Done With Hookah

[crashrebootrepeat]

I have been smoking hookah for several years now and sometimes I have gotten very sick... I get dizzy and shaky and my heart starts racing really fast. This had only happened to be twice here in Seattle.

Recently I went to Texas. I was in Texas for a week the first time before I went to a hookah bar and smoked.. took a few hits and started to get dizzy and shaky, I almost fell off my chair and I felt like my eyes were rolling into the back of my head. I went to the hospital.

A week later still in Texas I went to a different hookah. This time I was able to get through two bowls which I smoked over the course of several hours. I started to feel like my legs were numbing almost like the blood was draining out of them. I went outside to get some fresh air and as soon as I did again I started getting very shaky and dizzy.

Now I have been back in Seattle for over a week. I had a bowl sunday night and was fine. I had a bowl last night and I was fine. Tonight I had a bowl, I took a few puffs and I started to feel dizzy and my heart started racing.

I generally always eat before I smoke and I have always have water with me.

This problem has happened with AF, Fantasia, Starbuzz, and tangiers, and it seems to be happening more and more so I am not sure what is going on.

I think I am done with hookah unless I can figure out what is going on. I know I am not the only one who has gotten dizzy and the such but it has been happening more and more despite me taking as many precautions as I can.

Oh, I always smoke with the window open a bit or I am outside.

[chinamon]

what coals are you using?

[ToncSTAR]

well, wasnt the doctors @ the hospital able to tell you what you needed to do if you want to continue smoking hookah? i guess they wouldnt but they would tell you why your having those symptoms

[Scoop]

personally, if i ended up in the hospital after hookah id never touch it again, i wouldn't care what part of it was involved...

of course thats just my opinion

[Zachfersure]

same thing used to happen to me when i smoked al waha. smoked it on my lunch break and i could barely stand, i felt so dizzy and nauseous. All i had to do was switch tobacco, but since youve tried many different kinds with the same effect it must not be the same. Maybe the nicotine is affecting you? have you tried other tobacco (cigs, cigars, dip) and have had the same feeling?

[Ralleac]

I know I am not the only one who has gotten dizzy and the such but it has been happening more and more despite me taking as many precautions as I can.

Nicotine and carbon monoxide poisoning can both cause those symptoms. Some coals release enough CO when first lighting to set off household alarms. Even if you're smoking in a well ventilated area you're still pulling the smoke through an air tight pipe straight into your lungs, so you definitely want to make sure your coals are fully lit before you start. Edited December 3, 2008 by Ralleac

[Kathrynx]

I would get checked out at the hospital. Sounds like you have having spikes of high blood pressure with the hookah smoking.

[Bulldog_916]

Nicotine is a blood thinner though, doesnt make sense that it would raise your blood pressure. My advice is to make sure your coals are fully lit and ashing, do this in a very well ventilated area, and drink more water as you smoke. Take it slow, slow steady hits, then put it down for a minute or two.

[Tuscani]

you seem sensative to more potent shishas.. I would stay away from the stronger stuff i.e tangiers.

[Majid]

Sadly, many places that serve shisha either don't know what they're serving or get lazy and complacent. The place may have bad coals, dirty hookahs or bad ventilation. Having said that, you smoke at home and still get this problem, most likely you have anxious or stressfull spells that make you more sensitive to smoking hookah. It might be best to leave it be if you were so strongly affected to have to visit the hospital. Health first at all times!

[SmoKingSynergy]

Nicotine is a blood thinner though, doesnt make sense that it would raise your blood pressure. My advice is to make sure your coals are fully lit and ashing, do this in a very well ventilated area, and drink more water as you smoke. Take it slow, slow steady hits, then put it down for a minute or two.

