Cotinine testing - Day three of zero nicotine

[DC2]

So for insurance reasons I decided I need to determine...
How long it would take to eliminate enough nicotine from my system to pass a cotinine test.

For those that don't know...
Cotinine is the primary metabolite of nicotine.
And a cotinine test is what is usually used to determine if you are a smoker.

For those that don't know, everyone in the world tests positive for cotinine...
Because nicotine it is present in many every day foods we eat.

So the cotinine tests are designed to determine the AMOUNT of nicotine.
And extrapolate that into a determination of if you are a smoker, or just like vegetables.


I got the tests from here...
Nicotine Test Kits | Nicotine Testing from Home Health Testing

Anyway, I have been using less than 2ml of 12mg liquid every day for the last 6.5 years.
So starting Saturday morning I went with zero nicotine.

I was going to do it sooner...
But the lack of throat hit from my 0MG Halo Tribeca was killing me.

So I had to order, and wait until I got, some 0MG menthols from Halo.
Those really help make this possible.

 

[Burnie]

Will be interesting to hear your results.

 

[JMarca]

So for insurance reasons I decided I need to determine...
How long it would take to eliminate enough nicotine from my system to pass a cotinine test.

For those that don't know...
Cotinine is the primary metabolite of nicotine.
And a cotinine test is what is usually used to determine if you are a smoker.

For those that don't know, everyone in the world tests positive for cotinine...
Because nicotine it is present in many every day foods we eat.

So the cotinine tests are designed to determine the AMOUNT of nicotine.
And extrapolate that into a determination of if you are a smoker, or just like vegetables.


I got the tests from here...
Nicotine Test Kits | Nicotine Testing from Home Health Testing

Anyway, I have been using less than 2ml of 12mg liquid every day for the last 6.5 years.
So starting Saturday morning I went with zero nicotine.

I was going to do it sooner...
But the lack of throat hit from my 0MG Halo Tribeca was killing me.

So I had to order, and wait until I got, some 0MG menthols from Halo.
Those really help make this possible.

Any mood changes, side effects, do you feel differently?
Not claiming to be a doctor or anything just genuinely curious.

 

[DC2]

Any mood changes, side effects, do you feel differently?
Not claiming to be a doctor or anything just genuinely curious.

Nothing noticeable at all...

But then I already knew I was not addicted to nicotine.
So my "reactions" to this experiment may not generalize to the rest of the population.

 

[DC2]

Yeah, I should have noted that yesterday (Day 2) I tested very much positive.

And I should also note that I had my wife try a test.
She does not vape or smoke, but REALLY likes vegetables.


Anyway, she tested negative as expected.

My results from today (Day 3) are in...
And I'm still positive.

 

[zoiDman]

Nothing noticeable at all...

But then I already knew I was not addicted to nicotine.
So my "reactions" to this experiment may not generalize to the rest of the population.

Interesting to hear how things are going. Good Deal DC2.

You were a pretty Lite smoker when you smoke as I recall.

 

[zoiDman]

...

My results from today (Day 3) are in...
And I'm still positive.

Drink a Lot of Water. And a Large glass of Cranberry Juice 3 times a Day.

 

[DC2]

Drink a Lot of Water. And a Large glass of Cranberry Juice 3 times a Day.

I always drink lots of water.


Maybe next time I will try this again while drinking lots of cranberry juice.
But it's too late for that now, so I'll just stick with the standard protocol.

Want to establish a baseline...

 

[Yiana]

I had a friend that had to take a nicotine test for employment and she quit smoking so she could pass. Now this was cigarettes, I imagine that vaping nicotine will take less time to get it out of your system. But it took her a very long time to clear out her system. I think maybe the other crap in the cigarettes caused it to stay in her system longer. Hopefully it will clear yours in a week.

 

[Scottitude]

Based on my own experience, it will be at least a week, maybe two, and could be up to four until you test negative.

I've used inexpensive urine test kits that came up negative within several days and expensive saliva test kits that continued to show positive for two weeks (coming off 6mg) and four+ weeks (coming off 18mg).

I suspect that within the next few years, rather than one cotinine screen at renewal time the insurance carriers will increase the frequency and may even implement periodic random screens throughout the year.

It's ridiculous that to employers, insurance carriers, and just about everyone except vapers, the presence of cotinine means you're a smoker whether you vape or subsist on a diet comprised solely of nightshades.

This world is rapidly becoming unlivable. I often weep for future generations that will have to endure the unconscionable actions of governments constantly finding ways and garnering support to legislate behavior and common sense.

 

[r77r7r]

Green tea! Green tea! It fixes everything

GL on your test!

Gosh I love my Nightshades, and even the evil Brussels Sprouts!

 

[ScottP]

This world is rapidly becoming unlivable. I often weep for future generations that will have to endure the unconscionable actions of governments constantly finding ways and garnering support to legislate behavior and common sense.

I agree 100%. The wife and I decided to stop having children after one for this very reason. The way the world is deteriorating we couldn't see that it was right to subject another poor soul to that. Don't get me wrong, we love the child we do have but worry about the future she will be living in. I will also say that now that she is 16 we are also starting to reconsider. We enjoy being parents but just have to weigh that against the future.

