Veer Away from Vitamin Vapes

Despite previous warnings to avoid vaping in general, more and more vitamin and essential oil vape products are being promoted for health purposes. The FDA recently issued a warning against using these products, noting that they’re being sold illegally and that any health claims being made about them are unproven.

We first mentioned vitamin vapes a few years ago. VitaStik, Vitamin Vape, and VitaCig are among the companies that received FDA warning letters. VitaStik sells a “wellness diffuser” containing ginger, lemon oil, and vitamin C. Their packaging also has a “certified organic” stamp – clearly targeting the wellness market. Vitamin Vape promotes a B12 product that they claim is more effective than vitamin B12 supplement pills, and cheaper than getting a vitamin B12 shot. But there’s no evidence that vaping any vitamins or essential oils offers benefits, or that the process of heating these ingredients to create the vapor doesn’t ultimately destroy them.

But the lack of evidence of benefit isn’t the only concern. Despite marketing themselves as “healthy,” vape pens contain a long list of hazardous chemicals and propellants with known safety concerns. Some products have even been found to contain diethylene glycol, which is in antifreeze, and vitamin E acetate, a potential cause of EVALI. There’s no way to confirm that vaping products don’t contain contaminants that could cause permanent damage. Tell your patients to steer clear, and report any potential cases of EVALI to the CDC.