Help vaping and reducing nicotine

[vaper1960]

I read your other thread. First, welcome and congrats on getting off the cigs!
Please try to stop taking Chantix. There is a thread on this and many people had really bad experiences with it:
Chantix
It takes awhile (even months) to get over the craving for smoking cigs... and you will need the nicotine to do this. Stick with your 8 mg and vape as needed. I started with 18 mg and after a month dropped to 12 mg (doing MTL) Now I'm doing more DL I use 6 mg for that (because it's more vapor)

 

[Baditude]

IMHO, don't beat yourself up if you sneak a smoke now and again. Just don't make a habit of it. We have a saying here on the forum:

It's not how many smokes you had that's important. It's how many you DIDN'T smoke that is.

How many cigarettes a day were you smoking before? 18 mg is a good place to start for a pack to pack and a half a day. I think you cut down the strength way too fast. It takes most people a year of vaping to go from 18 to 6 mg in my experience. Dropping too quickly usually leads to failure.


For e-liquid, the typical nicotine recommendations are generally determined by how much you smoked, and are as follows:

1/2 pack per day or less = 6 mg nicotine
1 ppd = 12 mg
1 1/2 ppd = 18 mg
2 ppd = 24 mg

Should you choose to use a sub-ohm juice attachment (coil less than 1.0 ohm); drop the above recommendations by half.

Figure on consuming at least 3 - 5 ml of liquid daily. Bottles are usually 10 or 30 ml volume.

E-liquid generally has concentrated liquid nicotine, propylene glycol (Pg), vegetable glycerin (Vg) and flavoring extracts.
PG and VG are usually used together in different ratios in e-liquid. For example, a 50/50 PG/VG ratio is common. Some juice vendors offer a range of different ratios depending upon customer preference.

PG = Propylene Glycol - the "flavor carrier" of e-liquid. A secondary source of "throat hit", but not as strong as the nicotine concentration. Some people have a sensitivity or even an allergy to PG. It's very thin in consistancy.

VG = Vegetable Glycerin - the "vapor maker" of e-liquid. Used as a sweeter in many food sources, and also as a skin emollient. It's very thick in consistancy.

Sweeter (sugary) or darker flavors tend to clog coils and wicks faster. E-liquids heavy with Vg are thicker in viscosity and may not wick as well as thinner e-liquids in some tanks.

--- Good Starter Setups for a Beginner Vaper

 

[classwife]

merged your threads for continuity

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

If at the young age of 36 you have been diagnosed with COPD, your best bet is to not vape or smoke.

I know that's not what you want to hear, you want some magic wand and a happy ending. I get it. But there is no such thing.

 

[Hawise]

I'd start by looking at your options and defining priorities.

With COPD, clearly it would be best to neither smoke nor vape. That's the ideal, but reality has a nasty tendency to get in the way of ideals.

You started with the ideal option, quitting straight out, but it didn't work, at least not once you stopped the Chantix. So now you're looking at vaping.

Chantix: Some people have serious side effects from Chantix and other antidepressants while others don't. If it's not causing problems and it's helping you quit, it might be worth discussing a longer-term prescription for a low-dose anti-depressant with your doctor. If you don't want to go there or your doctor won't agree (and it sounds like the doc may not), you'll have to look at other options.

Vaping: While it's not the best thing to be doing when you have respiratory issues, all the evidence indicates that it's nowhere near as bad as smoking. You're at least free of the tar, ash and many toxic particulates and gases that come with cigarettes. If you can even switch from smoking to vaping, you'll be ahead. This may be the best place to start.

What to do now:
You have the vape and a limited supply of Chantix. My concern is that when you run out of Chantix the same thing will happen as did before - you'll be back to smoking. Under the circumstances, it might be best to drop the Chantix, focus on vaping and stop worrying (for the time being) about your nicotine level. From what I've seen, people have the most success in switching to vaping when they don't worry about how much nicotine they're using - take it as high as you need to keep off the cigarettes. Once people settle into vaping and stop craving cigarettes, they often have a much easier time lowering their nicotine levels.

Think of vaping as a medium-term solution: for a few months or even a few years. You'll be better off than if you were smoking, and you can still work toward fully quitting in the long run.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

 

[Joanne Barlow]

IMHO, don't beat yourself up if you sneak a smoke now and again. Just don't make a habit of it. We have a saying here on the forum:

It's not how many smokes you had that's important. It's how many you DIDN'T smoke that is.

How many cigarettes a day were you smoking before? 18 mg is a good place to start for a pack to pack and a half a day. I think you cut down the strength way too fast. It takes most people a year of vaping to go from 18 to 6 mg in my experience. Dropping too quickly usually leads to failure.


For e-liquid, the typical nicotine recommendations are generally determined by how much you smoked, and are as follows:

1/2 pack per day or less = 6 mg nicotine
1 ppd = 12 mg
1 1/2 ppd = 18 mg
2 ppd = 24 mg

Should you choose to use a sub-ohm juice attachment (coil less than 1.0 ohm); drop the above recommendations by half.

