Nicotine Level Advice

[JimboD]

Hey all,

I've just learned of e-cigs a few days ago and decided to give it a shot. I placed an order tonight with electronic-cigz.com for an M401. I'm incredibly excited, can't wait for it to arrive!

However, one thing I'm unsure of is what strength of carts/juice to go with. I don't want to attempt doing any mixing/cutting of my own right away, since I'm so new, so I'm just going with the pre-prepared carts. When I first placed the order, I chose the 24mg carts thinking that would be the easiest way to make an immediate switch (I want to stop smoking altogether and transition 100% to vaping immediately). After giving it some consideration and some more research, I had the order changed to 11mg carts instead.

I've been smoking for about 8 years now, for the most part I've been a half pack (12 or 13) a day smoker. Every once in a while going to 15-20 in a day for stints that last a month or two before I start feeling the extra smoking doing more damage and cutting back. I have always smoked Player's Light King Size.

Based on what I've read it looks like about 15 cigarettes a day will equate to two carts as far as usage in the form of puffs go. I'm not even going to begin to assume I have any idea how much of the nicotine in cigarettes is actually ingested, and likewise for ingestion ratios via vaping. I just want to know what you guys have found to be a good strength for similar level smokers to myself. I really don't want to have to be concerned about overdoing nicotine levels and getting the headaches and racing heart, as the majority of my smoking is done simply because I enjoy it, not because I'm having a nicotine craving. I'd like to be able to take a nice long haul as often as I please, lol.

So, since you guys have experience with this and I do not, will 11mg be a good starting point?

 

[Duckman]

Hey there it''s just my personal observation but many vapors seem to use I higher nic level, at least to start. My advice would be to start with around 18 or 16 mg carts. Order yourself a box of 11mg to swap out the higher dose ones if there giving you a headache. It's hard to vap enough if the nic level is to low but you can always vap less. Also advise you buy at least one bottle of juice. It's easy to top up the carts and if your run out of juice it sucks.

 

[smokum]

I agree with Duckman in regards to "everything" he said......

Its tough to know how any certain individual will adapt to vaping. As you are a mild smoker, your goal of stopping cigarettes completely is in your favour. Some are satisfied with the visual and hand to mouth alone, where others (who smoke a lot more, like myself), feel there is always something missing, and deciding whether its the nic or the flavour you've become accustomed to is the hardest part.

I can't repeat it enough......... don't consider falling back to an analog as a failure, and continue to reward yourself for every analog you've replaced with using the e-cig.

Best of luck & VapeOn,
Greg

 

[JimboD]

Hey guys,

Well, I've taken your advice to heart, mostly!

I had originally ordered a M401 with 25 carts at 24mg, but then later changed the order to 11mg carts.

I didn't want to hassle Sean to change my order yet again (he was kind enough to do it at all in the first place), so I just emailed him with a request for 10 more additional carts at 18mg strength. That way I'll have 35 total carts for my tryout period with 10 at 18 and 25 at 11.

I think what I might do is use the 18's in the morning when I'm really nicotine starved, and the rest of the day try getting by on 11's.

I am so excited I can't stand it, lol

 

[lordmage]

everything suggested here is spot on and i would add... depending on your quit date you may need to consider getting some pg or VG are DIY section here can answer your questions about that. and considering you are intending to quit i would treat the e-cig like a regular only use it in place of an analog and dont use it anymore then needed. it worked for me i was at a much higher analog consumption rate thou. but like greg said dont think of the analogs you do have as a bad thing remember this is an alternative and not a NRT so there for no guilt when you have one.

 

[RjG]

JimboD, you might have a tough time with 18 and 11's.

I found it impossible the first week on 18.

I have a 50 case of 24mg for m401 if you want to try some. (Capilano area)

Or you can do like me, empty a couple and refill them with some decent tasting 24mg I can help you out there too.

Come over to the new Edmonton group
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/groups/edmonton-alberta.html

 

[JimboD]

everything suggested here is spot on and i would add... depending on your quit date you may need to consider getting some pg or VG are DIY section here can answer your questions about that. and considering you are intending to quit i would treat the e-cig like a regular only use it in place of an analog and dont use it anymore then needed. it worked for me i was at a much higher analog consumption rate thou. but like greg said dont think of the analogs you do have as a bad thing remember this is an alternative and not a NRT so there for no guilt when you have one.

