Vaping for nicotine advantages?

[Dougiestyle]

I'm a university professor (neuroscience), and in many of my classes I have extolled the virtues of nicotine when divorced from smoke. Having followed the vaping forums for several years, and watching various websites for adverse effects, I have finally decided to take my own advice and begin vaping to reap the benefits of nicotine. I am 59 years old and haven't smoked a cigarette since April 12, 1972 (after smoking from 7th grade and throughout high school). Many of my friends think I'm nuts, but they can't really dispute the science that strongly suggests that nicotine, especially in older individuals, improves cognitive performance, reduces the probability of Alzheimer's onset, improves memory (especially in reducing those 'senior moments' when you can't get the word out you are looking for), and reduces 'time to sleep' at bedtime. I'm in good shape, physically, and except for a small; increase in heart rate and blood pressure immediately after vaping, the effects are transient (last about 45 min - 1 hr), and don't seem to be detrimental. I vape 5-8 drags about 4 times a day, and I generally don't vape before noon, so I'm probably clearing most of the nicotine (assuming a 2-3 hr half life) daily.

I have been vaping for about a month and I have observed some phenomenological effects that I didn't anticipate, the most dramatic of which is the increase in ethanol-induced euphoria (alcohol buzz) after a few drinks. When I quit smoking 40-some years ago, I did so without any withdrawal symptoms, but I think quitting (I was smoking almost 2 packs a day at the time) was easy because there didn't seem to be much reason to smoke (i.e., I don't think I ever observed euphoria strengthening back then, but in retrospect, with my cigarette usage being so high at the time, I was probably nicotine saturated so the contrast effect, may not have been apparent).

This past month, I have recorded how many "senior moments" I had in my lectures, and in casual conversation, and they averaged about 1.8/day. This coming semester I intend to vape before each lecture and compare my memory lapses when nicotine stimulated to what I observed this past semester. I know this is not a real experiment, but I think it will be interesting even if I even experience a placebo effect.

Anyway, does anybody else here vape for similar reasons?

I am a reformed smoker of 25 years (started around 13yo) who inadvertantly quit traditional cigarettes through e-cigs. I only picked one out for occasions when traditional smokes weren't allowed. that's been 5 years ago, now.

I have educated myself with some minor technicalities of vaporizers and their components, including nicotine and it's benefits. Your consideration to begin vaping nicotine is the reason I have not attempted to wean myself from the nicotine. Though, I have cut my nicotine level more than half with the improvememts and innovation vapor-producing equipment and supplies.

A little over 15 years ago, I spent Christmas in a medically induced coma due to a closed head injury and brain trauma. I can use the help from nicotine as well as anybody.

A man with your credentials and testimony will be most valuable to the argument FOR vaping, should you see definite positive results from your theory. A man of science willing to undergo experimental process in search of a definitive proof of his teaching!

Please enjoy the community, here. I do. We look forward to seeing you around from time to time!

 

[supertrunker]

What credentials?

T

 

[Dougiestyle]

Professor?

 

[zoiDman]

...

This past month, I have recorded how many "senior moments" I had in my lectures, and in casual conversation, and they averaged about 1.8/day. ...

What were the Median and Mode values over this 30 Day Period?

 

[gerrymi]

"If dozens of human and animal studies published over the past six years are borne out by large clinical trials, nicotine — freed at last of its noxious host, tobacco — may prove to be a weirdly, improbably effective drug for relieving or preventing a variety of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Tourette’s and schizophrenia. It might even improve attention and focus enough to qualify as a cognitive enhancer. And, oh yeah, it’s long been associated with weight loss, with few known safety risks.

Nicotine has separate mechanisms by which it may protect brain cells.” Boyd says. “One of the functions of nicotinic receptors is to moderate the entry of calcium into cells. The presence of nicotine increases the amount of intracellular calcium, which appears to improve cellular survival.”

And nicotine may have an antioxidant effect, serving to mop up the toxic free radicals produced as a byproduct of metabolism, thus protecting the brain. The neuroprotective effects of nicotine were studied in a randomized clinical trial involving 67 subjects in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, where memory was slightly impaired but decision-making and other cognitive abilities remained intact. The results found “significant nicotine-associated improvements in attention, memory and psychomotor speed,” with excellent safety and tolerability.

