Does vaping cause anxiety? The nicotine loop, and how to break it

For a lot of people, vaping feels like a way to cope with stress. You feel tense, you take a hit, and for a moment you feel calmer.

But many people who vape also notice they feel more anxious overall: on edge between hits, irritable when they can’t vape, and jittery after a lot of it. Here’s what’s going on, and how to get out of the loop.

Does vaping cause anxiety?

Vaping can certainly make anxiety worse, and for some people it may help start it. Research on vaping is still fairly new, and many studies can only show that vaping and anxiety tend to go together, not which one causes the other. People with anxiety may be more likely to vape, and vaping may make anxiety worse. Both are probably true.

What we do know clearly is how nicotine affects your body and mood.

How nicotine affects anxiety

It’s a stimulant

Nicotine raises your heart rate and blood pressure and releases adrenaline. A fast heartbeat, shaky hands and a wired feeling can easily be mistaken for anxiety, or tip into a panic attack in someone who’s prone to them.

Withdrawal feels like anxiety

Nicotine wears off quickly. As it does, your brain starts to crave more, and you may feel:

• irritable, restless or jittery
• anxious
• low or down
• foggy, or unable to concentrate
• tired, but struggling to sleep

These withdrawal symptoms can kick in between vapes, overnight and during long stretches when you can’t vape, like at school, work or on a flight.

Why vaping feels calming

When you vape, nicotine quickly relieves those withdrawal feelings. It feels like it’s calming your anxiety, but much of what it’s calming is the withdrawal it caused in the first place. That relief teaches your brain to reach for the vape whenever you feel stressed, and the loop tightens.

Vapes can deliver a lot of nicotine

Many vapes, especially disposables and those with nicotine salts, contain high amounts of nicotine and are easy to use constantly. It’s easy to take in more than you realise, and to become dependent faster.

What happens to anxiety when people quit?

Most of the research so far is on smoking rather than vaping, but nicotine is the common thread. A review of 26 studies found that people who stopped smoking had lower anxiety, depression and stress afterwards than people who kept smoking. The improvement was as big for people with mental health conditions as for everyone else, and the authors noted it was at least as large as the effect of antidepressants. These studies show a strong link rather than proof, but the pattern is consistent.

In other words: quitting tends to make you feel calmer in the long run, not more anxious. The first couple of weeks are the hardest.

What about THC vapes?

Vapes containing THC, the part of cannabis that makes you high, can trigger anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks, especially at high strengths. THC vapes and concentrates are often much stronger than traditional cannabis. Some people also feel strangely detached or unreal afterwards. Our post on what derealization feels like explains why.

If you vape to quit smoking

If you switched from cigarettes to vaping, that was a good move for your health. The NHS describes vaping as a small fraction of the risk of smoking. Don’t go back to cigarettes. Once you feel steady, you can work on cutting down your vaping too.

How to quit with less anxiety

1. Expect withdrawal, and know it passes. Irritability, anxiety and cravings are usually strongest in the first days and fade over a few weeks if you stay off nicotine.
2. Pick a quit date, and tell someone who’ll support you.
3. Know your triggers. Stress, boredom, certain friends, after meals, in the car. Plan what you’ll do instead in each situation.
4. Ride out cravings. A craving usually peaks within minutes and passes. Breathe out slowly, drink some water, move, or do something with your hands until it fades.
5. Get rid of vapes and pods so they aren’t within easy reach.
6. Use support. People who use text programs and quitlines are more likely to succeed than people who go it alone.
7. Ask about medicines. Adults who are dependent on nicotine may benefit from nicotine patches, gum or lozenges, or prescription medicines. If you’re under 18, talk to a doctor first.
8. If you slip, don’t quit quitting. Most people try a few times before it sticks. Every attempt teaches you something.

Free help

• Quitline: call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free coaching in your state.
• Young people (13 to 24): text DITCHVAPE to 88709 for Truth Initiative’s free text program. A study found teens using it were 35% more likely to have quit seven months later.
• Teens: teen.smokefree.gov has tips, tools and a free text program.
• Your doctor or pharmacist can talk you through nicotine replacement and other options.

When to get help

Call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you have:

• chest pain, severe trouble breathing, or coughing up blood
• a seizure, or fainting

If someone, especially a child, has swallowed vape liquid, call Poison Control on 1-800-222-1222 straight away, or 911 if they’re unwell. Nicotine liquid can be poisonous.

See a doctor if anxiety stays high after the first few weeks of quitting, if you’re having panic attacks, or if you feel low or hopeless. If you’re having thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988.

Frequently asked questions

Can vaping cause panic attacks?

It can contribute. Nicotine raises your heart rate and releases adrenaline, which can set off panic in people who are prone to it, and nicotine withdrawal can bring on anxiety too. THC vapes are especially linked to panic attacks.

Do nicotine-free vapes cause anxiety?

Without nicotine, there’s no stimulant effect or withdrawal, so they’re much less likely to affect anxiety. But the habit of reaching for a vape when you’re stressed can still keep you from finding other ways to cope.

How long does anxiety last after quitting vaping?

Withdrawal anxiety is usually worst in the first few days and fades over a few weeks. If anxiety lasts longer than that, or was there before you started vaping, talk to a doctor, because it may need its own treatment.

Will quitting vaping make my anxiety worse?

At first, it might, for a few days to a few weeks. After that, studies of people who quit nicotine suggest anxiety usually ends up lower than before.

How Breatheasy can help

Breatheasy can help you handle the anxiety and cravings that come with quitting. When a craving or a wave of anxiety hits, tap “I’m feeling anxious” and Luma walks you through it: rate how strong it feels, breathe slowly as your phone pulses gently, then see how far it came down. Ten-second check-ins help you spot your triggers, and you’ll see your anxiety settle over the weeks. Breatheasy is coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Sources

• Change in mental health after smoking cessation: systematic review and meta-analysis, Taylor and others, BMJ, 2014
• Vaping addiction and nicotine withdrawal, Smokefree Teen, National Cancer Institute
• Anxiety, stress and vaping, Smokefree Teen, National Cancer Institute
• Quitting e-cigarettes, Truth Initiative
• Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking, NHS