Nicotine and your heart

[surbitonPete]

This thread made me wonder about my own heart rate while vaping.....especially seeing as I am using the 36 ml....and so I have just measured it and it seems to be around 64 bpm...I am 56 years old..and as far as I know that's not bad........coffee sometimes seems to give me a bit of an irregular heart beat but I haven't noticed anything from vaping so far.

 

[TropicalBob]

I get "white coat hypertension," Catman. Just visiting a place where I'll be tested physically is enough to boost my BP by 10 to 20 points. A doctor snapping on a latex glove sends shivers down my spine.

Some months ago, I was at a specialist and he took my blood pressure. Ooooo. I'd popped a powerful snus in my mouth about 10 minutes before, so I'd mellow out, you understand. Not a good move just before a BP check.

My BP was awful and he thought I needed medicine. I took out the snus, showed it to him and told him I was normal when not on high nicotine of some kind.

The next visit I skipped the snus -- and was easily normal. Heck, I have ideal blood pressure until I jack up the nicotine level. I've measured it many times at home and watched the nic kick in on both heart rate and BP.

 

[Catman51]

So, maybe it is the 16 to 18 mg for me. Then again, he only took it once, and I've been known to come out a little high on the first one, like you say, WCH!

 

[MrFog]

A doctor snapping on a latex glove sends shivers down my spine.

I guess it depends where the fingers in the latex gloves are going eh bob?

 

[TropicalBob]

Sure does. But I always know the doc isn't getting ready to probe my ears.

Don't you love annual physicals? Arrrgh.

 

[Frankie]

I will have one on the 12-th. But as far as I recall, it was never latex glove time. Blood, urine, BP, weight, blabla, but otherwise pretty hands-off approach where I live. Might be because I do not have problems with that part of my body, though. Swollen heart has not got really better by my switch to vaping so far, which is rather unfortunate. Even though the cardiologist said that quitting the smoke was the best thing I could do - and immediately recommended me to lose weight. Give them a finger, they take the whole hand as we say.
The blood test include cholesterol: I am really curious what that will be.

 

[Marcos]

there have been studies that link nicotine (not smoking) to *certain types* of bladder cancer...

as a bladder cancer survivor myself.. I spent countless hours more than 15 years ago in "medline" --when medline was only for MDs... have a cousin that lent me his access ... and there is were I found the study. (no.. I don't remember all the details... and my cousin is back in South America... no more medline access!)

I do think that we should look for the way for more investigation about vapng... not only about nicotine, but also about the use of Propylene Glycol and any other substance used on the liquid.

another concern I have... is the disposal of the batteries! (same concern I have for any other battery... mobile phone, cameras, etc)

Cheers!
Marcos

 

[TropicalBob]

Marcos, I share some concern about nicotine, but not about PG. Read the "germ-killing vapor" thread in the Health section. PG is seven decades old and has been tested, by being inhaled, with mice, primates and children. It has proved not merely harmless, but beneficial, even at our levels. Also read the Health New Zealand reports on clinical trials of e-smoking for further reassurance.

A reason I continue to e-smoke is precisely to inhale PG.

 

[surbitonPete]

Whilst I 'am' very interested in what scientists and doctors have to say.....at the same time they have managed to make me feel almost certain I am going to have a heart attack just by eating a McDonalds !!......so I can't help thinking that we can only really go by what our instincts and our bodies are telling us about the dangers of Vaping ...and at the moment my body is telling me vaping is almost as good for me as not smoking at all.

 

[DPM]

I had a baaad attack of cellulitus,...not cellulite! around christmas, my doc asked me if I smoked, I asked if he new about e-cigs, as I had recently started using them, he advised me to stay the hell away from real cigs, if I could not cope without nic, carry on.
Touch a real cig, and the problems will get worse...its about circulation...Im 42, and an ex service member too!
His main worry was I would go back to 30 roll ups a day...fool dont own an S/D thats for sure!!

 

[digitalmechanic]

I, too, want to hear that nicotine is not a cardio or circulatory problem. But this study was clearly produced for Big Pharmaceutical. Read it with that in mind. It's all about NRT, which e-smoking is not. It's all about those small amounts the FDA allows in NRT products, not super bad 36mg liquid that some here use.

And it really doesn't say nicotine is safe. This we know: nicotine boosts heart rate and blood pressure, demolishes a good cholesterol ratio and constricts arteries. That's good?

My cholesterol is in the toliet (due to several factors), but the #1 reason my doctor pointed out to me is that tobacco smoke, not nicotine, increases LDL and obliterates HDL.

Since I'm heavy smoker (2-4 packs a day), he offered to prescribe me a nicotine inhaler. As nicotine mimics nictonic receptors, which should help improve across the board since it's one of the most common in the human body.

I showed him my screwdriver and 36mg liquid to see if it fits the bill. He examined it and said that this for the most part functions exactly like the inhaler, except for the fact I can control the dosage. 4 weeks prior my blood pressure was 140/120 when I was smoking. Now it's 120/80, shoots up to 125/90 after vap'n for about 10 minutes.

