Nicotine Releast Time Frame?

[weelp]

Hello fellow Snusers, I have two questions...

First I was wondering if anyone knows the approximate mg's of nicotine that are released from an 8mg snus portion after about 15 minutes? I looked online but couldn't find any information on the nicotine release time frame. I know the law of diminishing return applies to snus; so at some point, each additional minute the snus is in your mouth, it will release less and less nicotine per minute but I'd like to know how many mg's I'm getting after I have it in for 15 minutes.

Second, is it true that your body only absorbs 30%, does anyone know where the other 70% goes?

I'd like to run some calculations, because I just got laid off and I'm a dork. Any information would be appreciated. Eventually, i'd like to put together a chart once I'm sure I have to proper figures and post it here.

[toekuttr]

Hey weelp, I'm interested in this kind of stuff too but can't answer your questions other than some gets destroyed or is just unusable for whatever reason. I suppose quite a bit stays in the snus too. I'll be looking forward to any good info you come up with though. Welcome to the forum!

[sychodelix]

I have no idea for sure, but all I can tell you is how the nicotine fix "feels to me". With a stronger portion, if I keep it in my mouth for longer than an hour, I'll start to get a headache which tells me that's all the nicotine I can handle.

One thing I've noticed is the nicotine in dip tends to wear out a lot quicker than it does with snus for the most part. Maybe it has something to do with the way it's cured.

[mwood72]

SM give some stats here http://www.gothiatek.com/templates/s...spx?page_id=81

[deebocools]

that article is very useful, but again doesn't give a time frame for a single portion of snus.

It does however point out something that makes the question harder to answer- nicotine hangs around for 5-7 hours. Snus use has a slower hit than cigarettes, but you also keep it in your mouth for longer. when you put your next portion in, even if it takes a couple hours, you're not starting from "baseline"(no nicotine) but instead you are starting from the remaining amouny of nicotine from before.

The article also makes an interesting point about "libidum"... snus users who use as much as they want to get similar nicotine levels as smokers throughout the day. So, when you want one, pop one in, and when you don't, take it out. If you do that, you will have similar blood nicotine as smokers- albeit with less up-and-down nonsense and more of an even roll....

[weelp]

Nicely put deebocools, one more reason to switch from cigarettes to snus! I'm still trying to find out how much of the total nicotine in a portion is absorbed in the first 15 - 20 minutes though, guess i'll keep digging. I think with the data these people put together, they could have included these figures. oh well. It was a great article and very educational, thanks mwood72.

[Will.Roberts]

This study has a nicotine-vs-time graph:

"Effect of smokeless tobacco (snus) on smoking and public health in Sweden"
http://www.tobaccoprogram.org/pdf/TC12349.pdf

[deebocools]

the graph shows that nicotine peaks at 30-35 minutes from snus and then tapers off slowly

[chainsnuser]

the graph shows that nicotine peaks at 30-35 minutes from snus and then tapers off slowly

That's absolutely true from my experience. I think that especially with the weaker brands there sometimes is barely any tapering off between 30 and 120 minutes. I sometimes keep the 8mg - brands longer than the stark brands.

Cheers!

[SeneNatten]

The body absorbs only some of the nicotine, but that probably varies with 30% at the low end, assuming the user keeps the snus in for over a half-hour. Snus pH (higher makes the nicotine more available), tobacco density (lower, say with portions when compared to tightly packed lös, means more circulation of saliva), and probably a host of other factors affect absorption (eg, saliva production, amount swallowed versus absorbed in the mouth, how much the snus is squeezed or otherwise disturbed). The rest? Well, since "absorption" means it is measured in blood plasma, the rest just stays with the tobacco. I suspect some of that goes into the digestive track and is just not picked up, but the vast majority is thrown away when you remove the snus. Some of it, alas, will never be available, but I have no idea how much could be absorbed if the snus is left in indefinitely.

Another issue is clearance rate: how long the nicotine stays in the system. Menthol, being female, and not eating all slow nicotine clearance. Generally, the level of nicotine in the system halves every 2+ hours. (I have a paper on this somewhere if folks are more interested.) At any rate, clearance rate is lower than uptake, so even though you may be absorbing at a lower rate the level of nicotine in your body still increases for a while.

My impression is that the rate of uptake dramatically falls off at about 7-10 minutes, but the level of nicotine increases for over an hour. And even when the nicotine level is decreasing, with the snus in it likely decreases more slowly than without it there due to uptake of small amounts.