Anxiety Issues With Vaping

[mostapha]

I have asked numerous doctors and pharmacists at work numerous questions related to vaping. I get a blank stare.

That's why Psychiatrists are important for these things. If you find one that actually understands how drugs work, that goes a long way.

But, really, if you go to a Doctor with a medical question and they give you blank stares……find a new one. "I don't know" is a valid answer, but if it's not followed by the Doctor trying to educate himself on the subject, s/he's not worth your time. Medicine/health is too important to screw around with people who don't care about what they're doing.

Plus, if you forget to take it you can get really sick. I was taken off of it 4yrs ago, worst experience I've ever had with a medication was coming off of Effexor.

Similar story. The only thing (medicine related) that I've felt worse than going off an SSRI was being on the last SSRI that I took…my Psychiatrist and I ended up trying a few and over the course of it I got basically all the side effects from "gastrointestinal distress" to anorgasmia to sleep disturbances (i'd sleep either 3hrs/day or 20hrs/day…nothing in between).

The last night I was on one, I had a full-on panic attack, went hypomanic, and was borderline tachycardic for a few hours (resting pulse was around 150bpm). I called my Psychiatrist to ask him what to do, and he basically just said not to bother him and to call an ambulance if my heart rate hit 160. I was ....... I think that was the first time I shattered an iPhone by chucking it at a wall.

I got through the panic attack with meditation……and I got through withdrawal with a combination of an understanding roommate, meditation, and hoping that life would stop sucking eventually.

I skipped my next appointment with that doc and never went back. Oddly enough, he never called to check on me. Worthless .

I say that not to scare the OP (or anyone else taking these drugs). While I have a degree in Psychology, I'm not a practicing Psychologist, and I haven't been to med school. I'm not qualified to advise anyone about them directly. But based on my degree and personal experience, I would say that if you're having any problems with these medications or that would lead you to take these medications…Find a good Psychiatrist.

GPs don't know what they're doing. And some Psychiatrists really suck. The right drugs can work wonders if you need them. They really are life savers. But the wrong drugs, the wrong dosing, etc. can really screw you up. And you owe it to yourself to find somebody who knows what they're doing.

 

[Sdh]

I am a nurse in real life...so I am exposed to many doctors and shrinks at work. The novelty wore off on the vaping so I don't bother them anymore.

I really only replied here to the OP. I do wish them well.

 

[MadmanMacguyver]

The right drugs can work wonders if you need them. They really are life savers. But the wrong drugs, the wrong dosing, etc. can really screw you up. And you owe it to yourself to find somebody who knows what they're doing.

I don't know about the right drugs...but during my stay in Timberlawn while they were misdiagnosing me left and right I was put on all the wrong stuff for a period of 4 yrs...you can't get me to take anything without me researching the medication to the Nth degree now...one of em messed me up bad...basically it temporarily negated my process of following my own set of rules(sort of like an artificial conscience) which wound me up in jail for a month...

not to say they are bad...just not for me except in extreme circumstances...The point being if your diagnosis is correct and you have a GOOD Psychiatrist, then likely the medications will help you...so far I am still looking...but then gain the proper Diagnosis for me was actually discovered by my wonderful wife who read a book written by an author whose son had Aspergers Syndrome(a mild form of autism) and that was only 5 yrs ago...and due to the abuse I was on the receiving end of in the hospital I am loathe to trust Drs. especially Psychiatrists......

as for Vaping...Relax...unless you are on something that reacts badly with nicotine...you should be alright...definitely much better off then on cancer sticks YUCK...as to the WTA seeming to help...many people unknowingly used their cig habit as a form of self medication...there are many other compounds in cigs other than nicotine...that is the premise behind the WTA...and hence why it possibly was working better for you...

 

[cheshire_grin]

You should try dropping nic. Might help.

 

[VinBed]

Hello everybody my name is Al and Im having a few issues since taking up vaping about a month ago. Im currently on two different medications which are effexor and remeron. When I first started about a month ago I can say I had no issues until a week past and then the anxiety kicked in. After reading I tried 100vg because the pg was making my throat very itchy and making me feel weird. I have noticed that on the vg it is not as bad but I still have the anxiety just not as bad. I ordered wta and did notice that I felt good with this juice. It does not take very long for my anxiety to kick in I would say after about 5-6 drags and then I feel it. I asked the doc and she thinks it might be the fact that Im still smoking analogs two here and there but she wasnt sure because she wasnt familiar with vaping. Ok also I do drink coffee in the morning which has never been a issue and I only have about 2 glasses of water a day. Please keep in mind Im not vaping that much probably a total of 20-30 drags a day. This has become very frustrating to me because I have not had any issues with my anxiety for a while until now. Any advice will be appreciated.

Ok, so basically you are telling us that you are using 4 different drugs on a daily basis.

2 Antidepressants and 2 stimulants.

Anxiety is primarily a mental thing. Overthinking things can lead to more anxiety, and with more anxiety you get that cycle which drives you even more up the wall until you have a panic attack. I know how that is because I deal with anxiety on a daily basis as well.

There may be a fear of the vapor and the effects of the vaping that could be somewhat subconscious. It could be the fact that you are taking 4 drugs a day. As you said, the dry throat and the feeling of the somewhat negative effects of the PG can spark anxiety - this happens to me when I am near the edge, anxiety-wise, and if I feel a pain or a discomfort it can push me over the edge.

My suggestion is to cut the coffee out, see what happens, and try a few different VG flavors until you get used to it.

 

[mostapha]

Anxiety is primarily a mental thing.

So is schizophrenia.

What you mean by anxiety and what a person diagnosed with an anxiety disorder mean by it are completely different things.

 

[arbliss]

Thank you OP for posting this, I'm glad to finally discover someone else is having almost the exact same issue.


I am new to e-cigarettes. I'm a half a pack a day smoker, I smoke Pall Mall Lights (Blues). I'm on Sertralin (antidepressant) not for depression, but to help with anxiety. I also take alprazalam (generic Xanax) once a day (.25mg) in the morning. I read about e-cigarettes, and saw how many people love vaping. First one I tried was a disposable Blu regular full flavor that I got at the gas station. Tried it 3 different times, and each time, no matter how few puffs I had, it gave me strong anxiety. It bothered me because I'd read so many great reviews, and hadn't found anyone with similar issues. Even if I took one small 4-5 second puff, within 30 seconds I would start feeling strong anxiety. At this point I thought it must be the high dose of nicotine in the regular disposable blu e-cig. So I read online about good e-cigs, and bought a Volt from Smokeless Image. I ordered the low dose nicotine (6mg) in the smooth pack which contains all the regular tobacco flavors. Since I got it I have tried it on multiple occassions, and it gives me the exact same issue. I know it's not a lack of nicotine, because sometimes I will have smoked recently before using. And it can't be too much nicotine, because sometimes when I try it I haven't smoked in 8 hours, and it will cause this with just one 2-3 second puff. I grew frustrated because I couldn't find evidence online of anyone else having the same issue. Now that I see this post, and all the advice on here, I wonder if it's something in the liquid that doesn't mix well with anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication, or just something in there my body doesn't agree with. Before using e-cigs I was chewing also, and getting lots of nicotine, and even when I had too much nicotine, it didn't make me feel like this. I am seeing my doctor early next month, and will definitely ask him, although he's a general practictioner who will most likely not have much info on vaping, and probably recommend I quit smoking through Chantix or some other fashion. I'm not posting here for medical advice, but I appreciate the advice of regular vapers, and was hoping the OP had figured out the cause, as I'm sure my situation is very similar. Thanks again for any feedback, hopefully I can get to a point where I can vape successfully! I would love to not feel like crap the instant I take a puff. Thanks everyone!

 

[PickyJuicer]

Well, when I was quitting smoking, I had horrible anxiety attacks. Every day... I could feel the blood drain out of my face, I'd get super pale, heart would race, etc. So then instead of quitting cold turkey, I started cutting back. Still had anxiety attacks. It was only after I totally cut the analogs out of my life that they stopped. Then I researched a little bit and realized that there are alot of chemicals that are added to cigs (599) and that doesn't include the byproducts of them not only mixing those chemicals but burning those chemicals.

With me, it was obvious that there was something in the cigs that kept me soooo dependent that even if I had one a day, it would turn the anxiety on if I didn't have another and another. I get daily doses of nicotine now through vaping and have absolutely no issues anymore.

Of course, I'm not a doctor, I don't even play one on TV, but perhaps it's because you are smoking AND vaping so your brain doesn't know what's going on. You're getting the nicotine but not the other crap in a cigarette so you go all panic like... I went through it, it's awful!

 

[stevenshepherd]

I would try cutting the nic down, going to a 70/30 and definitely keep yourself hydrated.

 

[NeilSwift]

With me, it was obvious that there was something in the cigs that kept me soooo dependent that even if I had one a day, it would turn the anxiety on

!

