips where I forget in chain-vaping I do get dizzy somewhat but it could be just the amount of nicotine.

If I were to guess, I think I’m still allergic to certain vape juice but the way I was vaping back then somehow affected my inner ear more than it does now. Those small e-cigs you get at gas stations don’t produce a lot of vape and you aren’t opening your jaw wide to try and cloud chase like you do with more powerful mods I used to use. By opening your jaw wide like you do when sucking in a lot of air it opens up the passage from your throat to your inner ear. This is just a guess but thought I’d share.

Hope this helps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Hhh

Member For 1 Year
Yeah that was very helpful
Ive been reading and collecting more information about that
I found these symptoms are much close to prolonged sinus inflammation
Dizziness and tinnitus and swollen lymph node on the neck which some vapers including me got it simply by looking to the right and touch the left part of the neck to feel if any swollen lymph are there
Right now i start to sell my vape device as u cause dizziness and loud tinnitus wasnt something nice and not easy to forget maybe i will try later but will go for pg free ejuice or just will use a cigar since it doesn't require inhalation as cigarette
Thanks again.
 

AKmtnvapor

Member For 1 Year
Thanks for the info! I have mild tinnitus, and though I haven’t noticed any changes since I started vaping not too long ago, now I know to keep an eye on it.
 

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