Nic content vs. absorption

[mjfst]

I am a little confused as to the nicotine absorption through snus.

I have read here that only about 30% is absorbed in the first place and that the peak is between 20-30 minutes per average use with a smaller dose absorbed the longer the snus is in.

Now lets say you have a pouch in and it is 8 mg of nicotine.Is the 8 mg the 30% that is absorbed or is it 30% of the 8 mg?

Anyone?

[Premium Parrots]

absolutely!!

[sychodelix]

8 mg is the total in the pouch. You get 30% of that, although I'm sure you get more (albeit at a slower rate) if you leave it in longer. Note that the blood nicotine level has been measured similar for snusers and smokers, so with a cigarette, you really wouldn't be getting any more, it's just quicker and harder, like snuff is as well.

[jnkyo07]

damn

wow, that's a damn good question. i would hope that 30% of however many mg s there are is correct because otherwise getting the sterk and whatnot is kinda pointless. i hope you find an answer

[bearcat87]

Re: damn

wow, that's a damn good question. i would hope that 30% of however many mg s there are is correct because otherwise getting the sterk and whatnot is kinda pointless. i hope you find an answer

Well the sterk is not pointless because it still gives you more nicotine. Just not as much as the company claims is in the snus. If we actually absorbed all 15mg of nicotine within 30min we would likely get sick.

[jnkyo07]

how much nictoine?

If we actually absorbed all 15mg of nicotine within 30min we would likely get sick.

so how much nic do we absorb at once?

[sychodelix]

It's hard to say. A few studies showed that you get about 30% of the total nicotine of the pouch over about 30 minutes, but you can't necessarily break that down over minutes because it takes a few minutes for the nicotine level to ramp up.

[mercvrivs]

A good practical way to do it is just to assume that you get 10-20% absorption within the first half hour. That way, you figure that if you do an 8mg portion, you absorb 0.8-1.6mg within the first half hour, your primary dose. The secondary dose doesn't add up to much, so it isn't as important in my opinion.

This is the system I used to figure out my own intake, since I use loose except when I'm sleeping or in a meeting. You can get a pretty good figure and can track your consumption. Also, it makes sense, seeing as many of us are ex-smokers. When smoking, you receive your nicotine within about 5 mins. As a snuser, you receive most of it within the first 10-20mins. You can see that a user of snus who does 8mg portions is getting a nicotine dose that is pretty similar to that of a smoker who smokes 1-2 cigarettes per hour. This varies by individual, of course. My intake, for example, is higher since I do almost exclusively loose snus, with an average pris that is 2mg, and I do a new pris about every 1-1.5 hours.

[snusjus]

According to the Gothiatek website, only 10%-20% of the nicotine reaches the central nervous system. This may be confusing, since your body absorbs about 30%-50% of the nicotine. However, not all the nicotine absorbed stimulates your brain.

Here is a simple list of what your brain is getting from snus. (Note that cigarette smokers get an average of 1.3mg nicotine per cigarette).

8mg portion: 0.8mg-1.6mg nicotine. Median being 1.2mg nicotine.

11mg portion: 1.1mg-2.2mg nicotine. Median being ~1.6mg nicotine.

15mg portion: 1.5mg-3.0 nicotine. Median being ~2.2mg nicotine.

If you want to track your nicotine consumption, take into account the median level of nicotine (half way between 10%-20%).

[fugitiveinkblot]

I don't think the median cigarette gives 1.3 mg. Marlboros have 1.1 mg per FTC method, camels are 1.3. But Camel lights are .9 mg, as well as marlboro lights.

[Frankie]

I don't think the median cigarette gives 1.3 mg. Marlboros have 1.1 mg per FTC method, camels are 1.3. But Camel lights are .9 mg, as well as marlboro lights.

The numbers for cigarettes are all twisted to look better than reality. They say nothing about real absorbtion, only about how much a machine gest if it takes 1 drag per minute. Most smokers I know (most definitely me included when I smoked) had much more than 1 drag per minute.

The low numbers for "lights" are even fraudulent, which is a reason why labelling cigs as "lights" is illegal in the EU.

[Raddleman]

Re: Nic content vs. absorption

I have read here that...the peak is between 20-30 minutes per average use with a smaller dose absorbed the longer the snus is in.

The peak is 35 minutes in, here is a graph:

[snusjus]

Here's a comparison of snus to other forms of tobacco and the absorption of nicotine:

[CaptNihil]

This might help (I think the text confirms the graph posted by snusjus):


Department of Psychiatry, Kalmar Hospital, Sweden.

Two studies examining nicotine intake in users of Swedish moist oral snuff are reported. Absorption form a single pinch (2 g) in ten users after overnight abstinence was fairly rapid. The increment in plasma nicotine concentrations averaged 9.9 ng/ml (SD 6.5) after 10 min and peaked at 14.5 ng/ml (SD 4.6) shortly after discarding at 30 min. Among groups of habitual snuff takers (n = 27) and cigarette smokers (n = 35) studied on a day of normal snuffing/smoking, peak blood nicotine levels after use were similar [averaging 36.6 ng/ml (SD 14.4) and 36.7 ng/ml (SD 16.1), respectively], but there was a tendency to higher cotinine levels in the snuffers (399.2 ng/ml versus 306.3 ng/ml). The snuff takers and cigarette smokers reported similar levels of subjective dependence on tobacco. Epidemiological study of Swedish snuff users could clarify whether the cardiovascular risks of tobacco are attributable to nicotine or to other smoke components, as in their case nicotine intake is not accompanied by combustion products.

PMID: 1410167 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[CaptNihil]

Another study (good for Premium Parrots's case with respect to salt):


Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.

The present study evaluated nicotine plasma levels achieved following 1 day's regular use of four commonly used brands of Swedish portion snus and 2-mg Nicorette chewing gum. The study also estimated the amount of sodium chloride extracted from each snus sachet to identify potential risks for exacerbation of heart failure and hypertension with the use of Swedish snus. Extracted dose of nicotine, area under the venous plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), maximum plasma nicotine concentration (Cmax) of the last (12th) dosing interval, and the Cmax and AUC ratios versus Nicorette were calculated. Relative bioavailable dose was calculated using AUC of 2-mg Nicorette gum as the reference. The mean extracted nicotine doses were 2.74+/-0.80, 1.55+/-0.68, 2.00+/-0.56, and 1.08+/-0.94 mg/sachet for General, Catch Licorice, Catch Mini, and Catch Dry Mini snus, respectively. The approximate bioavailable dose of nicotine from snus was 40%-60% of the extracted dose. The steady-state nicotine plasma concentration-time curve for the weakest brand, Catch Dry Mini portion snus, did not differ significantly from that of the 2-mg Nicorette gum. The AUC and Cmax for Catch Licorice 1 g and Catch Mini 0.5 g portion snus were twice those for the 2-mg Nicorette gum; for the strongest brand, General, these values were 2(1/2) times those for Nicorette gum. The differences in AUC and Cmax versus the 2-mg Nicorette gum were statistically significant (p=.020). Nicotine plasma levels with General portion snus were sustained at higher levels than current nicotine replacement therapy products, peaking at 29.0+/-8.5 ng/ml, and more closely mimicking cigarette smokers' nicotine plasma levels. The risks of aggravation of heart failure and hypertension with respect to increased salt load from the use of snus appeared to be negligible.

PMID: 16085507 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]