Nicotine and your heart

[yvilla]

Bob, I found some more reassuring information on this issue -- and you pointed me to it, albeit unknowingly.

I had never heard of Stonewall before, so when I saw a post of yours about it on another thread, I went to check it out. Their site has some links to research articles, and I discovered that plenty of studies have been done with regard to smokeless tobacco products and cardiovascular disease (as well as cancer and other health issues related to smoking). The nicotine in ST products certainly seems to be somewhat comparable to the nicotine we get from from e-smoking.

Here's a really reassuring quote from one article:

In 2003, Asplund completed a comprehensive review of the cardiovascular
effects of ST use [102]. He concluded that, in distinct contrast to smokers, ST users do not exhibit any significant differences from nonusers of tobacco with regard to the following measures of cardiovascular health: heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output and maximal working
capacity, levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit, leukocytes, antioxidant vitamins, fibrinogen, components of the fibrinolytic system, C-reactive protein and thromboxane A2 production. In addition, ST users did not show important smoking-associated vascular changes, including
increased thickness of blood vessels and atherosclerotic plaque development. In summary, most of the medical and epidemiologic evidence documents that ST users do not have elevated risks for cardiovascular diseases.

And here's the URL to the whole article:

dissolvabletobacco.com/papers/Rodu%20Godshall%20Smokeless%20Overview.pdf (just copy and paste; I can't post an active url yet)

So now I'll look for more research on the health effects of ST.

[kathyo13]

as far as i could find out, the only effect that nicotine has on the body is chemical in the brain. it increases the chemical that helps the 'pleasure' part of the brain which in turn increases adrenaline. The increase in your heart rate from this can also be experienced as a result of taking a brisk walk.

[Frankie]

Whatever the scientific findings will be, my personal result seems to be a slight but noticeable decrease of a heart beat rate both in calm state and during/immediately-after vaping when compared to my smoking days (the incredible 11 days ago ). This month I am going to have my biannual checkup - almost exactly 1 month after quitting-, so we will see what the ecg and the doc can say about the impacts. I do not intend to vape in the waiting room with other patients, so the BP and pulse results might be even a bit better than those measured at home.

[Frankie]

I had the medical today. ECG, BP, pulse OK, but no real changes. Only my heart rate went down a bit, warding off the threat of betablockers. Admittedly, this is less than three weeks of non-smoking, so we will see in another half a year. Maybe then the real cardio advantages of vaping will be seen.

***The switch to vaping definitely did not make anything worse in my case.***

(Beware: I vape something like 7-9mg/ml juice diluted from the originals. Like it better that way. 18mg was very unpleasant for me when I started)..

[deewal]

I've just seen this thread so i am going to paste a post in another thread a couple of days ago. This is what i posted.

OK. I thought i would wait until i'd seen my Doctor before i put anything in this thread.
I saw him yesterday to have my blood pressure checked as have high blood pressure and am on medication which i have been taking for about 8 years now.
I stopped smoking Real Cigarettes on the 22nd August when i got my first E-Cig and have not had one since.
A month or so later i had my BP taken by the Nurse and it was lower than it had been since the previous one about a month before.
Yesterday my BP was the same as it normally is which my Doctor said was fine,no problems.
I talked to him specificly about the fact that although i had stopped smoking i was still inhaling Nicotine and i said that i thought Nicotine was one of the main problems with high blood pressure and he replied "not to a great extent" He said as far as he was concerned the the main problem with smoking was exactly that. Smoking and filling my lungs with tar and gunk and stopping my blood flowing properly. He said the Nicotine intake was minimal as far as my blood pressure was concerned.
He said he thought it was remarkable that i had stopped smoking because he said and i quote "If i had been asked to draw up a list of my patients who smoke and asked which of them was the least likely to stop smoking, it would have been you."
He also said that he could allready see a difference in my health as i was no longer retaining water on my ankles and lower legs which was due to poor blood circulation.
His last words where "whatever you are doing, keep it up. You should congratulate yourself"
So. Three months on E-Cig. Clean bill of Health or should i say no adverse signs but to be sure i'm going to have blood tests and urine samples taken next week.
B.T.W Yes i did show him and demonstrate my E-Cig and expressed his surprise that he had not seen one like mine, only the ones that they sell in Boots which he said were useless.

deewal

[yvilla]

Thanks for your post deewal! I had not seen it on the other thread you mentioned. I also have been trying to quit smoking for several years now in the face of increasing cardiovascular issues, and increasingly strong words from doctors. I've only been e-smoking instead of smoking since mid-October though, so I guess I won't find out if there's any improvement until my next Dr's appointment in the spring.

[karenwest1961]

My cardiologist said that nicotine is a stimulant...and it raises the blood pressure. I have irregular heart rhythm and that's why he wanted me to quit smoking and come off of all nicotine. Well, I've been vaping Jane's LOW nic. I tried the Zero and like it, but still need that little bit of nic, period. So yeah.

So, from a cardiologist standpoint, it's a stimulant. People with irregular heart rhythm or other heart issues should heed the warnings. Especially if they tend to overindulge in caffeine as well.

[TropicalBob]

You are correct, KarenWest. We've posted nicotine's consequences many times here.

[MrFog]

I've noticed my heart thumping a lot just lately and I've also got my mini stuck in my gob for most of the waking day. I used to vape 36mg, have been 24mg for the past month and now I intent to drop to 18mg for another month then maybe down again, we'll see. I'm going for a checkup in the next week or so so will ask the doc about it.

Hey kids, its gotta be better than all that crap from the smoke though

[Catman51]

I was wondering about this very subject. I am on BP pills (seem to be low end, but above normal). Last Doctor visit, last week, it came in at the elevated level again, so he increased the dose.
I thought maybe it had to do with vaping. Been doing the 16-18 mg. So, today I ordered Cash's in the 11 mg strength just to see if that would change it.
After reading this, maybe it wasn't the vaping, and just me being my normal hyper self!!
We shall see.