confusion reigns

[mediocre toker]

I was reading some wiki article about nicotine in the vain hope of realizing how much I was consuming via vaping as compared to smoking. Well. I came across a piece that suggested that the vast quantity of nicotine as actually burned away on the draw (when smoking a cigarette) before you get to consume the smoke due to it's very low melting point. Whereas when vaping there is nowhere for the nicotine to go to other than through the mouthpiece.Therefore I'm confused AGAIN. Can somebody help please. I'm currently vaping some nice Cuban cigar laced with cherry and it has 18mg of nicotine. I'm probably going through 2mls a day (so not too bad there then) but I used to smoke around 15-20 hand rolled cigarettes made with the traditional Golden Virginia tobacco. Am I about the same nicotine level as I used to smoke now that I'm vaping. The reason I'd like to know by the way is I'm trying to cut it back so that I can vape nicotine free in the future and I want to wean myself off of it. All helps appreciated folks.

 

[Omnipanzer]

It's nigh impossible to accurately state anything about amount of nicotine consumed as I'm not aware of any accurate studies being completed on this topic. However, on the plus side if you are concerned about your nic intake just drop down to 12mg or 8mg. Then you don't even need to worry about reducing the number of hits you are taking.

This is my opinion of course.

 

[akatina]

There is no way to answer your question.

Even if you and I were to smoke the exact same cigarette, we would get 2 different nic amounts because of the way we individually smoke. Same goes for vaping: your method and my method of vaping may very well result in two very different levels of nic absorption even if we use the exact same amount of juice.

The better question is: how do you feel at your current vape level? Any headaches, nausea, queasiness, shakes, heart palpitations, or fits of irritability? If not, then your current nic level suits your body just fine. If you've been vaping for a few weeks, try ordering juice a step down from where you're at (if you're at 18, try a 16, or perhaps a 12).

 

[Oxyd]

Measuring these things is difficult, and I'm not going to attempt it. (Although other posters will, I'm sure.)

Instead my advice would be: Just listen to your body. Do you feel you're getting enough nicotine? Too much? Too little? Try a few different strenghts and just go by what feels right.

Since you're vaping about 2 ml a day – which sounds like a reasonable amount – I'd say you're about where you should be. Myself, when I switch to a lower-nic juice (9 mg instead of my usual 12 mg), my juice consumption goes up a little as my body asks for more nicotine.

 

[mediocre toker]

sure thing. I understand my body's needs. And the way of cutting down on nicotine consumption by slowly weaning myself off.I was just confused about the amount of nicotine you may be actually consuming via the normal delivery of the substance I.E. tobacco. The wiki article stated that due to the way nicotine behaves when burned the vast majority of it never actually reaches consumption levels due to the burning of it outside in the airflow. I.E. the drawing of a cigarette creating enough heat to burn off most of it to the outside world. This led me to question how much nicotine we actually consume when taking a cigarette. Bearing in mind the addictiveness of the substance and the fact that we as smokers are not really taking as much as we first thought due to the aforementioned burning off.Surely we really are not taking that much. But then it's such a hard habit to kick. This led me to question the vaping aspect of this and the fact that we as vapers maybe taking much much more nicotine than previously thought was a safe amount due to the not burning off the substance into the airflow as you would when smoking a cigarette. I'm just a tad worried about this

 

[DC2]

Cigarettes have something like 20mg of nicotine in them, give or take, more or less, I don't remember right now.

But what you get from them is more like 1mg of nicotine, give or take, more or less...
Nicotine, Tar, and CO Content of Regular Cigarette Brands

So yes, the vast majority of nicotine is destroyed or lost when smoking.
But you may have been working in your head with the ending number as opposed to the starting number.


I can tell you that we are NOT getting much much more nicotine from vaping.
In fact, we are generally getting a lot less, depending on how efficient your vaping device is.

Studies by Thomas Eissenberg have shown that novice users using cig-a-like products with no instruction get almost zero nicotine.
And later studies by Thomas Eissenberg have shown that an experienced vaper with an efficient setup can approach the amount of nicotine a smoker gets.

 

[Crash Moses]

Good answer DC2. As others have suggested as long as you're not suffering from too much nicotine you're in good shape. Just keep lowering your nic level until you're at a comfortable spot. I started at 36 and worked down to 6 pretty quickly but everybody is different.

 

[Grimwald]

I was a chain smoker 3+ pad...but I assure you I didn't smoke them all. Over 40+ years I shudder to think how many burned down in the ash tray, and how many times the ash dropped in my lap while I wasn't paying attention, or how many 1/2 cigs I crushed out before entering a store. My point is that burning does not equal consumption, and that will be vastly different depending on habits.

Just had to add that vaping leads to a lot less waste as long as I'm somewhat careful when refilling.

 

[mediocre toker]

O.k. Thanks all. My mind is somewhat at rest over this. I have listened to my body and don't feel like I've overdosed on nicotine, which is probably why I'm constantly at my vivi nova. I just had to question this as I'm pretty new to vaping and am basically a cynic. But looking at it logically it seems that I was worried about nothing at all. I'll keep lowering my intake levels until I get down to zero. I'll keep vaping after this, as I really like the habit of smoking but don't like the thought of dying in my sixties due to smoking related diseases. Vaping for me covers all the bases. The sensation of smoking without the dangers ( or fewer at least)of it. The unlimited flavours. The cost effectiveness. And the sheer relaxation. Thanks again. One happy vaper......

