Home Test for Nicotine Blood Levels ???

[TropicalBob]

I don't quite understand the hostility in this thread. Why? We have long wondered about blood nicotine levels -- not liquid levels of nicotine, but how much passes into our blood stream after inhaling vapor. And no one has an answer. No definitive study can tell us, as they can with cigarettes, snus, nasal snuff, etc. We know those blood nicotine levels for specific usages. With e-smoking, we don't know.

And we have established that here is no EASY test for this. Tests can show cotinine in the blood or urine, proving only that the subject uses nicotine. But they don't accurately tell how much. Many of us want to know that. I can easily find the blood nicotine level for my level of cigarette smoking -- and I'd like to duplicate it with e-smoking.

And, BTW, this:

Yeah, the FDA has feelers out alright. They have absolutely zero power unless they can prove that vapers are abusing nicotine more than a regular marlboro smoker. This is ridiculous on it's face

is ridiculously false on its face. The FDA has absolute power over drugs and drug device products. That's what they say the e-cig is under federal law. A court case is now trying to establish the opposite, but good luck convincing the judge. The FDA doesn't need feelers to enforce federal law within its jurisdiction. And that's how it sees e-smoking.

 

[JoAnna1010]

... Don't need to know how many drops fill a cart......and there are THOUSANDS of posts on this subject, in fact, it's a tired, silly subject.

... The forum search feature has significant limitations unknown to those know everything and have had no need to use it.

... Of course a nurse of any kind would know that vaping is safer than smoking. The question is how much safer ? A qualification and quantification issue. Interesting research and interesting personal information for the curious mind.

... The boogy man from the FDA has better things to do than to surf this website for personal opinions, annitodal recantations and hopeful dreams of a smoker(s) who are on personal missions to eliminate or find a safer way to continue an elective addiction.

... I wonder how someone can abuse nicotine?????
I know, I'll use the search feature to get the defination of this illegal activity !!!

 

[JoAnna1010]

Names of Nicotine / cotinine level tests !!

Thanks to the excellent input several posts up from Tom09 who knows of two tests for this:
1) TobacAlert (Nymox) &
2) Smokescreen (GFC Diagnostics)

Using the links he provided, I went to the websites and the tests seem to be exactly what I'm looking for. Next week I'm going to see how expensive they are and how many tests you get with each kit.

Thank's Tom09. You are GREAATTT !!!!!!!!!

 

[KreeL]

... Don't need to know how many drops fill a cart......and there are THOUSANDS of posts on this subject, in fact, it's a tired, silly subject.

So there you go. You know how many drops fill a cart, but you don't know what satisfies your own nicotine addiction. As I posted earlier, I wish you all the luck in the world in kicking your nicotine habit. I don't feel a need to kick mine since the dangers of smoking are now a moot point. If you want to make a poll and ask how many vapers are actually trying to quit nicotine like yourself, then please do. Perhaps I'm assuming too much that I am not alone in vaping to satisfy an addiction with no plans to quit. I like nicotine as well as caffeine, more in fact.

 

[Minimike]

drugstore.com Online Pharmacy - Prescription Drugs, Health and Beauty, plus more sells the kit for $14.99

I think there are 5 tests per kit.

 

[RIAFlight25]

This is a wonderful site. It has a search feature and everything. Imagine that.

Is that sarcasm really necessary?

I guess if there is such a test, the government will get the bright idea that it knows better than we how much nicotine we need.

Is there a test for how much caffeine is in your blood? Honestly, who cares?

Perhaps its the original poster who cares.

This is highly suspicious. A 'research nurse' should know already that vaping is healthier than smoking. She should be asking about how many drops fill a cart like every other noob.

I dont think anyone is qualified to inform someone what type of questions they should be asking, nor questioning their motive to getting those questions answered.

