HOW TO CHOOSE THE NICOTINE LEVEL OF YOUR ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE?

It is a central question for smokers who start weaning with an electronic cigarette: what level of nicotine will I adopt to quit smoking? Many seem to be afraid of this substance, wrongly demonized. However, the nicotine contained in e-liquids for electronic cigarettes is pure and is not associated with any component that is dangerous to health.

In e-liquids, nicotine allows you to feel the “hit”; it is a slight tingling in the throat reminiscent of cigarette smoking and thus comforts new vapers. Paradoxically, the presence of nicotine helps to wean gently since it thus avoids the feeling of lack.

NICOTINE IN THE VAPE AND NICOTINE IN CIGARETTES: EQUIVALENCE

No doubt you have noticed, that there is a rate written on cigarette packets. It is relatively fuzzy data supposed to represent the quantity of nicotine present in a cigarette. The very way we smoke influences the dose absorbed. It is therefore difficult to find a perfect equivalence between the number of puffs vaped with an electronic cigarette and the number of puffs taken with a conventional cigarette. The nicotine level in an e-liquid for an electronic cigarette is expressed in mg/ml (milligram per millilitre). This value sometimes impresses beginners who are generally advised between 12 and 18 mg. Yet 12 mg is equivalent to only 1.2% of the final mixture. 

The sensation related to the absorption of nicotine also depends on the material used. The feeling will be different with an older set-up, but it is the so-called first-generation electronic cigarettes that are used as a reference to advise smokers on the rate to adopt. Here are some recommendations, for information, on the dosage adapted to the different profiles of smokers:

• 12mg/ml or more: if I regularly smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day.
• From 6 to 12mg/ml: if I smoke a maximum of 10 cigarettes per day.
• From 3 to 6mg/ml: if I smoke very little or have quit smoking for some time.
• 0mg/ml: if I no longer smoke

But with the emerging trend of sub-ohm, which implies low resistance values ​​and the consequent production of vapour, the recommended rates vary:

• 12mg/ml or more: avoid! Migraines and sore throats are guaranteed! Vaping in sub-ohm with a high level of nicotine is not recommended.
• From 6 mg to 12 mg/ml: if I regularly smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day.
• From 3 mg to 6 mg/ml: if I smoke less than 10 cigarettes a day.
• 0 mg to 3mg/ml: if I no longer or practically no longer smoke.

A COMPARISON THAT HAS LIMITS

Comparing vaping and cigarettes has its limits. Indeed, these are two completely different ways of assimilating nicotine. While with a single classic tobacco cigarette you will almost instantly feel the effects of nicotine on the body (relaxation linked to the release of dopamine for example), it will take a session of 30 to 35 minutes of vaping for a similar result. This was proven by cardiologist Konstantinos Farsalinos in his study Nicotine absorption from electronic cigarette use: comparison between first and new-generation devices. 

Another study by the Association Society for Research on Nicotine tends to show that the nicotine rate absorbed via an electronic cigarette is 5 to 10 times lower than the dose assimilated thanks to a conventional cigarette. Indeed, in a cigarette, the tar transports the nicotine very well, with the vape it is the propylene glycol which plays this role but it is less effective.