Figure on consuming at least 3 - 5 ml of liquid daily. Bottles are usually 10 or 30 ml volume.

E-liquid generally has concentrated liquid nicotine, propylene glycol (Pg), vegetable glycerin (Vg) and flavoring extracts.
PG and VG are usually used together in different ratios in e-liquid. For example, a 50/50 PG/VG ratio is common. Some juice vendors offer a range of different ratios depending upon customer preference.

PG = Propylene Glycol - the "flavor carrier" of e-liquid. A secondary source of "throat hit", but not as strong as the nicotine concentration. Some people have a sensitivity or even an allergy to PG. It's very thin in consistancy.

VG = Vegetable Glycerin - the "vapor maker" of e-liquid. Used as a sweeter in many food sources, and also as a skin emollient. It's very thick in consistancy.

Sweeter (sugary) or darker flavors tend to clog coils and wicks faster. E-liquids heavy with Vg are thicker in viscosity and may not wick as well as thinner e-liquids in some tanks.

--- Good Starter Setups for a Beginner Vaper

Thanks for the info I smoked about 25 cigarettes a day. I am reducing so quick as I have copd so need to cut down and stop asap.

 

[Joanne Barlow]

If at the young age of 36 you have been diagnosed with COPD, your best bet is to not vape or smoke.

I know that's not what you want to hear, you want some magic wand and a happy ending. I get it. But there is no such thing.

Yeah that's why I am cutting down on nicotine intake in vape quick as need to get off that next.

 

[Joanne Barlow]

I'd start by looking at your options and defining priorities.

With COPD, clearly it would be best to neither smoke nor vape. That's the ideal, but reality has a nasty tendency to get in the way of ideals.

You started with the ideal option, quitting straight out, but it didn't work, at least not once you stopped the Chantix. So now you're looking at vaping.

Chantix: Some people have serious side effects from Chantix and other antidepressants while others don't. If it's not causing problems and it's helping you quit, it might be worth discussing a longer-term prescription for a low-dose anti-depressant with your doctor. If you don't want to go there or your doctor won't agree (and it sounds like the doc may not), you'll have to look at other options.

Vaping: While it's not the best thing to be doing when you have respiratory issues, all the evidence indicates that it's nowhere near as bad as smoking. You're at least free of the tar, ash and many toxic particulates and gases that come with cigarettes. If you can even switch from smoking to vaping, you'll be ahead. This may be the best place to start.

What to do now:
You have the vape and a limited supply of Chantix. My concern is that when you run out of Chantix the same thing will happen as did before - you'll be back to smoking. Under the circumstances, it might be best to drop the Chantix, focus on vaping and stop worrying (for the time being) about your nicotine level. From what I've seen, people have the most success in switching to vaping when they don't worry about how much nicotine they're using - take it as high as you need to keep off the cigarettes. Once people settle into vaping and stop craving cigarettes, they often have a much easier time lowering their nicotine levels.

Think of vaping as a medium-term solution: for a few months or even a few years. You'll be better off than if you were smoking, and you can still work toward fully quitting in the long run.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

Hi,

Yeah I wanted to quit but could not get off the last few cigarettes, but since 2bd December I've not had a cigarette and only been vaping am still craving nicotine but not a cigarette that does not interest me at all.
Yeah I am thinking about stopping champix and continue with vape and if I need to go higher on the dose for the mean time suppose it's not a bad thing as better than smoking.

 

[Joanne Barlow]

I read your other thread. First, welcome and congrats on getting off the cigs!
Please try to stop taking Chantix. There is a thread on this and many people had really bad experiences with it:
Chantix
It takes awhile (even months) to get over the craving for smoking cigs... and you will need the nicotine to do this. Stick with your 8 mg and vape as needed. I started with 18 mg and after a month dropped to 12 mg (doing MTL) Now I'm doing more DL I use 6 mg for that (because it's more vapor)

Thanks for your reply, yeah am just wanting to cut down as quickly as possible with the copd

 

[Joanne Barlow]

Can e-cigarettes help you quit smoking?

Yes i think it can help with the smoking but not the nicotine, at least vaping will stop all the other chemicals that cigarettes have in them.

 

[r77r7r]

Maybe start another thread on just copd. There are several vapers that suffer and still vape. Might be good to get several opinions from actual sufferers. I've heard positive things.

 

[BrotherBob]

Yes i think it can help with the smoking but not the nicotine, at least vaping will stop all the other chemicals that cigarettes have in them.

