My doc surprised me (long)
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I really enjoyed reading your story and you are indeed a great writer. I am so happy you found vaping and it has changed your life. I to was diagnoised with clinical depression and was told not to try and quit smoking by my doctors as they feared it would throw me into a deeper depression. Finally my health got to a point where I had to do something and the e-cig is the way I have gone. I am 10 days into this and today is my first day with no analog and its not easy, in fact I was in bed and was feeling so bad that I needed to come here and read some positive forum post. I must say, yours has helped. Good Luck to you!!
Wrain, what strength juice are you using? I couldn't stop smoking until I went from 18mg to 24mg, and I keep some 30 & 36mg around for strong cravings.
That's not it. The post I referred to talked specifically about an Ego-T and cignot.com. Your post prompted me to search again with no luck. I'd really like to find it now and let the poster know how he changed my life. I mean, that's what reddit does, no?
The thread in which I found it may not have been specifically about not smoking. I found it on the main page so it could be an older post that suddenly got hot. I searched everything about non-smoking back 2 months and didn't find it.
I'm so glad my post has given you some hope. I went through the hell of no cigarettes for weeks before I tried an e-cig, which helped a lot. The immediate relief I got convinced me that I would not only survive with vaping, I would flourish. I agree with mlinky that maybe you should try stronger nic juices at first and perhaps dripping for a bigger throat hit. My first hit with a mega cart, dripped with backwood's 555, a week or so into vaping was a WOW moment for me. Now I drip at home and cart while out and about. Also, my first juices were in the mid 20s in nic content. I've halved that recently and am able to vape more and not get too wired on the nic.
I'm rooting for you here, as I think everyone who see your post is. I know the mix of health vs depression. I struggled with it for years before I quit, due to health. May you find what you need in vaping.
I just spoke with my doctor, too, and he said that it's definitely a lot safer than normal cigarettes and to go for it! He also said that if/when I was ready to talk to him, he could start me on Chantix or Welbutrin, to quit the nic, completely. I just told him that with the stepping down capabilities, I shouldn't need anything in a couple months' time.
At least there are docs out there that know what they're doing and encourage their patients to do the right thing!
At least there are docs out there that know what they're doing and encourage their patients to do the right thing!
Chiming in with another welcome! I had never had a support group in any quit attempts before...cuz I didn't need one, lol....well, now not only have I found e cigs, but the largest support group around!! It's such a freedom not to have to smoke...
My doc was upset with me at first, since my disability is interfered with by nicotine (nerve degeneration) and I calmly explained that, hey, I was smoking anywayz...he lightened up when I told him I could control my nic level and eventually wean down to 0 nic. Now he's all over it and finding info on his own and recommending them!! Even though he is an orthopedic surgeon, he would always write scripts for smoking cessation for his smoking patients. Now he's handing out e cig info!! YES!!
I'll bet you end up with this as your new hobby, like almost everyone here...it's so much fun to play with new toys
and try new flavors...it keeps it exciting and new. And it's a bonus to smell like cookies instead of an ashtray. Just remember to keep the juice away from kids and pets. And tell your friend that if they outlaw these things, we're ALL gonna descend upon him/her!!
My doc was upset with me at first, since my disability is interfered with by nicotine (nerve degeneration) and I calmly explained that, hey, I was smoking anywayz...he lightened up when I told him I could control my nic level and eventually wean down to 0 nic. Now he's all over it and finding info on his own and recommending them!! Even though he is an orthopedic surgeon, he would always write scripts for smoking cessation for his smoking patients. Now he's handing out e cig info!! YES!!
I'll bet you end up with this as your new hobby, like almost everyone here...it's so much fun to play with new toys
and try new flavors...it keeps it exciting and new. And it's a bonus to smell like cookies instead of an ashtray. Just remember to keep the juice away from kids and pets. And tell your friend that if they outlaw these things, we're ALL gonna descend upon him/her!!
