“You’ve got to try this again, Julia!” I said to our accountant.

She’s been smoking for decades, and occasionally mutters about quitting. I’ve been trying her on various e-cigs trying to get her to switch – this time I was trying her on an Aspire Mini Nautilus and iStick, hoping that a more powerful e-cig would do the job.

“Oh go on then.” Julia lifted the e-cig to her mouth and inhaled.

“It’s not working!”

“Just press the button and inhale.”

Julia did as I asked, only to burst into a fit of coughing.

“Here you are,” she gasped in between coughs. “You can have that back!”

How Many New Vapers Cough When Vaping?

Julia’s not the only one who coughs when vaping.

In fact when we surveyed 600 vapers, almost 57 % of them said they coughed when using an electronic cigarette for the first time:

Research by scientists backs this up, suggesting that the most common side effect experienced by first time vapers was a cough and sore throat.

A Temporary Effect

For most vapers, coughing when vaping is a temporary effect.

While almost 57% said they coughed when they first vaped, 93% of them no longer have a problem.

For those interested, 92% had been vaping for more than 10 weeks, with just 1% of those surveyed vaping for 0-1 weeks.

User Story

I coughed a little when I started vaping, but I was far too excited at the world of possibilities in front of me for it to be an issue. I’ve found that it takes about a day to acclimatise to a harsher juice, so I can’t imagine that the cough should be an ongoing issue. I’m sure we all still cough every now and then when we take too big a hit though! Max from GetVape.co.uk

Why do you cough when you vape?

Irritants in Vapour

Why do we cough? Most vapers will probably tell you it’s because of propylene glycol.

Around 10% of the population is sensitive to propylene glycol. (A much smaller proportion is allergic to propylene glycol).

In addition, Professor Polosa told me there may be other elements in vapour which cause vapers to cough:

we cannot discount the possibility of other unknown ingredients, contaminants, by-products in the e-vapour causing similar irritant effects.

But this raises a question.

Why do vapers cough when they first use e-cigarettes, but not after sustained use?

No-one seems to have the answer at the moment, but one possible reason is that your body gets used to these chemicals.

Lack of Anesthetics

In addition, Chris Price of ECigarette Politics believes thattobacco smoke contains ingredients which are specifically designed to stop smokers from coughing. Chris told me:

Essentially, this is why you can breathe in tobacco smoke when you can’t breathe in bonfire smoke too well, when they are basically the same thing: burning plant matter…. Some of the 9,600 ingredients identified to date are in there to to make the smoke smoother, less irritating, and to prevent coughing.

The absence of anaesthetics and antitussives in vaping could explain why you cough when you first try vaping.

Technique Used When Vaping

Then there’s technique.

Many smokers draw cigarette smoke directly into their lungs.

But many vapers, on the other hand, draw vapor into their mouths before inhaling into their lungs.

Some vapers find that using the same technique for cigarettes causes them to cough.

Could the difference between techniques explain why people cough when they first vape, but not when they are experienced vapers?

Our survey seems to suggest techniques make a difference for at least some vapers. Although many respondents (40.58%) were unsure or couldn’t remember whether changing technique helped, almost 30% felt it did help:

Initially I thought that mouth-to-lung inhale was less likely to make you cough when vaping, but in fact it seems to vary from vaper to vaper (possibly because of the difference in devices and juice used.)

Cilia Regrowth

When you smoke, you slowly destroy tiny hair-like projections on your respiratory tract called cilia. When you stop smoking, these slowly grow back.

A by-product of the hairs growing back is coughing – just one of many side effects you can experience when you stop smoking (for a more complete list, see here: 7 Quit Smoking Side Effects: The Essential Guide for New Vapers and Quitters).

Some bloggers have speculated that this regrowth or cilia could be why new vapers cough.

This might explain why some new vapers have a recurring cough when switching to vaping. However, it doesn’t explain why smokers cough when they vape their first e-cigarette.

Nicotine Strength & Throat Hit

If you’re an experienced vaper and you’ve tried a zero nicotine e-liquid, you’ll have noticed that the throat hit is much reduced.

A higher nicotine level seems to lead to a harsher vape, and an increased likelihood of coughing.

On the other hand, some people need a high nicotine level in order to successfully switch to e-cigarettes.

Device Used

The device used can also contribute to coughing. In fact, many users cough when they first switch to a sub-ohm device.

