E-cig inhale of vapor causes me to cough

[Meltrex]

Hello all, I'm so happy I found this forum. Very Informative. I ordered and recieved my first E-cig from njoy this last week.. I would say I love it.. cut down from 2 packs a day to half a pack so far. Only thing is.. often when I inhale.. I end up coughing like crazy... My wife and a few others I've let take a puff have the same coughing reaction.. Anyone else coughing from the vapor inhaling??? Is this normal? Or am I doing something wrong. Thanks in advance.


UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!

I still get a cough with my E-cig from njoy, tends to be on the first initial puff. Since my first E-cig from Njoy, I've purchased 2 different types of Minis and another pen style from E-cig.com. I don't tend to cough with those hardly at all. I cannot tell at this time whats the difference other than the E Liquid used. Ordered e-liquid from E-cig.com and tried dripping and do not seem to get a cough from that. I think I'll try to extract the liquid from an Njoy cartridge and drip it on one of my other cigs and see what happens. I'll post results back here soon.

 

[Oliver]

Hi Meltrex!

Sorry to hear about your coughing problem. Have you emailed Njoy about it? Do you cough with all strengths of cartridges? Did the coughing start straight away or after a few days of starting e-smoking?

Regards,

SJ

 

[TropicalBob]

I understand perfectly. When that vapor hits the back of my throat, I often cough -- particularly on the first inhalation. For me, it doesn't seem related to nicotine strength (I've moved exclusively to 24mg nicotine now). I don't usually continue the cough, however. A smoker soon learns whether the cough is from the throat or lungs. Short bark is throat. Rattling is lungs and a message to stop whatever is causing it!

I've been e-smoking a couple of months and still get the occasional throat cough. But gone now are the lung coughs brought on by cigarettes.

 

[Meltrex]

Hi Meltrex!

Sorry to hear about your coughing problem. Have you emailed Njoy about it? Do you cough with all strengths of cartridges? Did the coughing start straight away or after a few days of starting e-smoking?

Regards,

SJ

So far, I have used a high and a low cartridge and yes I still cough.. No. I have not contacted njoy as of yet. Yes, coughing started right away. I can keep using the unit and the urge to cough seems to simmer down. One of the reasons why I posted this. Wondering if others get the coughing. Maybe something is wrong with this device? I will contact njoy today.

 

[lami13]

My Ruyan does the same thing to me also. I sometimes just let the vapor sit in my mouth for a split second before doing the full inhale. That helps quite a bit, I think it may be due to the temperature... but then how hot is normal cigarette smoke compared to e-smoke?

 

[Meltrex]

Thats what I've learned to do as well, let it sit in my mouth for a sec.. then I'll actually let it creep out and up my nose for the inhale... so I can see the vapor smoke as well Just ordered apple flavored refills from Njoy, any reviews or has anyone tried that yet?

 

[Meltrex]

After trying a few different E-cigs. I still tend to cough when inhaling the vapor. I've ordered and recieved some E-liquid from E-cig.com. Going to try to refill an Njoy cartridge (Tend to cough more with Njoy) I did try e-drippin 2 drops on the atomizer of the Njoy then used an apple flavored cartridge and the taste was very enjoyable. The coughing varies, I'm not sure why it happens. I have a technique when it comes to E-smoking. I cannot just pick it up and take drags off of it like I do a regular cig. So E-smoking is definately not the same as cigarette smoking. When I drag off of my E-cig I'll keep the vapor in my mouth for a few seconds and either do a few french inhales (up thru my nose) then inhale the rest and I don't cough at all. I have noticed letting the vapor wallow in my mouth a few seconds before inhaling deeply, reduces the coughing temendously and still get vapor from exhaling but its very subtle. I do feel the rush of a nicotine hit you might say. Similar to smoking a regular cig just not as intense.

 

[TropicalBob]

Meltrex: As you'll note from other posts I've made on the forum, I too am coughing. At first, it was mostly with the first inhalation. Now, it's daily and persistant into the night. As this new method of getting nicotine is evolving, we are learning that propylene glycol irritates some people's lungs. I think I might be one of those people.

If that's the case, then I can't inhale vapor. Fortunately, I have my monstrous e-pipe and I must return to "smoking" it the way I do my real pipes. Puff, hold smoke in mouth, exhale. Never inhale into the lungs. This, however, requires super-strong nicotine liquid, since the nicotine must be absorbed by the less efficient mouth, not the highly efficient lungs.

And it renders my mini cig just about useless (I have an e-cigar that I'll "smoke" the same as a real cigar; no inhaling).

I'll test all this further, but I'm a concerned e-smoker at this moment. E-smoking is a marvelous step away from cigarette smoking, but it might not be for everyone. I'm with SJ that we might need to find a substitute liquid -- even a more expensive one -- than propylene glycol.

 

[Oliver]

Bob, here's an interesting fact you may or may not be aware of regarding pipe smoking:

Cigar and pipe tobacco has a significantly raised PH level, the reason being that it enables the nicotine to be more efficiently absorbed by the mucous membranes (I don't know why!)

I wonder if you added something to the nicotine solution to raise the PH levels, you might get a more satisfactory hit without having to use an extra-strong (and expensive) solution?

Question is though, what could you add?

