Is this normal? Day 3 e-cig - brain fogginess..

[Rixx]

Hi all,

I've been lurking on this forum for a while, but only really made the move to e-cigs a few days ago. Today is Day 3.

I always put off quitting smoking because of the effect that quitting has always had on my cognitive performance. I always found myself to be a little more 'spaced out', less aggressive when approaching thinking tasks, and had frequent pangs of not being able to concentrate.

I buy in to all of the health benefits of quitting smoking. However, this brain issue was a deal breaker for me.

So - I thought I could have the best of both worlds from e-cigs. Now I had no excuses - BUT - today is Day 3 and I have been feeling the same way as I would after quitting cold turkey i.e. spaced out, inability to concentrate, more passive or Blasé etc. It can't be the nicotine as the e-cig takes care of that..

Could it be that the one or more of toxic chemicals in an analog could aid concentration and work productivity? Or am I over-thinking this i.e. the above brain fogginess is temporary and merely a symptom of my body detoxing? If so how long should this last?

Has anyone else experienced the above? Has anyone else made it through to the post detox period where concentration and clarity returned? How long does it take?

I used to smoke 20 a day (1 pack) of Benson and Hedges SILVER (not Gold). I am currently using the 18mg e-liquid. Is this too much or too little? Could this be causing an issue with my concentrating?

Any feedback, experiences, or insights would be most appreciated!!

Cheers
RS

 

[Bunnykiller]

ahhh yes the cloudies... one of the side effects of reducing/quitting ciggies... I have to agree that there is something in ciggies that has something to do with it ( cloudies)
I got over mine in about 3-4 weeks ( but then again I was tapering off of ciggies, didnt go totally off of them)
I also upped my nic level to 24-36 range.

 

[GreenEyesDon'tLie]

It is because of the other chemicals in cigarettes, as are most of the withdrawal symptom from quitting. But it's temporary, if you stick it out it gets better. How long varies person to person, could be anywhere from a week to a month, but it's worth it to wait it out. Once that's over you'll feel great.

18mg is fine to start out with, you need a bit of punch in the beginning, but after a month or couple I would suggest bringing it down. I started on 18 (after being a ..... and thinking I needed 24), and switched down to 12 after a month.

 

[CreepyLady]

It is precisely as GreenEyesDon'tLie states. There is a ton of information available on the ADDITIONAL chemicals in cigarettes. It seems to be these days that most BT compancies are very focused on "beneficial additives" and "genetically modified tobacco".

Pharmacological and Chemical Effects of Cigarette Additives here is some info and good ol google will link you to tons so that you may find and vet your own resources of choice. But its pretty gross and that phase ends quickly. Your brain is detoxing from the crazy town chemicals beyond the nicotine.

Then there is fun stuff like the MAOI affect on the brain....

There are thousands of chemicals other than nicotine constituents in cigarette smoke, of which one, or several, may affect mood in much the same way as a group of antidepressant medications called monoamine oxidase inhibitors or (MAOIs). These MAOIs effectively increase levels of specific neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood. Smoking, therefore, may be a way for depressed individuals to self-medicate depressive symptoms. Psych Central - Depression and Smoking

Just wait it out it doesnt last more than 7-10 days (for most its much less than that) and you will be right as rain before you know it

 

[-mj01-]

Personally, when I quit, I did so at 18mg and did not experience such things. In the past, going cold turkey or using the patch/gum/pill, I was really spaced out.

When I did quit, I hit my e-cig like it was going out of style. I did find that whilst I wasn't becoming "spacey" my sleep patterns were really disturbed. This took about a month to pass.

Disclaimer: Results vary

 

[Rixx]

Thank you for the responses! I read through the link that CreepyLady provided and was quite disturbed to learn about the sources of some of these chemical additives in cigarettes; however, I couldn't quite glean any info. on whether there are chemicals which actually enhance brain performance..

I guess I shouldn't be trying so hard to find them (as that would weaken my resolve)! If I'm understanding comments in this thread correctly, these brain fog symptoms will pass.. (I really hope so)..

I'm due to take an elaborate standardised/IQ test in a few months which is why I'm so focused on this topic. I recently took the exam and did very badly. Thus, for some benign reason, I figured I should quit smoking as the additional 'oxygen' in the brain and better sleeping pattern would help.. but I'm not so sure anymore as I feel like I have ADHD!!..

 

[realsis]

You will be fine, I promise this will pass!! I'm on day 15 now and I assure you, you will soon feel better than ever! The first 4 or 5 days are the roughest
I am vaping a 24MG nicotine so their was no nicotine withdraw but I got foggy brain as well I'm guessing from the other toxins. You have almost made it over that hump. Just hang in there and you will be so happy you did!! Congratulations on quitting! ! It will get better an you will have more energy soon. Best wishes

 

[DC2]

Waiting it out may be a good idea.

But if you try to wait it out and find it isn't working then you need to read this...
Whole Tobacco Alkaloids

You may be one of the estimated 20% that could use the additional MAOIs that you are now missing.

WTA juice is one option.
Swedish snus are another good option.

 

[Anjaffm]

@CreepyLady:
great links, thank you

--------

Getting muddle-headed is a normal symptom of smoking cessation. As was said before, you now get only the nicotine, not the cocktail of other substances in tobacco smoke. So, you do go through withdrawals for those other substances. And this is when smokers who quit cold turkey will reach for a cigarette....

It is often said that withdrawal symptoms (for the substances in tobacco smoke) happen at:
3 days - 3 weeks - 3 months.

You may wish to try the Whole Tobacco Alkaloids that DC2 mentioned. They are not available in my home country, but I read often that they take care of those nasty withdrawal symptoms.

