Vaping and Stomach Problems: Does Vaping Make You Bloated?

Many GPs attest to the efficacy of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) as they observe how motivated smokers under their care have found it easier to quit tobacco and use the tool as a smoking cessation product.

However, if you’ve gone through nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and want to start vaping, you may feel some side effects your first time using it as a part of a smoking cessation programme.

Some reports include stomach issues, bloating and nausea. In fact, some users report having diarrhoea during their first few days under the treatment.

In this post, let’s look at the negative effects you might experience making the switch from smoking to vaping, and how vaping can impact the body in various ways.

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Can Vaping Cause Gas and Bloating?

The culprit to blame for gas and bloating in your gut while vaping is dehydration. As you take in vapour, your body needs more water, so up your water intake to avoid dehydration and reduce any gassiness and bloating. 

Always make sure you’re drinking lots of water while you’re under a smoking cessation programme using NVPs.

And, if the area you’re using your NVP is lacking in humidity, transfer somewhere where there is enough moisture. Using your device in these areas can make your throat feel uncomfortable, cause gas, and even coughing.

Aside from dehydration, another cause of feeling bloated and sick when you use vaping products not from pharmacies is diarrhoea, which can lead to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

Can Vaping Cause Diarrhoea?

When you consume high volumes of nicotine, you might experience diarrhoea. Many regular smokers also experience the same symptoms due to the high nicotine content in every tobacco stick. 

High nicotine consumption by regular smokers has been shown to cause dysbiosis (or the imbalance) of ‘friendly’ gut bacteria in their digestive tract, which can also cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

If you’re using NVPs not sold in pharmacies, you can possibly have diarrhoea and IBD. And this is all too easy to develop if you’re vaping without the guidance of a GP.

Moreover, uncharacterised chemicals from NVPs sold outside pharmacies, alongside high dosages of nicotine, can damage the protective barrier that keeps acid from coming into contact with the lining that protects the stomach.

Again, when using NVPs from pharmacies to stop smoking, always keep on hydrating, as it is an important factor in preventing diarrhoea and keeping your stomach and gut in good shape at all times.

Can Vaping Cause Stomach Pain?

Nicotine vaping under the guidance of a GP should not introduce any stomach pain. If you do feel some minor stomach issues during your treatment, your GP may lower your nicotine dosage in line with your smoking cessation programme.

While there is no evidence that pharmacy vapes can cause any stomach pain, vaping products sold outside your local pharmacy may contain irritants that can damage your digestive tract over time, which can cause mild to severe stomach pain.

These illegal vaping products also contain nickel and lead along with other unidentified chemicals that can be dangerous to your stomach and overall health, so avoid them at all costs and only use vapes you can buy through a prescription.

It may also be helpful to have a full medical checkup before you use pharmacy-sold NVPs. Your GP may advise you to do so before they create a prescription on your behalf.

Can Vaping Cause Severe Stomach Problems?

It’s a well-known fact that smoking causes stomach problems, but does vaping introduce similar effects to your digestive tract?

To date, there are minimal to no reports of vape products causing stomach problems to former smokers looking to quit. However, a study has shown that nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from sources outside pharmacies can cause inflammation in your gut.

The bottom line is, vaping can potentially cause various stomach problems, unless you’re using NVPs from a pharmacy and are under a GP’s smoking cessation programme, which allows your health professional to monitor your progress and adjust your nicotine dosage accordingly.

Of course, GPs won’t discount the fact that you are allergic to various chemicals from high-quality NVPs, regardless of their purity. When you feel anything out of order in your gastrointestinal system, do not hesitate to ask them for help.

Why Do I Feel Sick After Vaping?

While vaping is safer than smoking, it still contains nicotine, which is relatively harmless in low dosages for smoking cessation but can cause uncomfortable (yet non-lethal) side effects in the body if consumed in large, unmonitored doses.

When consumed at very high volumes outside your GP’s prescription, nicotine can cause your blood pressure to rise, along with your heart rate.