Even people without any diagnosed disorder might benefit from nicotine. Psychologist Jennifer Rusted of the University of Sussex in Britain calls the drug “the most reliable cognitive enhancer that we currently have.” In addition to improving visual attention and working memory, nicotine has been shown by Rusted to increase prospective memory: the ability to remember and implement a prior intention. (When your mother asks you to pick up a jar of pickles at the grocery store on the way home, she’s saddling you with a prospective memory challenge.)"

Nicotine, the Wonder Drug? | DiscoverMagazine.com


..

 

[bread_baby]

I have not used smoking purely as medication. I have used it in a way you would call minor substance abuse, therefore I have psychological habits that have very real consequences. Like for instance I would think about smoking when im slightly cold to make me warm, which would actually keep me feeling cold in a 21c room because I don't do the natural thing which is to relax, feel the air and let my body reflexes take over. The same thing goes for the habit of using smoking as a cognitive booster. There are reasons why my mind is distracted and handeling the problem naturally gives you much more sober thoughts than the adrenaline driven ones.

Ofcourse it is possible to use it purely as supplementation but who has that discipline? Athletes maybe, you I'm sure. The rest will need to take prescription instructions from their doctor.

 

[mosspa]

What were the Median and Mode values over this 30 Day Period?

Mean 1.76
Median 1
Mode 1
Range 0 - 5

 

[mosspa]

Mean 1.76
Median 1
Mode 1
Range 0 - 5

oops...

Mean - 1.77

 

[LouisLeBeau]

Holy Cow! How have I missed this?!

Yes, ABSOLUTELY. My original intent was to cut my nicotine to 0mg (not OMG, for the new members ) and then wean myself from the process. However, having read the theories of therapeutic advantages of nicotine, and having watched my Mom die a slow, horrible death with (not from, but yes, from the complications) of Parkinsons, I have elected to continue to vape at 3mg. I will likely continue to do so, until compelling evidence comes to light that contradicts the current beliefs, that it is neurologically advantageous. So, score one for, "you bet".

 

[DC2]

Mean - 1.77

Brain fart?

Did you not have enough nicotine today?
I kid, I kid.

 

[mosspa]

Not really. Rotator cuff pain

 

[evan le'garde]

Never had any intention to quit smoking. I got ill, stuck it out for as long as i could, then eventually had to stop. As soon as i stopped i started vaping. I was using far too much Nicotine at 45mg with cig-a-likes. Moved to egos and clearos and dropped to 36mg. Moved on from egos to regulated tube mods and now use 24mg. I also use a multiple coil device with much more power which produces a lot more vapour per draw so the nicotine content with that is 4.5mg.

If i don't have enough nicotine i feel the need to smoke. I don't vape with the intention of qutting. Nor do i intend to reduce my nicotine use. I'm at a point where the balance is just right. So even though my nicotine consumption has been reducing over time it's only because the hardware i was previously using didn't perform well enough for me.

So the only real reason for my nicotine use is because i loved smoking, didn't want to give up, and so have no intention of giving up vaping.

Those who fail in their attempts to give up smoking by replacing it with vapour simply aren't getting enough nicotine. Though suggesting to up their nicotine consuption on a forum such as this isn't a very popular piece of advice in my experience.

The sooner a vaper can move up to better hardware the more stable their vapour habit will become and the more control they will have over their nicotine addiction.

 

[DavidOck]

Never had any intention to quit smoking.
Those who fail in their attempts to give up smoking by replacing it with vapour simply aren't getting enough nicotine. Though suggesting to up their nicotine consumption on a forum such as this isn't a very popular piece of advice in my experience.

The sooner a vaper can move up to better hardware the more stable their vapour habit will become and the more control they will have over their nicotine addiction.

Well said, Evan. I switched because all the research, even then, was showing vaping to be radically less harmful, harm reduction is a good thing! And for me, the key was going from the "recommended" 18 up to 24, and it was like I flipped a switch. We each need / want a level that keeps us "happy"!

