Category: Addiction

Answer these 5 questions to assess how much nicotine you consume as a smoker (or consumed when you smoked). We will then use this information to calculate the optimal nicotine concentration in your e-liquids, your nicotine medications (patch, gum, tablet, inhaler), or your nicotine pouch. Our statistics show that these 5 questions provide twice as accurate an estimate of your nicotine need as using only the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

1- How many cigarettes do (did) you usually smoke(d) per day?

• 1-5 cig./day = 1 point
• 6-10 cig./day = 2 points
• 11-15 cig./day= 3 points
• 16-20 cig./day= 4 points
• 21+ cig./day = 5 points

2- Usually, how long after waking up do (did) you smoke your first cigarette of the day?

• 0-5 minutes = 5 points
• 6-15 minutes = 4 points
• 16-30 minutes = 3 points
• 31-60 minutes = 2 points
• Over 1 hour = 1 point

3- On a scale of 0 to 100, indicate how heavily you smoke(d):

• 0 = 0 point
• 1-20 = 1 point
• 21-40 = 2 points
• 41-60 = 3 points
• 61-80 = 4 points
• 81-100 = 5 points

4- On a scale of 0 to 10, how much smoke do you inhale each day (or inhaled when you smoked)? This amount depends on the number of cigarettes you smoke, how deeply you inhale, and the number of puffs.
0: I do not inhale any smoke.
10: I smoke so much that even if I tried, I could
not inhale any more smoke.

• 0 = 0 point
• 1-2 = 1 point
• 3-4 = 2 points
• 5-6 = 3 points
• 7-8 = 4 points
• 9-10 = 5 points

5- Indicate the number of milligrams of nicotine listed on your cigarette packet:

• 0.1-0.5 mg = 1 point
• 0.6-0.7 mg = 2 points
• 0.8 mg = 3 points
• 0.9 mg = 4 points
• 1.0 mg or more = 5 points

Now, add up and calculate your total number of points (maximum = 25 points)

Data from our studies indicate that if your total is:

• 0-4 points, you aborb between 0 and 7 mg of nicotine per day (mean = 3.4 mg / day)
• 5-9 points, you aborb between 7 and 14 mg of nicotine per day (mean = 10 mg / day)
• 10-14 points, you aborb between 14 and 21 mg of nicotine per day (mean = 17 mg / day)
• 15-19 points, you aborb between 21 and 28 mg of nicotine per day (mean = 24 mg / day)
• 20-25 points, you aborb over 30 mg of nicotine per day.

After you stop smoking, you must continue to absorb the same amount of nicotine in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms and not start smoking again because you cannot tolerate these symptoms. Consume enough nicotine from e-cigarettes or from nicotine medications or nicotine pouches for at least 3 months after quitting smoking.

Dosage for nicotine medications

Nicotine replacement medications release approximately 70% of the nicotine they contain. For example, a patch containing 21 mg of nicotine releases approximately 15 mg of nicotine.

Use this factor (x0.7) to calculate the optimal dose of your nicotine medication. For example, if you scored 12 points on our questionnaire, you need 17 mg of nicotine per day, and a 21 mg patch plus two 2 mg gums should provide you with the necessary dose.

Dosage for nicotine pouches

Use the same rule (x0.7) as for nicotine medications.

Dosage for e-cigarettes

For e-cigarettes, the amount of nicotine aborbed by the user depends on many factors, in addition to the nicotine concentration in the e-liquid:

• the other characteristics of the e-liquid (flavor, nicotine salt or freebase nicotine),
• the characteristics of the device (battery, coil, wick)
• your own level of nicotine addiction, your personal way on inhaling (number and depth of puffs), your social environment (whereas you are around smokers and vapers).

Nevertheless, our previous studies conducted among former smokers who successfully quit smoking using e-cigarettes, and who responded to the above questionnaire offer some insights.

Vapers who obtained :

• 0-4 points used e-liquids containing 10 mg / mL
• 5-9 points used e-liquids containing 10-12 mg / mL
• 10-14 points used e-liquids containing 12 mg / mL
• 15-19 points used e-liquids containing 16 mg / mL
• 20-25 points used e-liquids containing 18 mg / mL

Use these results as a guide to choose your e-liquid, and do not underdose your e-liquids, because if you do, you risk unnecessarily:

• using too much liquid
• exposing your lungs to too much vapour
• spending too much money on e-liquids
• experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms and running the risk of relapsing into smoking.

The right dose of nicotine is the one that eliminates nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Your brain acts like a thermostat, regulating the amount of nicotine you need. If you use e-liquids that do not contain enough nicotine, you will need more liquid to feel satisfied.

There is no risk of nicotine overdose in regular smokers, as they can tell when they are consuming too much nicotine (specific taste in the mouth, sensation similar to that felt when you have smoked too much).

4 important points to remember

• To successfully quit smoking and avoid nicotine withdrawal symptoms, you need a sufficient amount of nicotine. Do not underdose your nicotine products.
• You need a sufficient concentration of nicotine in your e-liquids (at least 10 mg/mL). Do not listen to retailers who insist that you buy 3 mg/mL liquids, they do this because they want to sell you more liquid.
• Purchase your electronic cigarettes and e-liquids from a specialist shop rather than a kiosk or online, as the sales staff in these shops can advise you and allow you to try and taste different products until you find the one that best suits your needs.
• The advice provided here does not replace that of a doctor or psychologist specialising in the treatment of nicotine addiction.

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