My doctor was also delighted that I switched to vaping and quit smoking entirely. I even pulled my eGo out of my shirt pocket and blew vapor in his face so he could see it was vapor, not smoke. He thought it was great, and was tickled to death to see this lifelong smoker kick the burning leaves so easily. I asked him if there was any health danger from the nicotine alone and he shrugged and said, "It's a mild stimulant, like caffeine."
Chiming in with another welcome! I had never had a support group in any quit attempts before...cuz I didn't need one, lol....well, now not only have I found e cigs, but the largest support group around!! It's such a freedom not to have to smoke...
My doc was upset with me at first, since my disability is interfered with by nicotine (nerve degeneration) and I calmly explained that, hey, I was smoking anywayz...he lightened up when I told him I could control my nic level and eventually wean down to 0 nic. Now he's all over it and finding info on his own and recommending them!! Even though he is an orthopedic surgeon, he would always write scripts for smoking cessation for his smoking patients. Now he's handing out e cig info!! YES!!
I'll bet you end up with this as your new hobby, like almost everyone here...it's so much fun to play with new toys
Can you point me to some studies on humans showing that nerve degeration is adversely affected by nicotine?
This abstract reports on a protective effect of nicotine on one type of degeneration. Chronic oral nicotine treatment protects against s... [J Neurochem. 2006] - PubMed result
Several people have reported seeing beneficial effecs from nicotine on chronic pain and on Guillain-Barre syndrome. Maybe there is a different illness where nicotine harms instead of helps the problem?
Congratulations and welcome to the rest of your life 
My doc has been very supportive too. A year later I have now found my perfect PV setup and my "all-day" vape. I discovered I needed more (read: maoi sub's by way of Wellbutrin and snuff), and I can finally say that I am smoke-free.
It's a great feeling.
Sent from my pod
My doc has been very supportive too. A year later I have now found my perfect PV setup and my "all-day" vape. I discovered I needed more (read: maoi sub's by way of Wellbutrin and snuff), and I can finally say that I am smoke-free.
It's a great feeling.
Sent from my pod
Welcome Pion. Yes, I certainly believe every word of your story. As Dee pointed out, I had very similar experiences. Nicotine abstinence is unworkable for me. Prozac helped to take the edge off the deep depression, but it was difficult to totally overcome feeling down and out when I was unable to perform my work because I could not concentrate, and kept forgetting what I was doing. I figured if the problems with concentration and memory had not subsided after 6 months of abstinence, they were not going to get any better. So I went back to smoking and became a normal, productive human being again.
At the time, I had no idea that there was a type of smokeless tobacco, snus, that does not involve spitting and that is many magnitudes less harmful than smoking. I didn't learn about the relative safety of smokelss tobacco products until I had already been vaping for 6 months. I was outraged that this information has been kept hidden from the public. I was outraged that the Tobacco Control community is so damn sure that no-nic is best for everyone that they felt justified in convincing the government to require misleading warning labels.
"This product is not a safe alternative to smoking" is not, strictly speaking, untrue. But it fails to tell the whole truth. The whole truth is that "This product is only 98% to 99% safer than smoking." They can get away with saying it isn't "safe" because nothing can be proven 100% safe. But how ethical is it to steer people away from something that is almost certain to be better for them than smoking?
So, I became an activist.
The depression I went through was so frightening that I was unwilling to go off the Prozac, even after I began smoking again. As it turns out, it may have been helping the smoking to some extent, because I never went back to the 2-1/2 packs a day of Lights that I had been smoking before. A couple of years later, the Prozac seemed to stop working, so I was switched to Wellbutrin and have been on it ever since.
When I learned that smokers often compensate for low nicotine cigarettes by smoking more of them, I remembered that I had been a one-pack a day smoker for over 10 years before switching to Lights, because the Surgeon General told me that Lights were less harmful. So it occurred to me that if I could find a brand of cigarette with a really high level of nicotine, maybe I could get away with smoking fewer of them.
