Nicotine equivalences?

[olie]

Each cigarette contains 0.8-1.0 mg of nicotine where i live. Is that the nicotine you absorb, or just what it contains?

I'm using cheap, throw away, electronic cigarettes temporarily till my new stuff arrives. They advertise on the front "equivalent to 40+ cigarettes" even on the light brand which is half the content which means ? . . .

eKarma menthol : 18mg
eKarma light : 8mg

 

[Xenile]

What kind of analogs did you smoke before?

 

[olie]

I should have added, i smoked a whole menthol one yesterday when i usually only have about 10 a day. Which is a little worrying.

 

[olie]

What kind of analogs did you smoke before?

Lambert and Butler

 

[Xenile]

Menthol? Regular, Lights or Ultra Lights?

 

[olie]

Menthol? Regular, Lights or Ultra Lights?

Regular which has on the side 0.8mg of nicotine
0.8*10 = 8mg a day?

i smoked a whole menthol e-cig yesterday which is supposed to be 18mg

 

[crxess]

First, the Cartridge values are sales hype only. The Nic. amount in the cartridge may/likely is correct, but the cig equivilance is way off. Cartridges normally range from 3-8 in smoking value.
Nic. delivery is also quite different as you are not burning chemicals.

I'll let the more experienced get into actual numbers but you are well within most vapors safe zone.

 

[Xenile]

Hi, sorry for the short replies as I was eating (again, withdrawal lol). How did it hit you? Do you like the feeling of it?

I let my friend test mine yesterday (12mg of nic). She smokes Menthol Ultra Lights, 10 sticks like you. She did short puff and she liked it. Then I told her to do her regular puff as if she's smoke her analogs. She got a strong throat hit and started coughing and me laughing . I'm guessing if you are satisfied with what you feel stay with it. If not, go to lower levels to find your satisfaction.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

The "equivalent to xx cigarettes" on the box is 100% horse poo / false advertising.
There isn't an accurate lit cigarette to e cig nicotine absorption formula or xx ml of 18mg nic = xx amount of cigarettes ratio.

 

[Talyon]

From what I understand there is no accurate way to evaluate or compare how much nicotine, a puff on a cigarette smoked puts in your body as compared to a puff on a PV.

Please feel free to correct me and show proof, if any exists at this time. Ty

 

[HK-47]

Based on the equivalents I've seen for strengths it's something like this...

0 mg/mL = nicotine free. Just PG/VG and flavorings.
6 mg/mL = 'ultra lights' type cigarettes.
12 mg/mL = 'lights' type cigarettes.
18 mg/mL = 'lower full' type cigs (Camel special blends, Marlboro 72's)
24 mg/mL = 'full strength' type cigs (Marlboro Reds, Camel Wides)

EDIT: The part I forgot to mention....When an analog cigarette says something like .8 as you referenced...the equivalence for smoke juice purposes means that approximately 8 mg/ML should be a reasonable match give or take statistical error and production differences. So yeah, if your analogs were .8, then basically they were effectively a bit lower than 'lights' and going with a 6-12 mg/mL juice should be satisfactory.

There are some manufacturers which go higher than this. I've seen one or two that sell smoke juices that were 56 mg/mL and I think there were a few even higher. I'd be pretty cautious about that.

I'm a Pall Mall Blue (lights) smoker so I started with the 12mg/mL strength. Bear in mind that you can always change your nicotine levels if you find that you are vaping a bit too much for your liking, or perhaps it's too hard and want to go lighter. That's the advantage of smoke juices, you can find almost ANYTHING you want. As long as you're not vaping so hard that you're feeling negative side effects such as dizziness, nausea, racing heartbeat and things like that from overdosing on nicotine you're gonna be just fine.

EDIT: The information I posted about the strengths has nothing to do with how long said material will last. That will very much depend on the equipment you're using, the voltage/wattage/ohm resistances, the juice itself, and how hard you vape. But that should give you a general guideline such as "Ok I smoked about a pack of Marlboro Reds a day, so I might want to look at using 18 mg/mL or perhaps 24, and then roll from there based on satisfaction.

