how to regulate my e-juice and nic levels

[vip0802]

hi all!

quick little intro - i'm anxiously awaiting for my 510 to come in the mail, so i've have been reading up on this forum and getting even more excited about it. i have to say that the info and support on this forum has been tremendous, so i look forward to staying around here as i venture onto finally quitting analogs.

ok, onto my question. i also ordered a variety of e-juice in different nic levels with my order. here they are -

-10ml of pure USP VG & distilled water
-5ml of PG RY4 (26 mg)
-6.5 ml of Forbidden (12mg)
-5ml of ECOpure English Toffee (18mg)
-5ml of VG Clove (26mg)
-5ml of VG Litchi (0mg)

right now i smoke a pack of Virginia Slims Lights 100s a day. some of the time, i just smoke for the action and not necessarily for a nic fix which is why i ordered some 0mg juice.

i'm not sure how much nicotine i'm getting with my pack a day, but i'm a little worried that 26mg juice might be too high for me. correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm under the impression that the mg level of nic is by the bottle and not by the drop.

so if that's true, how much nic am i getting if i only one drop of 26mg in my cart and filling the rest up with the VG mix? or lets say that i end up really liking the Forbidden and/or english toffee flavor, and want to vape it over prolonged periods of time through the day - could i use the same cutting method so i don't go overboard with my nic intake?

thanks in advance!

 

[OaklandCA]

yes its basically a math problem.
As i understand it mg is the amount per ml. if you mix 50% 0mg with 50% 26 mg. you get 13mg. As a target range think 10-20 mg is a regular cigarette user. The catch is vaping is cleaner, easier and more acceptable than smoking so you will have more access to your habit. if you add one dropp of 26mg to 10ml of 0 mg you have pretty much a low low low nic solution. (you will likely have a craving)
the best adivice i have seen here is that if you are a morning smoker--zap it up for your first few vapes then in midday when you smoke out of mechanical reflex--drop closer to 0 for that social high (at a bar , after work or wherever) zap it up again and then chill so you don't over amp at night--

wish i was following this advice but i haven't gotten around to ordering a low nic mix as i was still searching for a satisfactory flavor and didn't want to fall back into analogs.

good luck and happy vaping.

 

[Dudeman]

The fact that you smoked "lights" doesn't mean you got less nic. Lights refers to the flavor. Hence why "non light" cigs are called "full flavor". Light cigs are manufactured to allow more air to mix with the smoke creating a lighter taste. That's it.
You have a good variety of mg strengths to start with. No one can tell you exactly what mg liquid you will need, or how often. Its going to be trial and error.

I guess the point I'm trying to get accross is that your body will tell you when you get enough nic.

 

[Mr.Frost]

You could try your 12mg liquid first, since thats about midway between your 26mg and your 0mg then adjust from there.

I would guess it's better to find out you need more nic than it would be to find out you've taken too much.


Scary, that almost looked like I knew what I was talking about.

 

[Kent C]

The fact that you smoked "lights" doesn't mean you got less nic. Lights refers to the flavor. Hence why "non light" cigs are called "full flavor". Light cigs are manufactured to allow more air to mix with the smoke creating a lighter taste. That's it.
You have a good variety of mg strengths to start with. No one can tell you exactly what mg liquid you will need, or how often. Its going to be trial and error.

I guess the point I'm trying to get accross is that your body will tell you when you get enough nic.

Lights and ultra lights are lower in both tar and nicotine than 'regular' cigarettes. 'full flavor' is just a pr tag for some regular cigarettes.
The figures are mg of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide in order:


CAMEL KING F SP 18, 1.4, 20
CAMEL KING F SP LIGHT 11, 0.9, 14
CAMEL KING F SP ULTRA-LT 5, 0.5, 7

 

[Kent C]

You could try your 12mg liquid first, since thats about midway between your 26mg and your 0mg then adjust from there.

I would guess it's better to find out you need more nic than it would be to find out you've taken too much.


Scary, that almost looked like I knew what I was talking about.

Scary perhaps, but right on Mr. Frost. BTW, one early warning of too much nic is hiccups.

 

[CaptJay]

If you get a headache or need the bathroom more than usual - its too much nic
If you want a cig - its not enough.
Its likely that PVs and the mucus membranes in the mouth (thru which hte nic vapor is absorbed) aren't as efficient at getting nic into your bloodstream as your lungs are - it may also be that we get a lot less nic from cigs than we think we do, certainly its possible alot of nic is lost during vaporisation and/or burning tobacco. You WILL get nic, but you may not get 26mg worth per ml - although thats certainly what they put INTO E liquids, as stated on the bottles.
It seems quite hard, from anecdotal evidence, to overdose on nicotine by inhaling it in either form (vapor or smoke) and the fact that hospitals aren't reporting masses of cases from anxious people who smoke too much falling down with nic poisoning. Certainly if you drink the stuff you might kill yourself. Or if you handle raw nicotine as it can be absorbed through skin. For this (using a PV with E lquids) though we are talking small amounts, and it seems to be easy enough to spot the symptoms of 'too much'.
The nic amounts are mg per ml btw, and 26 IS quite high to start with but everyone has different tolerances and needs different amounts. Its not unlike smoking - some people just need 2 a day, some need a whole pack.
Theres a bunch of research into nicotine itself (usually pertaining to tobacco smoking) if you want to google it and read through it all - not a lot pertaining to E Liquids as yet though.

