About 1 month ago I was suffering from several cases of severe diarrhea with each case of it lasting for about 5-6 days. At first, I put it down to food poisoning but after consecutive incidents, I realized that it might have been something else causing this.
From my own experience with food poisoning, the symptoms only last for about 3 days, where after that, things go back to normal. Stomach viruses were another suspicion of mine. Tummy flus can last for up to 7 days but once you get over it, it is highly unlikely that you get sick again from the same type of flu strain.
This lead me to think that there was something going on with the e-liquids…
E-liquid Sensitivity
From reading up on the various e-cig forums on the web, it was quite apparent that although e-cigarettes are a much healthier alternative to smoking, there is a small percentage of the community who are sensitive to the ingredients of e-liquids, and nicotine is not one of those ingredients.
Initially, when I was doing my research, I was asking around the forums but only a few people responded to my queries, and what’s more, their symptoms were completely different from mine.
My first suspect was nicotine, as I was vaping quite heavily at the time, and I thought that I might have had a nicotine overdose. However I later realized that it wasn’t the case.
I’ve overdosed on nicotine patches before (those NRT’s kick in really hard and fast), and the first thing I noticed was dizziness, headaches and nausea, but not stomachaches or diarrhea. I eventually dismissed the fact that nicotine in the e-juice caused the chronic diarrhea symptoms.
During the course of the allergy symptoms, I was vaping a fair bit on my favorite flavor from TastyVapor (U.S.A. e-liquid manufacturer), the “Cafe Macchiato”. I vaped this through the Liquinator and my Provari e-cig mod. I had been vaping this flavor for months and had several cases of slightly loose stool but not severe diarrhea. It wasn’t until I spoke to a few fellow vapers over at the GPTV network did I realize that the TastyVapor doublers were the culprit.
Some of the folks also ordered some doublers from TastyVapor and had them sweetened – there’s an option to add extra sweeteners to the doublers at checkout. All of us had the same symptoms, so it was pretty much confirmed.
The cause was narrowed down to having too much artificial sweetener.
This caused the massive stomach cramps and hours spent sitting on the can. They are the same sweeteners I believe, that are used in artificial food flavorings, for example, chewing gum. My stomach was just over sensitive to high doses of sweeteners.
The Symptoms of Allergy
The symptoms I had started with uneasiness of the tummy, followed by rumbling (it gets pretty darn loud too). The next stage is severe gut-wrenching cramps followed by chronic diarrhea.
What I had was pretty bad and at the time, I was beginning to think that I was really sick or something. I didn’t think it was the flavoring that was causing this so I kept on vaping and started getting cold sweat followed by a mild fever.
I have always been a big fan of sweet e-juice flavors but I tested my theory out by switching over to a tobacco-only juice, that wasn’t sweetened. After a day, the symptoms subsided dramatically and after 2 days, they were completely gone and I was back to normal.
Some people are allergic to the addition of VG to their e juices but I don’t think I am, because I have vaped 50/50 PG to VG ratios before and never had any issues.
Conclusion: Preventing further allergy problems
I don’t know what TastyVapor put into their extra sweeteners but I know now to stay well away from juices that are too sweet. I’ve recently switched over to a strawberry cheesecake flavor by Juice Whore (an Australian vendor) and although the flavor is sweet, it isn’t overly so and I’ve had no problems since.
I hope this post has been helpful because I know for sure that some of you are going to come across this problem, and I don’t want to see any of you go through the hell that I went through, before discovering the cause of these allergies.
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- Mech
Disclaimer
It is important to note that the post written on this page is not to be taken as medical advice, and that I am purely writing about my own experiences with e-cigarettes and e-liquids. Always consultant your medical professional and have your symptoms checked out if they persist.
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hello Mech
I ordered from tasty vapors I got a 1 oz bottle of Geoff’s blend sweetened. I have been vaping it since friday when I got it.Saturday night started getting stomach cramps and this morning early I started getting cold sweats. I have stopped vaping it and feeling better now not a 100% but much better.Wanted to know if you have ordered any unsweetened juice off them and have had any of the same problems with it. I like their flavor but not the effects I have gotten off it.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for writing in. Yeah I feel you man. I’ve had quite a few friends who complained about the same thing, stomach cramps and diarrhea. I suffered for 2 weeks due to the laxative effect of the artificial sweeteners. The guys at TastyVapors just use too much of it.
Are you using doubles or are you buying pre-mixed nicotine juice?
I using pre mixed nicotine juice from them.
Switch to a different brand of e-juice man. Stick to flavors that are not sweet, like menthol, peppermint, or tobacco. You and I are too sensitive to artificial sweeteners.
I have been vaping for about a year and a half and just until recently thought I was the only one suffering from these symptoms. I get my e juice from a different company and I always buy menthol. So if its not sweetner what do you suppose it is? I get very severe bloating and uncomfortable gas and my stool sometimes comes out in clumps. I swear I don’t wanna go back to smoking but it seems less of a hassle Smh.
@Steve For me, it’s usually the sweetener’s that give me cramping, and it’s also the same for other vapers who get stomach upsets. I almost got put off using e-cigarettes myself at one point and had the same same symptoms as you do, until I switched over to e-juices that are less sweet. Not everyone suffers from this reaction though, only a small minority. By the way, I’m also lactose intolerant – so my gut is super-sensitive.
You should try something other than menthol for a change and see what happens. Try a different brand and perhaps some fruit flavors instead (if you don’t like pure tobacco flavors). I mix my own juices and my current favorite is a mix of strawberry cheesecake and pipe tobacco (50/50 mix so it isn’t too sweet). It’s been working really well for me for around 5 months now and I love it. Hope this helps.
Same problem (s) here. Cramps begin at upper GI area just below the stomach. Its more of a dull pain than a sharp pain. Can turn into a very sharp pain at times though, and nausea after all day vaping.
Tried 14 different flavors, strengths, mixes from 4 different vendors. Tried different atty’s, carto’s, fillers, dripping, tail piping, 0 nic to 36mg nic.,sweet, non sweet, tobacco, candy, fruit, non flavored, vg, no vg, pg, no pg, etc. Ruled out everything really.
I quit vaping about 7 months ago due to the well, how crappy I felt in general.
I’ve picked up again this week because I really want to quit analogues. Waiting on some new gear and e liquid that will hopefully work this time. Right now I can only vape in short spurts during the day.
I went from a pack a day to approx. 2 packs a month in no time after starting vaping.
Its very frustrating since I enjoy the variety and health benefits I think vaping can bring. Frustrating.
Hey Keith,
Sorry to hear about your problem. Unfortunately, as for all of us, it’s going to be atrial and error thing. I almost gave up vaping myself at one point, because of the tummy upsets. Which flavor and brand of e-liquids gave you problems – please share your experiences here.
You know, I was in the lift of my apartment yesterday, and in there with me was this guy, about my age 30+. He reeked of cigarette smoke. As he was standing there, I could hear him breathing so loud, like his lungs were about to collapse on him.
Before I quit smoking, I used to notice myself breathing really heavily like that. It has stopped since I quit smoking.
So my message to u is, don’t give up on e-cigs so quickly. Tobacco is going to screw you over a lot worse in the long run, and you know it.
I found some good flavors that no longer upset my tummy, and I’m sure you WILL find your sweet spot too.
- mech