Newbie Question - Am I making myself sick?

[bghouse]

Hi All,

I just started trying e-smoking this week and have some weird feelings. I haven't been 100% e-cig, because I keep feeling weird.

My e-cig came with Marlborough High cartridges. Now, I'm a 2 pack a day smoker - but I smoke Marl Ultra Light 100s, or Light 100s.

I'm having some weird "twinges" in my arms that kind of come and go. I have also been stumbling over words sometimes, which I normally don't do.

I saw some people saying that if you are a heavy smoker to go with High strength, but could these symptoms be because it's too high for me? I do smoke a lot, but my smoker friends say I basically smoke "air" with my ultra lights.

Any advice appreciated, as I really do want to try and make this work.

thanks

 

[Silver]

Hi Bghouse,

The best way to know is to look at the amount of nicotine you smoke with tobacco cigarettes and compare that to what you're E-smoking. It's highly possible that you are currently taking in way more nicotine that you did when you were only smoking tobacco and that can have very nasty effects on your body.

As far as I know Ultra Lights have very little nicotine in them so if you're now E-smoking High carts (16 or 24 mg of nicotine), and tobacco cigarettes as well, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you were actually overdosing on nicotine 8-o !

Make the calculations and adjust your E-smoking (or better yet, your tobacco smoking !) accordingly, you're bound to feel better. Good luck and do let us know how you're getting on.

Welcome to the forum by the way !

Cheers,
Silver

 

[Mr.Darcy]

sounds like you could be overdosing on nicotine mate...

reduce your dose to medium or low nic levels,and see how it goes from there...especially if youre still smoking cigarettes at the same time..

 

[Silver]

Great minds think alike !

 

[bghouse]

Thanks all. I've been searching online trying to see if I can find out how much nicotine is in a Marlborough Ultra Light but not having much luck. If anyone knows where to find this information, let me know.

I'm going to lay off the e-cig until I can get some cart and liquids with lower nicotine. Most places seem to put 11mg as the lowest, although it seems you can get down to 5 or 6 with some places (but mostly oversees for me, as I'm in the US).

There's so much great information here, I'm so glad I found you ;-)

 

[Silver]

Hi again Bghouse,

The nicotine content of your Ultra Light cigarettes should be mentioned on the pack itself. As far as I know this is a legal requirement in most countries.

Cheers,
Silver

 

[Mommyshann]

bg - I've smoked Marlboro Ultra Light 100's for years. From what I found, each one contains 0.5 mg of nicotine. I stick mostly with the low nic juice and carts with a medium here and there when I want a fast few puffs to keep me going for a while. My first couple of days I had similar feelings and that was only with the low carts. I was puffing on this thing constantly though and realized quickly that I was taking in too much nicotine. I would definitely suggest going to a low nic juice and keep a medium on hand in case you feel you need a bigger kick. You can also mix a low and med to get just a tad more without going all the way up to medium.

p.s. when I say I use the "low nic juice" I'm talking about the 11mg and medium for me is 16mg

 

[bghouse]

Hi Silver,

I would have thought that also - but alas, unless it's in "code" it's not there.

I found a supposed federal trade commission report that says each has .5mg. Does that sound reasonable?

Next question - is there a formula to figure how many "cigs" you get from a cartridge and from dropping liquid?

(Might have to make a spreadsheet, 'cause I stink at math).....

 

[Mommyshann]

Bg - I'm also not good at math so I didn't bother trying to figure it out exactly but I can tell you that I was a pack a day smoker and I generally start the day with a fresh cart and then top off about every hour or so with my penstyle. With the mini I would top off about every half hour. I didn't wait until my cart was dry though before topping off. So basically I figure it like this...I would take approximately 15 puffs then put it down for a bit. Then I would top off again when I picked it back up for another smoke. If you pay attention to your body it will tell you when you are taking in too much nicotine. The first thing will be a feeling of lightheadedness. When this happens put the e-cig down for at least half an hour.

 

[Silver]

Hi Bghouse,

It looks like Mommyshann has found the answers you're looking for and your research seems to be right on the button !

Wow, I find it really strange that the nicotine content is not mentioned on the pack, I really thought that was a requirement !

Ah well, the famous conundrum of how many cigarettes to a cartridge ! I looked at it the other way around. I figured out how long a cart lasted me (a day) and compared the nicotine content of it (in my case Medium is 11 mg and Low is 6 mg) to how much nicotine I used to smoke with tobacco cigarettes. Not sure if this is helpful for you at this point though, sorry ...

Cheers,
Silver

PS I stink at math too !

 

[bghouse]

Hi Mommyshann,

Our posts must have crossed - thanks for confirming. Yeah, I found I was puffing a lot also - but from reading reviews I think that could also be because I bought one of the cheaper minis from Ebay and it's completely erratic. I think that's why I also go back to normal cigs, because I'm missing the inhale / exhale experience.

For me, the inhaling / exhaling is a major part of my smoking. Not knowing much about e-cigs, I got my mini right before flying to Tokyo. I only had 1 cartridge - a Marlboro High and didn't understand how quickly they dry out, etc.

Anyway, when I got on the plane I showed the e-cig to the flight attendants and they let me sit in my seat and smoke! I smoked whenever I felt like it for the whole 10 hour flight out., basically keeping it in my hand while I read a book (can't sleep on planes). Felt fantastic and didn't have my normal "withdrawal" symptoms.

I spent 9 days in Tokyo, but smoked regular cigs. Then on the flight home I used the mini again - same cartridge and no charge, so I was probably getting almost nothing. But again, I didn't have my "I'm going to kill someone if I don't get thru customs and smoke" cravings.