 

[TropicalBob]

Good thought. When the secret documents of tobacco companies came to light in the U.S., it was found that numerous cigarette makers added an alkaline substance to the tobacco so that the nicotine would be better absorbed. And if you want to ruin smoking's effect, just drink some pineapple juice while you smoke. You won't feel a thing.

Acid mouth, reduced impact. Alkaline mouth, increased impact. I'll do some research on a consumable alkaline substance that could be added to e-Liquid. (And I'll make sure I've got my pH's pointing in the right direction.)

 

[TropicalBob]

SJ: Cigarette makers added ammonia to increase absorption of free nicotine. But the easiest way to boost the pH and thus the absorption of nicotine is to add seawater or sea salt. That might explain the extreme saltiness found in most Swedish snus. Users assume it's to increase snus' useful tin life, but it also increases the nicotine absorbed from this product. I'll experiment with adding some seawater to e-Liquid and see if I get an increased nicotine lift. I have one bottle of "medium" on hand and one of "extra high". I'll try the medium first.

Some of the material I read leads me to believe all kinds of beneficial minerals could be added to that solution. Who knows how they would react to nicotine, but probably not much at all. We could end up with a smoking device that satisfies addiction and the daily vitamin/mineral needs! Ha.

 

[TropicalBob]

SJ, I think I've found something to add to the e-Liquid: Tums! Yep, the little chewable that calms the upset stomach has a pH of 10. And it's a solid, so it will absorb liquid and not dilute the way another liquid would. Since I love Tums and have eaten them off and on for most of my life, I'll try one in e-Liquid and see what happen. Sure should kick up the ph of that e-Liquid and thus help mucous membrances absorb more of the available nicotine.

Heck, maybe one answer is to just chew a Tum while e-smoking!

 

[Oliver]

Hey TB, not sure about Tums! They'll gunk up the atomizer for sure. I think you need a safe, alkeline liquid that will evaporate completely. I know, probably a tall order!

Do we know the PH of the solution as it is, BTW?

SJ

 

[TropicalBob]

I'd hope a Tums would dissolve completely in the solution, but I'll surely test before letting an atomizer touch it. I can always add sea salt from the health food store. Sea salt is pH 7; Tums are 10 -- very alkaline.

As for the liquid's pH, no, I don't know that any of us know yet. Here's something I found from a science group and I'd think e-Liquid would have a pH close to cigarette tobacco.

Results: Products from two smokeless tobacco manufacturers are evaluated. It is shown that US smokeless tobacco brands have high pH, between 6 and 8.5, and high nicotine content, 25-30 mg/g. In contrast, Swedish products have low pH 5.5 and low nicotine; 10 mg/g.

Cigarette tobacco and fine cut tobacco results cluster around a pH 5 with average nicotine levels between 15 and 20 mg/g. Pipe tobacco presents the lowest observed pHs 4.7-4.9, while nicotine content averaged around 17 mg/g. Cigars present pH levels between 6 and 7 while nicotine contents are low, between 7 and 12 mg/g.

Data suggest that smokeless tobacco products from the US are the most potent nicotine delivery devices. While cigars have low nicotine content, its availability to the smoker is reinforced by a higher pH. Cigarette, fine cut and pipe present the lowest pH while their nicotine content seems to be at an average level.

 

[TropicalBob]

I dissolved a Tums completely in water, but gave up the idea of adding it to e-Liquid. I re-read the report on e-smoking by the New Zealand doctor, who says his clinical tests show that 98% of the nicotine in the solution is absorbed by the smoker. There's little to be gained by trying for greater absorption!

Over on E-Cig's forum, the guy with the lip balm idea got farther and farther out, until I kind of stepped on him in a post. He's suggesting really dangerous stuff. I mean, chemists and engineers had to do a lot of work to get the atomizer and liquid working well together. And safely.

But I came up with something that could be added to thicken the mixture and possibly have beneficial effects: Liquid Vitamin E. Overlook the few studies that don't show good things from this vitamin. Most researchers, and my own doctor, fervantly believe in it. It can be destroyed by frying, however, so I'm not sure how much would survive the heat of the atomizer. I might try a few drops with e-liquid and see what happens. It's used topically, of course, so it might help lungs, not hurt them.

 

[fallot]

Some company ran Vitamin E enriched cigarettes in Germany, so I'm sure it could be added to the e-cig cartridges.

 

[TropicalBob]

That could be a total winner. Vitamin E is safe for internal and dermal use. It heals SKIN, among its other benefits, so might not a light use (it would be absorbed) actually help cure lung damage? The vegetable oil solution the E is suspended in seems safe and much would burn away in atominzation. I wish I hadn't been head over heels in love with the girl next to me in high school chemistry. I might have learned a few things ...

 

[TropicalBob]

A researcher in Malaysia tried adding Vitamin E oil and said the vapor tasted fishy. Took him a day to totally clean out the atomizer with soapy water.

So much for that idea!

 

[Meltrex]

Heck, maybe one answer is to just chew a Tum while e-smoking!

Did you try that?

 

[TropicalBob]

Haven't tried Tums yet, Meltrex. Dr. Laugesen's research found that 98% of the nicotine inhaled during e-smoking is absorbed. So there's little to gain by increasing mouth alkalinity. I might try it with snus, however, although they have enough salt in them to choke a sea creature. That salt helps the mouth absorb snus' nicotine.