Phlegm

[APA1]

So I've been cigarette free for about 2 months.
I'm vaping 50/50 and 60/40 VG PG - 18 mg.
While smoking cigarettes I would cough up a lot of phlegm.
I thought switching to vaping would get rid of this.
I feel like I'm coughing up more phlegm now than I was while on cigarettes.
Should I be concerned?
Is my body still clearing out?
Will this improve in a few months?
Or is phlegm normal for people that vape?

 

[stols001]

I'm not much of a cougher up of anything. I didn't cough up huge chunks of tar, and by rights I should've, I was a 3 ppd smoker. Perhaps pneumonia for two months straight helped with that, but I'm not so sure because it took awhile for my phlegmy rattle to go away after I started vaping. I think everyone is a little different.

Some folks feel that higher VG juice may cause phlegm, and IDK if you may wish to lower your VG more to see if it makes a difference. But, some folks are coughing up goodness knows what for a few months, sometimes more. I might give it a bit more time, potentially try some different juice manufacturers' juices, as everyone sources their Vg from different places (or try a different VG if you DIY) or just wait a bit.

Also, it's kind of allergy season (at least in the US) that may be contributing, it could be a lot of things. I wouldn't panic just yet though and maybe give it some time. Don't forget that your respiratory system is recovering from smoking, not to mention encountering new stuff in the lungs. It could be as simple as just needing to wait for it to settle down a bit. No harm in playing with your juices a bit along the way, you may find lower PG to be the solution, for all I know.

Best of luck, keep up the fantastic work of staying away from cigarettes, and congrats on your switch.

Anna

 

[Hawise]

It's common to cough a lot up after quitting, but two months is a bit long for that to last. I'd definitely recommend a doctor if it goes on.

I agree with Anna on the likely causes - either allergies or VG (or possibly flavours). Some people are sensitive to PG, but that usually causes a sore throat. Others are sensitive to VG, which seems to cause more chest issues. You might try dropping your VG levels and seeing if that helps.

Have you noticed it's better or worse with different flavours? Personally, I have issues with VG and certain flavours - mostly creams and custards.

You can try vaping with fewer ingredients to see if that helps - start with unflavoured PG with nic, and if that improves it start adding in flavours or VG (one at a time so you know what's causing what) until you find the source of the problem.

 

[APA1]

I think I'm going to give it another month and see where things are at. If it's still an issue I will try switching up the VG PG as well as try some new brands/flavors. If it's still an issue in a few months then I might check with a doctor.

 

[classwife]

A list of symptoms when quitting tobacco and changing to an ecigarette

 

[Dougiestyle]

I like to believe that switching to vapor helps repair the respiratory system by clearing out some of the gunk that's been built up from years of smoking. I was a 1.5ppd smoker for 25years. I coughed before switching and even more phlegm for months after switching. It felt like every time I coughed up a lung nugget I could feel more air in my lungs. Congratulations on your switch and good luck with the lung purge. It will pass.

*I don't even play a doctor on TV, so my opinion should not be used as affiliation with any scientific medical study.

 

[Vapemesilly]

Been vaping for about 3 years or so and I am still phlegmy. Maybe more so. I am also getting older so...

 

[gandymarsh]

Yeah, I still cough up phlegm after 4 years. I do vape 70/30 VG/PG so I think that's why.

It really doesn't bother me much because the phlegm is clear and the coughing isn't painful.

When I smoked, I would have painful coughing and yellow/brown phlegm.

 

[ppeeble]

In my experience (albeit with high VG liquid) - up to 5-6ml a day = phlegm free, over 6ml a day = the occasional oyster.
All that VG has to go somewhere.
Good news is that any throat jelly now is clear as a mountain stream !!

 

[LewisW295]

In my own experience, I'm coughing up phlegm daily but nowhere near as bad as when I was smoking. I only do now when I chainvape a "wet" eliquid. Occasionally I cough quite badly and I end up with a tobacco taste so I assume my body is still detoxing after a few brushes with smokes.

 

[BrotherBob]

So I've been cigarette free for about 2 months.
I'm vaping 50/50 and 60/40 VG PG - 18 mg.
While smoking cigarettes I would cough up a lot of phlegm.
I thought switching to vaping would get rid of this.
I feel like I'm coughing up more phlegm now than I was while on cigarettes.
Should I be concerned?
Is my body still clearing out?
Will this improve in a few months?
Or is phlegm normal for people that vape?

Welcome and glad you joined.
"I thought switching to vaping would get rid of this." ---- "Coughing is most commonly caused by the cilia that line your lungs cleaning out the tar and mucus. Your body is in the process of cleaning out all of the junk coating the surface of your tissues and will cough it up in the form of phlegm. It’s not pretty, but think of it as a makeover on the inside. This is a good thing."
15 Symptoms You May Experience When You Start Vaping
"Should I be concerned? "---- I suspect most vapers who vape with higher VG experience a certain acceptable amount of phlegm/mucus.
You and a doctor may want to dicuss phlegm/mucus concerns.
"Is my body still clearing out? Will this improve in a few months? Or is phlegm normal for people that vape? "--- Possibly.,whats normal to me, may not be normal to you. What little phlegm/mucus I received from vaping maximum VG (80-90%VG, DIY), I consider minor/acceptable.

 

[ppeeble]

Cilia-
That got me thinking; As a smoker i'd cough up detrirus from my lungs - the act of inhaling cigarette smoke actively deadens those cilia and would allow all that nastiness to sit where it shouldn't. Hence the coughing.
Now i vape i find that instead of actually coughing up mucus it just sort of appears (normally halfway through a conversation). Maybe the cilia are actually working as they should. It's all good.

 

[APA1]

The phlegm has definitely decreased since I posted this on April 27. Hopefully, another few months and it will be gone.