So if coughing is an issue for you, it may be worth using a more basic device when you start off. Again, you do need to balance this with research that shows cigarette smokers are more likely to successful switch to electronic cigarettes with more advanced devices.

This is probably because they deliver more nicotine more quickly than basic devices, as the graph below shows:

User Story

I’ve been a smoker for nearly 15 years. When I first started using electronic cigarettes, I continued to smoke for nearly 2 years. I’ll be 1 month smoke free next Wednesday, so I’m still at the start of my journey. It has not been easy, but it’s getting easier. For me, finding the right combination for e-liquid and hardware was key. Working for ECigarettedirect, I’m lucky that there’s never a shortage of vaping devices around me. But it was only when I started sub-ohming with a box mod and an Aspire Atlantis Clearomiser that I could eliminate smoking 100%. I always enjoyed smoking, but not the side effects; the breath, the stinky clothes, the breathlessness. I still love the smell of cigarette smoke, but if I have my e-cig with me, I know I’ll be ok. Tom – ECigaretteDirect Staff

Dehydration

Both propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG) attract water, which helps make the clouds of vapour that you see when exhale.

A minor side of this can be dehydration and occasionally a sore or dry throat, which may contribute to coughing.

User Story

I remember it was both a familiar and alien sensation. Unlike smoking, there wasn’t any warmth to the vape; and there was a “catch” on the inhale whether from the sensation or the flavour I can’t be 100% sure. It was definitely a unique experience, but the taste from the vape convinced me to keep at it. That I think was the most surprising thing, the taste. I did cough, almost immediately after each vape for the first dozen or so then less regularly for a few days then it stopped. Unless I’m a complete moron and don’t leave a fresh tank to wick properly! I knew that the cough reflex was my body trying to clean itself so didn’t really pay it too much attention, especially as I had been coughing a lot with the recent cigarette binge, but the sporadic coughing didn’t make it difficult to vape. Paul Barnes fdm.ukvaping.com

4 Ways to Stop Coughing When Switching to E-Cigs

1. Experiment with Techniques

Now, I’ve always assumed that a ‘mouth-to-lung inhale’ (it’s not a technical term, but one widely used in the vaper community) would be less likely to lead to coughing. But that’s not always the case, as this comment by Brown Eyed Pea on Reddit shows:

I used to (and still do sometimes) with mouth to lung inhales, never with direct lung inhales for some reason

So it’s important to experiment with technique to find the right one for you.

I’d love to know which techniques works best for you, so do let me know in the comments below.

2. Change PG/VG Ratio

If you continue to experience a cough when you vape, you could change the PG/VG ratio.

Most e-liquids are made up of PG (propylene glycol) and VG (vegetable glycerine). VG is smoother, and many people who use high powered box mods find they need to use an e-liquid with a high VG ratio to avoid coughing.

A small minority of people need to use a 100% VG e-liquid, although unfortunately these can be rather harsh on atomisers.

3. Experiment With Nicotine Levels

We’ve seen that nicotine can affect the throat hit that you get. So if coughing is an issue, it may be worth temporarily reducing the nicotine that you use.

However, remember that scientists tell us the harm with smoking comes from the smoke, not the nicotine. So once you are used to vaping, it might be worth increasing the nicotine level if it helps you stay off tobacco cigarettes.

4. Drink Water

We’ve seen that PG and VG can cause minor dehydration, but can you tackle this by simply drinking more water.

Reader Suggestions

5. Change the Speed Of Inhale

In the Facebook comments below Alan Miller finds that inhaling really slowly can lead to coughing, as their is not enough air hitting the coil in your e-cigarette. By experimenting with the speed you inhale, you may be able to reduce coughing.

6. Change the Speed of Exhale

Celeb Fawkes finds that you can reduce the chance of coughing by using a slow, controlled exhale.

7. Add a Drop of Menthol

Edward suggests adding a drop of menthol e-liquid to your e-juice.

Finally, The Positive Side Effects of Vaping

If you are thinking of quitting e-cigs at the first hurdle, it might be worth considering the positive side effects of vaping.

While most reported side effects are both minor and temporary, research shows that the positive effects of vaping can be huge, especially if you switch 100% to electronic cigarettes. Here are just some of those found by scientists:

Did you cough when you first vaped? Share your story below!

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