tension headsche after vaporizing

Hi guys, i have been a smoker for the past 25 years and i decided to try the vaporizers as i want to give up the smoke but not cannabis the only problem i have when vaporizing is a tension headache on top of my head or behind my eyes, it doesn't stay too long but comes and goe and also i will have it the day after as soon as i wake up. I never had this feeling when smoking. At the moment i own a Mighty, i had the da buddha vap and the cloudv phantom, the temp I'm using is 365f and i put max 0.15 per session, tried different type of cannabis but still the same effect, has anybody had the same experience? How can i avoid this tension headache? Looking forward to hear from you vapers

First thing that comes to mind for me is hydration. Are you consuming water and electrolytes throughout the day without dehydrating yourself with caffeine and/or alcohol?

After you vaporize are you sitting or standing? Do you notice a difference in the intensity of the headache changes whether you are sitting or standing? How long does the headache last? THC will increase blood pressure for about an hour after consumption, blood pressure is also heightened sitting/laying down vs. standing.

From here I would research any other medications you might be taking.

Is the cannabis you are consuming from a grower you know? Perhaps the strains are different, but if it is all from the same garden, the chemicals used on the plants could be the same and residuals are affecting you. Perhaps trying some cannabis from a different source that is preferably tested for chemical residue.

Maybe consider boosting your ECS with Omega 3, 6, & 9 supplement via something like Fish Oil.

Lastly, consider halfing your does to see if a microdose is more beneficial or not.

Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for your reply, i do drink lots of water during the day (around 2 litres) don't drink alcohol and just one espresso in the morning.
I don't take any medication ( except cannabis ), the headache comes and goes, it's not there all the time but i also noticed i have it when i wake up in the morning .
I get my cannabis from an organic grower and from the street but the headache doesn't change. The thing i noticed if i smoke a spliff the headache settles and goes away... I'm going to try microdosing today (0.05)and see how it goes

Welcome to FC! @aroni74

I use mmj to mitigate headaches. There are several strains that will eliminate
a headache immediately.

I use mmj to prevent chronic headaches. That said when I do get one mmj does not do much to help it go away. On the other hand mmj doesn't make the developing headache any worse either.

I have not had much luck with high CBD strains in the prevention or relief of symptoms department.

It seems that high THC indicas work best in the prevention department. Using mmj to try to prevent my chronic headaches is still a work in progress but I have been at it long enough by now to say that it definitely has reduced by a significant margin the number and intensity.

Never get a headache from mmj unless I already had it and tried to abort it with mmj (which doesn't work for me)

Thanks for the replies guys, i usually don't suffer of headaches and i never had one after smoking a joint, the only time i get it it's after vaporizing. I started microdosing (0.05 or less) and it looks like it's a little bit less, unfortunately i live in a country (UK) where weed is still illegal so i don't have access to proper dispensary, only few guys who sell street weed.
I wish i could find the sweet spot with the vapor so i can stop having joints , i feel it's like a mental block to smoke specially after dinner also as i have been smoking it with tobacco it could be a reason for my smoking addiction

It takes some time to align new habits to vaping. I had some strange symptoms when starting to vape, but they went away and I believe it had more to do with quitting smoking than starting vaping. The body takes some time to adjust. Best of luck.

aroni74 said:

Thanks for the replies guys, i usually don't suffer of headaches and i never had one after smoking a joint, the only time i get it it's after vaporizing. I started microdosing (0.05 or less) and it looks like it's a little bit less, unfortunately i live in a country (UK) where weed is still illegal so i don't have access to proper dispensary, only few guys who sell street weed.
I wish i could find the sweet spot with the vapor so i can stop having joints , i feel it's like a mental block to smoke specially after dinner also as i have been smoking it with tobacco it could be a reason for my smoking addiction

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Ya if you're still weaning off smoking, you're definitely going to get headaches from your body adjusting, especially with tobacco in the mix.

