Hi All,
I just wanted to share something that happened to me when I made the switch from smoking to vaping.
I was a pack a day smoker for about 12 years. I used to smoke menthols. I decided I really wanted to quit smoking and that vaping was probably the way to do it. I got myself an Innokin T18 and lots of liquid (18mg/12mg 50/50 liquids).
If you can’t be bothered to read the rest – here’s the short version!
- Quit smoking and was vaping for 5 days
- Day 6 broke out in hives
- Went to doctors. I thought I was allergic to vaping. Doc said unlikely. Prescribed industrial strength antihistamines!
- Hives went on for 10days
- Hives were due to quitting smoking not vaping
Here’s the detailed version of what happened.
I quit on a Monday and by the weekend I was feeling great. I hit the pub and had A LOT to drink. Unfortunately I did reach for the cigarettes and I had a couple that night along with a terrible Chinese take-away. The next day I was hanging. Head down a toilet, absolutely horrendous hangover!
I felt so rough I couldn’t even vape. In the afternoon about 4pm my feet started itching. I didn’t think much of it. 3am and I woke up to an outbreak of hives all over my chest, arms and stomach. It was quite alarming.
Sunday I was still taking antihistamines. Monday I knew I better go and see the doctors. My first thought was that I was having some crazy allergic reaction to the vaping. Anything that touched my skin seemed to bring me out in hives that would last about 10 minutes and then fade away. Then for no reason appear somewhere else. I was also getting them around my lips – they weren’t like a rash, more of a mild swelling that felt hot.
My doctor said that it was very unlikely I was allergic to vaping. She could see some reasons for this mystery outbreak of hives, I was allergic to something in the terrible Chinese I ate (but that was also unlikely given the time inbetween), I had a virus, I was suffering from an extreme hangover…..or it was simply that I had quit smoking. Being allergic to the eliquid wasn’t something she could entirely rule out altogether but out of all of the above it was the least likely in her eyes.
The hives continued quite badly for about a week. They weren’t bad enough to keep me off work, and antihistamines did provide relief but it was uncomfortable – more worrying than anything. The second week they started to reduce in severity until they eventually just stopped. In total I had them about 10 days.
Conclusion being in the end, it was stopping smoking that did it. My body was just doing its thing I guess. I’ve been vaping for 6 months now and the hives have never returned.
I thought it was important to share my experience in case you know of anyone else who suffers from something similar and immediately puts it down to vaping and goes back to cigarettes. Vaping did aggravate the hives, whenever I vaped, I’d get more hives – but this is purely because of the nicotine. It was like my body was hypersensitive to everything. Everytime you have nicotine your heart increases, blood flows, etc etc and that would provide a temporary increase in the hives. I’d also get them slightly worse eating/drinking anything very cold or hot, or for example, having a hot bath or wearing tight clothes. I did find reducing my mg in the eliquid helped and I was onto 12mg very quickly.
But the hives were definitely a reaction to quitting. Interestingly it’s listed as a side effect of stopping smoking on the NHS website.
So if you hear of anyone say – I’m allergic to vaping because I broke out in a rash/hives – maybe point them here. Like my doctor said it isn’t something you can totally rule out and of course you can be allergic to flavouring! But most people hit adulthood and know what they are and are not allergic too. It’s very rare (not impossible but rare) for an adult to suddenly become allergic to nuts or vanilla flavouring.
As my Doctor said if you were allergic to the ingredients in ecigs (flavouring, VG or PG) chances are you’d have known about it before now. Plus that type of allergic reaction would present itself quickly, i.e. from the moment I had my first vape – not several days after vaping with no issue.
That was her steer with me as the patient sat in front of her. I don’t want to make out like I have indepth medical experience, I’m only sharing what happened to me. I'm very glad though that my Doctor is a sensible lady who knew a little about ecigs. I can imagine some people might not have that from their GP.
If you or anyone around you is having an allergic reaction, you should seek medical attention quickly - if only to ensure you are given the right antihistamines, if it’s severe then immediately go to A&E!
But this might be comforting for someone who is having a mild outbreak similar to mine a few days after they quit smoking. More comforting, it does end and it is the effects of stopping the icky sticks - I like to think of it now as my body quickly cleansing itself
I just wanted to share something that happened to me when I made the switch from smoking to vaping.
