Coughing and vaping: totally natural or am I doing it wrong?

[Oscar_Milde]

Also take your time when emptying a bag. Do not over-inhale huge amounts of vapor at once.

Yeah I think this is the main issue at hand with people who are used to combustion, particularly water pipes.

Down here it's the norm for each person to finish their bowl in a single hit, and I notice my friends attempting to apply this when using my SSV.

The result is predictable, evidently it is near to impossible to finish an entire SSV wand load in a single hit, so coughing fits abound.

As people realise that the desire to finish in one hit is counter productive with most vaporizers (leads to wastage as the individual in question nearly always exhales immediately to avert explosive degeneration into lung-somersaults, rather than holding in the vapor to maximize absorbtion), I hope there will be a shift towards people recognising their own limits, as far as vapour intake in a single breath is concerned.

That said, I sometimes cough my lungs out after a good hit, and as long as it's not too violent or frequent, I can't see how it would be problematic..

A month earlier I had a Sinusitis and 1 week after antibiotics I'm having trouble breathing and need to take corticosteroids before and after taking a bong hit.

Sounds like a respiratory infection akin to bronchitis, if you didn't already have a doctors appointment I'd advise you to make one asap!!

If I've learned one thing about medical issues, it's that nipping 'em in the bud saves lives and money...

 

[tranceporter]

I almost always seem to cough with potent flowers even with water filtration through heavily diffused glass. It is a quite similar experience to when I was combusting. If I didn't cough throughout a sesh then it was usually low quality herb.

 

[andrewb123]

thanks sal. i actually have had coughing issues with my vape to the point of puking! will try your advice
also realize i'm not a big fan of the taste on either of my vaps :/ bought an ounce of 1 oz. Chamomile Flowers Powder (Matricaria chamomilla) to mix with my herb to improve taste. anyone done this?

 

[lwien]

The ONLY vape that made me cough consistently no matter how small of a hit I took was the Launch Box. I hated that little fucker.

I can take HUGE ass hits from my LSV though warm water though, with no coughing whatsoever...........unless of course I go over the "huge ass hits" threshold and go nuclear.

 

[Edward Hyde]

From what i have realised from my little experience of vaporizer(just got a little over 1 year) the main problem with coughing for most people is conduction...almost (if not)everyone coughs with the mflb.i coughed like hell.

another factor is for sure the size of the hit(too big hits will make anyone cough except from this guy maybe

)

3rd important factor is the temperature of the vapor inhaled and this combined with the second factor can make really a big difference

i will give an example to help everyone understand what i am trying to say

if you take a big sized hit through bong with ice (so they is no filtering just lower temperature) you have less chances to cough than if you took that same hit straight from a convection vaporizer.i think this is because when hot air passes through the same spot for 3 seconds maybe it doesn't affect so much the temperature of the spot but if u inhale for 8-10 seconds (for convection vaporizers) then the vapor and the surface of your throat come to temperature balance (same temperature) which is too hot for your throat(or its too hot for your lips or teeth or tongue for sure)

then goes water filtration and diffusion which really makes a BIG difference imo because the particles of the vapor inhaled (size,quantity,quality,kind) play a really big role in your respiratory respiratory reaction (coughing) and obviously water filters it and diffuses it hold bigger particles and cleaning the ones that pass.


another big factor is how used is your body to the vapor feeling the more your body is familiar with vapor the more ready it seems when you inhale.

i have made a really strange observations about myself though...if i take a hit with my lips opened a little bit on the sides so to inhale fresh air also (lower temperature not so thick vapor etc) i tend to cough more than when i take thick small hits and then inhale big amounts of fresh air...i go like this for the first 2-3 minutes of my sessions and then i turn to long slow hits but still not cough. with water filtration tho i start with long draws.(all these using an xp or a firewood or a pinnacle or a log vape).

about the bag vapes for sure water filtration with good diffusion and small hits at the best to prevent coughing,also having something to drink while u vape helps a lot
for vaporizers that are mainly conduction like the mflb,vapman etc i don't think i can give u some helpful advice other than "switch to convection".


i hope i helped a little and that my post was no hard to understand,i have switched to small quantities and much less lessions and after every session(twice or 3 times per week) i am really destroyed.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Vaporator,

What have been your experiences?

