The FDA has issued a warning stating that there may be a link between the use of e-cigarettes and seizures.

On Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement regarding the potential safety issue, stating that “we have reports indicating that some people who use e-cigarettes, especially youth and young adults, are experiencing seizures following their use.” The warning also stated that “seizures have been reported as occurring after a few puffs or up to one day after use.”

The Administration also stated that “we want to be clear that we don’t yet know if there’s a direct relationship between the use of e-cigarettes and a risk of seizure. We can’t yet say for certain that e-cigarettes are causing these seizures.” However, due to the scope of the issue, a scientific investigation is underway to examine not only e-cigarette links with seizures, but also any other potential risks.

Although it is still unclear if there is a direct link between e-cigarette use and seizures, the FDA believes it is their “job to communicate about potential safety concerns with the products we regulate that are under scientific investigation by the agency,” and thus shared the information at such an early time.

The FDA “encourages health care professionals, consumers, parents, teachers and other concerned adults, as well as youth and young adult users to be aware of this potential health issue and report any past or future incidents of seizures following e-cigarette use to the FDA,” to better inform their investigation.