Also one thing I've noticed is an effect of cannabis for me is I used to think it made me feel uncomfortable if I vaped too much, but what I've come to realize for me is it only reveals to me underlying problems that were already there and it's helped me to be much healthier by just adjusting the roots of the problems. Some of them could be as simple as for me I get headaches in the afternoon if I don't turn the lights off in my apartment and find a more natural source. I would suggest seeing if there's a pattern of when you get the headaches other than when you consume cannabis as it may just be showing you what is already there. And as you said before you're quitting tobacco and smoking as a whole which have both psychological and physical withdrawals and the vaping could just be bringing those withdrawals to your attention if that makes sense haha.

Also to the micro dosing! I've definitely found it is the best way to indulge in cannabis

I'm finding at the end of the day and even before, I do get a headache more than
likely from to much vaping. It's quite noticeable for me now.
I don't like pills, but I take an Aleeve on occasions.
Could be because of the CBD also. I vape a lot, I should slow down.
All my vape bowls are high in CBD. And that's a good thing!

I just found out it wasn't a tension headache but more like an ice pick headache, tried the microdosing route but i still get them from time to time, could it be hight thc concentration that you get from vaping? Unfortunately I'm still doing joints mix with tiny amount of tobacco and have to say the ice pick headache goes away when i do them, shall i vaporize cannabis with added tobacco?

Personally I've never had a headache from too much THC; even when consuming edibles/dabs in the same session. Light headed or tired yes, but not the symptoms you're describing. I have given myself tension headaches from coughing though! I found I was turning my head to the side subconsciously to avoid coughing on my PC screen and this was causing me to pinch a nerve in my neck giving me very bad headaches. Sleeping always made this worse if I slept on that part of my neck funny. Do you find yourself coughing a lot more when vaping? Also lack of water as cannibis.pro suggests can really sneak up on you.


I would try smoking weed without tobacco to test whether it's the smoking or the tobacco that's helping your headache before adding tobacco to your vape. Firstly because if you're interested in breaking the nicotine habit it'll be easier if you don't have that taste associated with your vape. And Second because, I assume, your body is used to tobacco from smoking so that would be the easier variable to test. Vaping tobacco will have different effects and that might make it harder to tell what the issue is; especially if for some reason tobacco gives you a headache from vaping (it does to me, but I'm not a smoker).

aroni74 said:

Unfortunately I'm still doing joints mix with tiny amount of tobacco and have to say the ice pick headache goes away when i do them, shall i vaporize cannabis with added tobacco?

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Prolusio said:

I would try smoking weed without tobacco to test whether it's the smoking or the tobacco that's helping your headache before adding tobacco to your vape.

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Why would you add tobacco to weed? I agree with @Prolusio it may be the tobacco causing the problem.

Squiby said:

Why would you add tobacco to weed? I agree with @Prolusio it may be the tobacco causing the problem.

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Hi, as i get this ice pick headache doing only weed when vaporizing it i thought maybe if i mix it with tobacco like a do with the joints i wouldn't feel the funny headache

Perhaps the microdose approach may be the way to go. Try abstaining from both weed and tobacco for a few days or a week, then try vaping a tiny amount of weed, .010 gm. Just a tiny amount.

Thanks for the advices guys, i was thinking to use hemp as tobacco substitute when i smoke joints and from there give up tobacco completely and then give up joints

aroni74 said:

Thanks for the advices guys, i was thinking to use hemp as tobacco substitute when i smoke joints and from there give up tobacco completely and then give up joints

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That may be a great plan! The headaches may actually be a symptom of tobacco withdrawal.

Headaches are one of the most common and least understood maladies known to man. They are responsible worldwide for the most missed days from work and the single most negative impact on productivity out of all illnesses and are the largest category financial drain on the health care system (more than heart disease and cancer believe it or not).

My chronic headaches started out of the blue and THC seems to be the only thing I have tried that has reduced the frequency and severity. No doctor suggested it I just thought since I have tried everything else why not give it a shot. So far it seems to have helped a lot.

Any headache doctor I have seen has always said to see what is effective in helping headaches you need to eliminate (or add) 1 thing at a time for a few weeks and keep a diary.

BTW I also have ice pick headaches they suck. Are yours always in the same spot on the same side?

