Body is having a hard time vaping...

[Lyrikal]

Hey everyone,

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I'll make it quick.

Been vaping for about 2.5 years, currently using Ego-C twist with Davide Glasomizer tank. Smoked for almost 15 years at two packs a week, and am down to a few smokes once or twice a month. The life change has been amazing.

I caught a cold about 3 weeks ago, the typical sore thoat, runny/stuffy nose type, and stopped smoking/vaping for about a week to accelerate the healing process, but something weird is happening. The cold lasted about a week, and although I'm not 100% yet, because I still feel some minor congestion in my chest once in a while (nothing that I haven't experienced half a dozen times in my life), but for some random reason, I could smoke analogs like I used to with no issues whatsoever, yet I cannot vape without coughing excessively. Even turning the dial all the way down to 3.2v and taking mini puffs doesn't help, and I'm used to hitting it at full 4.8v with a 1.8 ohm heating coil and a 36mg 100% VG base.

This doesn't seem to make any sense to me, and I'm frustrated because I don't wanna go back to hitting analogs. Can anyone relate to this or explain to me what exactly is happening here? Does it have to do with inhaling vapour vs actual smoke?

Thanks.

 

[dopamine1]

36mg? Maybe try a lower nic percentage? 24mg is pretty harsh I can't even imagine what 36 is like.

 

[Funk Dracula]

"Quitters Flu"

Pretty common. Don't worry about it, congrats on quitting.

 

[DavidOH]

Maybe try the lower nic as suggested. I just got over a cold and I vaped a high powered menthol about three days. Helped to open me up.

 

[Lyrikal]

Dopamine: Yeah, 36 is high, but it's never been a problem, I love the TH. You think that my body's saying it's had enough? lol

Funk: Can you elaborate on what the quitter's flu is exactly?

David: Menthol eh? Maybe I'll give that a shot.

Sorry about the improper quotes guys...

 

[ShariR]

There is some ingredient(s) in cigarettes that kind of lessens the irritation of the smoke. I would most surely lower your nic level and don't vape anything harsh like cinnamon flavors or maybe some tobaccos. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

 

[jensy]

It's the 100% VG thats causing the problem. All VG can be hard when you are healthy but when your lungs and chest is inflamed the all VG is just too much. Switch to 50/50 while you are sick and I think you will notice a big difference.

 

[Funk Dracula]

Funk: Can you elaborate on what the quitter's flu is exactly?

It's flu like symptoms caused by your bodies reaction to getting over the shock of no more "chemicals" from cigarette smoke. Just like how an alcoholic/drug abuser's body will freak out from a sudden lack of poison... only not as "hardcore" obviously.

From the half dozen attempts at quitting smoking over the last 20 years, I got quitters flu at least half the time. Honestly it was the worst with vaping though, because it was a bit irritating to my chest. Too bad that's the last time I experience that. 17 months and smoke free.

Re-reading your OP though, I failed to notice you had basically cut down all of your analog smoking to 1 to 2 cigarettes a month, so it could be something else.

Good luck

 

[Lyrikal]

It's the 100% VG thats causing the problem. All VG can be hard when you are healthy but when your lungs and chest is inflamed the all VG is just too much. Switch to 50/50 while you are sick and I think you will notice a big difference.

Okay, I will give it a shot, though I never really was a fan of PG personally... The thing is, if I recall correctly, PG gives more throat hit, whereas VG gives more vapour, so I'll be surprised if this ends up being the fix. Will keep you updated . Thanks.

 

[Lyrikal]

It's flu like symptoms caused by your bodies reaction to getting over the shock of no more "chemicals" from cigarette smoke. Just like how an alcoholic/drug abuser's body will freak out from a sudden lack of poison... only not as "hardcore" obviously.

From the half dozen attempts at quitting smoking over the last 20 years, I got quitters flu at least half the time. Honestly it was the worst with vaping though, because it was a bit irritating to my chest. Too bad that's the last time I experience that. 17 months and smoke free.

