What mg should I be using?

[Double_D2010]

I just got my Vapor King kit for Christmas (LOVE IT) and got 11mg carts with it, although I received some REALLY awesome flavors (Cool Vanilla, Wow Raszz, and *Wow Waffle*)(The WOW Waffle is the BEST) I am wondering if 11 mg is enough for me? I usually smoked 1 pack of winston ultra light analogs a day. Does ne one know if there is a system to figure out what mg to go with?

 

[BlackMetalBuick]

Trial and error is the only system. Also, you need to decide how often you want to vape. If you like the feeling of constantly vaping, you're going to want a lower nic level so you don't OD. If you only want to reach for your vaporizer every once in a while, and you want to satisfy your craving and be done with it, you'll want a level that can take care of it with a few hits.

 

[markfm]

I'd tend to pick up some 16 - 18 mg just in case, and for trigger/stress points. Stay with 11-12 if that's overall working, just have a bit of higher strength as a backstop.

If you're continuously vaping and still have some cravings, that is a sign that you need to switch to the higher strength, at least briefly.

 

[Schweigert]

Black Metal's right, it's all a personal preference. I personally use 36 mg for the added throat kick it gives.. and does it deliver! Really if your conatantly vaping I would stick with something 24 mg or lower. I tend to get headaches from 36 mg if I've been at my computer long enough.. that is my computer + vaping. Really once your into higher volts, 5 or 6 a lower nicotine level will give a adequite throat kick. but for lower volts 3.7 and under I'd use 24-36 mg. Hope this helps!

 

[JupiterV]

I started with 24 because I wanted to make sure I didn't fail.....could get away with 11 probably but I stick to 24 and 18.
If you feel dizzy, it's probably too high. Trial and error.

 

[dormouse]

It depends how much you vape vs how much you smoked. I based mine on my 1-pack amount and I vape about as much as I smoked (i.e. 1.5 pack+ worth of vaping).

Winston Ultralights are .6mg per cigarette which is 12mg per pack so I think 10-12mg might be the right place to center your search for the right nicotine for you. That's where I would have started had I still been smoking Capri Ultralights (.5mg) when I quit and started vaping. But I couldn't afford the Capris the past year ($64 carton) so I was smoking Pall Mall Orange instead (18mg per pack) so I started vaping at 18mg and vaped about as much as I smoked. Worked for me.

So I think you chose a good nicotine amount based on what you smoked, if you are vaping about as much as you smoked or even a bit more. If you have flavors that do satisfy and mellow you yet are still having physical cravings you could try going up a step but I think give the 11mg a try. I am planning to go down to 10-12mg from 16-18mg.

 

[mlinky]

I started with 18mg, and couldn't quit analogs until I moved up to 24mg. I keep 30mg for emergencies. If you are satisfied and don't feel a need for cigarettes, it is probably right for you. If you still feel like something is missing, up your nic level.

 

[wv2win]

Trial and error is the only system. Also, you need to decide how often you want to vape. If you like the feeling of constantly vaping, you're going to want a lower nic level so you don't OD....... .

I don't agree with this at all. You are not going to OD on nicotine with the common levels recommended by almost everyone here. You are not even getting the same nicotine levels as a regular pack of analogs with 24mg. If you want to make the transition, I would suggest you start at 24mg and then move up or down based on your own personal experience. 11mg is quite low and may be difficult for you to get off of analogs. You will have a much better chance of success if you more closely duplicate what you are use to but understand that analogs are more efficient in delivering nic to your body than vaping. There are many long time vets on this forum that are heavy vapers of both 24mg and 36mg liquid.

 

[EynaraWolf]

What dormouse said. I was smoking about 32mg of nicotine per day. That's about two packs of Newport 100 Lights. If I keep my nic levels to about that per day, I use a combination of 12mg to 6mg right now, I don't have any troubles.

 

[sash3784]

I has a 2 pack a day smoker. Started with 24 mg juice and moved down to 18, all is good now. I vape all day

 

[Tradegal13]

I'm with sash. I smoked two packs a day. I began with 24mg. and moved down to 18. Now I am down to 11 and only use 18 if I'm stressed.