After making circles around an HerbalAire v2.1 for a long while i finally determined it's dryness in my cannabic vapour which causes me to experience discomfort on the long run. My solution was to get the air moisturized just a tiny bit and this was a confirmed solution when i switched to the VaporGenie where water vapour is an inherent component of that particular design, because butane burning produces a sufficient amount of (hot but) moist air:

FC: VaporGenie (page 112)​

Also, i'd suggest searching for keywords such as "FogBong" and "Cannabic Conditioning" or similar to read more about this adventure of mine.

 

[exit]

eyeve been vapyng four years no kombusting but heer is zi thing.... eye have been smoking for 11 yaers before this okay.... evri day since mi virst dae smoken da weed eye have always not gone 1 day without a koff....

 

[stim]

This is an interesting discussion and I hope it expands.

As a long-time smoker and newbie to vapour inhalation I too have been surprised by the extent of my coughing, often quite violent, after modest intakes of vapour. I'm trying to vape at reasonable temperatures - 180-190c. The water pipe helps somewhat, but not always.

The difference between vaping and smoking for me is that, with vaping, my breathing technique involves drawing smoke directly into the lungs. Whereas with cigarettes and joints, I find that I draw the smoke into my mouth first before sucking it into my lungs. The moisture in the mouth not only has a cooling effect, but the mucosal linings serve to trap some particulates. With vaping, the cloud goes directly past the hot element straight into the deep lung, bringing with it unhindered particulate matter.

This concerns me somewhat because, after only a few days use, I notice the whip on my Arizer is building-up visible deposits of particles. These are the ones we can see. The ones we can't see are more dangerous.

Now, whilst a water-pipe can filter-out a lot of particles, I have seen no studies or data attempting to quantify what particles can pass through bubbler filtration. It would be interesting to see.

Not trying to scare or anything - the small amount of available data clearly show that vaping is less damaging than smoke. But the studies are few-and-far between

My Arizer came in a box that described it as an aromatherpay device. A question thus unfolds: of the current vape models on the market, how many have been tested for inhalation safety in 'actual' use scenarios? My guess is very few, if any.

Products meant for inhalation are not generally found as consumer articles. They are usually regulated as medical devices, no? What does this mean for vaporizers as they become more popular?

 

[exit]

I think the biggest thing is people who are used to smoking get trippeed out by how when you're vaping, exhaling very little visible vapor isn't a bad thing necessarily. It might not mean you're getting much out of you hit bbut it also might mean you absorbed as much of it as possible. \\


Basically what i'm saying here is wehnh you're smoking, the amount you exhale represents how big of a hit you got. When you're vaping you can exdhale almost notihng at all and have your ass kicked and demolished

 

[chimpybits]

... A question thus unfolds: of the current vape models on the market, how many have been tested for inhalation safety in 'actual' use scenarios? My guess is very few, if any...

My guess is just the Volcano. I've certainly come across such studies on these boards for the Volcano. I do think one can judiciously apply the findings on the Volcano to other vaporizers. If the vapor path can withstand the heat w/o off-gassing - especially a glass vapor path, then I'm satisfied with this.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Stim,

My Arizer came in a box that described it as an aromatherapy device.

The Arizer table models are labelled as a "Hot Air Generator"/"Potpourri Warmer" and if you look close enough then you'll probably realize those products were designed as if this was their primary function exactly. Although particles never bothered me using the V-Tower, the fact that i was venting electronics through my cannabic bowl made me sufficiently concerned to end up giving it away, as an aromatherapy device exclusively - despite a real appreciation of Arizer's glass elements which i may come to refurbish eventually.

But i consider that failure modes should be a major selection criteria in vaporizers as well so that's why i keep searching for clues from snapshots of internal views posted here, once in a while, trying to focuss on obvious concepts whenever possible.

 

[johnnyblaze805]

I been vaping for about a week now im starting to get used to it cuz I'm getting fatter rips now but I cough like a bitch too lol.. Now I just make sure to have something cold to drink and I'm good

 

[dirtpie]

It must be from the dryness of the vapor that makes people cough. The SSV, Da Buddha, LSV, Volcano, VXC, and any other vaporizer I've tried makes me cough. I also find myself hitting vaporizers more frequently and quicker than I ever did while combusting. I think that inherently stresses and drys out the respiratory system quicker.

Having a cup of hot tea with my vaping session helps minimize if not eliminate my coughing. Take a few sips of your favorite tea before starting your session, and after each hit. This keeps my mouth and throat from feeling dried out and irritated. Sipping the tea also allows me to slow my session down. This routine helps me get in a calmer mindset that allows me to take in and appreciate everything else in my day. It's amazing when you slow down and take in all the subtle tastes and smells around you.

