Various nicotine levels?

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Ope

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Feb 23, 2011
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Ok, couple questions.

Is there a way to gauge how equivalent a nicotine level to analogs? For instance, a couple of my favorite analogs to smoke were Camel Lights and Camel #7's? What level nicotine would be roughly equivalent to start with?

Secondary question. If I'm just trying to get a little bit of a nicotine hit, why wouldn't I just go with a concentrated solution and use it less frequently?

I suspect I'll end up answering these questions on my own through experience, but perhaps some insight from you could be offered.

Thanks, Ope
 

dripdaddy

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How many analogs were you smoking a day? That will help gauge the nic level to use.

On your second question. You could go with a higher nic juice and vape less frequently. I started at 18mg but I found that I really like to vape, so I ended up dropping down to 12mg to offset the increased vaping. Chain vaping the 18mg was making me queasy.
 
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Ope

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Feb 23, 2011
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I smoke when I'm with certain friends. On those times, I smoke about a pack a day. So, yea, this helps. Thanks much. So, looking for a way to keep off analogs completely even when with them. I was thinking of getting a high strength liquid and using it sparingly, but sounds like it would be better to get a lower nicotine level so I don't give myself a stronger does than needed.

Thanks, Ope
 

MrSmith99

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Everyone is going to be different as to how much nic they need to quit smoking. I found 24mg to be right for me. I also have some 18mg which I use. It keeps me off the cancer sticks. But I read where some people used 36mg. That seems a little high to me, but whatever works. I smoked Pall Mall 100's (like Marlborough or Winston 100's.)
Some people just have a harder time keeping the heebie jeebies away, so they use more nic. Others find they can do with a lot less. You will just have to try and see.

Also, as to using higher nic and vaping less, it's a good idea but didn't work for me. I vape more than I smoked. It's the whole psych thing: Hand to mouth movements, smoke, inhaling, fiddling with crap in your hand. There are a lot more to decades worth of habits than just nicotine.
 
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dripdaddy

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I was thinking of getting a high strength liquid and using it sparingly, but sounds like it would be better to get a lower nicotine level so I don't give myself a stronger does than needed.

I still keep a bottle of 36mg Wyatt Earp around for the occasion when I want a large nic blast. Very rarely though.
 

dripdaddy

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Also, as to using higher nic and vaping less, it's a good idea but didn't work for me. I vape more than I smoked. It's the whole psych thing: Hand to mouth movements, smoke, inhaling, fiddling with crap in your hand. There are a lot more to decades worth of habits than just nicotine.

Amen to that MrSmith.
 

dormouse

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I don't think how many per day matters much iif you plan to vape about as much as you smoked. In general, if you plan to vape about as much as you smoked, the following levels work for many

Full strength cigs - 24mg
Light cigs - 16-18mg
Ultralight cigs - 10-12mg

But some people, especially if they smoked longer cigs or hit cigs hard will need a higher level. Ditto sometimes if a person can only vape on a breaks with a long time between chances to vape.

And some people, mainly those who immediately start vaping a lot more than they smoked, may need a lower level to avoid over-niccing themselves and getting headache, dizziness, rapid heartbeat

I smoked 1.5+ PAD of .9 mg lights and started on 16-18mg (after reading a lot all over this board) and stopped smoking right away by vaping about as much as I had smoked. I had it easier than most - I can vape at work - I did not vape at my desk but I could go to the warehouse and have a vape when I felt the need or desire.

And a note - the amount of nicotine and the juice base affect the hit. More nicotine is more TH. But a PG base will let through the most of the TH and a VG base the least. I recommend blends around 70pg/30vg (or 80pg/20vg for more TH). Too much TH can also mean irritation by the nicotine causing sore tongue, throat, even lungs.

For your starting juices - buy some with your kit order. Buy more of the nic level you think will be right and smaller amounts on either side of that (a small bottle lower and a small bottle higher). The starting juices may be PG - that is what many multi-brand hardware vendors sell. Once you determine if your level choice was correct, immediately order more juices elsewhere - places with PG/VG blends, and start searching for ones that really click with you.
 
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mwa102464

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I think it boils down to more of how many of those camels a day you where hitting on in order to guage what level Nic you will need if your just starting to vape, usually most people dont start at a high enough MG to meet there addicted Nic level that they where use to so they dont get enough while vaping to satisfy what they where use to when smoking. For instance I use to hit up 2 packs of Newport's a day so I had to start out vaping a 36mg in order to feel right (6) months , then after a while I dropped down to 24mg (12) months, now I'm 18MG, these are my all day figures of vaping, I have found it tough to drop down to say 6-12mg after smoking for so long maybe and gradually dropping my MG's every so many months has how its been working for me, Just Me!
 

spaghetti straps

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I was a pretty light smoker. I generally only smoked around 5 light cigs a day, or maybe 10 if I was stressed out. I'm using 11mg right now, and it's been more than enough to keep me from wanting to smoke. I've had my kit for 8 days now and still haven't used up an entire cartomizer. Then again, I've been rotating 4 flavors. I really don't think the nicotine levels mean a whole lot, honestly. It all boils down to how much you end up using your e-cig. When I smoke a cigarette, I tend to take a series of short drags and be done with it in a minute or two. With vaping, I'm taking longer drags and spacing them further apart. I just pick one up whenever I need a quick fix and take a puff or two. So, yeah, don't drive yourself crazy with that stuff. It's not a definite formula or anything.
 

Rosa

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Not sure if it answers your 1st question....
I smoked Ultras at 0.6mg per analog. I smoked about 10 analogs daily so my nic intake would be around 6mg.
So, the vaping equivalent would be an intake of 1ml e-juice daily with nic strength of 6mg/ml

Hope that helps.

The math is missing one part of the equation though. When we vape we only absorb somewhere between 10%-40% of the nicotine we are inhaling. So at 1ml/6mg you'd get much, much less nicotine than you used to get.
 

Rosa

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I feel like I'm getting a lot more nicotine than I was getting smoking analogs. It feels like drinking caffeine. I feel very energized.

You are certainly NOT getting carbon monoxide anymore, maybe that's making the difference for you. :)

IMO, vaping is less about what we are getting and more about what we are not getting.
 

dormouse

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I started with the same amount as in a pack of my cigs and vaped about a pack and a half worth per day (I smoked a pack and a half per day). There is not exact translation but many people start around the following and some need more (especially if they smoked long cigs or really dragged every bit of their cigs) and some need less because they start vaping and go overboard with it and need less to keep from getting too much nicotine (i.e. headache lightheadedness rapid heartbeat).

Full strength cigs -> 24mg
Lights -> 16-18mg
Ultralights->10-12mg

You could aim at one of those (or higher if you think you need it) and also buy some on either side - a bit lower and a bit higher in case you need them. if you get the higher and lower in the same flavor you could mix them to make the middle level if you end up not needed higher or lower.
 

tabithad

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I smoked a pack a day of Marlboro lights.

I found that the 24mg is what I needed to initially quit, but I found that it was upseting my stomach so I dropped it down to 18mg after a week. That worked perfectly for me...

so then I thought after a week, well maybe I can go down to 12mg now... NOPE, 12mg and I start thinking about smokes again.. 18mg seems to be my "sweet spot" for now...

I plan on trying the 12mg again soon, I am sure it will just take a few days to adjust but right now I can't do it without craving a smoke.
 
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