 

[vernhall]

If not the same, at least a similar, thing is going to happen when you vape -- the majority of the nic is going to be burned off by the red-hot coil inside your e-cig that vaporizes your juice... Perhaps not quite as much, but... The principle is still the same -- you are 'burning' something that contains nic. If your e-cig was somehow able to produce the nic in someway other than to burn it you might have a valid concern... IMO - YMMV...

 

[mediocre toker]

the majority of the nic is going to be burned off by the red-hot coil inside your e-cig that vaporizes your juice... Perhaps not quite as much, but... The principle is still the same -- you are 'burning' something that contains nic.

Not quite the same, which was the point I was trying to make. Because the burning off of nicotine via the atomizer is enclosed inside it's casing it gives the nicotine nowhere to go other than up the mouthpiece. Whereas the nicotine burned off on a traditional ciggie (I hate the term analogue)at the point of burning is outside the paper tube that the smokes goes through. Therefore most of the burned off nicotine goes into the atmosphere. Think of it like the difference between an open fire in a grate and a enclosed wood burning stove

 

[jpargana]

I remember reading an article in Dr Siegel's blog, where he was criticizing another article that stated: "E-cigs are not a good quit method, because new studies have shown that nicotine (or cotinine?) blood levels were much lower than those found with approved NRT's"

(Dr Siegel stated that what should heve been said was "It is remarkable that e-cigs, despite providing a much lower nicotine blood level, still have a much higher success rate, when compared to approved NRT's")

So, my guess is nicotine delivery must be actually less effective with an e-cig than with a tobacco cigarette...

 

[akatina]

Not quite the same, which was the point I was trying to make. Because the burning off of nicotine via the atomizer is enclosed inside it's casing it gives the nicotine nowhere to go other than up the mouthpiece. Whereas the nicotine burned off on a traditional ciggie (I hate the term analogue)at the point of burning is outside the paper tube that the smokes goes through. Therefore most of the burned off nicotine goes into the atmosphere. Think of it like the difference between an open fire in a grate and a enclosed wood burning stove

Hardware will make a difference here. The forum is rife with posts about how Device A barely sips on juice while Device B is a juice hog. Different hardware and presumably even different wattages will impact how efficiently your nicotine is vaporized. Some of your nicotine remains in your gear gunking up your wicks, coils, and/or filler (just as some of the flavoring and PG/VG does).

Even if you were to assume 100% efficiency at vaporizing nicotine, the fact that nicotine is vaporized and sent upwards through the mouthpiece does not mean all the vaporized nic is in fact absorbed into your system. As I originally mentioned, your vaping technique will drastically affect the amount of nic you actually absorb. Do you inhale to your lungs or only vape into your mouth, nose, and throat? Do you hold the vape in, and if so how long? If not, do you puff an exhale immediately? Are you exhaling through your mouth only, or do you send vapor through your nasal passage as well?

The human body is fairly delicate with regards to its chemical balance. If over the course of a day you get more nicotine than your system is able to handle, your body will let you know.

 

[mediocre toker]

The human body is fairly delicate with regards to its chemical balance. If over the course of a day you get more nicotine than your system is able to handle, your body will let you know.

Very true. I feel fine with the vape I'm using just now and I'm not feeling any ill effects at all. Was just worried about the nicotine consumption after reading an article on Wikipedia. I'll continue to listen to my bodies moaning and groaning for signs of nicotine poisoningI think I'm being a bit of a cynic and don't necessarily take something I've read on wiki as gospel on first thought, without further research. So I'm just seeing what other people on this forum think of the article I read. Thanks for the input akatina

 

[patkin]

I've read many places over many years that a full flavor smoke with a filter contains 9mg nic of which 1mg is absorbed by the body. That makes a pack 20mgs absorbed. Most of the sources were medical as I had (high blood pressure before I took up vaping and that was my interest. I now have normal bp and chain vape 12mgs in the am and 6mgs in the pm.

 

[p-doze]

if you are close to OD'ing on nicotine, or reaching levels of nicotine poisoning, you'll know. you'll be sweaty, dizzy, and puking. when i was in junior high, i made the mistake of horseshoeing cherry skoal (putting dip all the way around the inside of your upper and lower lips). lasted about 20 minutes before i was in cold sweats and vomiting. 16-17 years later, i can't even smell cherry skoal without dry heaving.

 

[DC2]

When I was playing pony league baseball I was chewing Red Man...

One time after a game my mother was driving me home and I swallowed some juice.
A short time later I had her pull off the freeway at an offramp so I could puke.

 

[mediocre toker]

o.k. folks. Thanks for all your input about nicotine absorption and the overdosing symptoms thereof. I can see now that I was worried about nothing, so I'll end this thread with some thanks to you all. I'll keep an eye on the thread just in case anyone offers an alternative opinion, but for now, I'm sorted. Thanks again