I think I'll wait til this gets regulated proper....

[seanhobbs]

OK, I see some good points, and some bad points here, so I thought I would add my $.02

The day I rely on ANY government, government agency, industry, or corporation to look out for MY best interests, health or otherwise, is the day AFTER I die.

The first one (that I recall), was Minoxidil, a pill to treat high blood pressure that was soon discovered to have an interesting side-effect. It increased growth of fine body hair, or in some cases, reversed significant hair loss. It was quickly reformulated as a 5% topical cream and renamed Rogaine (and re-patented) and sold to the masses at a substantial markup compared to Minoxidil. Then came Proscar (Finasteride), a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Once again, quickly renamed to Propecia, (and re-patented) and sold to the masses at a substantial markup compared to Proscar. And since this is a forum pertaining to the benefits of e-cigarettes, smoking cessation, etc., lets not forget Wellbutrin (Bupropion), an atypical antidepressant with an interesting behavioral side-effect of smoking cessation. Again, and without reformulation this time, it was quickly renamed Zyban and sold to the masses at a substantial markup compared to Wellbutrin (even though they are identical). I was actually on Wellbutrin when Zyban came out. Every time I went to get my prescription, the pharmacy would call my doctor (and my insurance company) to be sure I was getting the prescription for depression and not trying to "cheat the system" and get generic Zyban (BTW, my copay for Wellbutrin was $10.00. Zyban was not covered by my insurance, and cost $120.00). Now they have Chantix, with a list of possible side effects that makes smoking analogs look like eating candy.

A few months back I saw a commercial for a prescription medication that would make your eyelashes longer, and don't get me started on ED treatment.

We don't cure diseases anymore, we create ways to maintain disease. We make people with diseases live longer only so they can buy the medications that keep them alive.

Where are the Hilary Koprowski's, the Jonas Salk's, and the Albert Sabin's for our generation?

Anyway.....just my $.02

 

[Sassyonemeis]

I'm not reading thru this entire thread because I have only one comment to make...

Do you KNOW how many things the FDA has approved, knowing and hiding the dangers of, merely for the purpose of Big Pharm greed?? FDA "approval" means NOTHING more than their "client" (Big Pharm) is being served and kept happy. The FDA does NOT truly look out for the health and safety of Americans like you seem to think it does. Do your research and learn the truths about the FDA before putting absolute faith in anything they "approve". Their "approvals" have killed millions of people, and needlessly. They knew and they chose and still to risk others lives for money. Read The Rise of Tyranny for a legal trail of FDA's misconduct.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

It's your choice, OP. If you're waiting for FDA approval you could be waiting for a while. While you're waiting for that oh-so-trusted government office to tell you it's okay, keep in mind that this is the same agency that brought us Fen-Fen, Avandia, Baycol and Vioxx. They said these were safe, but they killed thousands of people. As for me, I'll take my chances because I already know the positive effects vaping has brought to my life.

Chronic Bronchitis? Not anymore.
Developing emphysema and possibly COPD? Nope.
Coughing till I'm dizzy in the morning? Nope.
Able to run up the stairs? Not while I was smoking, but now I can! I just did 1.8 miles on the elliptical machine at the gym in 20 minutes. Wouldn't have even thought about attempting it while I was smoking.

Vaping is the only thing that got me off the cigarettes and has kept me off of them. I can't use the patch because I'm allergic. The gum made me sick and Zyban turned me into a mindless zombie. No way was I trying Chantrix. So, try quitting cold turkey or just keep using your FDA approved cancer sticks. I wish you well.

 

[Mudflap]

The OP is not reading this thread.

 

[Craig645]

The OP is not reading this thread.

Agreed. We like to defend what's quite obvious to us, e-cigs make us all feel better and better about ourselves.

 

[OMG!]

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" ~ Ronald Reagan


I always thought this quote was funny until I realized it was the truth.

 

[GMoney]

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" ~ Ronald Reagan


I always thought this quote was funny until I realized it was the truth.

Very nice quote OMG! How true,

 

[Quaato]

The day I rely on ANY government, government agency, industry, or corporation to look out for MY best interests, health or otherwise, is the day AFTER I die.

AMEN!!!

I'm actually inclined to go with things that DO NOT have gov't approval. I do not now and never will I trust the gov't about anything.

 

[jchaim]

nice quote, and perfect when it comes to ecigs, : )

 

[DaveP]

My 2 cents worth ...

Ecigs, after much research on what's available, present themselves to me as a viable alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Tests have been conducted on rats where they lived for two years in a high concentration of PG fog. The result was that the test group, at the end of two years, was healthier than the control group that lived in ordinary room air. Pg can be irritating to some, but there's VG that is less irritating and much smoother to the throat and lungs.

That leaves the flavors and the extracted nicotine in the juice. The flavors are designed to be cooked into bakery goods. There's no issue with people who bake all day unless they are breathing diacetyl (butter flavor) into their lungs. Avoid that!