Yeah, the FDA has feelers out alright. They have absolutely zero power unless they can prove that vapers are abusing nicotine more than a regular marlboro smoker. This is ridiculous on it's face

EDIT -- vaping nicotine is a replacement for something far worse. The FDA is looking for claims being made that it is a smoking cessation device. To my knowledge it isn't. Nicotine is just as addictive vaping as it is smoking. We just don't get all the carcinogens. It's a personal choice if you wish it to be such, and good luck with that. Please don't try to draw nicotine hooked vapers into a thread about quitting. We aren't quitters.

Its interesting that the OP never mentions the FDA. She has also made it known that she intends to use her PV to assist her to quit altogether, however I dont see how she could possibly "Draw nicotine hooked vapers" into a thread about quitting. And I also might mention that there are plenty of vapers here that are NOT nic dependant and happy vaping 0nic.


.

If you feel that this thread is so useless, then why continue to post on thhis topic?

 

[Flip7990]

I would also like to know the levels of nicotine that I am getting into my system. Even if nicotine is similar to caffiene, many people who vape are trying to do something healthier for themselves. That is why I am also trying to quit drinking caffiene. Just because someone starts vaping, doesn't imply they are done trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

 

[JoAnna1010]

As much as I enjoy smoking / vaping, the truth is that it is an addiction that is expensive and time consuming and just one more "monkey on your back" in life.

It remains to be seen if vaping will ever allow one to phase out the entire smoking habit. Thank God there is a safer option in the meantime via vaping.

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to feel threatened or pressured to go the "quit route."

Nor is there any need to justify why or why not continuing to smoke/vape.

And....there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be so negative about inquisitive questions regarding the physiologic effect of nicotine on the body during the process of learning to vape effectively....or considering a smoking cessation strategy

 

[ramblingrose]

there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be so negative about inquisitive questions

Joanna, this pretty much sums it up. Please - know that you are welcome to ask about anything that concerns or interests you. We're all in this together.

 

[SueandCootie]

I have been reading this forum for some time, but never post because it seems every topic has been completely dicussed. However, I believe the original question here has complete merit.

There must be some type of test available, since some employers, a couple of years ago, were firing employees who smoked. They had to check somehow to avoid lawsuits.

The amount of nic I'm getting is important to me, however, because I started vaping/immediately quit smoking four weeks ago, and I've felt oddly sick the last couple of weeks. Too much/little nic? Flavorings or vg making me sick? Dry mouth now causing major dental problems...is it an infection in my gums? Or did the person in my house who suffers from a "superbug" infect me?

I'm worried, and I'd like to find out what is going on, so this question interests me. There are real reasons why people, especially newbs like me, might want to know, but don't ask due to responses like the ones on this thread.

 

[JoAnna1010]

Good for you for jumping in.
Never be intimidated by boring, know-it-all cyber bullies in a forum like this.

Now......look back up the thread on this subject and you will see that Tom09 responded to my request for this info. He gave me the names of two companies that appear to be selling the exact type test I'm interested in.

Remember.....I didn't want a test that just showed (+) or (-) for nicotine or the measurable metabolite of nicotine called carotine. I hoped to find a test that indidcated a level of nicotine in the blood.

I went to the websites of these companies and from the test desccription, both tests appear to be what I wanted. Early next week, I'm going to call and find out how expensive they are and how many test you can perform with each kit. This will be important because there is wide variation in nic levels of the body at various times in the day/night. I would want to perform several tests based on eCig and smoking nicotine blood levels.

 

[googled]

Tobacalert costs 9.45 GBP (and 22 GBP shipping) from drugstore.com

drugstore.com - drugstore.com

I think it's only 1 testing strip? Not sure. The product listing is a bit vague.

 

[rejoice]

Joanna, if you find this information out. Please post the results of your findings.
This is a interesting subject. I have read that analogs have additives that increase nicotine levels. Please do a study on both. Analogs and PV.

