Nicotine Levels

[tigerlily]

How can you tell if you are getting the right nicotine levels?

Here's the deal: I've been vaping 18mg e-liquid for one month. I was previously a 2 pack a day smoker of generic lights. At first it seemed I was going through a bit of nicotine withdrawal. This was fine with me because my ultimate goal is to reduce my nicotine intake and eventually cut out the nicotine altogether. I have discovered I really like vaping and have pretty much eliminated analogs. The problem is I now feel I may be vaping too much. It's not like with a cigarette when you know it's done and put it out.

Is there any secret to knowing when it's time to start reducing the levels of nicotine in your e-juice? Does the reduction of nicotine affect the flavor of the liquids? How successful have others been in eliminating the nicotine in their liquids completely?

 

[phorbin]

i was 1.5-2PAD camel lights smoker, also started at 18mg and felt like i was vaping constantly. Especially first thing in the morning. So I started buying 24mg and now I actually do put the PV down once in a while instead of having it glued to my face. Nicotine levels are talked about all the time on ECF and its very subjective. Some people who were ultra light smokers are ok at 8mg, others have gone to 24. And some 2PAD full flavor smokers are just fine @12 and 18 mg while others end up at 36mg.

Bottom line is it will be a bit of trial and error for you.

 

[StormFinch]

The only true indicator that I know of which will tell you that you are getting too much nicotine are the beginning signs of nic OD. If you are getting slightly light headed, you recognize that your heart rate is up a bit, maybe a tiny bit of a headache, then it's time to drop the percentage.

I think most people planning on reducing to zero do so over a period of months. They start with enough mgs to get them completely off analogs, then in a couple of months they reduce to the next nic level and so on. If you plan on quitting the e-cig then it's just a matter of weaning yourself from the hand to mouth once you've been on 0 mg for awhile.

Reducing the nic levels doesn't effect the taste so much as it might the throat hit. A good juice supplier who mixes their own can and will make up for that in their juices though. For example, I stepped down from 18 mg to 12 just recently. My body was telling me I was vaping too much to be using 18. I just got an order from Backwoods Brew and couldn't have told you that the mg was different if I hadn't ordered it that way.

 

[tigerlily]

Thanks! That's kind of what I figured. I do plan to take a few months to reduce the levels down. I plan on making my next order for 12 mg since I've had some of the symptoms you just described. In the meantime, I guess I'll try the old sunflower eating trick to cut down on my psychological desire to vape, lol.

 

[sjct]

People are SOOOO different: I was a 2 PAD, started at 12mg and became a constant vape-head. I switched up to 24mg and was finally able to put the dang PV down. But, nicotine being a stimulate, I found I had trouble getting to sleep. So now, I do 24 mg in the morning and switch to 12mg after noon, still being able to more or less control my urge to vape.

My husband has finally—after over 2 months—decided to follow my example. Now he is a less than a 1 PAD smoker. He took his first hit at 24mg and staggered from the buzz. He went the rest of the afternoon without smoking or vaping! I offered him 12mg and he doesn't want it. He prefers to knock himself stupid with one puff and then avoid the whole hand/mouth habit for hours! I don't care how he does it; I'm just looking forward to a smoke-free house!

 

[PoliticallyIncorrect]

Thanks! That's kind of what I figured. I do plan to take a few months to reduce the levels down. I plan on making my next order for 12 mg since I've had some of the symptoms you just described. In the meantime, I guess I'll try the old sunflower eating trick to cut down on my psychological desire to vape, lol.

Sounds like a plan. The only thing I'd humbly add is don't get so ambitious about nicotine reduction as to land yourself in self-denial torture. Whatever level needed to satisfy whatever craving you may have is an exponential improvement over sucking tobacco smoke into yourself.

 

[grandmato5]

Not getting enough nic is pretty simple as you will have nic cravings often. Too much nic will cause that light headed and/or headache feeling. Paying the slightest bit of attention your body will tell you if you are getting too much nic. I started on 18-20 mg nic. After 3 weeks I decided to reduce my nic to 10-12 mg about three quarters of my day. Went fine for a few days and then I did start having more nic cravings then I'd had previously so I did more 18-20 for a few days and then started to reduce more of my day to 10-12 again which went well the second try. Shortly before my 2 month anniversary I reduced again to 6-8 mg in the evening when I tend to chain vape. 12 mg other times of the day when I'm only using my PV occasionally. And 18 mg for that rare nic crave. When I first did this I could still substitute 18 mg for 12 mg anytime and still feel just fine. What I found is that after 2 weeks of using 6-8 mg for more and more of my day is this that 18 mg is just too high for me now although I do still have some and will have no problem using it IF I get hit with a major nic urge. I recently got some samples that were 24 mg and WOW way too high for me to use even for a very short period of time which wasn't the case when I first started vaping.

And no, I have not found that reducing the nic level has reduced the flavor of my liquids from the vendors I order from. Someday I do hope to make it to 0 nic but when and if is yet to be determined. Not something I am going to rush until I'm ready for that step.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

I vape two different strengths; 18mg and 24mg. I started at 18 and still had analog cravings, so I bumped to 24. I also have a tendency to chain vape, especially when I'm at home in front of the computer (I'm a gamer, go figure...lol!) I use 18mg for that. When I'm at work or out running around, I use 24mg.

 

[Kevin Freeheart]

I chain vape 36/mg and was a 1.5 pack a day smoker.

If you're craving nic, it's too little. If your heart is racing and you feel nervous, you're getting too much. Anything within that range is okay, depending on your vape habits. Some people use high-nic and hit it like an analog. (Puff, puff, puff, done) Some people (myself) keep it at hand all the time.

Dry mouth makes me stop before nic OD.

 

[Nomoreash]

Nicotine levels will vary per person and in many cases it has little to do with what or how many analogs one smoked previouly. If you want to experiment with vairous levels might want to check out Tasty Vapor, get the same or higher MG level than you currently use (they offer up to 48mg) then get a larger size doubler they offer in the same flavor. That way you can cut with the doubler to the desired MG level and experiment with it without lossing any flavor, not to mention you get alot of juice that way for a great price.

 

[tigerlily]

That sounds like a great idea Nomoreash. I'm going to check into that. I also like the idea of using one level during the day when work prevents me from vaping and using a lower level in the evening while gaming.

Thanks once again for all the terrific responses I get on this forum!

 

[silkakc]

Welcome to ECF TigerLilly

Isn't vaping a joy?! It tastes wonderful and works like a miracle.

Just buy your usual flavor in 18mg, 12 mg and 6 mg and experiment. That way you can hit the 18 mg during a crisis, if needed.

What game do you and LadyOfHeart play? I've been playing Lord of The Rings Online now for almost 4 yrs.

Lori

 

[dhewey]

What game do you and LadyOfHeart play? I've been playing Lord of The Rings Online now for almost 4 yrs.

Lori

Heh -- LOTRO since Phase 3 of Closed Alpha, all through Closed Beta and retail release since Head Start. Founder and Lifetime Subscriber (which is now converted to VIP account status).

Back to PVs.

I started with 18mg and it took about three days to get used to what felt like a lower nicotine level than tobacco cigarettes.

However, I have not nor will I return to tobacco as I find vaping much more pleasant than tobacco smoking ever was.

 

[marhall]

do the lower nicotine levels have noticeably less bite?

 

[tigerlily]

Good question Marhall.

World of Warcraft is my game of choice