It may also make you dizzy, anxious, or nauseous. Regular smokers can experience the same symptoms with continued tobacco consumption.

If you buy vapes outside a pharmacy, there’s a strong chance that you’re inhaling a product with uncharacterised chemicals potentially dangerous for your body.

It’s worthwhile to remember that there’s a world of difference in the manufacturing quality of both products.

Using NVPs alongside a GP’s prescription and guidance also ensures that all your side effects are monitored, and you have definite ways to relieve yourself of any discomfort throughout hte quitting process. 

How to Stop Stomach Pain from Vaping: Is There a Cure?

Indeed, vaping is the best cure for smoking, but only if it’s under a smoking cessation programme.

Accessing pharmacy vapes for smoking cessation and quitting smoking altogether ensures you won’t feel bloated using vaping for quitting smoking and keeping yourself safe from any side effects and harm with the help of a GP.

Here’s how you can go about it.

Go Through First-Line Solutions First

Some motivated smokers can handle cold turkey just fine and see success within a few tries, but oftentimes, smokers have strong withdrawals that can draw them back to lighting a stick.

That’s where NRT products come in. These are readily available and stocked at your local pharmacy.

NRT products are the most trusted quitting option available for motivated smokers. They might not imitate cigarettes, but they contain a small dose of nicotine that may be enough to alleviate your withdrawals. These come in the form of patches and gums for easy and convenient nicotine delivery.

While NRTs can be effective, they don’t work for everyone. If these haven’t done the trick for you, you may now be eligible for a nicotine prescription to use NVPs

Chat to a GP

As mentioned, NRT products have worked for many successful ex-smokers. But, you might have ingrained behaviours and triggers that only something that mimics a cigarette can successfully address, such as the hand-to-mouth motion, and needing something to use while having a drink with friends. 

That is where NVPs become very handy in helping you fight the urge to consume tobacco.

You need a nicotine prescription before you can purchase NVPs, so you’ll need to consult with a GP to help you on your smoking cessation journey. 

And, if your GP deems it necessary, they can write you a nicotine prescription for NVPs. 

You can chat to your usual GP more about this.

Visit Your Local Pharmacy

Once you have your nicotine prescription, you can pop down to your local pharmacy. Over 2,200 pharmacies across Australia hold these products in-store, but any pharmacy can order these in for you if they don’t currently stock them.

Both your pharmacist and GP can advise you on how best to use the product, such as the initial setup, and the number of puffs to take when you feel withdrawals.

Summary

Vaping is a great tool to help motivated smokers to stop smoking. 

However, if you’ve bought your NVP outside of pharmacies, it may explain why you’re feeling bloated or gassy. Again, buying vapes outside a pharmacy exposes you to unidentified chemicals and large nicotine dosages that aren’t suited to your smoking cessation programme.

Furthermore, you won’t have a GP and pharmacist guiding you through the proper way to use pharmacy-sold NVPs to quit cigarettes.

Your GP and pharmacist have received training that enables them to help you use NVPs to stop smoking for good and not as a substitute for cigarettes.

Therefore, the best way to use vaping for trying to quit smoking with minimal issues is to go through a quit-smoking programme designed by a health professional.

That’s where we come in.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference:

• https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/nutrition/how-to-beat-the-bloat#:~:text=Your%20body%20needs%20water%20%E2%80%93%20a,eight%2Dounce%20glasses%20a%20day.
• https://keynutrients.com/blogs/learn/does-vaping-cause-dehydration-the-science-and-solutions#:~:text=Some%20common%20indicators%20of%20vaping,that%20it%20needs%20more%20fluids.
• https://ibsguthealthclinic.co.uk/does-vaping-smoking-cause-ibs/
• https://www.beaconschool.co.uk/2023/05/25/vapes-found-with-double-amount-of-lead-and-nickel/#:~:text=In%202023%20vapes%20have%20been,in%20multiple%20e%2Dcigarettes%20brands.
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7841355/