The nicotine has shown itself to be relatively harmless in the quantities we encounter. Yes, there are trace amounts of carcinogens (TSAs) due to the extraction process from tobacco, but they are miniscule and the nicotine comes from the sames sources as that in Nicorette gum. Look at the testing results:
http://www.casaa.org/resources/lab.asp

Overall, IMO, vaping is a drastically safer vehicle for inhaling nicotine than burning tobacco (or any other burned vegetable source). I'll take my chances with Ecigs any day over tobacco.

 

[smilinglila]

You have to do what's best for you, but I have to tell you I two have smoked for 20some odd years and when I decided to give e-cigs a try, I quit the very first day. I had tried other way's but this by far was the easiest. Good luck

 

[rise2it]

We're about the same age.

Name ONE problem the government has solved in our lifetime - just one.

Can you honestly name a single thing that was made BETTER by having the government stick it's hand into it?

...didn't think so.

 

[TNT]

I'm the last person who's going to claim that e-cigs are safe, safer, or just as dangerous as cigarettes but a whole lot more fun. We have tons of anecdotal evidence that many (myself included) are saying, "I feel a whole lot better now...", but we don't really know a whole lot about them.

But, two things stand out for me.

1. I have a complex disorder and often, my doctor has prescribed the latest FDA-approved miracle cure pretty much the same day it appeared in pharmacies. And then, some months later, the doctor would call me in for a sitdown... "The FDA just issued a 'black box warning' about the prescription you've been taking. That means continuing to take it has a small, but real, possibility it could kill you."

2. Doctors and health care advocates and whatever debate endlessly about what could happen with e-cigs. And yet, my daily search of "electronic cigarettes" on Google News have yet to yield a single, "Doctors and hospitals around the country are reporting an increase in visits from people who've been using these things and suffering ill effects."

I don't know what the short or long-term effects of vaping are. Still, I've seen nothing in the news that's truly discouraging. (That is, news articles that say, "imagine the damage these things might do" are far different from, "this is the damage these things are doing.")

Edit: here's how Chantix became FDA approved:

"During the premarketing development of CHANTIX, over 4500 subjects
were exposed to CHANTIX, with over 450 treated for at least 24 weeks and
approximately 100 for a year. Most study participants were treated for 12 weeks
or less."

http://media.pfizer.com/files/products/uspi_chantix.pdf

 

[dormouse]

regulated proper like cigarettes and their 4000 chemicals and carcinogens?

Instead I will inhale just 5 of the safer things that are already in cigarettes: nicotine, pg, vg, water, food flavoring

 

[lppa2006]

It's true that nobody really KNOWS whether or not 40+ years of directly inhaling from an ecig is healthier than a normal cig. Short-term I'm sure the ecigs are far better for the lungs, but while PG/VG has been declared "safe" it also hasn't been used in this fashion - direct and frequent inhalation for years on end.

I realize you are saying direct inhalation, but imagine all of the people working in clubs and special effects that have been using fog machines, pretty sure its similar in nature, of course i could be wrong. But i mean fog machines are deemed pretty harmless, and from what ive read PG can be part of the Fog Juice.

I dunno im not super worried about it at this point, i doubt its worse than analogs on any level. I just hope they don't get banned in the US because of big tobacco.

 

[dormouse]

propylene glycol is apparently used in some inhalation therapies too

 

[bigtimeweb]

PG, because of its water-retaining properties, is the compound of choice for delivering atomized medication. PG has been used as the aqueous-based chemical additive in asthma inhalers and nebulizers since the 1950s, with no serious side effects known.

2011-1950 = 61 years. People with asthma indeed DO use these devices for "direct and frequent inhalation for years on end." Still no serious side effects known. I'm comfortable with that in and of itself, but YMMV.

Considering the OP has ONE post and hasn't returned to this thread at all for any insight, I have to assume this is covert trolling.

 

[al-fredo]

The spread of electronic "delivery" of nicotine is actually seen as a danger to the economic stability of governments and big interest groups.
The reality of all the FDA opposition is that the governments (federal and states) will not let go to easily the billions of dollars they are receiving from tobacco taxes and settlements.
The big tobacco obviously will put all the weight that their money can buy to stop this danger for the moment, but at some point they will try to get ownership of this technology. Why not, instead of selling cigarettes they will sell juice.
The way I see it is that at some point the government (trough his body call FDA) will regulate the product, and it will do it in such a complex way that only the big ones will be able to process and market the juices; at that point they will add taxes on the juice that will be equal or higher than the taxes we pay today for cigarettes.
Just to give a small example. in Italy the government has the monopoly not only of the cigarettes but of the matches too. I don’t know if it is still the case, but when I was living there anyone buying a lighter was supposed to buy a tax stamp every year and carry in it in his pocket, the disposable lighter were sold with a stamp already glued on the side. This gives an idea, the "new technology lighters" were reducing the tax revenue and they did something about it.

 

[pianoguy]

Here's a trustworthy FDA employee:

SEC Charges FDA Chemist With Insider Trading Ahead of Drug Approval Announcements

 

[Tracker II]

When the government puts their stamp of approval on it, it's considered lible and in good faith; therefore you can expect it to be safe and you can vape knowing it's been reviewed by professionals and its backed ala FDIC insured banks. In other words: Peace of Mind...

Now THAT'S funny!