I have been trying to help my daughter withdraw from vaping but it is proving such a vicious cycle.
She wants to quit but has anxiety and gets health anxiety when she doesn’t use the vape within a certain period – the physical withdrawal signs come thru very quickly for her – rapid heart beat, pain inside etc. which freaks her out and then she vapes…
It’s a hopeless cycle of withdrawals with horrible physical symptoms and then the emotional frustration of using vaping to manage the symptoms and feeling so frustrated with herself.
We tried 5-HTP which did not help. I make sure she gets a great protein, veg, good fat and some carbs for breakfast and she takes home made food to work but she works in hospitality and has really late night / early morning finishes and I feel like we are dealing with a lot more than the addiction here. I’d love to try and find a way to get her use down and hopefully kicked to the kerb.
If we could put her into a deep deep sleep for a few days till the toxin is washed out of her system and have a way to deal with the emotional aspect of withdrawal I think myself and so many other parents in Australia would be grateful.
Vaping is a huge problem in our young people – it’s all thru the schools too. It doesn’t smell, tastes like lollies and parents can’t detect it easily.
Louise is a mom in the community who posted this question on one of the blogs. I feel for her and her daughter and hear her concerns – vaping is a huge problem. However, there is a solution that doesn’t involve putting her daughter into a deep deep sleep – addressing neurotransmitter imbalances as a root cause.
Read on below for information on vaping and the very harmful effects (on the lungs and even bones); how to figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial (including my insights for Louise’s daughter); why the amino acids are so powerful when it comes to vaping and other addictions; dietary aspects are foundational and important too, as are really late nights; and additional amino acid resources.
What is vaping and why is it so harmful?
This 2023 Harvard Health Publishing article, Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and don’t) know, provides an overview of vaping if you’re not exactly sure what is involved:
Vaping involves heating a liquid and inhaling the aerosol into the lungs. With vaping, a device such as an e-cigarette is used that heats up a liquid (called vape juice or e-liquid) until it turns into a vapor that is inhaled. These devices are commonly called vapes, mods, e-hookahs, sub-ohms, tank systems, and vape pens. They may all look a bit different, but work in similar ways.
These devices heat up various flavorings, nicotine, marijuana, or other potentially harmful substances.
The authors list the potentially harmful substances found in vapes:
- nicotine
- ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
- flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease
- volatile organic compounds
- cancer-causing chemicals
- heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead.
And they explain some of the serious lung problems that occur in those who vape: EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury) and “popcorn lung” or bronchiolitis obliterans (BO).
One adverse effect that I seldom see mentioned is the potential harms to bone health, including “accelerating bone associated disease progression, impacting skeletal development in younger users and to advise patients following orthopaedic surgery, dental surgery, or injury to maximise bone healing.”
Unfortunately it’s the flavors in nicotine and cannabis vape products – candy/dessert, fruit, and fruit-ice combination vs tobacco flavor – that increased adolescents’ willingness to try them. “Comprehensive bans on flavored vapes would likely reduce adolescent use.”
There is growing awareness of these issues and fortunately rates of vaping are declining, however we do have to address why teens and young adults are seeking something calming or soothing such as vaping (or smoking or drinking) i.e. neurotransmitter imbalances.
How to figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial?
This is how I would suggest this mom works with her daughter to help them figure out which emotions are driving the need to use vaping to self-medicate and which amino acids to trial:
| How do you feel before vaping? | How do you feel after vaping? | Likely brain chemistry imbalance | Amino acid/s to supplement |
| Anxious or stressed (physical anxiety) | Calm or relaxed | Low GABA | GABA, pharmaGABA or theanine |
| Low mood, worried, fearful? (mental anxiety) | Happy or content | Low serotonin | Tryptophan or 5-HTP |
| Tired, unfocused, low motivation | Energetic, alert, or focused | Low catecholamines, low dopamine | Tyrosine |
| Desire for a reward or treat, sad (weepy), emotional | Rewarded or comforted | Low endorphins | DPA (d-phenylalanine) or DLPA |
| Irritable and shaky | Grounded or stable | Low blood sugar | Glutamine |
We use this in conjunction with the symptoms questionnaire for each neurotransmitter and trial the respective amino acids one at a time.
I often see low GABA to be a driving reason for vaping, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol – they are all ways of self-medicating in order to calm down and reduce stress. And research supports this connection with “disturbances to GABA dynamics” “found to play a key role in … substance dependence and addiction.”
Louise mentions her daughter notices “physical withdrawal signs” of “rapid heart beat, pain inside” when trying to quit so it’s very possible there is a low GABA aspect to her addiction. I would consider a trial of GABA to start if she also has other low GABA symptoms.
She also shares that her daughter has “health anxiety” and freaks out when she starts to get withdrawal symptoms. If she resonates with being fearful and worried then it’s possible there is also a low serotonin aspect for her. Louise mentions that 5-HTP didn’t help but not how much they trialed or if they increased to try and find the ideal amount. If her daughter has other low serotonin symptoms I’d revisit this and also consider a trial of tryptophan as some individuals do better on one vs the other. I’d also use both as powder on the tongue in case that makes a difference.
And when I hear “hopeless” and “emotional” I would also be considering low endorphins and a trial of DPA (d-phenylalanine).
Why the amino acids are so powerful when it comes to vaping and other addictions
The amino acids play many roles in addressing a vaping addiction:
- They address the root cause of the addiction i.e. the neurotransmitter imbalance/s
- They help you to quit vaping with no willpower and without feeling deprived
- They help to mitigate many of the adverse effects (like worse sleep issues and feeling more anxious)
- They address the emotional aspect so mood and anxiety is improved
- They prevent the need to find a replacement like sugar, coffee, Diet soda and alcohol and cigarettes (intake of any of these may increase when vaping is stopped, unless the neurotransmitter imbalances are addressed)
Many individuals with addiction issues have imbalances in all areas. We use a similar approach for vaping as we use for addictions to alcohol, cigarettes and sugar/carb/junk food i.e. we tackle one imbalance at a time so we know which amino acid is helping and how much is needed.
Dietary aspects are foundational and important too, as are really late nights and detox
I love that mom makes sure her daughter is well-nourished with real whole food – it’s foundational, as I explain in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution.”
Louise mentions she gets a good breakfast. I’d be making sure she has good quality animal protein at breakfast in order to help with blood sugar stability as this helps with addictions too. And I’d want to make sure she takes healthy protein snacks to work too – like a boiled egg, beef jerky/biltong, a grass-fed beef stick etc.
With really late night / early morning finishes we always consider adrenal issues and address that as needed, after doing salivary testing.
And once Louise’s daughter has quit I would be focusing on detoxification of the toxins using sauna, red light, dry skin brushing and other detox approaches. And making a concerted effort to focus on improving antioxidants and other nutritional deficiencies, and assessing and working to improve her bone health.
Additional resources when you are new to using GABA, tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements
As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.
If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.
There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.
The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.
If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.
If you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.
If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.
Wrapping up and your feedback
I appreciate Louise for asking this question so I could share on this blog and enlighten her and other parents whose teen and young adult children are struggling with vaping.
Does your teen or young adult child struggle with quitting vaping? And have the amino acids helped – if yes, which ones?
Have you personally had a similar issue?
And are you aware how harmful vaping is – for the lungs and even the bones?
Feel free to share and ask your questions below.