Between the Wellbutrin and the higher nicotine cigarettes, I got my intake back down to a pack a day. By then, nicotine gum was available in a higher strength, could be purchased without prescription, and was finally offered in a more palatable flavor than "Licking an Ashtray." I found that I am unable to chew more than 4 or 5 pieces a day. My stomach rebels at any higher number of pieces of gum per day. But adding the 4-5 pieces of gum to the Wellbutrin and the higher nicotine cigarettes got me down to 1/2 pack a day, where I stayed for several years.
Electronic cigarettes knocked out the final 10 cigarettes. I have been smoke-free since March 27, 2009.
As far as doctors' reactions go, my Internal Specialist had been on my case for years to quit. I kept trying to explain to him what happens when I am abstinent from nicotine, but I'm sure that he did not grasp how serious the problems were for me. After all, he had been taught that "withdrawal symptoms" only last a couple of weeks and then they go away. (Uh-huh, and my friend Harvey, the pooka, is invisible.)
He suggested I try the patch or gum. I explained that I had tried the patch numerous times, but it was unworkable as a permanent replacement because my skin breaks out if I use patches for more than a couple of days running. "Permanent?" His expression told me he was considering sending me off to the loony bin. "Why would you need to use it permanently?" I explained to him (once again) that the problems with memory and concentration did not go away and that the doctors told me that they had no treatment they could give me. I told him that since nicotine does keep the symptoms under control, the only other alternative I could think of would be if science came up with a safer source of nicotine that did not give me a rash or constant belching. This conversation took place five or six years go.
At the time I had never heard of Tobacco Harm Reduction. I recommend that you learn all you can about this. There are doctors who believe that millions of lives could be saved by providing reduced-harm alternative sources of nicotine to smokers.
I still see the Internal Specialist described above. He is happy that I am not smoking and is not adverse to electronic cigarettes. But I still think he believes that it would be healthiest for me to give up nicotine. I wish he could walk a mile in my shoes.
Resources:
CASAA | The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association
Tobaccoharmreduction.org
http://www.tobaccoprogram.org/pdf/4fc74817-64c5-4105-951e-38239b09c5db.pdf
Tobacco Truth
The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
Tobacco Harm Reduction: News & Opinions
The Truth About Nicotine
And if you want to know what we are up against in fighting the folks who brought you the "This product is not a safe alternative..." message: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: The Godber blueprint
Sorry, this has been pretty long, too. I hope it helps some readers.
At the time, I had no idea that there was a type of smokeless tobacco, snus, that does not involve spitting and that is many magnitudes less harmful than smoking. I didn't learn about the relative safety of smokelss tobacco products until I had already been vaping for 6 months. I was outraged that this information has been kept hidden from the public. I was outraged that the Tobacco Control community is so damn sure that no-nic is best for everyone that they felt justified in convincing the government to require misleading warning labels.
"This product is not a safe alternative to smoking" is not, strictly speaking, untrue. But it fails to tell the whole truth. The whole truth is that "This product is only 98% to 99% safer than smoking." They can get away with saying it isn't "safe" because nothing can be proven 100% safe. But how ethical is it to steer people away from something that is almost certain to be better for them than smoking?
So, I became an activist.
The depression I went through was so frightening that I was unwilling to go off the Prozac, even after I began smoking again. As it turns out, it may have been helping the smoking to some extent, because I never went back to the 2-1/2 packs a day of Lights that I had been smoking before. A couple of years later, the Prozac seemed to stop working, so I was switched to Wellbutrin and have been on it ever since.
When I learned that smokers often compensate for low nicotine cigarettes by smoking more of them, I remembered that I had been a one-pack a day smoker for over 10 years before switching to Lights, because the Surgeon General told me that Lights were less harmful. So it occurred to me that if I could find a brand of cigarette with a really high level of nicotine, maybe I could get away with smoking fewer of them.
Between the Wellbutrin and the higher nicotine cigarettes, I got my intake back down to a pack a day. By then, nicotine gum was available in a higher strength, could be purchased without prescription, and was finally offered in a more palatable flavor than "Licking an Ashtray." I found that I am unable to chew more than 4 or 5 pieces a day. My stomach rebels at any higher number of pieces of gum per day. But adding the 4-5 pieces of gum to the Wellbutrin and the higher nicotine cigarettes got me down to 1/2 pack a day, where I stayed for several years.
