Did you cough when you first tried vaping? Coughing is more common than you might think.
Indeed, coughing and throat irritation are two of the most common symptoms that people experience when they initially switch from smoking to vaping.
In most cases, the coughing is nothing to worry about, it will soon subside and there are ways to alleviate the problem.
Please note that the information you see here is not medical advice. If you notice worrying symptoms, please visit your GP or call 111 for help.
It is important to note that most smokers tend to start coughing when they quit. This may seem odd as it is smoking that is bad for your health. Smoking certainly causes issues for your lungs and can prevent your lungs form clearing deposits. When you stop smoking, your lungs will soon start to repair themselves.
Your lungs feature tiny hair-like structures called cilia. These clear contaminants from your lungs but are inhibited by smoking. When you quit, your cilia start working properly again and begin to clear the build-up of deposits in your lungs by creating mucus. This is why you start coughing.
To learn more about coughing when you quit smoking, read our article dedicated to this subject.
Any coughing issues should clear up within a few weeks of smoking cessation. If problems persist, consult your GP.
Many vapers find that they cough when they take their first puffs. This can be disconcerting but is entirely normal.
Of course, some new vapers start coughing because they have recently quit smoking and their lungs are in the repair phase explained above. Inhaling vapour can trigger a cough simply because your lungs are in the process of expelling all that mucus and anything entering your lungs could act as an irritant, triggering a cough.
In addition, vaping isn't the same as smoking. Your body may not react favourably to something it isn't accustomed to and that could trigger a cough.
You should find that after a few days of vaping, everything settles down because your lungs will have finished the repair process and your body will have become used to the vapour.
It is advisable to ensure that you have chosen the right nicotine strength for your needs. Most e liquids are available in a variety of nicotine strengths. You might feel that you need a high strength when you first start vaping but that isn't necessarily the case. If you were a light smoker, a lower strength would be more appropriate.
Too much nicotine could irritate your throat and could lead to further side effects including nausea and headaches. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it would be worth trying a lower nicotine strength.
Our guide to nicotine strengths provides all the information you need to make the right choices.
E liquids vary in their ingredients and so some could prove to me more problematic to you than others.
As discussed above, nicotine strength is one factor to consider if your juice is irritating your throat or causing you to cough. If a lower your nicotine strength doesn't help, try vaping salt nicotine flavours. Salt nicotine (nic salt) delivers smoother throat hits than the usual freebase nicotine and could be less irritating.
It is also worth thinking about the base liquid ratio of your chosen e liquids. Some vapers are sensitive to propylene glycol (PG) and so switching to e liquids that are high in VG could help. But you would need a sub ohm device to vape high VG e liquids. You will find the PG/VG ratio of e liquids on their packaging and in the relevant product descriptions that feature on the Vapekit site.
The presence of menthol in e liquid flavours can make all the difference. While many vapers find the cooling effect of menthol to be soothing, others quickly discover that menthol irritates their throat or lungs and so causes them to cough.
Any flavour profile could disagree with you and so you may need to experiment with flavours to find the ones that work well for you.
Always purchase genuine, branded e liquids from an authorised retailer such as Vapekit. Genuine products will have been rigorously tested but fake vape juices will not have been subjected to any testing. They could contain irritants and even harmful ingredients.
No vape coil will last forever and so will eventually need to be replaced. Coils can be impacted by a build up of e liquid residue known as coil gunk that will thicken and then deliver a burnt taste that can irritate your throat.
In addition, vaping without first priming your coil or allowing your tank to become empty can both result in your coil wicking drying out and then burning.
If you find that you start coughing when you were not previously experiencing issues, try replacing your coil.
Most people will start coughing shortly after quitting smoking. If you turned to vaping to help you quit, your cough is likely related to quitting and not to vaping. However, PG, nicotine, menthol and burnt coils can all cause irritation and result in a cough. You should find that your issues resolve naturally over time. If they persist, a little trial and error might enable you to identify why you are coughing. If your cough does not resolve itself, seek professional medical advice.
