A doctor had some words of warning for people who think vaping is the answer to quitting the smoking habit – as it doesn’t always work for everyone. Here’s what he said

Plenty turn to vaping in a bid to curb their smoking habit. Some feel that swapping out the cigarettes will eventually help them to quit altogether – but a doctor shared some words of warning on the matter.

Dr Karan Rajan, a medical professional from the UK, regularly dishes out health advice to his 1.6m followers on social media. And for his latest TikTok video, he claimed: “If you think vaping is the best way to quit smoking, you’ve been lied to.

“First, some vaping maths. A single vaping pod can contain around 60mg of nicotine, depending on the brand and strength. For comparison, one cigarette can deliver around 2mg of nicotine to the body, so one vape pod is easily a pack of cigarettes or more and, because vaping is smoother and comes in fun flavours, people can puff away and chain vape through multiple pods.”

What he’s getting at is that vaping might not be a miracle answer to breaking addiction. Although it has helped some kick the habit, Dr Rajan suggests considering alternative methods first.

The eye-opening clip struck a chord online, garnering over 140,000 likes and sparking vigorous debate among viewers. Some advocated for phasing out vaping, while others defended its use, contesting that a person wouldn’t typically go through an entire vape pod daily and argued its benefits.

One individual shared their success story, writing: “I’m part of the 7% to 10% that used vaping to quit smoking. That was eight years ago. I haven’t vaped or smoked anything in eight years. It was the only path that worked for me.”

Another viewer agreed: “Well I used to smoke one pack a day. One vape lasts me almost two weeks, so I will take one pack every two weeks. I wish I could take nothing at all, but I’m working on it.”

A third commenter recounted their health improvements after quitting vaping, writing: “14 months vape free. Coming from an absolute vape fiend. Please give up. My resting heart-rate dropped from 90bpm to 60bpm. Weird head pains and rashes…..gone. Acne…gone. Mental health is miles better. My anxiety is better.”

Whilst Dr Rajan has expressed his doubts about vaping, the NHS has a different stance. The website states vaping is “substantially less harmful” than traditional smoking and an efficient method for kicking the habit.

The official view, according to their website, states: “In recent years, e-cigarettes have become a very popular stop smoking aid in the UK. Also known as vapes or e-cigs, they’re far less harmful than cigarettes, and can help you quit smoking for good. They are not recommended for non-smokers and cannot be sold to people under 18 years old.”

Despite its reputation as a safer alternative to smoking, vaping’s long-term consequences remain uncertain given its relatively short history. It is likely not entirely without risks – with the NHS adding: “Vaping is not completely harmless. We only recommend it for adult smokers, to support quitting smoking and staying quit”.

If you are worried about your health, we’d recommend contacting your doctor for advice. You can also use the Stop Smoking Service for further help with kicking the habit.