Coffee drinking vapers... feeling a little nic-sick?

[Bramble]

It must have been a long time since I tried to quit smoking (I'm pretty sure I have mentally blocked the experience to protect my fragile psyche LOL).

So today, after being so proud of myself that I am vaping almost exclusively 10mg nicotine - from a starting point of 18 mg six weeks ago - I suddenly started having heart palpitations and sweating, feeling nauseated, overall feeling very over-nic'd and I thought OMG how can this be? I am taking in less nicotine than I have in years!

Well... I am still drinking lots of coffee. I forgot. When you step down your nicotine, you get more effect from the same amount of caffeine.

So I thought I would give a li'l PSA for other coffee drinkers who might suddenly feel lousy and over-nic'd - and you're thinking "Gosh all other things have stayed the same, nothing has changed except less nicotine." Check your caffeine intake and make sure that you're stepping that down alongside the nicotine.

I recall now, the last time I quit for more than a few days, I had to drastically cut down on coffee. This might not apply to everyone but it is something I've now had to learn the hard way twice so I thought I would just share that

 

[RoseB]

I used to chain vape 24 MG and drink a pot of coffee, and had no problems. Although, I did use to smoke a half pack of cigarettes within the first three hours of waking up. Maybe I was immune.

 

[alisa1970]

I've noticed the same thing. Shortly after quitting I didn't feel a need for caffeine, and it seemed to amp me up a lot more, but I still drank it. Turns out that along with a couple other issues, I am or apparently have become hyper-adrenal. Docs orders - if I HAVE to have coffee to function, no more than one cup, and NO caffeine after 1 PM.

I'm finding that I can do without coffee most mornings, and if I do have some, I'm good with just 8 oz (a real "cup"). I've also dropped down to 6mg nic 90% of the time, and I am feeling a lot better.

I never would have thought that quitting smoking somehow would make someone more sensitive to caffeine, especially when we're still getting nicotine, and like you said usually less than from smoking.

 

[Bramble]

My understanding is that the caffeine binds with the nicotine... so less nicotine would mean more free caffeine in your bloodstream. I am not sure if that's how it works but it makes sense to me!

 

[CalamityJess]

I'm still on 24mg nic, but I came off a pack a day Newport 100 habit about 6 weeks or so ago. Caffeine is definitely more effective than it was, only it took a while to notice.

I figured out a lot of things this quit though. I quit once for 8 months back in 2010/11. I didn't notice the changes in my body at the time. But this time I noticed more caffeine uptake, my digestive system going absolutely bonkers in weeks 3 and 4, muscle aches, headaches, etc. And I realized I went through all of that when I went with the patch that first time (only used it two weeks...the itchy welts weren't worth it) but I didn't NOTICE because I was so busy fighting the cravings!

Now that I'm not fighting cravings all day, I notice what is happening.

 

[Bramble]

I'm still on 24mg nic, but I came off a pack a day Newport 100 habit about 6 weeks or so ago. Caffeine is definitely more effective than it was, only it took a while to notice.

I figured out a lot of things this quit though. I quit once for 8 months back in 2010/11. I didn't notice the changes in my body at the time. But this time I noticed more caffeine uptake, my digestive system going absolutely bonkers in weeks 3 and 4, muscle aches, headaches, etc. And I realized I went through all of that when I went with the patch that first time (only used it two weeks...the itchy welts weren't worth it) but I didn't NOTICE because I was so busy fighting the cravings!

Now that I'm not fighting cravings all day, I notice what is happening.

I think a lot of people who have never smoked (or never quit) don't realize it is a loooooong process to move past smoking. Agree, the first time you quit, you're kind of pre-occupied just sticking to it. Mainly I remember feeling crappy for months - I had such terrible mental fog I'm sure there are more things I've forgotten.

A lot of people have this misconception that vaping is just a continuation of smoking. At least for me the detox itself is very similar to what I had when I quit with patches. I'm drinking a lot of raw green smoothies and looking forward to hiking/outdoor weather, hoping it will help.

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

I've never noticed increased effectiveness from caffeine since I quit smoking and started vaping and I'm a 1-2 pot a day type person and if it's not fresh ground drip, then it's 3-5x 4-6 shot medium sized lattes (made at home - I'm not spending $24-$36 a day at Starbucks!). On top of that I normally drank 2-6 energy drinks a day + normal day-to-day vitamin supplements. I'd say I'm pretty much immune to caffeine right now, at least at this point. The amount of caffeine I used to drink in a day was well over what the suggested limit was by 4-6x, if not more depending on what source you go by.

I will say that since I started vaping, I have stopped drinking energy drinks altogether through. They used to go hand-in-hand with me smoking, so since I dropped smoking it wasn't hard to drop the energy drinks. They just remind me of how bad cigarettes really do taste and how bad they affected my taste buds.

 

[Julie W]

It's strange cos I was never a big coffee drinker just 2 large cups of expresso in the morning,but almost immediately on quitting I found it hard to get down that second cup.
I started on 16mg but as a chain vaper it was way too strong,cut down to 12mg & it did the trick along with my 1 cup of Expresso.