Quite the contrary my friend, nicotine has been proven to raise blood pressure, but it should return to normal within an hour or so of finishing smoking. Their could be a multitude of things occurring. It could be caused by the exposure to high levels of CO and nicotine (which sounds the most plausible), after all, everyones body reacts differently to different substances. But, with you saying that it started off only happening occasionally and it has progressively gotten worse, you could be having anxiety and panic attacks when you smoke, have you ever had symptoms of anxiety in the past? As much as everyone knows that hookah is to be enjoyed for relaxing purposes, everyone seems to forget that nicotine is actually a stimulant whether it's in the form of shisha, cigs, dip, snuf, or chew, it's the same chemical. Stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine are known triggers for anxiety and panic attacks, trust me, I know from experience. Maybe you just need to take a break from hookah for a while, I know I do sometimes. Hope this helps. Edited December 3, 2008 by SmoKingSynergy

[Dom]

for experimental purposes, try smoking Soex, a non-tobacco shisha. smoke it for about a week or two every day and if the problem still arises, then you know that it is not the nicotine that is messing you up. when you do this, make sure you use the same coals, same hose, same hookah, same environment, everything. that will at least narrow things down some.

[zeppyrkr]

happened to my girlfriend two or three times she won't touch a hookah anymore ... i always just suggested it was not eating and drinking while smoking. because i would some the same exact setup and be fine but i guess her problem could be totally different then yours.

[slingham]

I'd give it up after the hospital visit. What did the doctor say though when you went? I've gotten dizzy and the faster heart beat occasionally but I always figured it had a lot to do with nicotine.

[Kathrynx]

Nicotine is a blood thinner though, doesnt make sense that it would raise your blood pressure. My advice is to make sure your coals are fully lit and ashing, do this in a very well ventilated area, and drink more water as you smoke. Take it slow, slow steady hits, then put it down for a minute or two.

You are right that its a blood thinner, but when your blood looses its viscosity, it has to push harder through your circulatory system in order for the oxygen and nutrients to get to where they need to go. Blood thinning pills to the same thing.

[modisess]

IMO, i wont even go near hookah again i had experience something as severe as that. Maybe your body is not that immune to the effects of nicotine? Try asking your doctor about it, i don't think we can help much with your problem here.

[Zyram]

totally could be a nicotine allergy, my GF has a nicotine allergy we're pretty sure, so she doesn't hookah with me anymore. She gets bad stomach aches and gets dizzy/nauseaous. Sounds similar to what you're having, and it didn't start right away either, used to only happen some times. Now it's alot =( so I can't smoke much anymore, but still, health first man, if it's affecting you in a negative way like that, time to quit IMO.

-Z

[indian_villager]

Try a washed tobacco such as AF, or just try one of those herbal brands. And also you must find out what coals were being used. Were they fully red while on the bowl?

[inino]

step one stop going to hookah bars.



step two make sure your coals are fully lit,




step three make sure your hookah is meticulously clean.

if these dont work, then maybe you should either quit or cut back alot. i wouldnt want to do something that had harmful side affects and made me sick every time i did it.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

I know we are all avid smokers but I dont think you should follow any of the advice that advises to keep smoking. So I probably am not going to say what you want to hear:

GO TO A DOCTOR AND FIND OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU.

I have no right to say this as I am NOT trained medically but sounds to me like it could be a nicotine allergy?

DON'T FUCK AROUND WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEART!!!!

Where's Nurse Tati when you need her?

[drabin]

I watch house so I'm trained to tell you what to do

Honestly fuck it dude... if your getting sick stop smoking. Its not safe to do it with the problems your body has... Go to a doctor, explain the problem, LEAVE OUT NO DETAILS, get some real help, don't listen to our medical advice get it from a professional

[FactorE]

you might have an allergic reaction. i would jsut stop if i went to the hospital too.

[thehelios]

I watch house so I'm trained to tell you what to do

Honestly fuck it dude... if your getting sick stop smoking. Its not safe to do it with the problems your body has... Go to a doctor, explain the problem, LEAVE OUT NO DETAILS, get some real help, don't listen to our medical advice get it from a professional

If you watch House so much, then you should have concluded that this is Lupis or tumor.

I used to have that feeling but that was due to nicotine overdose, bad set ups, or drank too much beforehand. In any case, anything giving you a headache on a consistent basis is bad for you.

[staygone]

I remember a while ago a person had adverse reactions to hookah due to heavy metals. It wasn't childs play either, real serious shit.

Forget the hookah dude.

-QM Edited December 3, 2008 by QuiltedMaple

[drabin]

anything giving you a headache on a consistent basis is bad for you.

So your saying i should get rid of my mom because she gives me headaches. Why not.