I'm not experienced enough with vaping yet to speak with an educated opinion on the differences in delivery devices. The variable voltage devices and manual batteries will let you control a lot more how much vapor you generate, how hot it will be, and things like that. Hope this helps.

 

[subversive]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/media-general-news/365300-heres-shocker-theres-nicotine-them-thar-e-ciggy-thingies.html

^ This doesn't show cigarette puffs vs PV puffs, but it does show that experienced vapers reached equivalent blood nicotine levels as smokers, showing that self-dosing works. If you get a headache, nausea, or dizziness, reduce your nic. If you are craving cigarettes and feeling antsy, increase your nic.

As for the mg of nic listed on cigarettes - that is NOT the total amount in the cigarette. It's more like 1/10th of the amount. It's what smoking machines in laboratories have yielded from cigarettes.

This next statement I have no proof for, but is something that has been said a number of times and what feels right to me - we absorb 20% or so from vaping. Could be wrong, could be right, don't know for sure.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Based on the equivalents I've seen for strengths it's something like this...

0 mg/mL = nicotine free. Just PG/VG and flavorings.
6 mg/mL = 'ultra lights' type cigarettes.
12 mg/mL = 'lights' type cigarettes.
18 mg/mL = 'lower full' type cigs (Camel special blends, Marlboro 72's)
24 mg/mL = 'full strength' type cigs (Marlboro Reds, Camel Wides)

There are some manufacturers which go higher than this. I've seen one or two that sell smoke juices that were 56 mg/mL and I think there were a few even higher. I'd be pretty cautious about that.

I'm a Pall Mall Blue (lights) smoker so I started with the 12mg/mL strength. Bear in mind that you can always change your nicotine levels if you find that you are vaping a bit too much for your liking, or perhaps it's too hard and want to go lighter. That's the advantage of smoke juices, you can find almost ANYTHING you want. As long as you're not vaping so hard that you're feeling negative side effects such as dizziness, nausea, racing heartbeat and things like that from overdosing on nicotine you're gonna be just fine.

EDIT: The information I posted about the strengths has nothing to do with how long said material will last. That will very much depend on the equipment you're using, the voltage/wattage/ohm resistances, the juice itself, and how hard you vape. But that should give you a general guideline such as "Ok I smoked about a pack of Marlboro Reds a day, so I might want to look at using 18 mg/mL or perhaps 24, and then roll from there based on satisfaction.

I'm not experienced enough with vaping yet to speak with an educated opinion on the differences in delivery devices. The variable voltage devices and manual batteries will let you control a lot more how much vapor you generate, how hot it will be, and things like that. Hope this helps.

An EXCELLENT post and explains mg in terms that are very understandable...even to me

Kudos

 

[Dave L]

The experience has been interesting. Although I find it hard to compare apples to oranges, it's heartening to know I'm not just not smoking, I'm getting by on less nicotine than before.

I smoked American Spirit Blue, a full-flavored cigarette. I don't know how much nic is in one of those, but I've been told that what you actually ingest through the smoke is only a fraction of the actual nicotine present in the cigarette. I was smoking a pack a day, give or take. When I was chewing the gum, I was using 3-5 pieces per day, at 4 mg per piece.

Since I started vaping, I find I am using around 1½ ml per day of 1.2% nicotine liquid (again, more or less, because sometimes I put a few drops of 1.8% pipe-smoke flavor in the tank along with the other). So I'm getting just about 18 mg per day of nicotine, which has to be considerably less than when I was smoking. That, for me, is a pleasant surprise.

 

[Aheadatime]

There is no way to accurately compare the amount of nicotine absorbed by the body regarding smoke vs vapor. I researched this quite a bit when beginning my ecig journey, and theres nothing out there definitive. Some rules of thumb though -

Ecigs deliver nicotine a bit slower than cigarettes do, due to the lack of added chemicals specifically designed to deliver the nicotine at an increased rate (and also kill you).