After five weeks of not smoking, my HDL has gone up 10 points. I haven't changed my diet or increased my exercise (i'm a professional sitter err programmer by trade). Now it could be the decrease in CO2 levels, with more oxygen in my system the body is more readily able to deal with badness in my system.

Along with quitting, other obvious benefits have ensured. That tall-tale smoker's cough...not anymore. Nor am I standing in the shower for an hour coughing up chunks of yellow, orange, pink or gray phlegm. I can actually ride my motorcycle without running out of breath after 10 minutes.

While it's unpopular to give nicotine any validity, the real demon here is tobacco smoke. Nictone doesn't do nearly all the evil that the most popular delivery mechanism does.


hmm seems i'm not allowed to post links to articles.

 

[digitalmechanic]

I guess it depends where the fingers in the latex gloves are going eh bob?

if both dr. jelly finger's hands are on your shoulders, it's not his finger.

 

[mctriple]

I've been vaping 24mg. There was some discussion in here about people not wanting to use strong concentrations, but here's an article which seems to say that the amount of nicotine you consume doesn't matter a whole lot:

The two take-home messages are that very little nicotine is needed to occupy a substantial portion of brain nicotine receptors," Brody said, "and cigarettes with less nicotine than regular cigarettes, such as 'light' cigarettes, still occupy most brain nicotine receptors. Thus, low-nicotine cigarettes function almost the same as regular cigarettes in terms of brain nicotine-receptor occupancy.

Won't let me post a link since I'm so new, but found it on sciencedaily. Article date is Sept 29, 2008.

 

[Kate]

That's interesting, I read that somewhere myself a while ago. Apparently there is an optimum dose for the feelgood factor with nicotine, anything more than that doesn't have any good effect.

 

[surbitonPete]

I wish we could get testing done on how much nicotine we are getting....because I am convinced that even though I am vaping quite a bit of the 36 mg I am not getting anywhere near the amount of nicotine I was from smoking tobacco.....every time I do have an analogue now....the nicotine 'high' seems to be stronger than ever.

 

[Kate]

I know, it's annoying that we don't have any facts to work with, just perceptions.

Might it be the lack of oxygen to your brain that you are noticing with hot ones Pete?

 

[surbitonPete]

I know, it's annoying that we don't have any facts to work with, just perceptions.

Might it be the lack of oxygen to your brain that you are noticing with hot ones Pete?

That is the mystery Kate.....perhaps it's nothing to do with the nicotine at all.....but it sure 'feels' like what we would consider a nicotine high.

 

[Harry Crazington]

That is the mystery Kate.....perhaps it's nothing to do with the nicotine at all.....but it sure 'feels' like what we would consider a nicotine high.

Well from what I've read, the something else is that tobacco has been treated with ammonia for years by the cigarette manufacturers to " help free up a quicker delivery of nicotine to the user", by doing this the nicotine is changed into "free" nicotine, which is really "crack nicotine". Similar to the crack ........ Google crack nicotine for the info. Also the cracked nicotine creates additional receptors in the brain, apart from the uncracked nicotine receptors. So in reality the brain is addicted twice by the same drug. e-cigs only deliver uncracked nicotine, our other brain receptors are not getting fed their cracked nic by the e-cig juice. AND the brain receptors never go away, the brain has been permanently changed by using nic. and will always want it's fix. Willpower is all that will keep you clean, just like an alcoholic....take that one drink, chances are you'll keep doing it more & more. Ammonia Treatment of Tobacco

 

[TropicalBob]

Now that is a fascinating read, Harry, and could explain a lot about the lack of satisfaction I get with e-smoking. I also noted which cigarette brand was done first with ammonia: True 85, the exact same True Blue I smoked for decades after moving down from Kent King Size for "health" reasons.

If this is correct, and it must be, I have two well established sets of nicotine receptors in my brain. I smoked Kent-True-USA Gold for 50 years, 30 a day. The nicotine I now get from e-smoking and using snus and dissolvable tobacco is totally absent the free (crack) nicotine part. And the receptors for crack nicotine were created during the addicting decades I spent smoking True cigarettes (my entire 30s and 40s).

That's why the craving-screams never cease in my head. Every day. All day. I've been a year and a half off cigs, and I could light up right now and carry on at my old level within a day or two. Part of my brain would say thank you; part would say you pulled the trigger of the weapon that will kill you.

Very insightful, Harry. I think you hit it with that paper. Thanks for posting.

 

[surbitonPete]

Well from what I've read, the something else is that tobacco has been treated with ammonia for years by the cigarette manufacturers to " help free up a quicker delivery of nicotine to the user", by doing this the nicotine is changed into "free" nicotine, which is really "crack nicotine". Similar to the crack ........ Google crack nicotine for the info. Also the cracked nicotine creates additional receptors in the brain, apart from the uncracked nicotine receptors. So in reality the brain is addicted twice by the same drug. e-cigs only deliver uncracked nicotine, our other brain receptors are not getting fed their cracked nic by the e-cig juice. AND the brain receptors never go away, the brain has been permanently changed by using nic. and will always want it's fix. Willpower is all that will keep you clean, just like an alcoholic....take that one drink, chances are you'll keep doing it more & more. Ammonia Treatment of Tobacco

Well I don't think I am going to add ammonia to my e-juice....lol