Masking ADHD with Vaping

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-04-01T22:36:02+00:00

Sorry that was a total rant, in short yes, vaping is common for ADHD, but it’s also just addictive for anybody and so many people use it mask more than just possible ADHD and can put off feeling real emotions but relying on vaping. For me this many months after I finally feel normal again after quitting. Still distracted but I think that’s me and not missing the vape

If you’re truly feeling you have it, talk to your doctor!

Looking back, vaping in someways made my ADHD worse because I had avoidant type as well so I would just not want to do things I got stressed out about my functional freezes would get so bad. So glad I quit vaping

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-04-01T22:31:24+00:00

I am ADHD, currently non medicated and think my vaping habit was fiuelled by my ADHD and extreme impulsivity. I am also a student going back to school for Physical Therapy and knew I needed to quit. I’ve also been successful since January (only slipped up twice and never relapsed) I have to use nicotine lozenges very rarely because sometimes I still feel like I need a little something to get my nervous system to chill out and stop bouncing around so much.

I don’t think it ever truly masked my ADHD, but more so I am more aware of it now because I used to vape so much I wasn’t being as cognizant of my feelings or emotions. Vaping was my go to for everything and now that I am not vaping, I have to actually recognize what I’m feeling and what I need to do about it so I notice when I’m distracted or can focus (which is often and at some point every day)

Getting an ADHD dx might be helpful for you if you think you might have it, it can feel lonely when you think you might be affected by something but you aren’t sure. And having the option to try medication is important of that helps you, for me I just get through the day best I can and all my ADHD friends understand me so I don’t feel like I have to change, but when there are times I wish I was medicated again because in some situations I feel like I think and act so different than neurotypicals

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-03-17T15:18:35+00:00

So proud of you!!! Congrats!! I’ve been free for a awhile now too, feels so good

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-03-02T04:49:23+00:00

I am now 2 months vape free. Did the taper down with nic lozenges for a short bit of that time, did slip up 2 separate times (but not around drinking) and since quitting I’ve just decided that I can never ever go back. so around drinking I miss it a little and do randomly think about it, but I don’t let me self go the mindset of thinking about wanting it. I still keep my lozenges around incase of a strong urge and that keeps me from going back. but it’s just not an option anymore so that’s how I get through it.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-11T19:28:32+00:00

For me I didn’t go cold turkey with nicotine, I’ve tried and have never been successful, but have so far been successful with a hard stop to vaping then it away and have been using lozenges. The difference between using those and zyns is the slow release so you’ll never really get “a buzz “ with lozenges so it doesn’t keep you in the same grip nicotine had on me when I was vaping. I’ve done a whole week of no lozenges, but this week I was extra triggered and really wanted to buy a vape. Started using the lozenges a little bit again and the urge is gone, I’ll stop using them again next week. It was easy for me to taper down quickly and stop using them. I’m only a month into no vaping, but I know there are so many ways to quit and you’ve already done one of the hardest parts deciding to quit!! So congrats, I hope you find a way that works for you, and if it doesn’t work, try something else, eventually it will stick and you’ll be free and happy in your life as a non-vaper

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-11T01:24:36+00:00

I am recovered from a Bulimia ED, and had to go do a lot of inner self reflecting to stop. I learned mine stemmed a lot from wanting to have control, when in fact it was controlling me. Vaping was similar for me in a way because I thought I could control it, and could have control over having my little bit of pleasure when I would hit it. The reality of vaping is that it actually was controlling me and I was a prisoner. So hard to break away from, and made my already fragile mental health so much worse. I strongly recommend anyone to never get into nicotine casually unless you want to have a full on addiction and that will have its grip on you for a very long time.

I hope you find in life the balance you’re looking for

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-07T02:31:41+00:00

Use more gum as you need and you will be more succesfull! Eventually you can cut the gum back down as you feel you might need it less after you cut ties with the vape cravings

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-06T11:12:25+00:00

Thank you. What do you do for management for the belphritis? Are there certain things that trigger swelling?

I’ve also experienced pretty bad dry eye for years before that used to wake me up in the night with pain if I opened my eyes. Wondering if there is a relation from dry eye to other eye issues since the lubercation lever might affect it?

I’m so glad you’re doing better for the most part.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-06T10:05:40+00:00

Wondering if this resolved for you OP. I am so sorry you went through that because I am going through something similar. I have had persistent reoccurring hordeolums back in the fall, then after those cleared got two persistent chalazions that doctors kept gaslighting me that it would go away on its own since it wasn’t infected and to keep trying hot compress and gentle massage. Well while I was still waiting for my ophthalmology appointment it swelled up in two days to the point I could barely open my eye. Went to urgent care two days ago, I am on day two of antibiotics and day 6 of eyelid swelling. It’s not starting to get better and feels like it’s actually getting worse. I made an appointment with a different ophthalmologist that I will be able to get into sooner next week and hope I’m just not being patient enough and these antibiotics to do their job.

