nicotine from e-cigs for PD

[zawy]

[Update: it seems pretty rough on my throat, and it just does not seem strong. Maybe the nicotine concentrate is not good or something. I'm going back to the gum. ]

Nicotine is the strongest substance we know of in preventing and/or slowing Parkinson's. Surprisingly, it does not seem to cause cancer in animals, but it has caused cancer in test tube. A derivative of nicotine, "NNK" appears the be the most potent cancer causing agent in cigarettes, second-hand smoke, and chewing tobacco. NNK comes from nicotine during the curing of tobacco and during the high heat of smoking. The amount of NNK in e-cig liquids is about 1000 times less than it is in burnt cigarette smoke, and the lower temperature of e-cigs is not supposed to generate NNK from the nicotine. I bought the equivalent of 300 packs of cigarettes for $26 ($0.08 per pack) by mixing the nicotine concentrate from nicvape with VG oil from amazon (0.1 ml to 0.2 ml of 100 mg nicotine/ml concentrate with 1 ml VG oil and 0.1 ml water). Two e-cigs pens cost $13 from ebay. If you do a google search, all you can find are $40 models. The pre-mixed liquids are also expensive.

There are other carcinogens in cigarettes, but the situation is similar in regards to them. Nicotine is not safe, and may assist existing cancer and appears to have some negative effects in arteriosclerosis, but it generally regarded by health authorities to be at least 20 times safer than cigarettes, except it is still addictive.

Just mixing the liquid and taking drops of it orally would be like nicotine gum, except a lot cheaper. Mixing with DMSO can carry it through the skin....a lot cheaper than buying patches.

References:

NNK in e-cig liquids:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/236...

1 ml e-cig liquid is about 20 cigarettes:

electroniccigaretteconsumer...

e-cig temperatures supposedly do not generate NNK

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Amount of NNK from cigarettes

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/187...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/680735

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/236...

[stevie3]

I have used nicotine lozenges for a long time. I used them to give up smoking and never gave them up! When I was researching my PD diagnosis I was quite cheered up to read the stuff about nicotine. I prefer the lozenges to the gum.

[zawy in reply to stevie3]

I just started the e-cig. I prefer it to gum because I can control the burn of the nicotine in my throat better. I never smoked. Nicotine actually generates a type of neuron connections that PD is deficient in within 24 hours of a single dose. During withdrawel, those connections are lost. Cycling into and out of the nicotine dependency (like 3 to 6 days on, 3 to 6 days off) might cause symptoms to worsen during the off period, but it might also train the cells to regenerate those connections better. I mean, the neurons might get better at recovering from withdrawel better. This is like exercise where you hurt the muscles and other tissue and then let them recover over 1 to 7 days. The cells get better at recovery and get fundamentally healthier.

[Hidden]

I was vaping nicotene (organic and Propylene-free) but it only increased my anxiety since it stimulates the adrenal glands, I became hooked on it, and somewhat difficult to get off, so for someone with restless leg problems and high anxiety it may not be all that great.

Thanks, Suzie

[racerCP]

I tried nicotine gum and became violently sick, vomiting and dizzy and fainting. Is it because I never smoked and need to get used to it?

[zawy in reply to racerCP]

Yes, nicotine causes you to be more dizzy and nauseous. I can barely tolerate 2 of the 4 mg gums per day, and that's after a year of trying it on most days. They no longer cause noticeable dizziness or anything, but nicotine to me just isn't very enjoyable as something to ingest or smoke. But my works better with it. Half of the reason I do not like nicotine is because I feel guilty ingesting it because it still feels like I am smoking something toxic and with a social stigma. To me, cigarettes seem less socially acceptable than marijuana.

[stevie3]

Almost certainly. Nicotine is quite strong. It's also very addictive and I wouldn't be using it if it were not for the fact that it stops me smoking! It's almost as expensive....

[Don_oregon_duck]

Does anyone use a nicotine patch?

[zawy in reply to Don_oregon_duck]

Patches are kind of expensive. Mixing the nicotine concentrate with about 5 times more VG oil than I described in the original post, using something like 0.1 ml and adding an equal amount of DMSO to carry it through the skin would probably work as good as a patch, except it would be a sudden dose like a cigarette (or two) instead of time-release. You would need to feel comfortable with calculating the amount needed and then test carefully starting with less. 1 cigarette delivers about 1 mg of nicotine and I would start from there. The 1.2 ml in the e-cig I described in the original post is supposed to be 20 cigarettes and applying that much to the skin at once with DMSO would probably burn like crazy and cause enough dizziness and nausea to make one want to go to the emergency room. I've licked small drops of the 1.2 ml e-cig concoction and it burns tongue a little just like the nicotine gum. After handling the 100 mg/ml nicotine concentrate I wiped my fingers dry and then licked one of them which caused my tongue to burn a lot, so it's definitely a "handle-with-care" thing.

[Hidden]

I used the patch to stop smoking. The only thing that ever worked for me. Haven't smoked in 1 1/2 years.

[zawy]

Update: it seems pretty rough on my throat, and it just does not seem strong.  Maybe the nicotine concentrate is not good or something.  I'm going back to the gum

[Donzim]

Nicotine raises blood pressure so be advised.