An mj vacation for 2 weeks or longer would help determine if it is mj or something else. If you are still getting them then it is not the mj. If you don't get any (you need to give it as long as possible to really know) then try what has worked without getting a headache (you said joints) and go a few weeks like that. Whatever changes you try they have to be 1 at a time and for longer than you will want it is the only way to pinpoint what might be the trigger (s).

Personally I never could find the trigger and I have done everything. Remember to keep a diary too to record everything.

I get the ice pick headache most of the time on the same spot , never had one after smoking, i hope i can find a solution as i want to stop smoking but keep using cannabis

Does the headache happen immediately while you are vaping? Or is it more of a delayed response?

More like a delayed response, sometimes i still get it the day after

You might be developing a headache syndrome independent of your cannabis or vaporizing use. Only way to really know is to follow what I suggested. If you go to a neurologist what I laid out is what a good one would tell you. Believe me I have been to many.

Try keeping your nasal passages well hydrated with a simple saline nose spray (not an allergy spray). Dry air, both summer and winter can tend to dry out nasal passages which in turn can be aggravated by ANYTHING you might inhale.

And, don't forget that THC can cause anxiety and in response one's small muscles around the face and neck can tense and thereby cause headaches.

Good luck.

aroni74 said:

More like a delayed response, sometimes i still get it the day after

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That would lead me to suspect it's tied to nicotine withdrawal as @Squiby suggested. I don't have firsthand experience with the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal but I sure do with caffeine. If I go too long without my morning caffeine pill I will definitely get severe headaches that are not unlike a hangover or dehydration.

It can also be semi unpredictable when these effects will set in because it's tied to my metabolism. Sometimes my body might be able to go off the last portions of caffeine in my bloodstream until around 9-10 before I start to feel the onset of a withdrawal headache (I wake up before dawn though); other times I've woken up already feeling it begin.

However I noticed that as soon as i feel the caffeine pill on my tongue, before it could possibly have been digested, I feel relief. My body knows it's getting what it needs and immediately releases dopamine in response. Do you notice any immediate relief from your headaches when you use tobacco? Perhaps the reason you notice the headaches most when vaping is because your body is craving the nicotine it would typically be getting when you're in the ritual of smoking?


Another thought I had is perhaps you're not giving your brain enough oxygen when you take a vape hit. I know that sounds weird because you're breathing in while you hit; and due to your mighty's convection style you should be getting decent airflow just from the physics of it.. But I did notice a few times when I started using my vape through glass I was getting such dense clouds that I was "overloading" on vapour. Maybe try ending your hit early and drawing in some extra fresh air to allow more oxygen into your lungs?

I think no matter what you'll be most successful adjusting variables one at a time like @George1151 suggested. Pick a variable, adjust it, and be consistent.

I hope you're able to find a solution! Keep us updated on your progress!

For science!

I used cannabis by means of smoking for 25+ years. I think when you get rid of all the combustion you will feel better. Vaporizing is just so much better for a person hands down, no comparison than smoking health wise. I wasn't a cigs smoker just the cannabis.

There maybe more factors at play here. Try buying yourself something like a VapeCap, it's not too expensive and it may give you more of a sensation of combustion but you will be vaporizing. Try not using the Mighty for a week or so and see if you notice a difference.

Most of us aren't medical professionals. There are a few on FC. I do have that mothering instinct . Most of us just have experience with smoking and vaporizing our favorite flower. I use cannabis for pain. I have arthritis in my feet and low back. For me vaporizing was a godsend. If something was making me feel sick I wouldn't do it. I really can't imagine that headaches are just from the vaporizing alone.

I wonder about receiving hot vapor through something basically made of plastic. I know there are plenty of vaporizers made like that. I own a few of them myself but I don't have a Mighty. You may have some sensitivity to that. I've never gotten a headache from any of them but we are all different. Good luck with some answers.

Edit
I wonder about how some cannabis is grown. If available I look for organically grown and pesticide free. Here in WA I had a organic farmers cannabis market that I went to on Saturday's until the state changed over into a sticter regulated system. They track cannabis from seed to flower, then to the store with the same barcode.