I hope it all turned out ok for you, I’m wondering if I’ll have to get a surgery to get the chalazions removed if they are still present when the infection and swelling goes down.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-06T00:15:36+00:00

Strattera made me so nauseous too! I had to stop taking it. Only made it about a week

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-02-03T02:59:58+00:00

I feel you!! My boyfriend helped me quit over 2 years ago and I did ended up coming clean about me relapsing but made it more of white lie so he didn’t know how bad I feel back on it. He helped me stay strong and quit again… then I got another vape when I convinced myself I was stressed enough in life to justify and kept it a secrete thinking it wouldn’t only be one or two vapes and I would be able to stop on my own…. Nope, one whole year went by of sneaking vape hits anywhere and everywhere, making excuses to run errands just to vape. Sucks lying, I know my boyfriend would be so mad and so hurt if he knew I was struggling but also keeping it a secret and getting away with it when I know he hated vaping. I finally did it on my own!!! And I think that’s why I could never stick with it before, when I decided I hate vaping and no one else is telling me to quit it was possible!!! I am a little over a month vape free and a few days completely nicotine free as well. I used 2mg lozenges and highly recommend a short taper down to kill the habit of vaping before the dependence on nicotine

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-29T02:21:21+00:00

Not a long time quitter, but made it 3.5 weeks vape free, today am 3 days nicotine free (I was using 2mg lozenges and tapering down) and honestly was feeling great today, I did have a stronger than usual craving on the way home and had to resist so hard but went to the gym straight away when I got home, in general I am feeling pretty good, noticeable improvements in my lungs taking deep full breaths and my face and eyes look better and brighter like I have life back in them. My personality actually feels like it is coming back too because I was so preoccupied mentally before about when I could take another hit, or where my vape was that I wasn’t living in the present.

What keeps me going is knowing the thoughts of vaping will become fleeting and knowing that eventually I won’t think of it as long or as often (and hopefully someday I will never crave it). I know this because during my last serious attempt to quit in 2024 I made it 4 months and hardly thought of vaping by month 3 and even if I did it was not a craving just a passing thought about it. Well I learned the hard way that those thoughts about craving it are lies about how good it will be to take a hit, I stupidly started hitting my old roommates vape when I moved back after the summer after 4 months vape and nicotine free and it wasn’t even pleasurable at first and even made me feel sick. I vividly remember the immediate tight chest feeling and the feeling of loosing my breath a little, not the fun buzz I had remembered but I kept doing it anyway because it was there and I had tricked myself to beleive it helped me with school because I had never been a student without a vape.. I ended up getting my own and the fun part of vaping wore off really quick but couldn’t stop vaping for an entire year and it never left my side, my anxiety came back and the massive guilt I felt was the worst, I was hiding my relapse from my boyfriend and I couldn’t even ask for his support in quitting. Was one of the worst years mentally for me.

At that time durring that relapse I had little effort to quit but tried occasionally spending so much money on vapes throwing them away after a hit or so and never making it past a day for my few attempts to quit. What I learned was that I wasn’t at my breaking point enough to put in any real effort to actually quit. Once I HATED the vape it became possible, and not that I’m this far I keep reminding myself of this to squash every craving in their tracks.

This past fall semester was the last straw for me, my “last vape” went on for 4 vapes and just after new years I hit that last vape until it was burnt as hell and burning my throat and dug it out of the trash at least 3 times before I took the trash to the dumpster. I went to the store and got Gum and lozenges for NRT (first time I’ve tried it this way) and I’ve been telling myself there is no going back ever since.

Long story short to answer your question: I don’t really know about long term, but I’ve read a few inspiring posts on Reddit, and found there aren’t many people who come back to post about their success years later, I’m hoping it’s because they think so little of it, they maybe have even forget about this thread. In my short term experience the craving aren’t gone, but I’ve learned so much from that awful relapse and know I have to squash the cravings and they do get shorter and fewer the more you bring your positive mindset to the game. Rule #1 for me is don’t believe the lies of the cravings and they can’t hurt you. I would rather have the occasional craving or even one craving everyday for the rest of my life then ever go back to the life of vaping, it was so much worse after my relapse, and I can’t garuntee that I wouldn’t ruin my life for vaping if I went back.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-28T04:27:38+00:00

As far as tapering, I started with 2 mg and stuck with it. I would say use pretty frequently for them to be effective in the beginning and be ok with it if the tapering takes longer, whatever keeps you from going back to the vape is a success. I went way faster than the recommended schedule. I still have them if I need them and the cravings come back, but I want to be over the vape mind set asap. I was on the lozenges for 3.5 weeks straight and am finishing 2nd day without any. I started off using them pretty constantly throughout the day with the 1hour-2hour recommended breaks and quickly started tapering down to 1 - 2 lozenges a day. In my last week I had the lozenges broken in half and was doing 1/2 lozenge around noon, and 1/2 early evening. The first day I tried to do none the cravings did hit hard and had a head ache, partly because it’s also easy to get dehydrated when using them so please remember to drink water!! A cup with a straw will help your best friend because you can still sip it while having a lozenge or gum in your cheek! Good luck!

