Lowering nicotine

[jseah]

I've been on 18mg since late October, next month I plan on dropping it down to 16mg, will I notice a difference? I'm worried about cravings.
Thanks

I started with blu's at 24 mg, and then switched to the Halo Triton (with 2.5 ohm coils) at 24 mg. With the greater efficiency, that was the first time I actually got sick from too much nicotine. My first big step down was to 12 mg, but I also upgraded to an even more efficient delivery system (Aspire Nautilus and iStick 50) at the same time. I did notice a change the first day.....I started jonesing for a vape and would get jittery. I got past that by vaping more often. That only lasted for a day to a day and a half. My next step down was to 6 mg when I started subohming. Didn't have any issues at all. I've been subohming since May of last year and still no issues, although by around July/August last year I started to notice that 6 mg was too high for me because it was so rough on my throat so I dropped down to 3 mg, which was also about the time I started using drippers.

If you look at the nicotine strength and the amount of juice that I vape, I am still probably taking in about the same amount of nicotine. At 24 mg, I used to vape about 3 to 4 ml a day. At 3 mg, I vape anywhere from 20-30 ml a day.

 

[leftyandsparky]

I started with blu's at 24 mg, and then switched to the Halo Triton (with 2.5 ohm coils) at 24 mg. With the greater efficiency, that was the first time I actually got sick from too much nicotine. My first big step down was to 12 mg, but I also upgraded to an even more efficient delivery system (Aspire Nautilus and iStick 50) at the same time. I did notice a change the first day.....I started jonesing for a vape and would get jittery. I got past that by vaping more often. That only lasted for a day to a day and a half. My next step down was to 6 mg when I started subohming. Didn't have any issues at all. I've been subohming since May of last year and still no issues, although by around July/August last year I started to notice that 6 mg was too high for me because it was so rough on my throat so I dropped down to 3 mg, which was also about the time I started using drippers.

If you look at the nicotine strength and the amount of juice that I vape, I am still probably taking in about the same amount of nicotine. At 24 mg, I used to vape about 3 to 4 ml a day. At 3 mg, I vape anywhere from 20-30 ml a day.

Thank you!

 

[rgerber]

We are all very different when it comes to our nicotine. I started out with 24 mg and in two years I only need 24 mgs now. I am hoping to cut it down to 24 mgs next year. Keep your fingers crossed. Nearly 60 years of pipes and cigars caused me to need a little more nic. Still, not one tobacco puff in over two years! Do what feels good and works for you...

 

[leftyandsparky]

Thanks everyone! I'm gonna keep 2 tanks, one with 18mg and one with a lower dose and go from there.

 

[jwbnyc]

That's a good plan.

It's also what I do.

Trying to force your nic down usually leads to problems.

The thing I've noticed is that your body will tell you when you're ready to drop lower. You'll start to get mild over-nic symptoms. Eventually, you'll just be ready and you will know it.

The main thing is to just keep vaping.

 

[leftyandsparky]

That's a good plan.

It's also what I do.

Trying to force your nic down usually leads to problems.

The thing I've noticed is that your body will tell you when you're ready to drop lower. You'll start to get mild over-nic symptoms. Eventually, you'll just be ready and you will know it.

The main thing is to just keep vaping.

That's what I'm hoping for!

 

[Eskie]

And remember, how you vape also affects how much nic you need to satisfy any craving. When I started cigalikes such as Blu at 24 mg, they didn't work. Then I tried Vuse, which was supposedly 48 mg (I always wonder in those carts like Blu or Vuse how much you're "really" getting) and that did it for me. I was finally able to stop my pack and a half Marlboro habit. After several months, like @jseah, I moved on to a Triton system with 24 mg Tribeca, and it seemed to be fine. I've now moved on to a Plato with the 1.8 ohm coil for MTL, and a Pico with a Triton mini and a Cerotank, also both higher ohm 1.8 and low wattage and still on 24 mg juice. However, I just tried a new juice that only came in 18 mg as the strongest, and find it just as satisfying.

If you go with a subohm, DL type setup, you need way less nic to get the same, so 6 mg on a subohm tank and coil might be more satisfying than 12 or 18 mg on a MTL tank. However, you go through far more juice at higher wattage than lower, so it might in the end all be a washout. I would really suggest not getting caught up in how much nic you need, but focus on just how great it is to not be smoking.

 

[VNeil]

Despite what you likely see in the media nic is harmless. Really. The only reason to drop your nic is that nic may get expensive or hard to get as a result of deeming.

In the meantime never lose track of your objective to QUIT SMOKING. Never risk a relapse over some arbitrary nic reduction program. You will, eventually, lower your nic use and your body will tell you when you are ready. Every day you don't smoke is a huge victory, regardless of your nic consumption.

 

[englishmick]

Funny how different people are. Even in this short thread.

Motives come into it too. I started out assuming I would eventually move down to zero. Just seemed like the obvious thing to do. Now I'm at around 8 - 10 and no plans to go lower. I read about the Alzheimer's / nicotine effect and decided to keep the nic.