Electronic cigarettes knocked out the final 10 cigarettes. I have been smoke-free since March 27, 2009.
As far as doctors' reactions go, my Internal Specialist had been on my case for years to quit. I kept trying to explain to him what happens when I am abstinent from nicotine, but I'm sure that he did not grasp how serious the problems were for me. After all, he had been taught that "withdrawal symptoms" only last a couple of weeks and then they go away. (Uh-huh, and my friend Harvey, the pooka, is invisible.)
He suggested I try the patch or gum. I explained that I had tried the patch numerous times, but it was unworkable as a permanent replacement because my skin breaks out if I use patches for more than a couple of days running. "Permanent?" His expression told me he was considering sending me off to the loony bin. "Why would you need to use it permanently?" I explained to him (once again) that the problems with memory and concentration did not go away and that the doctors told me that they had no treatment they could give me. I told him that since nicotine does keep the symptoms under control, the only other alternative I could think of would be if science came up with a safer source of nicotine that did not give me a rash or constant belching. This conversation took place five or six years go.
At the time I had never heard of Tobacco Harm Reduction. I recommend that you learn all you can about this. There are doctors who believe that millions of lives could be saved by providing reduced-harm alternative sources of nicotine to smokers.
I still see the Internal Specialist described above. He is happy that I am not smoking and is not adverse to electronic cigarettes. But I still think he believes that it would be healthiest for me to give up nicotine. I wish he could walk a mile in my shoes.
Resources:
CASAA | The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association
Tobaccoharmreduction.org
http://www.tobaccoprogram.org/pdf/4fc74817-64c5-4105-951e-38239b09c5db.pdf
Tobacco Truth
The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
Tobacco Harm Reduction: News & Opinions
The Truth About Nicotine
And if you want to know what we are up against in fighting the folks who brought you the "This product is not a safe alternative..." message: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: The Godber blueprint
Sorry, this has been pretty long, too. I hope it helps some readers.
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I'm happy for you...
My life feel healthy too since i was quit smoking 2 month ago, and i feel green.
My life feel healthy too since i was quit smoking 2 month ago, and i feel green.
Nah - the warning is right there in the thread topic <long> LoL Great info, so it takes a few words to get it all out!
Keep up with the reduced harm! We're saving our own lives!!!
I hate this, I mean it's accepted as fact that cigarettes are the most addictive mechanism ever conceived, and as such they do represent a life long habit for the majority who are foolish enough to start. More over, given the low succession rate of the patch, NPs shouldn't be shocked that users are looking for a potential life long replacement, and should be thinking in those terms. And this is their damned job, to provide solutions that benefit one's health, and plans that have a track record of failure should be abandoned for one that actually does work.
Pion, congratulations and thanks for your advocacy! I'm new to vaping but already so loathe the thought of going back to analogs that I'd probably protest on the steps of the Capitol should they disallow the distribution of vape products.
I have another appointment in 2 weeks and I'll ask him...He's always up on the latest, very knowledgeable man. It would be great to have access to what he does, and he will probably be willing to help. Can you think of any other questions I can ask him about? I have also read studies, and anecdotal evidence, which counts most to me--since it is my body, that nicotine relaxes the muscles and relieves spasms. I used to have botox injected into my muscles to paralyze them, so I know my spasms, lol. Every time I'd try to quit smoking, I'd be a quaking mess...and my spasms haven't increased with vaping, actually the opposite!! My doc didn't tell me 'how' nicotine interferes with nerve health, and I didn't ask, as I had other issues going on. But if anyone/all has a list of questions, I most certainly will ask him. I would guess it had to do with regeneration and oxygen levels in my case, but the main factor there would be smoking, not nicotine. I wonder if that is even separated out...smoking vs. nicotine by itself.
Doubled checked on the calendar, it is April 8th. Feel free to pm me with any questions for him, Friends!
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