 

[Racehorse]

ICheck your caffeine intake and make sure that you're stepping that down alongside the nicotine.

I've been drinking coffee, lots of it, most of my life, started young.

I recently stopped coffee, and I'm amazed at how much better I feel, overall, in every way. Seemed like a very acidic thing to put into my body first thing in the a.m. and I switched to really good loose herbal tea. Didn't think I could do it. Now, I will have some but only on special occassions when out with friends at a good coffee place.

 

[Lana79]

When my (late) grandma quit smoking, she gave up coffee altogether. She didn't drink filter or espresso-based options, classical brewed stuff only. When she would have some after quitting, she said it gave her headaches and a "weird buzz".

I used to drink the old-fashioned brewed coffee for ages (especially when pulling all-niter for exams), but got sick of it, so now I'm a mocha drinker (any latte will do, as well as anything *chino) - mostly 1-2 daily, 4 max on heavy workload days. Knowing the ingredients, uppers in my coffee are mostly sugar, chocolate and cinnamon, and I rarely drink regular black nowadays...

 

[Drymouth2lung]

Wow, thanks for the heads up.

 

[FireDragon1138]

Nicotine causes the liver to metabolize caffeine faster. That's why quitting smoking leads to sensitivity to caffeine.

Caffeine is a lot harder on the body than nicotine, at least in my experience. And some of the symptoms of too much caffeine can mimic nicotine OD.

 

[SleeZy]

Yea the caffeine seems to act stronger on me now than when i was smoking.
I used to drink about 18 cups a day. Now i'm down to about 8-12. If i drink more i'll get hyper wich isn't pleasant.

 

[IchBinTRS1]

hmmmm I have not noticed a change since I quit smoking I drink 1-2 cups ( not normal cups LOL,in the morning and i still drink my 1-2 cups in the evening.......but i don't vape nicotine in my menthol juice and only 3 mg nicotine in my Mocha Java Smooth

 

[dave51]

I hadnt noticed a difference
Still drinking 2 to 2 1/2 pots of coffee a day
Plus puffing on 24mg all day

Maybe im one of the lucky ones

 

[Bramble]

Nicotine causes the liver to metabolize caffeine faster. That's why quitting smoking leads to sensitivity to caffeine.

Caffeine is a lot harder on the body than nicotine, at least in my experience. And some of the symptoms of too much caffeine can mimic nicotine OD.

Thanks! Good to get an explanation of how that works! I completely agree caffeine is harder on the body. Funny thing if I mention I'm a hardcore caffeine user people are fine with that but if I mention nicotine everyone freaks out LOL

But I have decided that nicotine use is no more scandalous than caffeine... I talk openly about it because I think people need to see how it isn't killing me. Some people need to see living proof before they can think outside of the box or feel like it's "safe" to make changes in their lives that they want to but aren't sure about.

Yea the caffeine seems to act stronger on me now than when i was smoking.
I used to drink about 18 cups a day. Now i'm down to about 8-12. If i drink more i'll get hyper wich isn't pleasant.

I hear you!! The thing that happens to me with caffeine though is eventually I crash really hard if I have too much. But not until after I've run around hyper for a while lol

 

[Bramble]

hmmmm I have not noticed a change since I quit smoking I drink 1-2 cups ( not normal cups LOL,in the morning and i still drink my 1-2 cups in the evening.......but i don't vape nicotine in my menthol juice and only 3 mg nicotine in my Mocha Java Smooth

I hadnt noticed a difference
Still drinking 2 to 2 1/2 pots of coffee a day
Plus puffing on 24mg all day

Maybe im one of the lucky ones

Yeah for sure, not everyone will. I just wanted to throw it out there for anyone who is puzzled by a decrease in nicotine and yet feeling like they are over-doing it. It's not always easy to make the connection

 

[Hermit]

I can only drink about half as much coffee as I used to, since switching to vaping. Spent a while thinking it was nic level, until I found a NY Times article about it.

The pertinent thing - for vapers and NRT users - is that it's not the nicotine that affect the metabolism of caffeine, it's 'polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons'. Also, they don't just affect caffeine, there's a long list of medications where the required dosage should be adjusted along with any change in smoking pattern. "Nicotine products do not induce hepatic CYP1A2 enzymes or cause the same drug interactions as cigarette smoking" (ref).

(Original url for ref: http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/index.php?id=22661&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=177424).

 

[msrfrog]

Havent noticed that I still drink coffee all day at work, but the first 2 weeks after quiting the cigs and vaping only ive had very strange dreams.

Sent from my SM-T210R using Tapatalk

 

[ahall]

wow im glad i came across this. i thought that i was loosing my mind (well thats possible too) before i started vaping i was drinking a pot or 2 a day and didnt get the slightest rush from it, id even drink a cup laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep and then doze right off. now i cant drink coffee at night at all or i cant sleep. heck i cant even drink tea and go to bed. im going to have to get me either half caff or fully decaf (oh the horror) because i miss drinking coffee.