Ohnoes! Another noob! Advice would be quite welcomed! :)

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omgpwny

Full Member
Apr 22, 2013
25
14
Texas, USA
etsy.com
Hello, everyone! I'm new here, though I have used the forum for quite a while now as research before buying certain things. More accurately, I've used it to convince me to not buy quite a few things. :p So first and foremost, thank you all for posting so much information! You've already served me quite well. :)

I've been vaping for just a few months now. My reason for starting was not to quit using analog cigarettes, oddly enough. I haven't smoked a "real" cigarette in years. Just about a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy. As part of the treatment for narcolepsy, I was prescribed a stimulant medication to help with my excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), which is one of the main symptoms of the illness. While the stimulant I take does help with it, it's not quite enough. In addition, I have to take a "holiday" from the prescription medication on weekends to prevent building up a tolerance to it, rendering it ineffective.

After trying to figure out how to supplement the medication to increase my wakefulness, I remembered that when I smoked, I was not addicted to the nicotine. I quit cold turkey and never had a nicotine craving. Rather, I was having trouble staying awake. I found myself switching to energy drinks, which were far less effective than the nicotine had been, to try to get an energy boost. I decided I would try e-cigs to see if I could get the benefit of the stimulant effect of the nicotine without having to deal with all the other nastiness of "real" cigarettes.

My first e-cig was a BluCig starter kit. I thought the size and convenience of it would be great, but soon tired of the quickly-disappearing flavors and constant need to recharge the batteries so often. Next step was my current e-cig, the eGo knock-off "eGo-W" from e-cigs.com. I've been using that for about 2 months now, and have definitely enjoyed it much more. Having the ability to try a wider range of flavors, having a much longer-lasting battery, and having access to different cartomizers and such has been an eye-opening experience. It's also been much more effective in providing me with more wakefulness during the daytime. I also must say that I love being able to snag nicotine-free e-liquids to vape in the evenings for when I want to taste something sweet without adding a ton of calories at bedtime. :p

Last week, I ordered the eGo C variable voltage Twist 1000 mAh battery for myself, and one for my fiancee (who has been vaping right along with me since I started, using the same e-cigs that I've been using). Those will be delivered some time today. Currently, we also have Stardust Clearomizers, which we're not really enjoying too much. I just ordered us some Kanger EVOD cartomizers to try out, and am wondering if any of you have suggestions for some other cartomizers to try. For him, something that isn't too terribly huge, since he tends to carry his in his pocket at work, and of course something that doesn't leak, but that holds a fair amount of e-liquid so that he doesn't have to worry about carrying a bottle with him to work. For myself, something that isn't too terribly huge (as I just don't like the look of a bug chunky tank on my e-cig), doesn't leak, isn't too painful to fill, and comes in multiple colors. The colors is not due to being a frilly girl, but rather because I have a hard time remembering which e-liquid is in which cart unless they're different colors. Since I have multiple e-liquids that are similar in color, having several differently-colored carts makes it easier for me to put each of my clear e-liquids in a different color cart, each of my orange-colored ones in a different colored cart, etc. (Narcolepsy makes it extremely difficult to remember things, as well.)

Not sure if anyone else here is a PWN (person with narcolepsy), knows a PWN, or if anyone else is interested, but nicotine is actually a great stimulant choice for many PWN due to the way it works within the brain to increase focus, energy, etc. I'd be glad to post a link to a great article about it, which includes a ton of citations, explaining why it's such a great choice. Perhaps it'd be helpful for someone here, or just really interesting. :)

Thanks in advance to anyone who can recommend some carts for me to try out. And thanks to all of you who have been posting here for a long while. You've already helped a ton! :)
 

MissAmerican

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 11, 2013
374
136
Los Angeles, CA
I'm so glad to hear you are receiving good treatment for your condition. To answer your question about carto's, I suggest "dual coil tanks" otherwise known as "DCT's". Basically its a cartomizer with a small hole punched into it and a slim clear tube that surrounds it holding your e-juice in the tank and feeding it into the cartomizer every time you take a puff. Many people say a filled up tank can last them a whole day, since I am a very heavy vaper I usually have to fill it up after an few hours. If you decide to try a DCT I recommend the brand "Boge" with low resistance and 2 holes punched into it. Since the holes are so tiny I have had better luck using the 2 hole punched ones. Some sites that carry them are "LiteCigUsa", "CrystalClearVaping", and "MadVapes" to name a few. I have tried a few brands of cartomizers but have found "Boge" brand in low resistance to be my favorite. Best of luck to you!
 

finanie

Senior Member
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Verified Member
Apr 15, 2013
157
145
Springfield, MO
Wow, that is an interesting story. I have fibromyalsia and notice that the nicotine helps with the fibro fatigue and fibro fog. That's not why I started vaping just an added benefit.