But there are folk who actually do want to "quit" the hand to mouth habit, and believe that reducing nic over time will help them to do that. But they really do need to get totally away from the instant nic rush of smoking first, and may well sabotage their efforts if dropping too soon or too quickly.

 

[sofarsogood]

Never had any intention to quit smoking. I got ill, stuck it out for as long as i could, then eventually had to stop. As soon as i stopped i started vaping. I was using far too much Nicotine at 45mg with cig-a-likes. Moved to egos and clearos and dropped to 36mg. Moved on from egos to regulated tube mods and now use 24mg. I also use a multiple coil device with much more power which produces a lot more vapour per draw so the nicotine content with that is 4.5mg.

If i don't have enough nicotine i feel the need to smoke. I don't vape with the intention of qutting. Nor do i intend to reduce my nicotine use. I'm at a point where the balance is just right. So even though my nicotine consumption has been reducing over time it's only because the hardware i was previously using didn't perform well enough for me.

So the only real reason for my nicotine use is because i loved smoking, didn't want to give up, and so have no intention of giving up vaping.

Those who fail in their attempts to give up smoking by replacing it with vapour simply aren't getting enough nicotine. Though suggesting to up their nicotine consuption on a forum such as this isn't a very popular piece of advice in my experience.

The sooner a vaper can move up to better hardware the more stable their vapour habit will become and the more control they will have over their nicotine addiction.

Everybody is different and different expectations play a big role. When I started vaping I promised myself, no pressure, have a cig when every you want one. All of a sudden I only wanted 5 cigss a day instead of 25. It was magic. So I decided to leave those 5 cigs alone and focus on learning how to vape. After six weeks of dual use I decided to go for zero cigs and was successful. There were some weeks of mild anxiety about smoking but trivial compared to previous cold turkey experiences. I settled at 12 mg nic X 7 ml = 84 mg of nic per day. A month ago I reduced the nic to 10 mg X 7 ml = 70 mg of nic per day. The only reason to reduce nic is so my stash lasts longer in case of government interference. I would rather reduce ml's. A perfect vape to me would be 10 mg nic X 3 ml = 30 mg of nic, about what I got from the smoke of the cigarettes I was smoking. Vaping less ml's appears to be harder than reducing the nic.

 

[mosspa]

Vaping less ml's appears to be harder than reducing the nic.

Of course it is, because nicotine has very little to do with the smoking/vaping habit except for acting as a discriminative stimulus to tell the brain you are getting nicotine. Nicotine is not the terminal reinforcer in the chain of responses making up smoking/vaping behavior. Having completed the chain is the terminal reinforcer. This is why smoking is such a difficult habit for some people to quit. It is the behavioral act of smoking/vaping that is habitual. Using more mls is directly a consequence of engaging in vaping behavior more. This accounts for why many people who successfully substitute vaping for smoking find it relatively easy to reduce their nicotine intake to physiologically meaningless concentrations with little to no effort. If nicotine was maintaining the response, these people would not continue to vape. That they do demonstrates conclusively that nicotine is not reinforcing the response chain involved in vaping behavior. Viewed from that perspective, I am a much better candidate for psychological addiction to nicotine than is either a long time smoker or somebody who substitutes vaping for a long ingrained smoking habit. Assuming that I haven't been experiencing a placebo effect for the last year and a half I have been vaping and obtaining a positive pharmacological effect from the nicotine, reducing my nicotine intake will directly lead to negative consequences (i.e., negative punishment). My guess is that if this cognitive enhancement I am experiencing is a real effect, the longer I continue to vape the larger the contrast will be if I stop ingesting nicotine. Since it is the nicotine that my improved cognitive clarity is dependent on, I should find it reasonably easy to change my route of administration if, say, the university passes a proposed draconian "campus-wide nicotine products ban" that would make possession of any nicotine product not recognized by the medical establishment as a valid smoking cessation tool illegal on campus. If that happens, I guess I am forced to dose myself orally with nicotine lozenges. Except for working out pharmacodynamic equivalence in the routes of administration that fits my own physiology, I shouldn't have a problem with this, except I hate the taste of those things.

 

[sofarsogood]

if, say, the university passes a proposed draconian "campus-wide nicotine products ban" that would make possession of any nicotine product not recognized by the medical establishment as a valid smoking cessation tool illegal on campus.