Hey lordmage, thanks for the tips. I have read some one PG vs VG. Right now I'm banking on not having any negative side effects from the PG carts I bought. As far as I know I have no sensitivities/allergies to anything really, I hoping that holds true.

Well, I definitely don't intend to quit e-cigs if they work out well! I love smoking, I just don't love the chemicals that are part of the deal.

I'm honestly not sure how it will play out, since I have a private office at work, I may end up sitting at my desk vaping all frigging day. It will take some serious willpower, plus I work with 2 other ex-smokers who have been teasing me for my entire time working there about my smoking, so I'll definitely want to show it off to them.

 

[lordmage]

jim,

you may find like me that your gonna need to up your dosage if what you got dont work get as high as you can get... you can always mix it down later if required.. or go 0nic with a really good flavor and use the patch for nic?

 

[darkkmail]

ditto what lordmage said, 18/24/36 mg are all the same price... 18 didn't work for me, but 24 did...

Just dilute if it's too strong

 

[JimboD]

RjG, lord, dark,

What brand did you guys smoke previous to e-smoking, and how much?

I'm really hoping that since I was a pretty light smoker (13-18/day) that I'll be able to get by on the lower levels.

 

[Happy Jack]

Hey guys!

I have to chime in here because what you guys are saying is quite different from my experience. I have never had to vape higher than 18mg (but I do occasionally vape higher because some of the flavours I have are higher). My Eastmall RY4 18mg has been my go to vape since I started. I stopped smoking the day I got my first 401 and I still get total satisfaction from the RY4. I believe I could go lower nic if I had the same flavour and throat hit that I get from the RY4 18mg but, as of yet, I haven't found that special flavour.

BTW, I had been smoking DuMaurier light and before that DuMaurier regular for the past 26 years. 25-30 cigs per day. Past almost 4.5 months, nada!

My concern is that if he gets everything in high nic and then dilutes it, he won't have anything left with pronounced flavour, and I would find that boring. I would suggest that if you are going to do that, get some strong flavours to up the taste if you need to dilute.

Just my .02 cents...

All the best and Happy Vaping!
Jack

 

[Nepenthy]

Youre gonna have to feel this one out yourself, by your new vaping frequency and paying attention to how your body is reacting. I started out with 36mg to kill the analog craving for at least the first couple weeks. Well, i didnt crave analogs at all (smoked for over 20 yrs, pack a day), but I did love vaping and hit that thing like mad for the first week. So much that my vision started to blurr and I would get a little lathargic. Once I kicked down to a lower strength, i found myself wanting that 36mg more and more and vaped even more with the lower strength. After over a month now without an analog, i have conciously cut back to medium strength for normal vaping, but keep high strength (24mg +) for the crucial times, like in the morning, after sex or eating.

Dont pay worry about how many catridges you go through at first, while getting over analogs. I personally think its not an acurate comparison in the first place, and you run the risk of burning out your atomizer trying to make a cartridge last all day. Just keep in mind you will probably go crazy with vaping the for the first week or more, which is why most people suggest going low or medium for that time period. Getting off analogs is great, but you dont want to double your nic addiction as result. Get low or medium strength for normal vaping, and maybe high for special occassions.

Just my two cents based off my experience, good luck and Welcome!

 

[JimboD]

Jack,

It looks like if my experience is going to be similar to that of yours, I should get by just fine on 11mg, considering you smoked tobacco essentially twice as much as I do now and get by on 18. That is definitely encouraging. The primary reason I don't want to get into mixing/cutting right away is as I'm so new, I don't even know if I like vaping yet, although I'm confident that I will if it can get me off analogs with even half the satisfaction. Congrats on 4.5 months without a smoke, that is impressive! I really hope I can replicate that kind of success!

Nepenthy,

Yeah... I expect that I too will be hitting the PV hard at first. Being able to smoke at my desk at work is going to be the primary contributor to that I think, another reason why I decided to go with 11mg carts. I don't want to be hitting it hard all day and end up feeling like **** from getting way more nic than I'm used to. I'm hoping the 18mg carts will do the trick for those occasions that the extra nic hit is required.