I started with 24. After a couple of months I went down to 18 without even noticing. It was so easy I went down again to 12 a few weeks later, which was a major fail. I had to go back up to 18 fast. A few months after that I tried 12 again and it went OK except I vaped more for a while.

My advice is, if you drop the nic and it gets difficult, don't tough it out. Just go back up for a while. Vaping shouldn't become a painful austerity in the service of attaining some arbitrary mg number. Keep it fun. Some people stay on higher nic levels indefinitely, can't or don't want to go lower, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mowgli]

Don't stress it. 18mg to 16mg is like taking 9 puffs in 2 minutes instead of 10.

 

[coolerat]

I've been on 18mg since late October, next month I plan on dropping it down to 16mg, will I notice a difference? I'm worried about cravings.
Thanks

I am a nic user and have no plans to stop as long as I'm able to get it. If someday I stop I'd like it to be my choice.

But the level depends on gear and stress level.

On the tootle puffer gear I know you have I can do 12-24mg and its like vaping air. I have to chain vape at that level and take in a crazy amount of nic.

But with my Goon I do 3mg and get a little loopy. I think I just absorb more nic. Tootle puffing causes me to use twice the nic but most of it just gets blown out. A big hit off the Goon puts the nic right down to my toes.

I also notice I tend to use the same amount of juice no matter what I do. Be it non-stop fuffing on a tootle or a big whack ever so often on a bigger unit at the end of the day its the same ML just with tootler I take in twice to four times the MG.

 

[VNeil]

Let us know how it goes! My guess is you'll never notice a drop of 1-2mg at a time. I think I went 24-->18-->12. Don't recall the details. But it was absolutely painless. When I was at 12 I got the idea of dropping 1mg at a time -. I DIY so it would have been easy. But I tried 12--->6 in one shot (halving) and didn't even notice it. A few months later I went to 3.

A month or two later I tried zero and had no real cravings. But if I stopped vaping I got an urge. And then the light clicked on-. At least for me it had become mostly behavioral not chemical.

You may be pleasantly surprised

 

[VNeil]

Oh yea just remembered. When I was at 12 I noticed occasional mild nausea. That's when I went to 6 and the nausea never came back, and I didn't miss the missing nic

 

[leftyandsparky]

Let us know how it goes! My guess is you'll never notice a drop of 1-2mg at a time. I think I went 24-->18-->12. Don't recall the details. But it was absolutely painless. When I was at 12 I got the idea of dropping 1mg at a time -. I DIY so it would have been easy. But I tried 12--->6 in one shot (halving) and didn't even notice it. A few months later I went to 3.

A month or two later I tried zero and had no real cravings. But if I stopped vaping I got an urge. And then the light clicked on-. At least for me it had become mostly behavioral not chemical.

You may be pleasantly surprised

I will, I keep a vaping journal,so I will update!

 

[VNeil]

I will, I keep a vaping journal,so I will update!

Something I wish I'd done... track your daily usage in ml and mg level.

A lot of people find that reducing nic level increases quantity vaped. Probably a good number to track - total mg consumed daily. Just multiply ml vaped times mg. Also track gear used and power level.

 

[Yiana]

Well, that's the beauty of this whole process: If a nic level drop is a problem you can always change it back.

In the general scheme of this issue, don't make yourself crazy 'forcing' things to a zero nic level as soon as possible. I know a lot of people get hung up on that "monkey on my back" self-perception, but if you drop your nic level too quickly, and then jump right to quitting vaping, it often backfires.

A smoking addiction is a lot more insiduous than most people give it credit for. Even with vaping the sudden cravings for a smoke can still pop up years into vaping. Nicotine via vaping isn't the big scary health issue, tar from burning processed tobacco is what has the big potential to do you in.

True.

 

[leftyandsparky]

Something I wish I'd done... track your daily usage in ml and mg level.

A lot of people find that reducing nic level increases quantity vaped. Probably a good number to track - total mg consumed daily. Just multiply ml vaped times mg. Also track gear used and power level.

My Dr. Made me do it for mood swings,and allergy to pg.

 

[Yiana]

I started vaping three years ago 18-24, then dropped to 12, it took awhile to drop to 6. I had tried but ended up back at 12. When my body felt it was time I dropped to 6 and when I got down to 3, it was no big deal. I am down to 2, I diy and plan to stay there.
Good luck! As long as you don't go back to smoking you will be fine.

 

[leftyandsparky]

Thanks! I rather take a @$$ kicking then go back to smoking!

 

[VNeil]

I started vaping three years ago 18-24, then dropped to 12, it took awhile to drop to 6. I had tried but ended up back at 12. When my body felt it was time I dropped to 6 and when I got down to 3, it was no big deal. I am down to 2, I diy and plan to stay there.
Good luck! As long as you don't go back to smoking you will be fine.

3 years... I'm proud of ya!