I started smoking MMJ about 5 years ago using a glass pipe for my insommnia. Only used it at night, it worked like magic! I couldn't believe I had found something non big Pharma that would help me sleep. Then the harsh coughing kicked in at about year 3 (still only smoking just a little at night) and I started looking for solutions. Bongs, lozenges, throat sprays, on and on.
It got to where I could NOT smoke, I would cough before it even got into my lungs and I was coughing out the MMJ, and the coughing fits were awful to the point that other MMJ smokers tried to help. Nothing worked.
Was ready to give it up and go back to prescriptions and came across an ad for The Herbalizer. I bought one about 6 months ago and have only done vaping since. Perhaps some of you can help me with the following questions, as I still consider myself a newbie with vaporizers as I have only tried The Herbalizer.
1) I have coughed like crazy for the last six months, top shelf indices, and after having no luck at lower temperatures on the Herbie, I pretty much have it on 445F every time. (I talked with the Herbalizer people and they told me to just keep it on 445F for sleeping, get all the cannabinoids out of the herb and into me.) So I do that. Cough is awful, I get this obnoxious, bubbly phlegm coating my airways and I spend half the night coughing it up. Lungs hurt, hurts to breath. Very miserable experience so far.
2) I also do not get sleepy, at all, when using the Herbie. I can vape all night, I just cough and gag and my lungs hurt and I am still awake.
3) I have hooked the Herbalizer up to a bong with ice, bong with hot water, tried lower temps (Zero results), any tips anyone? This is my second unit, first one was broken straight out of the box. I do have a high tolerance, which is strange as I only used it at night. Edibles, flower, tinctures, I have a high tolerance to them. Would really appreciate any ideas on this, I love the ease of The Herbalizer, but not what this is doing to my lungs. Thanks everyone!
indica girl
Current vaporizer: The Herbalizer
I believe I understand your frustration,
@indicagirl
I agree with previous replies, but before you dump your investment in your Herbie I'd like to offer my experience. Hopefully, the Herbalizer experts can help adapt my technique to your technology if you think it might work for you.
My 1st vape session of the day, I almost always have a coughing spell. It may take a few minutes to work through, but once I 'clear my pipes', I'm good to go.
History: started smoking cigs in my teens then added cannabis in my 20s. Smoked for 30+ years. Basically, I had thrashed my lungs. Ultimately, I fucked combustion about 3 yrs ago and am still tobacco-free. I've dealt with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and respiratory allergies for many years.
About a year ago I bought a Pax2 and started vaping bud. I've figured out how to use daily without too much irritation of my damaged respiratory system. I refined my technique thru trial & error while lurking here at FC for the past year, reading the collected tips, tricks & wisdom of members of the forum.
The key for me is: too potent or too large of vapor draw will irritate and cause cough. So I take small, slow sips of half-bowls of herb, temp-stepping through the session.
I'm more a fan of sativas and I want the full range of psycho-actives. And I usually keep a few grams of an indica strain around for those evenings I just wanna kick back or need help winding down at bedtime.
But there's no way my wimpy-ass, ultra-sensitive lungs can handle the intensity of all the cannabinoids at hi temps until I've extracted off what's available at the lower temps. Pax2 has 4 temp settings: 360F, 380F, 400F, 420F, so I figure I'm drawing off roughly a quarter of the total actives on each setting.
My experience is that some of the actives released in the lower temp ranges have anti-inflammatory & bronchodilating effects that open & relax my throat/windpipe, so I can get to the rest of the good stuff in my weed. IMO, when I start with small/weak enough hits to get those guys working for me, then I bypass what I would call an attack of acute broncho-constriction. I am not a doctor! But that's the closest I can find in the medical descriptions to the cough-choke-gasp experience I know so well.
Like I said near the top of this dissertation, uh post, even starting with small, lo-temp draws, my 1st draw or 2 of the day does irritate & cause coughs. But relatively shallow, maybe up to 5 quick expulsions, not the deep, extended cough-up-a-lung for 5 minutes I used to get with combustion. When the deep cough reflex is triggered, it seems to stimulate production of mucus/phlegm from nasal/sinus passages down my throat and trachea. My breathing can feel/sound wet, juicy and sometimes airway so obstructed/constricted I can't get enough breath in or out. Oh man, do I know the ache of coughing, coughing, coughing trying to clear that crud. Then the panic starts to rise, which I think sometimes gives me a shot of adrenaline --- just what I wanted when trying to sleep, NOT!
@indicagirl -- I think I know exactly what you described.
Most days now, I can simply cough a few times with my teeny-tiny 1st hit on temp1, wait a minute or 3-5 til I'm relaxed, not coughing and I've cleared my throat. Then I take another tiny draw -- 2nd hit might be 1 cough only... and then another small hit... within a few, the drying/cotton-mouth & relaxing effects have kicked in and I'm feeling fine. Pretty soon I'm taking larger/longer draws until vapor is done for that temp so I kick it up a notch. Continue stepping up the temp until max is reached, actives all extracted, ABV is dark brown & the load is done.
Reducing the quantity of herb I pack into each load makes the draws weaker, so it doesn't take long to finish a load and get those hi-temp goodies, too. I repeat as needed for the effect desired.
Sometimes I forget to turn the temp back down on my Pax2 for a re-load. Just a tiny hit of fresh at temp4 SLAMS my lungs and I'll cough, choke and gasp. Running my vapor through a water tool/bong didn't help me significantly, either.
My most effective treatment for the whole cough-choke-gasp syndrome is prevention. That said, there are still times I'll lose it.
Then I have 2 strategies: using a prescription inhaler of albuterol (rescue or fast-acting bronchodilator for asthma) or doing a respiratory treatment with a flutter valve unit. The flutter valve is a plastic thing with a mouthpiece I blow/exhale into, providing modulated resistance to the airflow. I first saw one when my Mom was hospitalized with pneumonia--the modulated, fluttering resistance loosens & breaks-up thick mucus in the bronchial passages so it can be "huffed-up" & expelled.
Both of these require medical prescription, at least where I live. Again, I am not a doctor! I generally choose the flutter valve at home, because I prefer to avoid using a med (which I think has stimulant effects) when a simple session of blowing into what looks like a jumbo plastic pickle, and feels kinda like blowing a broken whistle, will accomplish the same result.
"Huffing" is a breathing technique best done leaning forward and is much less violent than coughing. It's a series of short forceful exhalations. Huff-huff-huff-huff to move that gunk up to the throat and finally give a moderate cough (or 2) to get it out. Rotate huffing sequences with a couple sips of water, then blow my nose is helpful for calming me down. To be blunt, all those fluids being let loose need replacing else the gunk gets thicker; and blowing it out my nostrils means it's not dripping down the back of my throat. Focusing on proactive tasks stems the panic that arises when I can't breathe.
