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Can Vaping Make You Sick?
Health Guides
Yes — vaping can make you feel unwell and there are several distinct reasons why it happens. Understanding which cause applies to you is the most direct route to fixing it. Here is a clear breakdown of the most common causes and what to do about each one.
Nicotine
Most Common Cause of Feeling Sick From Vaping
Too Much
Primary Issue for New Vapers Using 20mg Nic Salt
Fixable
All the Most Common Causes Have a Practical Solution
The short answer
Can Vaping Make You Sick?
Yes — for several distinct reasons
Vaping can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches and general unwellness
Vaping can absolutely make you feel sick and it does so through several different mechanisms depending on the device, the liquid and how you vape. The most common cause is taking in too much nicotine too quickly. Other causes include dehydration from PG, sensitivity to specific ingredients, a burnt or degraded coil and in some cases simply the physical experience of inhaling vapour if you are not yet accustomed to it. The good news is that all of these causes have a practical fix.
This is not medical advice. If you feel persistently unwell after vaping, or if symptoms are severe or include chest pain or breathing difficulty, please seek medical attention.
The causes
Six Reasons Vaping Might Be Making You Feel Unwell
Nicotine Overdose — the Most Common Cause
Taking in more nicotine than your body is accustomed to produces a recognisable cluster of symptoms: nausea, dizziness, headache, increased heart rate and in more pronounced cases vomiting and cold sweats. This is effectively mild nicotine toxicity and it is especially common in new vapers who are using 20mg nicotine salt devices. The rapid delivery of nicotine salts can put a lot of nicotine into the bloodstream quickly, particularly if the person is vaping at a frequency higher than a cigarette smoker would typically have smoked. If this is your situation, stepping down to 10mg or reducing how frequently you vape will resolve it.
PG Dehydration Causing Headaches and Nausea
Propylene glycol absorbs moisture and can cause systemic dehydration in vapers who do not compensate with increased water intake. Dehydration produces its own set of symptoms including headache, nausea, fatigue and dizziness — all of which can be mistakenly attributed to vaping when the root cause is simply not drinking enough water. If your symptoms improve significantly after drinking a large glass of water, dehydration is likely the culprit.
A Degraded or Burnt Coil
A coil that has reached the end of its life or has not been properly primed produces a burnt, harsh vapour that is genuinely unpleasant and can cause nausea and throat irritation. The taste is distinctive: a harsh, acrid, burning flavour that is unmistakable once you know what to look for. Replacing the coil and making sure it is properly primed before use will resolve this immediately. If you are new to vaping and have only ever used a coil that was not primed, you may not know what a properly functioning coil should taste like.
Sensitivity to a Specific Ingredient
A small number of vapers have sensitivities to specific ingredients in e-liquid, most commonly propylene glycol. PG sensitivity can cause throat irritation, nausea, a feeling of tightness in the chest and general unwellness. Switching to a high-VG or 100% VG liquid will determine quickly whether PG sensitivity is the issue. Some people also react to specific flavouring compounds, particularly in cinnamon or citrus profiles.
Inhaling Incorrectly and Swallowing Vapour
New vapers who accidentally swallow vapour during inhalation introduce nicotine and other compounds directly into the digestive system. The resulting nausea can be significant and comes on quickly after vaping. Working on a correct mouth-to-lung technique — pulling vapour to the mouth first before a deliberate inhale to the lungs — resolves this. It takes practice but usually only a few sessions to develop the habit.
Adjustment Period for New Switchers
Some people simply feel mildly unwell during the first few days of vaping as the body adjusts to a new intake route for nicotine and new compounds in the respiratory system. This adjustment nausea is generally mild, short-lived and resolves within a week without intervention. If it persists beyond two weeks or is severe, investigate the other causes above before assuming it is simply adjustment.
"When a customer comes in saying vaping makes them sick, nine times out of ten it is one of two things: the nicotine strength is too high or the coil needs replacing. Both are fixable in five minutes."
Touch of Vape team, CoventryWhat to do
Fixing Each Cause
01
Reduce nicotine strength
If you are using 20mg nic salt and feeling nauseous or dizzy, drop to 10mg. If you are already on lower strengths, try 3mg or nicotine-free for a session to see if symptoms resolve.
02
Drink more water
If headache and nausea improve quickly after hydrating, PG dehydration was the cause. Aim to drink a glass of water for every significant vaping session.
03
Replace your coil
If the taste is burnt or harsh, the coil is degraded. Replace it, prime it with a few drops of liquid and let it sit for five to ten minutes before vaping.
04
Try a high-VG liquid
If you suspect PG sensitivity, switch to a 70/30 or higher VG formulation. If symptoms resolve, you have your answer.
Touch of Vape Coventry
Come Into Our Coventry Store — We Will Diagnose the Problem
Our team has helped hundreds of customers work out why vaping was making them feel unwell. In most cases it takes a very short conversation to identify the cause.
To find us and see what we stock, visit our Vape Shop Coventry page.
From our Health guide
More From Our Health Guides
This article is part of our Health guide covering the most frequently asked practical health questions from our Coventry customers.
Part of our Health guide
Health Guides
Our Health guide answers the questions our customers bring to us most often about how vaping affects how they feel, written in plain language with honest assessments.
Find more practical health guides in our Health guide, covering topics from nicotine side effects to longer-term wellbeing questions.
More from our Health Guides
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Vaping Making You Feel Unwell? Talk to Us in Coventry.
We will help you identify what is causing it and fix it — usually in a single visit.