 

[vip0802]

OaklandCA, Dudeman, Mr.Frost, KentC and CaptJay - thank you so much for all the informative replies!

i think i'm going to do what Mr.Frost suggested and try my mid-level juices first, and then see how that goes. thanks CaptJay for letting me know that it was mg per ml...that definitely put things into perspective for me.

maybe i'll start with my Forbidden, and then fill a separate cart with a 50/50 mix of RY4 and VG, and another with just Litchi so i can alternate. oh man, i'm already having visions of a Litchi martini paired with Litchi vape! YUM!

sorry, i'm getting overly excited about this. i ordered from cignot this past Friday so i'm hoping it'll be here by Tuesday-ish. i'll definitely update you all on the outcome!

 

[jgdovin]

OaklandCA, Dudeman, Mr.Frost, KentC and CaptJay - thank you so much for all the informative replies!

i think i'm going to do what Mr.Frost suggested and try my mid-level juices first, and then see how that goes. thanks CaptJay for letting me know that it was mg per ml...that definitely put things into perspective for me.

maybe i'll start with my Forbidden, and then fill a separate cart with a 50/50 mix of RY4 and VG, and another with just Litchi so i can alternate. oh man, i'm already having visions of a Litchi martini paired with Litchi vape! YUM!

sorry, i'm getting overly excited about this. i ordered from cignot this past Friday so i'm hoping it'll be here by Tuesday-ish. i'll definitely update you all on the outcome!

No worries, I think I was just as excited or more to get my first order. I still get excited when an order is in the mail.

Heres to hoping it makes it there today!

 

[Ast_Isis]

Just as an FYI..I smoked a pack of Marlboro Ultra Light 100's per day and found that 24mg/ml liquid in the morning and 18mg/ml liquid other times was right. Mind you that was just when I started vaping and it kept me off cigarettes.

Now I am down to 10mg/ml all day.

 

[vip0802]

No worries, I think I was just as excited or more to get my first order. I still get excited when an order is in the mail.

Heres to hoping it makes it there today!

no kidding! getting a package in the mail is like Christmas morning all over!

oh, and can i just say how amazing i think cignot.com is?! i just tracked my order and instead of receiving it tomorrow like i expected, it's actually going to be here today! 8-o

Merry Christmas to me!!!

 

[vip0802]

Just as an FYI..I smoked a pack of Marlboro Ultra Light 100's per day and found that 24mg/ml liquid in the morning and 18mg/ml liquid other times was right. Mind you that was just when I started vaping and it kept me off cigarettes.

Now I am down to 10mg/ml all day.

good to know, and thanks for the response! i'm hoping this will keep me off cigs too.

oh, and good for you for cutting it down to 10mg.

 

[Mr.Frost]

I'm not sure how many smokers of "Lights" and "Ultra Light" traditional cigarettes know this, it's something I just recently noticed myself.

"Lights" and "Ultra Lights" now come with a branding on the little gold strip you pull to actually open the pack. the branding reads,

" 'Lights' does NOT mean safer. It refers to taste. 'Lights' won't help you quit smoking."

So, lieing and misleading consumers for decades. Suggesting that "Lights" and "Ultra Lights" contained less of anything that "Full Flavor" cigarettes did.

In essence you're smoking a stock cancer stick with a few holes poked in the band around the filter to dilute the original nastiness.

Which might actually mean you end up smoking more because it takes more nasties to satisfy you.

 

[Mister]

This article might help you to recognize when you're getting the right amount of nicotine:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ing-your-symptoms-while-adjusting-vaping.html

The figures are mg of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide in order:
CAMEL KING F SP 18, 1.4, 20
CAMEL KING F SP LIGHT 11, 0.9, 14
CAMEL KING F SP ULTRA-LT 5, 0.5, 7

Be very sceptical of those numbers. They are the result from a machine testing method. Light cigarettes are especially engineered to score lower on the testing method while still enabling smokers to adjust their method of smoking to get more nicotine (and everything else) thanit says on the label. Even for regular cigarettes the number on the label should only be treated as a rough guess.

BTW, one early warning of too much nic is hiccups.

I haven't seen any study which supports this. It is true that swallowing nicotine can trigger hiccups. And of course swallowing nicotine can happen while vaping if a cart is over filled.