Welcome and glad you joined.
I can see you have done a little research and get it. In case you missed these, if you haven't, others may enjoy:
Farewell to nicotine I hope?
My Dependency on Vaping. It's not about the nicotine.
Vaping 2 years/still can't quit cigs
Still smoking support and chat thread
Nicotine Strength Help
Nicotine Strengths In Refill Liquid
Vaping with nicotine vs.nicotine free. Does this alter our vaping habits?
https://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/3w38zx/vapewilds_diacetylap_testing/

 

[Joanne Barlow]

I read your other thread. First, welcome and congrats on getting off the cigs!
Please try to stop taking Chantix. There is a thread on this and many people had really bad experiences with it:
Chantix
It takes awhile (even months) to get over the craving for smoking cigs... and you will need the nicotine to do this. Stick with your 8 mg and vape as needed. I started with 18 mg and after a month dropped to 12 mg (doing MTL) Now I'm doing more DL I use 6 mg for that (because it's more vapor)

Thanks for info, I only started vaping for.the nicotine, to be honest since I dropped from 12 to 8 nicotine am vaping a lot more, so I have brought some more 12mg nicotine but unsure to just continue with 8 or move back up,
Yes the champix are in the bin not had any today and dont tend to go back on to them..
Thanks

 

[Joanne Barlow]

Stop champix and just vape?

Stopped champix today but feel I need to change from 8mg back to 12...

 

[Joanne Barlow]

Welcome to the forum.
It's something you will have to decide, but I would come off the tablets and continue vaping as long as necessary.
I wouldn't rush reducing or eliminating vaping.
Congrats on the 4 weeks!
@classwife can move your question to a better forum category, for more feedback.

Edit: looks like the thread was combined with an existing thread.

Thanks
Tablets stopped, but I didnt want to stop smoking then change to vape but feel vape had been better for my copd,
It's the strength and how often do you reduce as am new to vaping.. might sound silly but hayho

 

[Joanne Barlow]

25 cigarettes total, or a day? What kind of cigarettes? Have you read your other post, which is now a thread? It has at least a dozen replies, most of which answer this question.

eta (edited to add): oh, I see you have read, and replied to some of the other posts in that thread.

Sorry thought I had replied, 25 cigarettes a day Richmond superkings I smoked.

 

[Joanne Barlow]

You have pills left from a failed attempt. That ought to tell you what you need to do.

Do not rush to drop nic levels though - that is a leading reason for failing to quit smoking. You need to get how much nic you need to get. And either you’ll vape more liquid with less nic or you’ll vape less liquid with more nic to achieve satisfaction, or you won’t be able to give up the smokes.

Most of us who have been vaping for years started fairly high nic and naturally decreased over time with zero issue.

Thanks I just wanted to stop smoking cigarettes and move to vape just for nicotine then reduce that asap, yeah I understand dropping to quick will end up me failing,
I have brought 12mg nicotine as 8mg I seem to vape more normally a 10ml of 12mg lasts 5 days, the 8 was lasting me just over 3.... so obviously not working as when I went from 16 to 12 seemed okay.
I smoked 25 tabs a day Richmond superkings, if you have any suggestions I'd be grateful.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

25 cigarettes a day Richmond superkings I smoked.

You should vape at a 12 mg/ml nic level at least. Check out the forums in the Health and Medical | E-Cigarette Forum category and speak with your doctor (and another one or two..) about COPD and nicotine and vaping.

 

[DeloresRose]

Thanks I just wanted to stop smoking cigarettes and move to vape just for nicotine then reduce that asap, yeah I understand dropping to quick will end up me failing,
I have brought 12mg nicotine as 8mg I seem to vape more normally a 10ml of 12mg lasts 5 days, the 8 was lasting me just over 3.... so obviously not working as when I went from 16 to 12 seemed okay.
I smoked 25 tabs a day Richmond superkings, if you have any suggestions I'd be grateful.

Although many of us quickly switched from smoking to vaping, I don’t know of anyone who also quit vaping very soon after. I know folks have done it, but I doubt we will advise to taper down as fast as the instructions say on other cessation products, like the patch or gum.

I can only speak from personal experience now, but I never started vaping thinking I could quit smoking. I’d tried everything and failed. I wanted to use vaping when smoking was not going to be convenient or even possible.

So when I did quit, I was ecstatic. And I never planned to quit vaping. That said, I did start off with 24mg/ml ( I smoked 35 years, over 1.5 pad Camel wides) and dropped nic as I felt I needed to, when I felt I was getting too much nic. After a few months I was at 6 mg/ml with no struggles at all.

That’s my story. I was having some very hard personal times, and I wasn’t about to torture myself by setting unrealistic goals.

So that’s my advice, if you want to quit smoking, vape high enough nic that it’s easy. Worry about reducing nic when you’re good and well off the smokes. Then, if you feel you still need to, go zero nic and try to quit vaping.

If you feel you have to meet some deadline or set some unrealistic goal, you’ll make it hard on yourself. If that’s how you do things, that’s fine. I can only say I’ve never seen it work. I know more vapers who went right back to smoking because they thought vaping was going to be a three week thing to help them quit than I’ve seen anyone successfully speed up the process, but good luck.