 

[lwien]

^^ And that is why I like hitting my LSV through a bong filled with VERY warm water. It really moisturizes the hit.

 

[RUDE BOY]

@lwien Thanks to you and a few others here I now use warm water when using a water tool. Ice and cold water just makes me cough worse. I find the hits with "Hot" tap water so soothing and tasty. Ice not so much. More often I do what @dirtpie does and enjoy sipping hot tea/black coffee in the evening while I vape.

I have also found that some vaporizers make me cough. The t Vape, WISPR, MFLB and pinnacle will always make me go into that Vapor gasp and coughing fits if I take the load to far. Slowing down and taking the time to smell the Flowers and savoring the taste, breathing more then one deep breath after each hit works for me.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

I have an interesting point to bring up here. It's strain dependent as well, sometimes extremely so. This CannaQuin I have has a high high CBD and a very low THC content. I can get milky huge rips with my LB and I don't cough from it. Maybe once every half gram vaped or so? That was one of the first things I noticed about it, how little it irritated me, even with a conduction vape at high temperatures.

 

[BuzzDanklin]

@lwien Thanks to you and a few others here I now use warm water when using a water tool. Ice and cold water just makes me cough worse. I find the hits with "Hot" tap water so soothing and tasty. Ice not so much. More often I do what @dirtpie does and enjoy sipping hot tea/black coffee in the evening while I vape.

This is my morning ritual! Coffee and vape session while checking emails, reading articles, etc... I did try warm water and It's much better than cold because I feel like its not as much of a shock to your lungs. For some reason I feel like that helps.

I noticed I cough more from straight glass or whip type vapes. Where the heat is coming straight from the chamber to my throat. The dry heat seems to be what irritates me the most. That's where the coffee comes in handy

From what I've Gathered Here: (Volcano Vaporizer vs Smoking)
http://www.canorml.org/healthfacts/jcantgieringervapor.pdf

It says: "It should be noted that vaporizers do not entirely eliminate respiratory irritation. A puff of strong vaporized cannabis will occasionally elicit a cough. This could be entirely due to THC itself, which is known to irritate the bronchial tract (Tashkin 1977)"

They also go on to say: "The FDA currently has no criteria for evaluating vaporization devices."

The testing was done in 2003, published in 2004 but I'm assuming this is still true today as I can't find any other research on any vaporizers being FDA approved.

Summary - They aren't testing or doing research on vaporizers because using marijuana in the form of smoking is still harmful due to the chemicals released during combustion. ( I think? ) Makes perfect sense....................................... /sarcasm

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations BuzzDanklin,

..."The FDA currently has no criteria for evaluating vaporization devices."

You may need to conduct your own evaluations then, as i have done myself:

coughing with different vapes what might be?​

Just avoid temperature extremes, as for moisturization i found that very little would suffice.

In any case forget full FDA-aproved testing unless you believe in miracles... Merry Christmass!!

 

[Vaderizer]

So bad...

I've been vaping for about a year now, almost daily from my MFLB. An average of 5 hits a day total. (I was hitting my dugout about the same amount for about 20 years prior).

A few months ago, I started getting a cough. Not like most here describe, where they go into a coughing fit right after taking a hit. What I got was a persistent, increasing tightness in my upper chest, with a cough that would continue on and off throughout the day.

There's a bit of wheezing and very little if any stuff comes up.

Several weeks ago I decided to lay off vaping entirely for a while because it was so clear that I was getting increasingly fucked up (not in a good way) and pretty scared.

The tightness died down mostly, but not entirely, and the coughing went away. So two days ago I decided to take a couple hits. A couple. That's it.

The tightness and wheezing came back instantly and although it's dying down a bit now, it's definitely still there.

As far as technique goes, I take small hits (maybe 25% lung capacity followed by lots of air intake) and for months now I almost always take a small sip of water or tea and hold it in my mouth while I inhale (I got pretty good at turning my tongue into a little "cup" and I get a nice bong-like bubbling going on). But whatever - it didn't help.

Maybe I fucked my lungs up permanently - I don't know. Maybe it's just the MFLB and if I switch to something else I'll be able to go on vaping. But for now, I'm totally off of anything - I dare not switch back to smoking at this point. This sucks so bad.

