According to a recent NBC News article, despite widespread attempts to educate teens and parents alike, far too many kids are still in the dark about how much nicotine they’re inhaling when they vape. In fact, many don’t realize they’re inhaling nicotine at all.
The article, Vaping Teens Exposed to as Much Nicotine as Tobacco Smokers But Don’t Know It, brings to light the results of an alarming new study that confirms our worst fear – teens have no idea exactly what they’re vaping.
In the study, researchers collected urine samples from more than 500 adolescents and found that 40 percent of teens who thought they were using nicotine-free products had positive urine sample tests. “This is one of the first studies showing the amount of nicotine kids are getting from e-cigarettes,” said the study’s lead author Dr. Rachel Boykan, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. “They’re getting a lot — as much or more than they would with traditional cigarettes.”
With the percentage of kids vaping hitting an all-time high according to the Monitoring the Future Survey and the U.S. Surgeon General declaring e-cig use as an epidemic among youth, more parents are feeling helpless in their attempt to prevent their kids from diving into the hottest teen trend that’s sweeping the nation.
According to one mother Raising Teens Today spoke with, “I suspect my son is vaping, but I don’t have proof. He’s at school most of the day, at his job, sports, or hanging with friends the remainder of the day and he has plenty of free time to vape without me ever knowing. I’m frustrated he won’t listen to me and I’m even more frustrated he’s putting his health at risk. I feel helpless.”
Understanding and recognizing the signs that your child may be vaping is the first step in prevention. And, despite the sweet-smelling vapor that quickly dissipates, there are plenty of warning signs that parents can keep an eye out for.
Approximately one year ago, Raising Teens Today published an article, Is My Child Vaping? Here are 9 Signs to Watch For, which identified several signs of vaping which included:
- Unexplained Sweet Scent
- USB Drives and Pens that Don’t Look Normal
- Increased Thirst
- Skipping the Caffeine
- Nosebleeds
- Bloody Sores in the Mouth that Won’t Heal
- Unfamiliar Batteries and Chargers
- Finding Organic Cotton Balls and Metallic Wires, and Finding Discarded Atomizers or Juul Pods.
Since that article was published, more side effects have come to light that are often tell-tale signs of vaping. While most of the side effects listed in our previous article are specific to vaping in general, other more recent side effects that kids are experiencing are a direct result of the high nicotine content in vape products such as Juuls.
To assist parents in identifying whether their child is vaping nicotine vape products such as the JUUL, Raising Teens Today dove into the facts, contacted the Centers for Disease Control for information, and spoke with experts.
6 Signs Your Child May Be Vaping Nicotine Vape Products
Moodiness
According to SmokeFree.gov nicotine and mood are inextricably linked. “Most people who smoke nicotine products think that smoking is a way to calm your nerves and deal with feelings of anxiety. However, the truth is, nicotine can cause anxiety symptoms or make them worse.” Medical News Today also confirmed that nicotine withdrawal symptoms include moodiness, irritability, poor concentration, and even a depressed mood.
With one JUUL pod containing the equivalent amount of nicotine as 20 cigarettes, if you’ve noticed a marked change in your child’s behavior including increased moodiness, irritability, or signs of depression, it may be linked to nicotine vape products.
Irregular Periods
Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed with Raising Teens Today that vaping in and of itself may not be to blame for irregular periods or shifts in a woman’s menstrual cycle, smoking cigarettes (which has a high nicotine content similar to e-cig nicotine products such as Juuls) has been found to disrupt the normal menstrual cycle. According to the CDC, “Some studies suggest that cigarette smoking may alter menstrual function by increasing the risks for dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), secondary amenorrhea (lack of menses among women who ever had menstrual periods), and menstrual irregularity.” WebMD also confirmed that statement, “Women who smoke experience more severe premenstrual symptoms and have a 50 percent increase in cramps lasting two or more days.”
While there could be numerous reasons why a teenage girl is experiencing irregular, painful, or missed periods, the high nicotine content contained in vape products such as Juuls could be an underlying factor.
(According to the CDC, they have not conducted any specific studies to date that identify the connection between vaping and irregular periods or the impact of nicotine on teenage girls’ menstrual cycle.)