You think the .... they put in there is by accident? I doubt you do as many of us do.

Hope the OP sorts it.

 

[arbliss]

thanks for the replies, I'll definitely give it a shot. I would love to be able to vape, especially since I already invested in a Volt. Thanks everyone so far!

 

[pinkpirate]

I have also suffered with Anxiety and panic attacks most of my life to the point that I was locked in my house for 4 months. That was a while ago and I go out now and work and everything but the anxiety itself is still there. I haven't had any problems so far with my medications interacting with the e-liquid but it has only been two weeks. One thing someone told me once I think one of my doctors is that when you smoke you are deep breathing which is a big thing when it comes to anxiety and panic attacks and that is why some people feel like smoking calms them. There are other reasons of course but the act of deep breathing helps. With vaping we are breathing differently and not taking the deep breaths anymore. It is simple and may be nothing but it was something that came to mind after reading the post.

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.

 

[classwife]

Moved to Health, Safety and E-Smoking

 

[Stubby]

Thank you OP for posting this, I'm glad to finally discover someone else is having almost the exact same issue.


I am new to e-cigarettes. I'm a half a pack a day smoker, I smoke Pall Mall Lights (Blues). I'm on Sertralin (antidepressant) not for depression, but to help with anxiety. I also take alprazalam (generic Xanax) once a day (.25mg) in the morning. I read about e-cigarettes, and saw how many people love vaping. First one I tried was a disposable Blu regular full flavor that I got at the gas station. Tried it 3 different times, and each time, no matter how few puffs I had, it gave me strong anxiety. It bothered me because I'd read so many great reviews, and hadn't found anyone with similar issues. Even if I took one small 4-5 second puff, within 30 seconds I would start feeling strong anxiety. At this point I thought it must be the high dose of nicotine in the regular disposable blu e-cig. So I read online about good e-cigs, and bought a Volt from Smokeless Image. I ordered the low dose nicotine (6mg) in the smooth pack which contains all the regular tobacco flavors. Since I got it I have tried it on multiple occassions, and it gives me the exact same issue. I know it's not a lack of nicotine, because sometimes I will have smoked recently before using. And it can't be too much nicotine, because sometimes when I try it I haven't smoked in 8 hours, and it will cause this with just one 2-3 second puff. I grew frustrated because I couldn't find evidence online of anyone else having the same issue. Now that I see this post, and all the advice on here, I wonder if it's something in the liquid that doesn't mix well with anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication, or just something in there my body doesn't agree with. Before using e-cigs I was chewing also, and getting lots of nicotine, and even when I had too much nicotine, it didn't make me feel like this. I am seeing my doctor early next month, and will definitely ask him, although he's a general practictioner who will most likely not have much info on vaping, and probably recommend I quit smoking through Chantix or some other fashion. I'm not posting here for medical advice, but I appreciate the advice of regular vapers, and was hoping the OP had figured out the cause, as I'm sure my situation is very similar. Thanks again for any feedback, hopefully I can get to a point where I can vape successfully! I would love to not feel like crap the instant I take a puff. Thanks everyone!

There are still lots of unknowns about vaping, and by that I mean using a purified type nicotine. With any whole tobacco product as in cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and WTA (though less is known about WTA it is certainly a good deal closer to a whole tobacco product) the minor alkaloids can have a large overall effect that can be significantly different then when using nicotine alone. It is highly likely that some people with mental health issues may very well be a good deal more sensitive to the missing alkaloids then others. I'm not a doctor, but from what I have read, when using straight nicotine you get the stimulating effect, but are missing the calming effect of the minor alkaloids. The anxiety is a good sign it's not working for you. Wether you can wean yourself off of the need for the rest of what's in tobacco or not no one can say at this point.

The goods news is that there are other reduced harm tobacco products that have been shown to work very well for those that can't tolerate the straight nicotine. Snus and nasal snuff are two that work very well. That's what I use. There is lots of misinformation about smokeless tobacco from decades of bad information by anti-tobacco zealots. Even the chew you use is significantly less harmful then smoking. It you actually look at the science any form of smokeless tobacco in the US, and of course Swedish snus, is comparable to the harm reduction you get from vaping. You may want to start reading Brad Rodu's blog to get up to speed.

http://rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com

Smokeless tobacco doesn't work for everyone one, but the same can be said for vaping. Try everything and find out what works for you.

 

[Koman]

Moved to Health, Safety and E-Smoking

Yeah,I guess this is the right section for it.