Anyone else feel like vaping is doing some lung damage?

And can anyone recommend a portable alternative to the LB I might try?

 

[pakalolo]

So bad...

I've been vaping for about a year now, almost daily from my MFLB. An average of 5 hits a day total. (I was hitting my dugout about the same amount for about 20 years prior).

A few months ago, I started getting a cough. Not like most here describe, where they go into a coughing fit right after taking a hit. What I got was a persistent, increasing tightness in my upper chest, with a cough that would continue on and off throughout the day.

There's a bit of wheezing and very little if any stuff comes up.

Several weeks ago I decided to lay off vaping entirely for a while because it was so clear that I was getting increasingly fucked up (not in a good way) and pretty scared.

The tightness died down mostly, but not entirely, and the coughing went away. So two days ago I decided to take a couple hits. A couple. That's it.

The tightness and wheezing came back instantly and although it's dying down a bit now, it's definitely still there.

As far as technique goes, I take small hits (maybe 25% lung capacity followed by lots of air intake) and for months now I almost always take a small sip of water or tea and hold it in my mouth while I inhale (I got pretty good at turning my tongue into a little "cup" and I get a nice bong-like bubbling going on). But whatever - it didn't help.

Maybe I fucked my lungs up permanently - I don't know. Maybe it's just the MFLB and if I switch to something else I'll be able to go on vaping. But for now, I'm totally off of anything - I dare not switch back to smoking at this point. This sucks so bad.

Anyone else feel like vaping is doing some lung damage?

And can anyone recommend a portable alternative to the LB I might try?

The LB has one of the shortest vapour paths of all and that could well be the source of your trouble. You could test this by using a whip or a small bubbler. An ordinary soda straw would probably work for a quick test.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

So bad...

I've been vaping for about a year now, almost daily from my MFLB. An average of 5 hits a day total. (I was hitting my dugout about the same amount for about 20 years prior).

A few months ago, I started getting a cough. Not like most here describe, where they go into a coughing fit right after taking a hit. What I got was a persistent, increasing tightness in my upper chest, with a cough that would continue on and off throughout the day.

There's a bit of wheezing and very little if any stuff comes up.

Several weeks ago I decided to lay off vaping entirely for a while because it was so clear that I was getting increasingly fucked up (not in a good way) and pretty scared.

The tightness died down mostly, but not entirely, and the coughing went away. So two days ago I decided to take a couple hits. A couple. That's it.

The tightness and wheezing came back instantly and although it's dying down a bit now, it's definitely still there.

As far as technique goes, I take small hits (maybe 25% lung capacity followed by lots of air intake) and for months now I almost always take a small sip of water or tea and hold it in my mouth while I inhale (I got pretty good at turning my tongue into a little "cup" and I get a nice bong-like bubbling going on). But whatever - it didn't help.

Maybe I fucked my lungs up permanently - I don't know. Maybe it's just the MFLB and if I switch to something else I'll be able to go on vaping. But for now, I'm totally off of anything - I dare not switch back to smoking at this point. This sucks so bad.

Anyone else feel like vaping is doing some lung damage?

And can anyone recommend a portable alternative to the LB I might try?

Put more space between the trench and your mouth, maybe with a whip? Or water filtration? I used my LB for a long while dry, sometimes multiple trenches a day, and didn't get that. As for recommendations, the Solo is a good choice.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations Vaderizer,

...MFLB. An average of 5 hits a day... ... Anyone else feel like vaping is doing some lung damage?

A slight raise of humidity changed my situation radically.

 

[max]

The LB has one of the shortest vapour paths of all and that could well be the source of your trouble.

I'd bet on it. I use a short stem with mine and it's much worse in this respect than any other vape I have, or have used, with the possible exception of getting a huge, high temp hit from something like a VaporGenie. Get some more distance between you and the bowl and I think you'll see an improvement. Hit size and temp are also factors that can make a difference and are under your control.

 

[Vaderizer]

Doh... I've got a bunch of stems and a whip these things came with, still in the boxes - never used em.

Yay, I'm vaping tonight. Hope this shit helps!

Thanks much!

 

[HillaryClinton]

I only tend to cough when I take to much vapor in honestly, I do tend to do that by mistake every once in a while. If I smoke I always cough though....so I see it like this, if you eat to quick you choke or if you take to big of bites of food it gets stuck for a second and hurts, same concept here, take it little at a time.