New member saying hello - started vaping for an unconventional reason

[Oberon75]

Welcome. And before you think you are indulging in an addictive substance, I want to link a very good read for you.

http://www.ecigarette-politics.com/the-great-nicotine-myth.html

A lot of this is backed up with links to studies as well as professional opinions on the subject of nicotine and addiction.

I'm curious though. Coming to vaping as practically a non smoker, have you experienced any withdrawal symptoms or nicotine cravings?

 

[ShariR]

Welcome to ECF, Wes. Good to hear that vaping is helping with your condition. Lots of forums to explore and it sounds like you are already building coils and such.

I agree with the mixing 0mg and 6mg nic liquids together to get you down to 3mg. Real easy and quick. If you can find a place to mix, DIY is a great way to mix up some tasty juice and totally control the amount of nicotine and flavoring you are consuming. You do not need to buy 100mg nic. You can get yourself a lower nicotine and then mix it with pg or vg right when you get it to get that nic level lower and safer. It will save you a lot of money and put the control in your hands. You might have to mix in a locked room because of the little one.

I am in the Nashville area. PM me if you want. There is a vapemeet once a month out by the airport but I would have to check if they are still having it regularly. Mostly ego users but some mech and rda people.

 

[daleron]

Welcome to ECF Wes , make yourself right at home
I think it's great that vaping is helping!!

 

[zoiDman]

Hi Wes. Welcome to the ECF.

 

[kslife74]

Wow! That's awesome wes!! Good for you! Out smarting the Dr and listening to your body!

 

[wskinner]

I'm curious though. Coming to vaping as practically a non smoker, have you experienced any withdrawal symptoms or nicotine cravings?

I will be honest, I have seen a few mild symptoms of withdrawal if I don't vape for a while. It's hard to describe, and I'm not sure "craving" explains it exactly - it's honestly a lot like the feelings that build up in my head when a tic is coming on and I'm trying to resist doing it - almost a tickle, or a pressure. This would make some intuitive sense, considering that as I understand it, according to my neurologist, the way nicotine affects tic disorders is by desensitizing the dopamine and acetylcholine receptors that are over-firing and causing the nerve to send incorrect messages. Maybe what I'm feeling isn't withdrawal as such, but just a return to the neurotransmitter oversensitivity. Honestly medical science knows very little about the physiology of tic syndromes, because neuroscience is just now starting to catch up to what we know about the rest of the body. Not to mention, while nicotine itself has been extensively studied searching for harmful effects, there has been comparatively little research on its pharmacology. So who knows, maybe this is all way off!

Also, good to see there's at least one other ECF member here in the Nashville area, ShariR. Maybe I'll end up running into you at one of the local stores some day!

 

[Acidon]

Welcome to ECF, wskinner!

Congratulations on your findings and for being able to ease your symptoms! I think that's amazing.

 

[RosaJ]

Thanks all for the warm welcomes! As to what nic I'm vaping at, I started at 12 mg, probably in error, since the people in the shop seemed to indicate that's where most people started. I didn't think about the fact that it was mostly smokers starting at that level. So, I spent a month or so getting a bit nauseated if I overdid it. I moved down to 6 around the time I picked up my first Kayfun-style tank. Basically, I'm trying to dial it down to the lowest nicotine level that successfully keeps my tics mellow, and 6 is working pretty well for me on atomizers with tighter airflow. I've been thinking about moving down to 3 now for use with RDAs/higher-airflow tanks, but it's a bit hard to find 3 mg in the brick and mortars, except in a few flavors I'm not keen on.

So far it's been working pretty well. My wife notices a big difference in my tic frequency (I trust her, because when they were bad, I was so used to them that I could go a whole day and not realize it was happening), so I'm pretty sure it's not just a placebo effect. Anyway, as long as it continues to help me, and we don't find out any bombshells about safety a few years down the road (I know we still don't know much about the long term safety of these things), I think it's reasonable to keep putting up with some mild addiction (which I admit, I have now after several months).

Thanks again all, and hope everyone's having a happy new year!

I just recently started buying my eliquids from Vape Wild and am down to 3mg nicotine. They're the only ones so far that I've seen offer the 3mg nic, but am sure there are others out there too, I don't spend that much time shopping.

It's good to have you here and to read your story. Welcome!

 

[Warpigs]

Welcome to ECF! If vapeing some nicotine makes your quality of life better. Then I say go for it. Much better alternative than smoking/chewing for the nicotine.

 

[twgbonehead]

Welcome to ECF! Great intro, and glad this works for you!

I guess my only comment would be that perhaps it would be a bit better if you stayed at the higher nic concentration, and just vaped less?

As smokers/ex-smokers, many here find that vaping a lot helps to stay off the cigs, so they cut down on the nic, but vape a lot.

Since you're not in the same boat, vaping less at higher concentrations might still control your symptoms, with less exposure to stuff in your lungs?

Just a suggestion.... Welcome to ECF, glad to have you here!

 

[wskinner]

Welcome to ECF! Great intro, and glad this works for you!

I guess my only comment would be that perhaps it would be a bit better if you stayed at the higher nic concentration, and just vaped less?

As smokers/ex-smokers, many here find that vaping a lot helps to stay off the cigs, so they cut down on the nic, but vape a lot.

Since you're not in the same boat, vaping less at higher concentrations might still control your symptoms, with less exposure to stuff in your lungs?

Just a suggestion.... Welcome to ECF, glad to have you here!

I have thought about doing just that - reducing frequency of vaping while increasing nic/puff as a method of harm reduction. I guess that the honest truth is that beyond the purely therapeutic purpose of my vaping, I've found that I do in fact enjoy vaping quite a bit. Also, I tend to prefer vaping on devices that have higher vapor output (perhaps because my only previous experience with traditional smoking was with pipes?) There's no way I'd be able to up my nic much using my RDA or RTA setups that I have right now - I made the mistake of dripping some 12 mg that I thought was 6, and was coughing up my lungs for several minutes afterwards after taking a big hit. I guess I could try it though - tighten down the airflow and go back to mouth-to-lung hits and up the nic and see if it changes my habits of vape frequency. Thanks for the advice!

 

[twgbonehead]

I have thought about doing just that - reducing frequency of vaping while increasing nic/puff as a method of harm reduction. I guess that the honest truth is that beyond the purely therapeutic purpose of my vaping, I've found that I do in fact enjoy vaping quite a bit. Also, I tend to prefer vaping on devices that have higher vapor output (perhaps because my only previous experience with traditional smoking was with pipes?) There's no way I'd be able to up my nic much using my RDA or RTA setups that I have right now - I made the mistake of dripping some 12 mg that I thought was 6, and was coughing up my lungs for several minutes afterwards after taking a big hit. I guess I could try it though - tighten down the airflow and go back to mouth-to-lung hits and up the nic and see if it changes my habits of vape frequency. Thanks for the advice!

Hey, the bottom line is really whatever works for you! And I know exactly where you're coming from - with a decent e-liquid and setup, vaping really is enjoyable!

 

[calliber08]

Hey man great to see you join the club. Im also new here and so far its a great thing. I also decide to start vaping for a reason (quit smoking) but its good to see you found something that can help.