I've made this argument about ecigs on a college campus. Schools should leave an incentive for smokers to switch to vaping because the substantial money saved will help students pay tuition and employees to live better on the money they are paid. A carton a week cost me $3,000 a year. A year supply of DIY costs me $30. Enlightened self interest. Another argument I make is that if a student stops smoking because of a supportive college experience it might be one of the most valuable things he gets from that institution. A ban won't help. Incentives to switch might.

Is your school tax supported? Does your state have a high cig tax? Once upon a time I was a student hire helping a state university make it's case for what ever state funding it was goint to get one year. I learned how ferocious that competition can be. A campus ban is likely politically motivated. And banning possession? That would be over the top. They might as well expell students for that.

 

[mosspa]

A campus ban is likely politically motivated. And banning possession? That would be over the top. They might as well expell students for that.

It'd hard to find out much about the genesis of this effort. I do know that it is strongly supported by people who should know better (e.g., the only other PhD here trained in neuropharmacology). I don't think there is outside political influence, just some kind of exaggerated political correctness in the university community. As for the punishments if nicotine-product contraband is found, that doesn't seem to be too clear either. Neither does the extent to which there will be active enforcement. We have a 'real' police department on campus (i.e., not rent-a-cops), but they don't appear too aggressive. The custodial staff here routinely encourages disposing of recyclables in non-recyclables trash cans by not putting bags in the recyclables trash cans and dumping all of the trash into one master trash bag, anyway. This practice has been going on for over two years and no save-the-planet types appear to be complaining too much. I seriously doubt that nicotine chemical "sniffers" will be employed, so I think it's a pretty safe bet that if one was to vape behind closed office doors nobody would know. However, it is the absurdity of a comprehensive nicotine-products ban that I find offensive, and all the incorrect propaganda that has been floated around lately about the presumed dangers of nicotine, nicotine and cancer, the effects of second-hand vapor, etc. The biggest insult is that it is a possession ban and not even a usage ban. According to the draft I read, having vape stuff in your locked car, or in the car while you are driving on campus is a punishable offense. Talk about a rights violation...You might get busted in FL for lighting up a cigarette in a restaurant, for example, but not for having a pack of cigarettes in your pocket while you are eating there. The problem is that this is a university, and in Florida, universities both public and private, are pretty much autonomous in their establishment of regulations. The fact that nicotine is not an illegal substance at the federal, state, or local levels makes no difference. If the university chooses to regulate nicotine-products, it can do so as it wishes. Higher education, indeed.

 

[DC2]

I don't think there is outside political influence, just some kind of exaggerated political correctness in the university community.

If there were no outside political influences...
And no outside monetary influences...

Then your campus would be an exception.

Here are some things to look at for those interested...
Universities Implement "Smoke Free" Campuses

 

[sofarsogood]

It'd hard to find out much about the genesis of this effort. I do know that it is strongly supported by people who should know better (e.g., the only other PhD here trained in neuropharmacology). I don't think there is outside political influence, just some kind of exaggerated political correctness in the university community. As for the punishments if nicotine-product contraband is found, that doesn't seem to be too clear either. Neither does the extent to which there will be active enforcement. We have a 'real' police department on campus (i.e., not rent-a-cops), but they don't appear too aggressive. The custodial staff here routinely encourages disposing of recyclables in non-recyclables trash cans by not putting bags in the recyclables trash cans and dumping all of the trash into one master trash bag, anyway. This practice has been going on for over two years and no save-the-planet types appear to be complaining too much. I seriously doubt that nicotine chemical "sniffers" will be employed, so I think it's a pretty safe bet that if one was to vape behind closed office doors nobody would know. However, it is the absurdity of a comprehensive nicotine-products ban that I find offensive, and all the incorrect propaganda that has been floated around lately about the presumed dangers of nicotine, nicotine and cancer, the effects of second-hand vapor, etc. The biggest insult is that it is a possession ban and not even a usage ban. According to the draft I read, having vape stuff in your locked car, or in the car while you are driving on campus is a punishable offense. Talk about a rights violation...You might get busted in FL for lighting up a cigarette in a restaurant, for example, but not for having a pack of cigarettes in your pocket while you are eating there. The problem is that this is a university, and in Florida, universities both public and private, are pretty much autonomous in their establishment of regulations. The fact that nicotine is not an illegal substance at the federal, state, or local levels makes no difference. If the university chooses to regulate nicotine-products, it can do so as it wishes. Higher education, indeed.

