A sore throat is one of the nagging vaping side effects you might experience at some point or other. Fortunately, it usually resolves in a few days.
But what causes a sore throat from vaping?
And what if you don’t want to wait days to ease your throat irritation?
Then lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place.
This article will cover all the common causes of a sore throat from vaping. You’ll also learn ways to avoid this side effect, soothe the pain, get answers to frequently asked questions, and discover Cyclone Pods nicotine-free vapes.
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9 Potential Causes Behind Sore Throat From Vaping
Here are nine common reasons why you may be experiencing a sore throat from vaping.
1. You're Experiencing Nicotine Withdrawal
Nicotine withdrawal is a nasty experience and usually presents many unpleasant side effects. Sore throat is one of the most notable ones if you’re using a lower-nicotine vape juice than you’re used to.
This is because lower nicotine intake in heavy users could result in a mild condition called “smokers flu,” with a common symptom — a chronic sore throat.
2. You Have A High Nicotine Level in Your Vaping Juice
On the other end of the spectrum, a high nicotine level is equally likely to make you cough.
Vaping with a high nicotine strength (common in a vape liquid using nicotine salt) can be brutally harsh on your throat and lungs - even though nic salts e-liquids are quite smooth.
The higher your nicotine levels, the more irritated your respiratory tract and throat may become.
An irritated respiratory system could result in bouts of coughing. Consistent coughing from harsh vape pen pulls is a sure-shot recipe for an aching or burning sensation in your throat.
If you experience consistent coughing when vaping, try lowering your nicotine levels or switching to freebase nicotine or nicotine-free e-liquids instead.
Note: Although unlikely, if you’re completely new to vaping, diving into a very high nicotine-concentration e-liquid may put you at risk of mild nicotine poisoning. It’s best to start low and build yourself up (if that’s your goal).
3. You’re taking Dry Hits
Dry hits are the bane of every vaper's existence, and typically do one of three things — ruin your day, burn your vape pen, and strain your throat. If it did all three, you have our condolences.
A dry hit means that you’re vaping nothing but heated air, as there's no vape juice to be vaporized in your coil. This hot air can sear the surface of your throat, making speaking, breathing, and swallowing quite painful.
4. You’ve Been Exposed to Volatile Organic Compounds or Diacetyl
Some low-quality vaping juice products contain volatile organic compounds (like benzene and propylene oxide) or harmful chemicals like diacetyl. These chemicals are notorious for causing throat irritation, among other sinister vaping side effects.
Diacetyl, for example, is a butter-flavoring chemical once common in microwave popcorn. Around 2000, popcorn factory workers in the USA who inhaled it developed bronchiolitis obliterans, nicknamed “popcorn lung.” Cancer Research UK reports no confirmed cases of popcorn lung linked to e-cigarettes, but diacetyl still has no place in an e-liquid.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also linked vitamin E acetate, an additive found in some THC vaping products from informal sources, to the 2019 EVALI outbreak (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury).
Respiratory symptoms of EVALI include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
In these instances, being safe is always better than being sorry. So “cough up” the extra dough for high-quality vape products to avoid risky exposure and adverse respiratory symptoms.
5. Your Vape Juice is Too High in PG
All e-liquids blend two types of carrier liquid — propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) — each with unique properties affecting vaping experiences based on a ratio.
PG’s main characteristic is that it produces a strong throat hit (desirable amongst heavy vapers). However, a stronger throat hit can overwhelm new or occasional vapers and likely cause a sore throat.
On rare occasions, users may even experience a PG allergy. PG can also irritate the throat with no allergy involved. In a 2001 Swedish study, 27 non-asthmatic volunteers breathed PG mist from a smoke generator for one minute, and their throat symptoms increased afterward (Wieslander et al., 2001, PMID: 11555686). Smoke-machine mist isn’t vape aerosol, but it’s the same compound.
If your throat stays sore when you vape, switch to a higher-VG e-liquid, or stop vaping and talk to a doctor.