 

[dormouse]

I was 1.5+ pack of 18mg per pack cigarettes per day and started with 18mg now heading toward 12mg.

As a total generalization, many people on the forum seem to start with...

Full strength cigarette smokers - 24mg, might need 30+
Lights smoker - 16-18mg, may need 24mg
Ultralights smoker - 10-12mg, may need 16-18mg

But satisfaction also depends on how much you vape, how often you can vape, how satisfying your e-cig hardware, juice flavor and TH is to you etc etc etc

If you are happy at 10-12mg then it's probably right for you. It's a reasonable amount for an ultralights smoker unless you have to wait really longer between vapes.

It is hard to compare the absorption of nicotine from cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Much gets wasted with both - cigarettes smoke away when you are just holding them, ejuice nicotine may be less absorbed than smoke nicotine, the drag sizes may be different, the amount of vapor you see on exhale depends on PG/VG etc. If it feels right to you then it's probably right. I recently started vaping more than I smoked so I plan to try one step lower nicotine level of my favorite juices.

 

[Jenn1181]

When I started vaping I started in the 24-26mg nicotine range, but quickly found my tolerance for such high levels waned drastically. I bumped it down to 16mg and now I'm down to the 8-12mg range. I still keep a couple of sample size bottles of 16mg juice, just in case, but I vape so frequently I find using a lower nic strength allows me to sort of pace myself.

 

[Natalia]

it's different for everyone. I smoked a pack a day. I vape 24mg with morning coffee. Throughout the day I vape 18mg. At night I tend to chain vape so I use 12mg. Been vaping 4 mths, using this routine for the last 3 mths.

Congrats on three weeks!

 

[pianoguy]

There's a huge thread in the Nicotine section that's probably worth browsing through. When I started, I found some info in there stating that you need about 2.5 times the nicotine in an e-cig as you'd normally get in an analog. So at about 12mg per day from your Winstons, you'd need about 30mg from your e-cig. I imagine you'll use about 2 cartomizers per day to start with, so at your 11mg level you'd be getting 22mg per day. So you may be a little low according to that formula. But it all comes down to what you find satisfying. I needed 24mg strength when I started, but found out shortly thereafter that when I switched to menthol flavors I could use 11's and still feel satisfied. I was really surprised at how much I liked the menthol flavors, as I had never cared for menthol cigarettes. Anyway, your body will tell you if you're getting too much - a dull headache, jitters, slight dizziness or trouble falling asleep are all signs of too much nicotine. Just try to stay at the lowest level that makes you happy. Best of luck!

 

[dormouse]

Yeah I sort of disagree with that thread. It doesn't make sense and it doesn't seem to match people's general experience as far as I've seen. I had no problem whatsoever with starting at an ejuice nicotine amount equal to just 1 pack of my old smokes and vaping as often as I smoked (i.e. about 1.5+ packs/day worth of vaping puffs). And I've seen plenty of 1 PAD full strength cig smokers say they started with 24mg. Some people do need more, not all and I think not most. It's a good idea to buy a bit of one step up nicotine when you start in case you need it though.

 

[Mister]

Anyway, your body will tell you if you're getting too much - a dull headache, jitters, slight dizziness or trouble falling asleep are all signs of too much nicotine. Just try to stay at the lowest level that makes you happy. Best of luck!

I agree that your body will tell you but you must be careful to interpret symptoms correctly. Headaches and dizziness can be caused by getting too little nicotine as well as by getting too much.

See the article at Understanding Your Symptoms While Adjusting To Vaping : General E-Cig Discussion - International Vapers Club for a detailed list of symptoms and which of them can be used to determine that your nicotine intake is too high or too low.

 

[Double_D2010]

Thanks for the advice....I want to only reach for my vaporizer when I have cravings and be done with it. So I should maybe go to the 18 mg then, right?

 

[fallon74]

I smoked Marlboro lights I started with 24mg and went down to 16mg its all trial and error.

 

[wv2win]

Thanks for the advice....I want to only reach for my vaporizer when I have cravings and be done with it. So I should maybe go to the 18 mg then, right?

I would start with 24mg and go from there. A large majority from the various polls taken on this site support this level as a good beginning and then change if necessary based on your personal needs.