 

[DC2]

I've used inexpensive urine test kits that came up negative within several days and expensive saliva test kits that continued to show positive for two weeks (coming off 6mg) and four+ weeks (coming off 18mg).

Oh crap, I'm not liking that very much.

Sounds like I need to order a few of those saliva test kits ASAP.
Do you have any info that can help me find the same exact ones you used?

 

[BreSha6869]

Based on my own experience, it will be at least a week, maybe two, and could be up to four until you test negative.

I've used inexpensive urine test kits that came up negative within several days and expensive saliva test kits that continued to show positive for two weeks (coming off 6mg) and four+ weeks (coming off 18mg).

I suspect that within the next few years, rather than one cotinine screen at renewal time the insurance carriers will increase the frequency and may even implement periodic random screens throughout the year.

It's ridiculous that to employers, insurance carriers, and just about everyone except vapers, the presence of cotinine means you're a smoker whether you vape or subsist on a diet comprised solely of nightshades.

This world is rapidly becoming unlivable. I often weep for future generations that will have to endure the unconscionable actions of governments constantly finding ways and garnering support to legislate behavior and common sense.

My insurance agent told me 2 weeks and as a pack a day smoker, I was negative after 2 weeks off the butts. That was a saliva test.

If the insurance companies start using hair samples, most of us would be screwed. That takes a lot longer from what I have been told.

P.S. OP, thanks for posting this!

 

[crand]

I'm normally a 6mg user. For my insurance physical I went 7 days at 0mg and my urine test results came back negative

 

[Lowjumper]

Yeah, I should have noted that yesterday (Day 2) I tested very much positive.

And I should also note that I had my wife try a test.
She does not vape or smoke, but REALLY likes vegetables.


Anyway, she tested negative as expected.

My results from today (Day 3) are in...
And I'm still positive.

Was reading about cotinine today,

ok I know, according to wikipedia menthol will prolong the time it takes to get rid of cotinine because it competes with the enzymatic metabolism (O thank you spell checker) of cotinine.

 

[Canadian_Vaper]

Kind of curious how this will play out for vaping


How Long Does Nicotine Stay in your Urine
When inhaled, nicotine is converted into cotinine, which together with the body’s wastes products is excreted in the urine. In detecting nicotine and its metabolites in the body, levels remain detectable in the urine only for 3 to 4 days.

However, this may be different for some cases. For passive smokers, urine nicotine test can be positive for as long as 15 to 20 days. Cotinine may also take longer to be excreted with wastes if menthol cigarettes are used.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

So for insurance reasons I decided I need to determine...
How long it would take to eliminate enough nicotine from my system to pass a cotinine test.

For those that don't know...
Cotinine is the primary metabolite of nicotine.
And a cotinine test is what is usually used to determine if you are a smoker.

For those that don't know, everyone in the world tests positive for cotinine...
Because nicotine it is present in many every day foods we eat.

So the cotinine tests are designed to determine the AMOUNT of nicotine.
And extrapolate that into a determination of if you are a smoker, or just like vegetables.


I got the tests from here...
Nicotine Test Kits | Nicotine Testing from Home Health Testing

Anyway, I have been using less than 2ml of 12mg liquid every day for the last 6.5 years.
So starting Saturday morning I went with zero nicotine.

I was going to do it sooner...
But the lack of throat hit from my 0MG Halo Tribeca was killing me.

So I had to order, and wait until I got, some 0MG menthols from Halo.
Those really help make this possible.

Thanks for posting this DC2, will be interested to see what your continued results will be. I believe we will have to be tested also next year. You want nanny state, try being forced to have CVS for prescriptions. They don't give a poop about what works for you, just their bottom line. I loath them, right along with our insurance "provider." Pay more get less every year.

Anyway, there was a someone doing a test at least a year ago that boiled down to four days (and plenty of water) for a passed pee test. Don't know what mg they were vaping. If you decide to do the urine test also, will be interested in that also because I'm sure that will be the next year. On tenterhooks waiting to see when they require caffeine tests. .......s. Can you still say that?

Drink a Lot of Water. And a Large glass of Cranberry Juice 3 times a Day.

What does the cranberry (yuck, barf) juice do, flush your system faster? Well, obviously, but why?

 

[Scottitude]

Oh crap, I'm not liking that very much.

Sounds like I need to order a few of those saliva test kits ASAP.
Do you have any info that can help me find the same exact ones you used?

Metabolism and other factors may play a role so there's no hard and fast rule as it varies from person to person. YMMV.

I chose the saliva kits because that's the method they were going to use at work.

The test kits I used were called NicAlert and I ordered them from NicAlert - Quantitative Instant Saliva Professional Nicotine Test + Second Hand Smoke. Cost was about $14 each.

I may have been overly cautious. I intended to test myself once a week but after two three weeks the strip still showed a faint thin pink line and wanting to make sure I wasn't stuck with a $2000 "smoker's surcharge", I gave it another two weeks and absolutely no "positive" lines were visible.

Here's a basic diagram of the NicAlert instructions.

 

[Bunnykiller]

up to 10 days depending on how heavy the initial loading was