6. You've Recently Quit Smoking Cigarettes
If you’ve recently switched from cigarettes to vaping, your throat can feel worse before it feels better.
When you stop smoking tobacco cigarette products and no longer fill your lungs with tobacco smoke, the cilia (tiny hair-like structures) in your lungs become more active.
This increased activity causes your lungs to immediately start working to clear out the tar accumulated by tobacco cigarette products, leading to coughing.
This condition is commonly called “quitter cough” or “smokers flu.”
While this isn’t a pleasant experience, we suggest you take it on the chin and relish in the victory of quitting traditional cigarettes — your body will thank you in the long run.
7. You’re Inhaling the Wrong Way
Every vaping device is designed for either mouth to lung (MTL) or direct to lung (DTL) vaping. Inhaling through your electronic cigarette or mod vape in a way it wasn’t designed for could result in a harsh throat hit.
To prevent it, you must check your device's user guide to understand the ideal vaping method and which type of vape juice you should use with it.
8. You’re Dehydrated
You may not know this, but vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are humectants, meaning they attract and retain moisture.
This means that they can absorb moisture from your mouth and dehydrate it, leading to conditions like ‘dry mouth’ and dry throat.
If left ignored, this dry mouth can cause bacteria to gather in the mouth and throat, possibly leading to sores, irritation in the throat, and conditions like gum inflammation.
9. Your Device’s Power Level Is Set Too High
Large vape devices (like vape mods) have adjustable power settings. While pushing the limits on these devices can produce some impressive clouds, it can be too much to handle for most e cigarette users, likely causing a vape cough from a strong throat hit.
If you do push the limits of your coil, it’ll burn, and burnt coils are famous for producing gut-wrenching flavors.
But that’s not the worst part.
The vapor produced by a burnt coil can contain harmful chemicals. So when you puff a dry hit, you risk inhaling these toxic fumes.
Knowing what causes vaping-related sore throat can give you peace of mind. But knowing how to avoid it altogether is where your attention should be.
In case we missed anything, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.
So what can you do about it?
Reach out to Cyclone Pods!
Nicotine-Free Vapes From Cyclone Pods
Cyclone Pods is a California-based company specializing in nicotine-free vaping products. Their e-liquids are made with USP-grade VG and PG and food-grade flavorings.
Cyclone Pods’ vaping products are:
- Made with no added nicotine or tobacco
- Made without vitamin E acetate or diacetyl
- Available in many mouth-watering flavour options
Curious to give nicotine-free vaping a try?
Check out the Gust Pro From Cyclone Pods. The Gust Pro is a sleek vaping device that will give you uninterrupted vaping pleasure (up to 20,000 puffs) and comes in 14 delicious flavor profiles, including:
- BlueRazz
- Cherry Blast
- Kiwi Passionfruit
- Mango Peach Fusion
- Pink Lemonade
Want more puffs? The Gust Core rechargeable disposable is rated for 50,000 puffs and costs $25. It comes in 9 flavors and is assembled in the USA.
Want less vape e-waste?
Try the Lightning Collection from Cyclone Pods!
Lightning pairs a USB-C rechargeable battery with replaceable 7ml pods (10,000 puffs each), so you swap the pod instead of throwing away the whole device. It’s available in 13 mouth-watering flavors, including:
- Strawberry Banana
- Mint
- Watermelon Raspberry
- Cinnamon Churro
- Peach Ice
Only Settle For the Best - Try Cyclone Pods
A sore throat is a common side effect of vaping, especially after quitting smoking or using high-nicotine e-liquids. It’s often caused by a strong throat hit in high-nicotine e-liquids.
Fortunately, it often subsides with home remedies.
While it’s not always possible to avoid it, there are steps you can take to mitigate the risk.
Lowering your nicotine, or going nicotine-free, removes one of the most common causes: a harsh, high-nicotine throat hit.
When it comes to high-quality nicotine-free vaping products, look no further than Cyclone Pods.