Although I do agree with you guys that I'll have to get a feel for it myself, the tips/advice I'm getting in this thread are fantastic. I really appreciate it. I don't think I've ever been on a more helpful forum.

 

[Duckman]

Just be mindful Jimbo it's Different for everyone.

My wife smoked 10 analogs a day Players extra light, but she needs 18mg to 20mg nic level to be satisfied. We original got her 11mg Carts but they just didn't cut it for her.

My advice is to order a few at different levels of nicotine that way you can adjust to whichever is most comfortable rather than falling off the wagon.

 

[JimboD]

Just be mindful Jimbo it's Different for everyone.

My wife smoke 10 analogs a day Players extra light, but she needs 18mg to 20mg nic level to be satisfied. We original got her 11mg Carts but they just didn't cut it for her.

My advice is to order a few at different levels of nicotine that way you can adjust to whichever is most comfortable rather than falling off the wagon.

Indeed, well, I'm certainly not going to carry only the PV for the first few days. I'll be carrying a pack of regular cigarettes anyway for a short while in case the thing breaks, in which case I'd have to kill to get to the nearest smokes possible, lol. If I find the 18's or 11's won't get me by, I'll just allow myself to smoke a few regular cigarettes in between until I find the right level for me.

 

[Misty]

Feel the urge to reminisce as well!..
I smoked Craven A extra lights .1mg as was already trying to weane off cigs..

When I started vaping almost a year ago..I thought 11mg was sufficient but I had to up the nic juice level to 24mg to fully replace my little .1mg cig!

I've cut down gradually over several months nice & easy ..and am now at 4-7mg nic juice DIY..but I definitly needed all the help in the beginning with higher nic juice to stay off the analogs!

I really don't think we can equate nic juice strength with real cigs strength..so its not something to fear if we need higher nic levels at first to satisfy the urges as its pretty easy to reduce once you are relaxed after learning all the ins and outs of vaping..

 

[youfillintheblank]

I was smoking around 15 per day "make your own" smokes with strong canned american tobacco (Bugler, Bali) as well as buying non filter Players or Export when I ran out of the ones I made. Add to that 2 cigars per day, partially inhaled, and Skoal at night when I was too lazy to go out in the wintertime to smoke. I started with 24mg liquid and moved up to 36. Now I try and pace myself and only use 36 at work for a good strong hit when I need it and 24-26 at all other times when I can vape a little more. Anything less than 24 I could probably shoot up in my arm with lttle effect.

 

[Duckman]

I was smoking around 15 per day "make your own" smokes with strong canned american tobacco (Bugler, Bali) as well as buying non filter Players or Export when I ran out of the ones I made. Add to that 2 cigars per day, partially inhaled, and Skoal at night when I was too lazy to go out in the wintertime to smoke. I started with 24mg liquid and moved up to 36. Now I try and pace myself and only use 36 at work for a good strong hit when I need it and 24-26 at all other times when I can vape a little more. Anything less than 24 I could probably shoot up in my arm with lttle effect.

Well that explains your avatar.

 

[Misty]

I was smoking around 15 per day "make your own" smokes with strong canned american tobacco (Bugler, Bali) as well as buying non filter Players or Export when I ran out of the ones I made. Add to that 2 cigars per day, partially inhaled, and Skoal at night when I was too lazy to go out in the wintertime to smoke. I started with 24mg liquid and moved up to 36. Now I try and pace myself and only use 36 at work for a good strong hit when I need it and 24-26 at all other times when I can vape a little more. Anything less than 24 I could probably shoot up in my arm with lttle effect.

Gotta love it...,Youfill!..
you make it sound sooooooo tempting to go back up to 24-36mg!

 

[RjG]

RjG, lord, dark,

What brand did you guys smoke previous to e-smoking, and how much?

I'm really hoping that since I was a pretty light smoker (13-18/day) that I'll be able to get by on the lower levels.

Hopefully, but like I said, if you want some stronger 401 carts, I have some for you, no problem.