 

[jim420]

Joanna1010,
I am not being sarcastic, please believe me. As a research nurse, you are doubtlessly aware of a mass spectrograph. This could give you blood nicotine levels with extreme accuracy, and be done on blood samples taken at specified times after vaping, thus giving accurate absorption and metabolizing rates. This could also be done with smoking (the results of many, many tests are available online, I am certain) so that you would have a comparison, and of course, non-users of these products could be a control group. Be sure to include people that have ingested other nicotine-containing things as well, such as tomato, etc. You local university medical school most likely has a spectrograph.
Best of luck,
Jim

 

[Tom09]

You’re welcome! Even if one or the other member on this board might carry on ignorance as a badge of honor, other members do care and do want to know. All we presently have, is one prelimnary report on a kinetic study on blood nicitine levels [thread=15034](some discussion here)[/thread]. While indicating that nicotine absorption from vaping is probably significantly less effective than from smoking, this left the door wide open on variables such as user habit, device, whatever. Factual information is highly needed.

 

[Tom09]

I’ll add something for consideration, here. I’m not in medicine, so take my words with a spoon of salt. Anyhow, nicotine has a relatively short half life of ~ 1 hour, while the half-life of the main metabolism product, cotinine, is about 1 day. You’d have to analyze blood nicotine levels if you’d be interested in a kinetic study. This can’t be achieved by analyzing cotinine. The cotinine levels, however, do represent a relatively stable marker of nicotine exposition/absorption. Just have to remind the extended time frame, but you‘ll still be able to get an idea on nicotine absorption, comparing, for instance, measurements after two days of smoking, after two days of 16 mg vaping, after two days of 0 mg vaping (for individuals within a control group or the personal development over time). The cotinine test certainly comes with a kinetic caveat. However, it has the advantages to be readily available and to come at relatively low expenses (assuming that only a very few people have the respective funding or find themselves in a position to get someone running the MS analysis for free). From what I could gather in an uninformed, cursory reading into some papers, those (semi-)quantitative cotinine test kits appear to be quite accurate.

 

[SueandCootie]

Something that had a HUGE impact on my life and health back 8 years ago was the entire estrogen pills/age/smoking/stroke risk issue, so there is one very valid medical reason for some of us to be curious about the nicotine levels in our bodies, vaping vs smoking. It's too late for it to help my health..damage is done..but if enough curiousity lead to some research...

 

[JoAnna1010]

Hi Tom

Yes. I have thought about the effect of half life and rapid metabolism. I'm going to have to talk to the makers of the tests and get more info on the sensitivity/specificity, costs, ect.

I'm thinking that in its simpilest format, I could just smoke normallly one day and run tests several times during that day. Then, the next day, vape normally and run tests the same times during that day. At that point, I could compare the results of both days and see nicotine levels from both vap/smoke at the various points in the day.

Not exactly "world class science", but a very basic 24 hour assessment of nicotine levels that would tell me how much nicotine I'm getting overall......and how that level varies whether the nicotine comes form smoking or vaping.

I think if you repeated the "experiment" several times on different days you would get an even more clear picture. Also, it would be interesting if you could abstained from all nicotine for several days and did a "no nicotine baseline test.

Of course, this would be very general information, specific to me and my habits -one smoker but it would be good general information and interesting.

We'll see what develops.

 

[efaglil]

JoAnna, I'll be fascinated to know your findings too.

One other test you may consider is the absorption rate. I read somewhere that the nicotine from e-cigs takes approx 30 mins longer to be absorbed than the rate of absorption from analogues. If I can find that source I'll post it.

Very best of luck with your study.

 

[Kate51]

Now, we're getting somewhere folks! I've also had it with terse, unforgiving opinionated and frankly insulting remarks that flow easily out of some people's posts almost all the time. A person gets embarrassed by that kind of overall picture "outsiders" may be getting about a very serious, inquisitive, and deeply important Forum, and those comments just tear down any semblance of propriety and legitimacy.
Just please think before you tear into someone's posts in a personal way. It isn't attractive at all. It should be dealt with quickly before the atmosphere here completely goes toxic.