By the way:
You are not alone. Most vapers went through the "blahs". Those are normal symptoms of smoking cessation.
Vape on

 

[Rixx]

Waiting it out may be a good idea.

But if you try to wait it out and find it isn't working then you need to read this...
Whole Tobacco Alkaloids

You may be one of the estimated 20% that could use the additional MAOIs that you are now missing.

WTA juice is one option.
Swedish snus are another good option.

Thanks for this DC2 - I had no idea that this separate area of ecig's existed. I hope I'm not a part of that minority (sigh)..

I started to read through the links and noticed that there has been a buzz about the nicotine content in e-liquid and whether an adequate amount is absorbed by the body. I've only just started to look through all of this and there already seems to be a lot of mixed conclusions, questions, etc. It all seems quite convoluted!

All I am concerned with is brain performance without the gunk! Has anyone looked through all of this content? Can anyone summarise? I'm already wondering whether I should try the 24mg Nicotine liquid that I have here to see how that fares.. however, I don't want to be become more addicted to the stuff!

 

[DC2]

Has anyone looked through all of this content? Can anyone summarise?

My link was a summary.

You must have clicked on the "Are we getting it thread" link and got lost.
Don't try to read that, it's way too long.

Go back to the summary link that I posted.

 

[GreMos90]

There's too much reading but I'm experiencing this to a T... I'll be writing a text or something and just hit a brick wall. Trying to think of some pathetic word I've used a million times before and can't come up with it. My latest was "competent"... Like... Really? Just a mess upstairs in the cranial area as of late... So it's NOT from vaping and from coming off the cigs?

 

[alisa1970]

I think it's pretty common...especially in the first week. I was very foggy and spacey the first week. It went away completely by the end of week 2. Unless you have some other underlying conditions, you'll be fine by the time you have to take your test.

 

[AmandaD]

I used to get foggy every time I quit smoking, but I didn't get it when I picked up ecigs instead. A friend just started on ecigs and was getting very foggy - I made her an extremely strong unflavored nic base, and that solved her problem. You may need much more nic to get over the next few days imo. I chain vape but my friend vapes like she smoked - just a quit hit now and then. As a result she wasn't getting enough nicotine.

 

[guitardoc64]

It is precisely as GreenEyesDon'tLie states. There is a ton of information available on the ADDITIONAL chemicals in cigarettes. It seems to be these days that most BT compancies are very focused on "beneficial additives" and "genetically modified tobacco".

Pharmacological and Chemical Effects of Cigarette Additives here is some info and good ol google will link you to tons so that you may find and vet your own resources of choice. But its pretty gross and that phase ends quickly. Your brain is detoxing from the crazy town chemicals beyond the nicotine.

Then there is fun stuff like the MAOI affect on the brain....

There are thousands of chemicals other than nicotine constituents in cigarette smoke, of which one, or several, may affect mood in much the same way as a group of antidepressant medications called monoamine oxidase inhibitors or (MAOIs). These MAOIs effectively increase levels of specific neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood. Smoking, therefore, may be a way for depressed individuals to self-medicate depressive symptoms. Psych Central - Depression and Smoking

Just wait it out it doesnt last more than 7-10 days (for most its much less than that) and you will be right as rain before you know it

That study is pretty scary. Apparently smokers are lab rats in an experiment being conducted by BT. I'm even more glad I quit.
On topic, give it a week or so. I started with 24mg and a week or so later it was too much. I think it was my lungs clearing out and being better able to absorb the nicotine.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Anjaffm]

@Rixx:
yes, this is kind of difficult at first.

First of all: What hardware are you using?

If you are using atomizers like an EVOD or a Vivi Nova, then I would recommend trying the 24 mg/ml nic liquid. I would recommend a flavor that can be mixed with your other flavors, so in case it is too strong, then you can "mix it down" in the tank of your PV. With normal beginners hardware, you cannot really overdo it with vaping. Your body will tell you when you have enough. And you will put the PV down automatically (like pushing away your plate when you cannot fit any more food into your stomach).

- - I learned to ask about the hardware in another thread, where an experienced vaper cautioned that some beginners now actually use RDA (make your own coils) advanced atomizers that are made for them by some shop owners. - -

And no, you do not absorb the nicotine from vaping like you absorb the nicotine from smoking tobacco. For one thing, it takes longer. So it is a good idea to take a vape or two before you absolutely, positively need your nicotine NOW.

And once piece of advice which helped me a lot when I started out:
When you absolutely, positively, want to have your nicotine hit right now (like with morning coffee)
- inhale deeply
- hold it for a while
- exhale slowly and with pleasure
- repeat 2 - 3 times
--> bingo: nicotine hit right now

 

[-Redd-]

There's too much reading but I'm experiencing this to a T... I'll be writing a text or something and just hit a brick wall. Trying to think of some pathetic word I've used a million times before and can't come up with it. My latest was "competent"... Like... Really? Just a mess upstairs in the cranial area as of late... So it's NOT from vaping and from coming off the cigs?

I get that a lot but I put it down to my age. The old brain cells start to go when you pass 50.

 

[Mushroomie]

Personally I didn't quit cold turkey. I had just bought my week supply of analogs when I started vaping. I could not smoke though after vaping. Analogs just tasted nasty so I had 3 analogs a day one in the morn first thing before I vaped 1 on the way home from work. I don't smoke at work and one before bed. That one usually was butted out because I vaped before that one and like I said it tasted really bad. I never had the fogginess everyone is talking about. After a week though I sure noticed my sense of smell and taste start to come back. Proud to say 5 months or so analog free and I am never going back. I love the Vape right now someday yes I do hope to stop but right now its working and that's all I need right now.

Peace,

Mushroomie