Increased Heart Rate / Restlessness
Although e-cigarettes have long been touted as the safer alternative for smokers and an effective way for people to quit smoking altogether, a new UCLA study shows that nicotine inhaled from e-cigs can greatly increase a person’s heart and aggravate the sympathetic nerve system. A study conducted by the Karolinska Institute, a medical university in Stockholm, found that vape products with nicotine can result in stiffening of the arteries as well as increased heart rate and blood pressure. The study found that 30 minutes after vaping, study participants experienced a significant increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and arterial stiffness.
Stay tuned into your child’s health. If he or she begins to notice or complain about an increase in heart rate, it may be a side effect of smoking nicotine vape products.
Shortness of Breath / Chest Pains
Nicotine has its fair share of dangerous side effects, however, kids are especially at risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Teenage smokers suffer from shortness of breath almost three times as often as teens who don’t smoke.” And, according to cardiologist, John D. Day, MD, director of heart rhythm specialists at Intermountain Heart Institute in Murray, Utah, “E-cigarettes have nicotine and nicotine has dangerous cardiovascular effects. This is because nicotine narrows the arteries in the heart and throughout the body, he says. Over time, this can cause serious harm to the cardiovascular system and lead to heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.”
Talk to your kids about the danger associated with nicotine vape products. According to the World Health Organization, teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine.
Acne / Skin Changes
While there’s no clear connection between vaping, in general, and acne, experts have noted a connection between nicotine and changes in the skin, including an increased risk for acne. Nicotine has also been found to age the skin and slow the healing process of wounds. And, since products such as JUUL contain high levels of nicotine, teens are at risk for changes in their skin.
Increased facial blemishes – such as acne or red spots – that last longer than usual or have difficulty healing could be caused by vaping nicotine products.
Pneumonia
While most kids brush off the use of vape products claiming they aren’t dangerous because what they’re inhaling is “simply a vapor,” emerging studies have confirmed that not only are vaping nicotine products particularly harmful for teens, the nicotine-free vape products are dangerous as well. In fact, unbeknownst to many teens and parents, vaping, whether it’s non-nicotine or nicotine vape products, can cause pneumonia. According to US News, there are nanoparticles present in e-cig vapor that can cause inflammation in the lungs. When the lungs get inflamed, it can lead to pockets of bacterial infection and cause pneumonia.
If you suspect your child has pneumonia, seek medical attention promptly. According to WebMD, symptoms of pneumonia include high fever (up to 105 F), chills that make you shake, low appetite, feeling tired or lethargic, coughing up mucus, and feeling as though you can’t catch your breath.
I’m Concerned My Child is Vaping Marijuana. How Can I Tell?
According to a recent study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, e-cigarette use may also lead to smoking (or vaping) marijuana. If you’re concerned your child may be vaping marijuana, read this article published by Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, “How to Know if Your Kid is Vaping Marijuana,” which outlines exactly how marijuana is vaped, how you can recognize the warning signs and what you can do if you suspect your child is vaping marijuana.
How Do I Help My Teen Quit Vaping?
You just found your child’s empty vape pods. Now what? According to a recent article in the New York Times, “How to Help Teenagers Quit Vaping,” First of all, don’t panic. Before you confront your child, educate yourself. Try to see the situation from your teen’s perspective. They know that on the scale of all things forbidden, lots of substances — prescription and street drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, to name a few — rank far higher than vaping. Remember too, a lot of teens are still under the impression that vaping isn’t harmful.
“The trick is not to try to scare them, because scare tactics don’t work at this point,” said Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, a Yale professor of psychiatry who focuses on adolescent behaviors and tobacco products. “Explaining how these products are making them addicted is the way to go. Involve them in a conversation. Try to get them to recognize the compulsive quality of their behavior. Show them what researchers know about nicotine addiction and the questions they are raising about the possible long-term harms of vaping. The goal is to encourage them to want to quit for their own good, not just to give you lip service and continue behind your back.”
Additional Resources for Parents
Ranked as one of the top highest concerns of parents today, the infatuation with vaping among teenagers shows no sign of slowing down. To better understand what vaping is, how vape products work, more information about how to recognize if your child is vaping, and what steps you can take to prevent your child from vaping, here are a few additional resources worth reading: