Nicotine withdrawal, really?

[HawaiiVPR]

I’ve been vaping no nicotine for the past 10 days, and today, started up a 6mg nicotine juice, but can’t really tell what effect it has other than a very slightly stronger throat hit. I remember the days of analogs, if I didn’t smoke for just a day and fired up a cig, body would react immediately with a rush of dizziness, lightheaded and a feeling of a low electric current going through my entire body. What the heck do they put into those Marlboros anyway? LOL

I can definitely tell if I vape too much nicotine, but the opposite doesn’t seem to really affect me, both physically and psychologically.

So with that said, is nicotine really the addictive part of cigarettes? It’s what all the “experts” say, including what Nicorette gum/patches and prescriptions will tell you. I dunno, maybe I’m off the nicotine too and just don’t know it. What are everyone else’s experiences?

 

[suspectK]

Yeah, if I could feel 0-liquid in my lungs, I wouldn't use nicotine.. I vape 24mg, and I haven't had any problems when I don't have it for a day or two.. I probably wouldn't vape at all if the flavors weren't so perfect for me.

Nicotine compounded with the MAOI's, freebasing agents, and other catalyzing chemicals in cigarettes makes nicotine pretty addictive, but by itself, I'd rather have a nicotine addiction over caffeine addiction. I can definitely notice when I haven't had any caffeine through out the day.

 

[Ken_A]

Nicotine has about as much addiction levels as caffeine. When removed from tobacco. It's the MAOIs in tobacco that keeps you addicted. Now that you no longer crave the enhanced nicotine, it's easier to go without.

Everyone is different though. I need a small amount, or I get depression symptoms. And there is NO WAY I'm gonna take those "approved" medications for it!

 

[HawaiiVPR]

Thanks for the responses. I think I may have increased my coffee intake for the past 10 days, so I guess there is always "something" be it caffeine, nicotine, sugar, alcohol, etc... moderation is always good, but probably better if I don't try to analyze this too much. Bottom line I went from 4,000 chems to something I can count with one hand along with hundreds, soon to be thousands of dollars I wont be giving away to big tobacco and government taxes. That in itself is a great comfort!

 

[Myrany]

I am very slowly dropping my nic levels. I now vape 1 mg but I find every 6-8 weeks at this level I start having real problems with depression and massive cig cravings. I have taken to keeping a bit of 6 mg juice around for those emergencies.

I am actually considering dropping to 0 nic for my ADVs and just using the 6 mg when the problems hit. I never have to use the higher nice for more than a few hours to fix things.

 

[Ryedan]

Yup, I've had the same experience and come to the same conclusion. One of these days someone will do some good research into this and I suspect completely confirm it.

 

[HawaiiVPR]

Lately I've been finding those Chantix commercials a laugh to watch when the side effect disclaimers come on at the end, everything from ........ to depression to suicide... wheee!!

 

[RosaJ]

I totally agree with you. I smoked for more than 40 years and whenever I went to the beauty shop for instance, I fidgeted in my seat dying to go outside and have a cigarette in the middle of the beauty session. About 6 months after I started vaping, my daughter treated me to a haircut and color that lasted two and a half hours.

I walked to the car afterwards and as I'm getting the car in gear to go home I realized I didn't have any cravings to vape. That would have been unheard of while I smoked cigarettes. I've been cigarette free for 21 months now. Started at 24mg nic and am now down to 6mg, 3mg, and sometimes 0mg nic.

My daughter and I have discussed it many times, the "addiction" to cigarettes is not the nicotine but the other junk in them. BTW, my daughter and her husband are the ones who introduced me to vaping, and they're both non-smokers.

 

[Thunderball]

I am slowly lowering my nic...and not by design really. Its just happening.

 

[HawaiiVPR]

Totally agree, vaping for me is a pleasurable pastime now as opposed to the cranky, nervous and fidgety addiction caused by cigarette smoking. I noticed this most when I took a long flight; didn't take that fast walk to the terminal exit upon arrival to light up. I actually didn't have to vape until I was comfortably settled in my hotel room

 

[DC2]

Nicotine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Technically, nicotine is not significantly addictive, as nicotine administered alone does not produce significant reinforcing properties. However, after coadministration with an MAOI, such as those found in tobacco, nicotine produces significant behavioral sensitization, a measure of addiction potential.

Tobacco smoke contains the monoamine oxidase inhibitors harman, norharman, anabasine, anatabine, and nornicotine. These compounds significantly decrease MAO activity in smokers. MAO enzymes break down monoaminergic neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. It is thought that the powerful interaction between the MAOI's and the nicotine is responsible for most of the addictive properties of tobacco smoking.

Here is similar information from a study by an Arizona State professor emeritus...
Professor: Nicotine does not cause cigarette addiction | The State Press - An independent daily serving Arizona State University

And here is a recent study from the Institute of Environment Research...
Nicotine Is Not the Sole Addiction Causing Agent in Cigarettes

Penelope Truman, from ESR (Institute of Environmental Science and Research) presented a study at this week's Smokefree Oceania conference in Auckland, New Zealand. She conducted this study on rats using pure nicotine and tobacco particulate matter (TPM) along with cigarettes and roll- your-own RYO/TPM and found that the rats were more eager to get a dose of non-nicotinic cigarette especially RYO/TPM than doses of cigarettes containing pure nicotine.

And you might want to check these out too...

Growing List of Positive Effects of Nicotine Seen in Neurode... : Neurology Today

Obviously the results of small studies often aren't replicated in larger studies, but at least nicotine certainly looks safe. And we've seen absolutely no withdrawal symptoms. There doesn't seem to be any abuse liability whatsoever in taking nicotine by patch in non-smokers. That's reassuring.”

Nicotine treatment for ulcerative colitis

No withdrawal symptoms suggesting nicotine addiction have been reported either after 4–6 weeks of therapy in short-term studies, or after a period of up to 6 months in the only long-term study available.

 

[yzer]

I agree. It's much easier to quit using refined nicotine alone than the toxic soup of addictive compounds found in tobacco tar. I used zero nicotine juice for several weeks after surgery for a broken leg. It wasn't that hard to go to zero nic after vaping 15mg juice for several months.

 

[Myk]

I had no real mental issues with lowering my nicotine 50% at a time. I would vape more. My body had issues with lower nicotine, I have Ulcerative Colitis. I'm guessing that would rule me out of any addiction study since it's not representative of the norm. (Plus if that would be an addiction flag it would mean the modified aspirin like drug I take is addictive.)

More interesting is how I reacted when I switched from cigarettes to pipes. I could have a major pipe tobacco that would turn the most dedicated smoker green and still want a cigarette right after having a bowl.
Similar with ecigs, at first I'd OD from chain vaping yet still desire a cigarette. Although with the ecig switch those desires didn't go on for as long as they with the pipe.
I think it has more to do with the smoke than the nicotine.