Choosing the right vape liquid strength for you

Switching from smoking to vaping? It’s important to find the right nicotine strength in your vape liquid. This should match how you used to smoke.

Why vape liquid strength matters

Different nicotine levels in e-liquids help you reduce nicotine gradually. This way, you can avoid strong withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine strengths guide

E-liquids come with different nicotine levels, shown in mg/ml or percentages. Here’s a simple guide:

 

Cigarettes per day

Suggested strength (%)

Suggested strength (mg/ml)

1-5

0.6%

6mg

5-10

1.0%

10mg

15-20

1.4%

14mg

20+

1.8%

18mg

 

 

How to choose

  1. Think about your smoking habits: How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? How strong are your cravings?
  2. Start in the middle: If you’re not sure, try a medium strength first.
  3. Adjust as needed: If you still crave cigarettes, try a high strength. If it’s too strong, vape less or choose a lower strength.

Signs of too much nicotine

If your nicotine strength is too high, you might have:

    • headache
    • dizziness
    • mild nausea
    • coughing

If this happens, stop vaping and the symptoms will go away quickly. 

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It is recommended that people should use vapes for as long they help prevent them going back to smoking. If you feel you’re ready to stop vaping, you can plan and prepare to stop either gradually or in one step.

  • gradually reduce your nicotine strength (reducing slowly to avoid relapse to smoking)
  • extend the time between vaping
  • set yourself rules about where you do and do not vape
  • consider using NRT if you want to come off vapes in one step
  • if you feel like you might be at risk of smoking again, plan to return to vaping for a little longer

How does this work?

The tailored approach LiveWell Dorset uses to come up with solutions to the things that are stopping us achieving our goals, is based upon work done by University College London developing the COM-B model of behaviour change. In this model, all behaviour is influenced by understanding a person’s capability to change, their opportunity to change and their motivation to change. By understanding which of these is the biggest barrier to change, we can tailor support accordingly. This model of behaviour change is at the centre of the support we offer, online and in person.

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