You do not absorb all of the nicotine in your ejuice, just as you don't absorb all of the nicotine in your cigarette. I believe the numbers you quoted are absorbed nicotine with cigarette, as each cig contains ~10mg of nicotine before you spark it up I believe. This is what makes the comparison so difficult. Even bloodwork isn't 100% accurate, as nicotine metabolism so to speak varies greatly between the two methods, again thanks to real cigarettes being packed with "nicotine steroids" that help get your fix immediately.

18-24mg if you smoke 1 to 2 packs a day.
12-16mg if you smoke 15-20 a day.
6-9mg if you smoke less than that.

^ That all depends on nic strength as well. Differences may occur between red smokers vs ultra light smokers.

Personally, I smoked around 15-20 a day of 'light' cigarettes (roll your own so they tasted full to me), and I've found that I'm satisfied at 6mg nic. Very smooth and lets the flavors do their job, yet still gives me my fix.

EDIT- You should tell us (if you haven't already, I didn't read the whole thread through in all honesty) what device you plan on using. This makes a huge difference in your vape experience and the nic delivery that will take place. Those cigalike disposables (and the kits themselves imho) just didn't cut it for me, and most likely will not cut it with you in the long run. Ask around and see about getting some more powerful devices like a Vision Spinner, Ego Twist, or even a mod. People here are more than willing to share setups, pictures, links, information, all of it. Great group of people here I've found.

 

[HK-47]

My Halo G6 kit arrived in the mail today, and I've been happily vaping most of the afternoon away so far.

For reference I haven't felt the need to chain-vape so far, and only had I think 3? analogs since about 10am this morning, so 1 every 2 hours which is less than half of my usual rate.

I smoke Pall Mall Blues (lights) so I ordered my juices in 12 mg/mL and they seem to be quite satisfactory. Not only tasty, but I'm not feeling itchy like I need to puff on my vape more. Which I was expecting fully. So this has been a pleasant surprise.

On a side note....I'm not a menthol smoker but I liked Blu's Menthol juice so I ordered the prefilled cartos with Menthol Ice. It's been a very pleasant choice for me so far. Other additional flavors from Halo I recieved was a sample 10ml bottle of SubZero (which I have yet to try), and the tobacco sampler pack which includes Prime 15, Tribeca, Torque 56, Captain Jack, Midnight Apple, and HX3. I loaded some HX3 into a blank carto and it was *interesting*. Halo's description of it on the site said that it's 'hard to describe' and they are right. It feels like it has a small tinge of pineapply goodness to it but yeah really hard to quantify the flavor. Enjoyable though. Not quite sure if I like it, but I certainly don't dislike it. We'll see what it comes out to be after a bit of steeping.

Very much looking forward to testing these other flavors and playing with some mixing at some point in the near future. One other guy mentioned SubZero was pleasing to mix a few drops with some of the tobacco style flavors like the Prime 15 and Tribeca and Torque56 to somewhat replicate the taste of Marlboro Smooths. Something I might try out.

 

[markfm]

Jf etter has done cotinine studies, look for his November 2011 letter on vapers.

Experienced vapers using 5 refills/day (I think of that as 5 ml) showed cotinine levels on par with regular smokers. In human terms, then, experienced vapers were likely metabolizing around 1/5 of the nicotine.

Experience, and particular gear, likely provide variance, however somewhere around 1/5 is the only number I get from the limited real measurements. A new person, poor style and perhaps subpar equipment, may well absorb a bit less.

Etter years earlier did a detailed study on cotinine levels in smokers.

(a cigarette actually has 8 -10 mg of nicotine, but people only metabolize around 10% of that from a lit cig)

The ECF search function is quite good This is the list when you go to the Advanced Search window and plug in the two words: cigarette nicotine

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/search.php?searchid=15414193

 

[bvguitars]

I quite trying to figure it out. I am vaping until I don't want a smoke, seems to work for me. This is a new adventure and I wanted to start clean, so I have left all expectations at the door.