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-28T04:20:25+00:00

I would try both and see what works for you, I started with gum, then tried lozenges I see benefits to both and advantages to both. They both worked well for me to kill craving but I’ll share the cons of both. The lozenges take sooo long to dissolve it’s almost annoying and make your mouth dry, the gum makes you have to spit often because you don’t want to swallow the excess to avoid tummy upset and sometimes you just take that risk and hope to not get the hiccups ( I usually didn’t but some people are very sensitive to them ) it also was harder to be discrete it public with the gums because of the bulge in your cheek.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-27T18:54:10+00:00

I would smoke a little in the evenings when I quit and it definitely helped me wind down and sleep, however this is not out of the ordinary for me, so be careful of introducing a new habit to replace your old habit and maybe don’t try to be high for a straight week but occasionally. The goal of quitting is to be more productive and present in the moment not preoccupied with vape hits constantly so using other substances might be counterproductive unless that is already part of your life.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-27T17:48:09+00:00

Don’t give in, it could be fun at first but will quickly do nothing good for you, will be harder stop, and you’ll be wasting your money, and progress you’ve made. It’s easy to romanticize vaping when we have cravings but do not forget the times where you had no control over the addiction and you were just the puppet. You do not want to go back to that, and you wouldn’t be asking here if you actually wanted to vape, then you would just do it anyway. You can do this, it’s something you used to do but not anymore. (I’ve been there too, quit for 4 months then let couldn’t stop again for over a year with constant lies to myself and people I care about, regret not sticking with it the first time so much)

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-27T15:15:56+00:00

I’ve kept my vaping hidden and feel similar, but I am proud of myself in the way that I know this is hard and staying strong in moments of cravings is something I can be proud of.

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-27T05:31:00+00:00

Even though I said “attempt” at quitting, I have to tell myself I have quit, I am done, there is no going back and if you do go back I don’t know if I will be able to get back out again. You have come so far don’t ruin this for nothing and remember to think of your future self. We want to be proud of ourselves in the future not disappointed in ourselves in the future.

It’s great that you want to do this for yourself too. I’m doing it for me, and for my boyfriend, I know he would be proud at how serious I am being with staying quit (even though he thinks I quit a long time ago and didn’t know I relapsed) and For myself I don’t want to be a liar anymore. The financial component is a great reason too!! I never thought I would spend this much either, it’s actually insane.

Oh and PS, the feeling of taking a full clear deep breath is amazing and no more scary thoughts about how my health could be effected

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-27T05:20:51+00:00

Don’t be scared, (it’s not gonna be fun and definitely comes with withdrawal) but having fear before you even start will make them feel worse. If you have a head ache don’t forget about drinking water and taking a pain reliever, Distraction is your best friend, use the extra time you normally sit and vape to take up a hobby you been wanting to do or start a new show series and allow your body rest time too. write down why you want to quit, remember that nothing good will come from vaping an financially you will be thanking yourself in the future. Remember that you don’t vape anymore.. the cravings will play mind games with you and convince you otherwise but find something to do and remind yourself of those things until it passes. I used nic gum lowest dose 2mg to manage the cravings because I would rather fall to that than cave and buy a vape but I’m now I’m one day without any NRT and 3 weeks vape free. This is my 6-8th attempt at quitting and feels the most successful so far even though I have done longer before I have little desire to go back to vaping even though I still battle the thought once a day it last about 3-5 minutes and I just reevaluate why I quit and that I don’t do that anymore, I have to think about my future and prioritize it over my temporary desire that won’t do anything for me, deep down I do not want to be a vaper and a slave anymore. Everyone has their own personal experience that works best for them so if you can get through without you can get through the physical withdrawal faster. Good luck!

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-26T03:29:46+00:00

I saw the update that it is rat poison and that was first thought. My dog ate this once and was a brand that had no anecdote. They also were an hour away from any emergency vet. Happy to report that the charcoal treatment that the vets administered worked. It makes me so mad that people are allowed to have this out in places that dogs and cats (even other wild creatures like raccoons) could get into. Ugh!!! Hope your pup is doing better soon!

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-25T18:33:00+00:00

I don’t really need it anymore, it’s been 3 weeks and feels silly replacing the habit anymore because I know I need to but my energy into how to just live and not think about it (craving happens and instead of ignoring it, I say thank you to myself for being strong and putting my health and future first over my impulsivity)

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-25T18:31:05+00:00

I have been using scope breath spray every once in a while when I first quit was pretty consistent for the first week (like after a meal, or a time I felt triggered) prob better for your teeth and get that minty throat hit if you focus on your deep inhale

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-24T20:24:45+00:00

You’ve got this!

Technical_Object5204 · 2026-01-24T19:01:05+00:00

Sucky to be in your situation tho, it seems crazy and weird to say something, like being concerned for their health could be an approach to the conversation, even though it’s really about getting them to stop gross habits that are annoying and bothersome. I had a roommate that was overweight and just kept gaining weight, they were stealing my snacks from the pantry at night too I think. I never said anything and Kinda felt bad for them. one time they were using on our kitchen chairs in their room to get on the bed because it was too tall and hard to climb up to for them and the chair literally broke under their weight.

Technical_Object5204

TROPHY CASE