Confusing Allergy Problem - desperate not to have to give up vaping

[Matt L.]

Hello, the reason I think its from the PG is after I used the ointment from my doc, it cleared up,I normally vape 50/50. I had my juice guy mix up the juice I vape on the regular but this time he made it 80vg 20 pg . I vaped only that juice for about 10 days, the symptoms came back while i was vaping the 80/20 vg/pg but not nearly as bad and I was not using the ointment at that time. once that juice ran out I went back to vaping my 50/50 juices and with in 2 days my face broke out big time.. I was just wondering if any one had this exact same symptoms, I have heard of itchy skin before but I have not heard of the break outs like I get. I ordered some 100% vg and I will see how it goes... Thanks for the input guys

I don't know about those symptoms from PG, but allergies/sensitivity to PG is very common, and in general allergies can cause a very wide variety of symptoms, certainly rash and hives. I used to have breakouts that basically looked just like acne in reaction to detergents and fabric softeners that I was using on my clothes.

Hi Everybody and thanks for all your input. I have been speaking to a friend of my who I'd forgotten was a flavour chemist who worked for one of the major tobacco companies and I think I have an explanation for what has happened to me. Basically three to four weeks ago I bought some nice 24mg juice and hit it way too hard with my Provari wound up with a nice dual coil tank and you guessed it... nic poisoning!

Well that's kind of scary. Glad you seem to have figured it out though. I guess giving yourself nicotine poisoning is one way to quit smoking. Isn't there actually a prescription drug for breaking some kind of addiction that makes you feel ill when you consume the substance in question?

Anyway, if you're happy vaping 2 mg juice, there's really no reason to ever try to go higher than that, unless maybe you eventually feel like you've developed a resistance to it and you're not getting the same effect anymore. If you're ordering prepared juices, there's a good chance the company you're buying them from would be willing to mix some up with a custom nic level for you - that way you wouldn't have to go to the trouble of mixing in the nic yourself and also diluting the juice.

Definitely very good advice to be careful with nicotine and to start at a low nic level and only gradually work your way up. Hopefully some people can learn from your little adventure

 

[Matt L.]

Yeah, except Zyrtec works. Don't know about Claritin, never tried it, but Allegra might as well be a sugar pill. It does nothing at all that I could tell, at least for cat allergy. We have a cat that lives in the garage/outdoors, and I have to take a Zyrtec everyday; as long as I exercise reasonable precautions, like washing my hands after touching her, the Zyrtec is the perfect cure for that stupid allergy. Allegra was like I hadn't taken anything at all.

I think it depends on the person. I took Claritin for a while before the other ones were available OTC, and it barely seemed to do anything. Then I tried Zyrtec and at first it seemed like it was helping, and then after a little while it seemed like it wasn't doing anything anymore. Then I tried Allegra and at first it seemed like it worked really well, and now it seems like it doesn't work quite that well, but it still seems to help more than either of the other ones. In any case, I'm pretty sure that those three are in the same class of drugs.

TBH, I just took Allegra-D 12 hour and it has significantly improved my sinus congestion. Still have a little cough, but it's not aimed at that anyway.

Allegra-D includes a decongestant (that's what the 'D' stands for) such as pseudoephedrine, or more frequently now in the U.S. they're using something less effective like phenylephrine or something like that, because they think if they get rid of pseudoephedrine they can stop people from making crystal ..... In any case, it was probably the decongestant that improved your congestion.

 

[aburgUK]

Hi Everybody here is an update,

1. Had some bloodwork done and I have a vitamin deficiency in particular b12. This could certainly have some bearing on the situation and does account for many of the symptoms I have at the moment.

2. Just received some PEG400 based juice. Have literally only just tried it but so far it feels much more comfortable, will let you know how that goes.

3. Have read a few things that suggest that nicotine can help to suppress allergies. I think that with all my experimenting recently I have allowed my nicotine level to drop to very low levels. I actually stopped vaping 4 days ago and have not experienced any noticeable nicotine withdrawal symptoms during that time. I have however experienced an ongoing allergic reaction to something and have been on benadryl full time, very weird!

My conclusion so far is that even after nearly four months, smoking cessation may have exposed some underlying issues that are not vaping related. I am probably allergic to some components of vaping (maybe PG or VG) but that this is being confused by the vitamin deficiencies. Maybe PEG400 will help to narrow down the cause?

 

[LoveVanilla]

Glad to hear you're on the path to getting it sorted out. Best of luck!

 

[Davy]

Hurray,
I'm not the only one with this problem!!!
I've recently started vaping (to replace cigs) and when I look in the mirror my eyes resemble those of Dracula after a feeding frenzy.
And yes, I also feel hot (esp in the face).
Thanks to this thread I've now changed to 100% VG without flavor. I hope it works cause I don't want to give it up.

 

[Davy]

Jip, so I' m allergic to PG. Since I'm a beginner (and I' m just clueless about most of the lingo on this massive forum) Is there anyone that can point me to Some threads about flavoring and how to make it myself. Most of the flavors I can find in belgian shops ( we're still in the e-cig middle Ages here) contain PG. Can I just, for example, drop a lime in some VG, leave it there for a month and then add some VG-based nicotine and a bit of distilled water. Or am I poisoning myself this way. Any tips on where I should go read? I'd be much obliged.