Re-reading your OP though, I failed to notice you had basically cut down all of your analog smoking to 1 to 2 cigarettes a month, so it could be something else.

Good luck

Oh, okay. Yeah, this makes sense if I recently quit analogs, I've been through what you were talking about, except it was years ago. This is a whole new thing now where my body is rejecting vapour but not smoke. Some good points with the nic levels and maybe even the pure VG base so far, so I'll have to consider those for now anyway. Thanks.

 

[stevegmu]

100% VG feels heavy and oily to me- like after I would go on a cigar binge...

 

[fletcher969]

Are you vaping the same flavor(s), and using the same VG you were prior to becoming sick? If you're vaping only one flavor, or flavors from a single source, or the same flavors beforehand, you might also try switching to a different flavor from a different source. Regardless how unlikely it might be, it's possible you've developed an allergic reaction to a particular flavor, or batch of flavors from one source, or the VG itself. If, on the other hand, you're vaping several flavors, and/or from multiple sources, you might consider that you're airways are inflamed, and you simply need to tone down the nicotine. Try vaping some unflavored, 0mg VG, and see if you respond the same way. If and when you get some PG, you might try vaping that at 0mg also to see if you respond to it the same way as the VG. It might at least give you somewhere to start solving the issue.

My 2 cents.

 

[Rabbit Chaser]

Big kudos on quitting the coffin nails. I started at 24 mg, which a lot of people locally thought was a big insane - said 18 mg seemed to be the magic number. Went down to 18mg and it was actually tolerable. I did really well until about six months in I got pneumonia that started from allergies but that is a long story. Anyway, I was down with the big P for a while and continued to vape lower nicotine while sick and just stuck at 12 mg for a while. After being so sick, I was NEVER able to go above 12 and was totally unable to drip without coughing fits striking without notice. I ended up switching to using my SVD VV/VW for 90% of the time, dripping occasionally. Your body is probably still recovering from cigarettes (my doc said it could take YEARS) and maybe your nicotine is a tad high.

Also, if you have managed to cut analogs to 1-2 a month, kick those last ones to the curb...the effects of tobacco and all the other thousands of toxins linger in your lung tissue for a LONG time. Pretty much by the time you are starting to clear out, you have that one or two again and it's like starting all over.

Good luck!!!!

 

[DaveP]

36mg is really high. It's what people use when 24mg isn't enough to help them quit smoking. I vaped 24mg mostly 100% PG for a long time before I started to drop nic levels. Nic is what gives you most of the throat hit. PG is a contributor to throat irritation, but the flavorings and other ingredients in a particular juice can introduce more issues.

I like bland flavors that mildly resemble an ultra light cigarette. Dekang Tobacco is one of those. It's one of the mildest of the tobaccos and lends itself well as a base for adding flavors of your own in a DIY manner. When I vape Dekang, I like 80pg/20vg. You can also buy Humco VG and add a little if you want to up the mix.

If you've been vaping 36mg for 2.5 years, it might be time to wean down off the high nic juice. I'll bet that you can go immediately to 24mg with a week or so of feeling that you have to constantly hit it to get the nic, but that will taper off quickly and 24mg will be your new juice. Once you vape that for a month or so, you can titrate down to 18mg and drop from there. Lung and throat irritation go hand in hand with nic level, but there's always a good chance something in your juice is also a contributor. Try some different juices to see.

I'm happy now at 6mg after starting at 24mg 4 years ago. I vaped 24mg for over 3 years before moving downward. I enjoy vaping more at low nic levels.

ETA: If you haven't tried juices that contain WTA (whole tobacco alkaloids) they are the fix for those who can't seem to get off the smokes. You get the other things that come from tobacco with a low carcinogen content. WTA juices seem to help people who are having trouble giving up those last few.

 

[Nytebreed]

Great googly moogly 36mg!
Super high for someone that was only on 2 packs a week.

I would suggest you try a 18mg with a higher PG content. PG actually has some anitibacterial properties, and will make up for some of the lost throat hit from the nic reduction.