I use the Kanger T2 and T3 for my ego C. The T2 has a top coil that provides a more warm vape. The downside is when the juice level drops below the coil level, you have to tilt and twirl to re-soak the coil in juice. The T3 has a bottom coil so a cooler, more airy vape. No tilt and twirl needed. If you decide to try them, go with a reputable company that is selling the real thing, not a knock off. That will ensure you get a quality product.

Good luck to you on your vaping journey!
 

omgpwny

Full Member
Apr 22, 2013
25
14
Texas, USA
etsy.com
I'm so glad to hear you are receiving good treatment for your condition. To answer your question about carto's, I suggest "dual coil tanks" otherwise known as "DCT's". Basically its a cartomizer with a small hole punched into it and a slim clear tube that surrounds it holding your e-juice in the tank and feeding it into the cartomizer every time you take a puff. Many people say a filled up tank can last them a whole day, since I am a very heavy vaper I usually have to fill it up after an few hours. If you decide to try a DCT I recommend the brand "Boge" with low resistance and 2 holes punched into it. Since the holes are so tiny I have had better luck using the 2 hole punched ones. Some sites that carry them are "LiteCigUsa", "CrystalClearVaping", and "MadVapes" to name a few. I have tried a few brands of cartomizers but have found "Boge" brand in low resistance to be my favorite. Best of luck to you!

I am also a very heavy vaper. I refill my 1.6mL Stardust several times during the course of a day, even when it's a day when I'm already taking my stimulant medications. And I use 18mg nicotine e-liquids, so I'm sure I'm getting quite a bit of nicotine in my system. (As I said previously, though, I never crave. I've forgotten to vape for an entire day, and I never have a craving. Oddly, there are many studies showing that PWN lack the ability to become addicted in the same way that non-PWN are to many/most substances.)

Forgive my lack of knowledge on the differences between types of carts, but what makes the dual-coil, bottom-coil, and top-coil carts work better/worse for different folks? I'm just curious, as I don't know much of anything about these things.

Thanks for your help!! :)
 

omgpwny

Full Member
Apr 22, 2013
25
14
Texas, USA
etsy.com
Wow, that is an interesting story. I have fibromyalsia and notice that the nicotine helps with the fibro fatigue and fibro fog. That's not why I started vaping just an added benefit.

I use the Kanger T2 and T3 for my ego C. The T2 has a top coil that provides a more warm vape. The downside is when the juice level drops below the coil level, you have to tilt and twirl to re-soak the coil in juice. The T3 has a bottom coil so a cooler, more airy vape. No tilt and twirl needed. If you decide to try them, go with a reputable company that is selling the real thing, not a knock off. That will ensure you get a quality product.

Good luck to you on your vaping journey!

I have fibromyalgia as well, and have a hard time figuring out where the brain fog, EDS, and fatigue from the narcolepsy end and the brain fog and fatigue from the fibro begin. I also have a pocketful of other diagnoses to add to the pot, and they certainly don't help matters. However, as I said, there have been studies that show that nicotine can be a great stimulant specifically for PWN, and perhaps it may come out later that other illnesses have a connection there.

Thank you for the recommendations! I really do appreciate it!
 

SupplyDaddy

I'm considered a Mad Scientist in some circles!
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 21, 2012
3,363
5,008
62
San Antonio, Texas
While my wife is not on this forum, she's a vaper and has some of the same issues.. The nicotine also helps her with fibro and ADD..

I'm just a nic/caff fiend. and I would never tell you that it helps keep me under control and focused... :blink:

Oh.. and my usual welcome:
Another Texan?? ;)
(more freakin' Texans in here than in a rodeo....)
Welcome to the forum!
 

Serket

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 28, 2013
236
345
Fort Worth, TX
Welcome to the forums! Glad to see ecigs helping in more ways that quitting.

For a different clearo, I know my mother loves the mini vivi novas.. she has 4 of them in different colors and a couple of the metal tubes for juices that don't do well with plastic. They haven't leaked and last a while without refilling.
 
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