I was a pack a day smoker for about 12 years. I used to smoke menthols. I decided I really wanted to quit smoking and that vaping was probably the way to do it. I got myself an Innokin T18 and lots of liquid (18mg/12mg 50/50 liquids).
If you can’t be bothered to read the rest – here’s the short version!
- Quit smoking and was vaping for 5 days
- Day 6 broke out in hives
- Went to doctors. I thought I was allergic to vaping. Doc said unlikely. Prescribed industrial strength antihistamines!
- Hives went on for 10days
- Hives were due to quitting smoking not vaping
Here’s the detailed version of what happened.
I quit on a Monday and by the weekend I was feeling great. I hit the pub and had A LOT to drink. Unfortunately I did reach for the cigarettes and I had a couple that night along with a terrible Chinese take-away. The next day I was hanging. Head down a toilet, absolutely horrendous hangover!
I felt so rough I couldn’t even vape. In the afternoon about 4pm my feet started itching. I didn’t think much of it. 3am and I woke up to an outbreak of hives all over my chest, arms and stomach. It was quite alarming.
Sunday I was still taking antihistamines. Monday I knew I better go and see the doctors. My first thought was that I was having some crazy allergic reaction to the vaping. Anything that touched my skin seemed to bring me out in hives that would last about 10 minutes and then fade away. Then for no reason appear somewhere else. I was also getting them around my lips – they weren’t like a rash, more of a mild swelling that felt hot.
My doctor said that it was very unlikely I was allergic to vaping. She could see some reasons for this mystery outbreak of hives, I was allergic to something in the terrible Chinese I ate (but that was also unlikely given the time inbetween), I had a virus, I was suffering from an extreme hangover…..or it was simply that I had quit smoking. Being allergic to the eliquid wasn’t something she could entirely rule out altogether but out of all of the above it was the least likely in her eyes.
The hives continued quite badly for about a week. They weren’t bad enough to keep me off work, and antihistamines did provide relief but it was uncomfortable – more worrying than anything. The second week they started to reduce in severity until they eventually just stopped. In total I had them about 10 days.
Conclusion being in the end, it was stopping smoking that did it. My body was just doing its thing I guess. I’ve been vaping for 6 months now and the hives have never returned.
I thought it was important to share my experience in case you know of anyone else who suffers from something similar and immediately puts it down to vaping and goes back to cigarettes. Vaping did aggravate the hives, whenever I vaped, I’d get more hives – but this is purely because of the nicotine. It was like my body was hypersensitive to everything. Everytime you have nicotine your heart increases, blood flows, etc etc and that would provide a temporary increase in the hives. I’d also get them slightly worse eating/drinking anything very cold or hot, or for example, having a hot bath or wearing tight clothes. I did find reducing my mg in the eliquid helped and I was onto 12mg very quickly.
But the hives were definitely a reaction to quitting. Interestingly it’s listed as a side effect of stopping smoking on the NHS website.
So if you hear of anyone say – I’m allergic to vaping because I broke out in a rash/hives – maybe point them here. Like my doctor said it isn’t something you can totally rule out and of course you can be allergic to flavouring! But most people hit adulthood and know what they are and are not allergic too. It’s very rare (not impossible but rare) for an adult to suddenly become allergic to nuts or vanilla flavouring.
As my Doctor said if you were allergic to the ingredients in ecigs (flavouring, VG or PG) chances are you’d have known about it before now. Plus that type of allergic reaction would present itself quickly, i.e. from the moment I had my first vape – not several days after vaping with no issue.
That was her steer with me as the patient sat in front of her. I don’t want to make out like I have indepth medical experience, I’m only sharing what happened to me. I'm very glad though that my Doctor is a sensible lady who knew a little about ecigs. I can imagine some people might not have that from their GP.
If you or anyone around you is having an allergic reaction, you should seek medical attention quickly - if only to ensure you are given the right antihistamines, if it’s severe then immediately go to A&E!
But this might be comforting for someone who is having a mild outbreak similar to mine a few days after they quit smoking. More comforting, it does end and it is the effects of stopping the icky sticks - I like to think of it now as my body quickly cleansing itself
(sorry)