So I'm convinced part of my addiction is the ritual of smoking. It makes sense, then, that with the higher nicotine I'm making a royal mess of myself.

I might even try one of the super low 5mg liquids and see what happens.

cheers

 

[Silver]

Hi Bghouse,

For me the ritual of smoking is also the greatest part of my addiction (did you know it only takes a few days for your body to kick the actual nicotine habit ?), so I totally understand where you're coming from ! My advice ? Go for a penstyle, it will give you more of the satisfaction and endurance you're looking for !

You can find out on this forum which ones are most popular and decide what is important to you; cheaper price and no warranty or higher price with warranty.

Going with the super low carts/liquid sounds like a great idea !

Cheers,
Silver

PS Sorry for butting in on your conversation with Mommyshann !

 

[Mommyshann]

The ritual of smoking is definitely a big part of the habit for me. It's why the patches and gum and such haven't worked for me. I enjoy and am addicted to the physical act of smoking so these were the perfect solution for me and I haven't been disappointed. I got mine last Friday and haven't had a regular cig since last Sunday!

 

[Mommyshann]

PS Sorry for butting in on your conversation with Mommyshann !

No apologies needed Silver. Besides, I think it was I that butted in first!

 

[bghouse]

Thanks to you both... no "butting" in woes...

After researching here I made two purchases earlier today - I got the Janty Classic and the 901b. The pen-style will be my primary and the 901b for when I need to "blend in" a bit more or travel.

Probably won't get them or the new liquid until next week, but I'm convinced I'll figure this out successfully.

B

 

[Mommyshann]

Excellent choices BG - I have both a penstyle and the mini. I do dearly love my mini but my penstyle is great for just sitting around the house and vaping without much maintenance because the carts are bigger and the battery lasts longer. You'll definitely get it all figured out. Just keep reading around the forums here and you'll find lots of info.

 

[Silver]

I was just doing a little research and came upon this interesting (but shocking !) article. I used to be a Light smoker and actually thought that that was better for me than smoking Full Flavour cigarettes. Turns out this is not true at all !

"The vast majority of Marlboro Light smokers don't know that a typical smoker gets the same amount of tar and nicotine from one light or ultra-light cigarette as from one regular, non-filtered cigarette"

and

"It was logical to assume that if real tar levels had gone down, so would lung cancer rates. But the evidence from studies funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and others does not demonstrate that. The reason is that so-called light cigarettes are designed in ways that allow smokers to adjust their puffing behavior so that they end up getting about the same amount of tar and nicotine as they would get smoking a full-flavored cigarette," according to Cummings."

8-o

The ritual of smoking is definitely a big part of the habit for me. It's why the patches and gum and such haven't worked for me. I enjoy and am addicted to the physical act of smoking so these were the perfect solution for me and I haven't been disappointed. I got mine last Friday and haven't had a regular cig since last Sunday!

Good on you Mommyshann, keep at it ! I have been entirely tobacco free for five months and counting, don't even like tobacco cigarettes anymore ! The E-cigarette is the perfect replacement for me and I've even managed to bring down my nicotine usage !

(Oh dear, I'd already mentioned that before, hadn't I ? My apologies for the repetition, but I'm just so darned enthusiastic about this device !)

Excellent choice on the Janty Classic Bghouse, you won't regret it ! Don't have any experience with the 901b, but I read very good things about it. You're well on your way now !

Cheers,
Silver

PS No worries Mommyshann , all 'butting in' is most acceptable as far as I'm concerned, especially if it helps an E-smoker on his/her way !

 

[Mommyshann]

Silver it's so nice to see someone's that's been e-smoking for so long and still going strong with it. As I said, it's only been a week for me, but I've already found that I detest regular cigs now. The few times I've tried to smoke one they tasted horrid. I have no desire for them at all now and just want my lovely little e-cig. Like you, I'm very enthusiastic about these things and I tell everyone I know about them. My best friend is now smoking one and has gone from a pack or so a day to only a few a day. My hubby is waiting for his mini to get here tomorrow and I expect he won't touch another regular cig again. Congrats on the 5 months!

 

[Silver]

Silver it's so nice to see someone's that's been e-smoking for so long and still going strong with it. As I said, it's only been a week for me, but I've already found that I detest regular cigs now. The few times I've tried to smoke one they tasted horrid. I have no desire for them at all now and just want my lovely little e-cig. Like you, I'm very enthusiastic about these things and I tell everyone I know about them. My best friend is now smoking one and has gone from a pack or so a day to only a few a day. My hubby is waiting for his mini to get here tomorrow and I expect he won't touch another regular cig again. Congrats on the 5 months!

Thanx Mommyshann, but you know what ? It was so unbelievably easy !! I wasn't even intending to quit tobacco when I started using the E-cigarette, just wanted to see if it could provide me with the opportunity to smoke inside when it was raining outside !

Right off the bat I brought my tobacco cigarette usage down to two a day (used to smoke 10 - 15 a day), one when I got up and the other after dinner (the hardest two to quit IMO). One evening I'd smoked the after dinner one and the pack was empty. I chucked it and simply couldn't be bothered to open another one the next day. I can't even tell you exactly what day I quit because I haven't got a clue. I simply realised a couple of days later that I hadn't smoked a tobacco cigarette in days and hadn't even missed it, unbelievable !

Anyway, it sounds like you're well on your way as well and I look forward to congratulating you on your five month tobacco free anniversary ! Good luck !

Cheers,
Silver

 

[Mommyshann]

Thanks Silver! It was just as easy for me. I also got mine with the intention of it just being a supplement to my regular cigs so I could smoke indoors or in the car rather than it being a replacement. Like you, I just found that I prefer the e-cig and don't really even miss the tobacco ones.