Feel free to borrow any of the points I made previously if you plan to get involved in the duscussion. May be the administration and the deans should consider their good fortune to have someone with your particular background working for the school so may be they should let you have your say on this issue and listen carefully.

How about offering to the university that you would like them to be more permissive with ecigs, at least for a year or two, to see if students who smoke can be motivated to switch by school policies to encourage switching. How about an on campus study of the smokers and vapers? The incentive for students and employees to sign up is a discount at a local vape shop?

On the topic of nicotine. On days when I'm sitting around the house all day I vape more. When I'm busy, out and about, etc. I vape significantly less. That was not true with cigarettes. Daily cigs were a much more steady number. I keep track of ml's and my current mod has both a puff counter and a puff timer which I read and reset daily. (The DNA200 board, a product I don't have, will apparently record every detail of a day of vaping for downloading and analysis. I believe it even has features created specifically for research.)

So may be you can distract them with an on campus research proposal.

P.S. Could you ask for an exception for yourself because you are studying nicotine and you rely on it for medicinal purposes? That would make their heads spin.

 

[mosspa]

Feel free to borrow any of the points I made previously if you plan to get involved in the duscussion.

Thank you. I tried to get involved when I first heard of this plan. The problem is I couldn't even get details on who the organizing committee was.

On the topic of nicotine. On days when I'm sitting around the house all day I vape more. When I'm busy, out and about, etc. I vape significantly less. That was not true with cigarettes. Daily cigs were a much more steady number.

Well, I pretty much am the same, and seldom vape at all when it comes to 'out and about' or doing something not related to teaching. Although, if I'm just relaxing and watching TV I tend not to vape at all. However, since my nicotine intake is goal directed, I vape a lot more on my way to school than on the way home and vape pretty heavily between classes on teaching days. I find my most intensive vaping occurs while I'm needing to concentrate or focus. So, I tend to vape most when I'm writing, putting lectures together, and analyzing data. Just booting up SPSS or Matlab almost guarantees that my office will become a vapor cloud if the door is shut

I keep track of ml's and my current mod has both a puff counter and a puff timer which I read and reset daily. (The DNA200 board, a product I don't have, will apparently record every detail of a day of vaping for downloading and analysis. I believe it even has features created specifically for research.)

If you've read my posts about it in this thread, you know that my vaping equipment isn't that sophisticated. Although I do have a few higher capacity batteries, almost all of my batteries are the iJoy variable voltage 650mah that MyFreedomSmokes sell. Now I exclusively use SmokTech Pyrex ARO 2 clearomizers, SmokTech bottom-coil heads and SmokTech 1.8ohm coils. I keep five sets in rotation: one in my pocket, one in my university office, one in each of my two university lab rooms and one in my home office/music studio. I've had good luck with the iJoy batteries, and find that one of the two middle voltage settings usually provides a reliable 3.8V. My juice is now 45mg/ml nicotine in 75/25 PG/VG with a little added menthol crystal. This combination gets me close to what Farsalinos suggested for standard cigarette substitution, and is what I've pretty much used since I've been vaping (started with Kanger EVOD, as was used in the first Farsalinos study). So I'm vaping 45mg/ml at 8W. I replace the coils about once/month and the batteries about once/3 months, and I keep the batteries topped off and never overcharge them. Lately (school is in-session) I vape about 2ml/day (90mg). I plan to stop again for the summer break.

I'm not that concerned about hardware costs since, as you point out, supplies and maintenance are not very expensive. So, I would appreciate you elaborating on what a complete system that includes the DNA200 would include. It's hard for me to tell just looking at the components list in your sig. I would like to generate a more precise data set for my vaping than I currently am. I've refined my cognitive self-evaluation system substantially since I started this experiment, and I would really like to start looking at the nicotine ingestion more quantitatively.

Thanks in advance, Moss