Caughing A Lot After Stopping Smoking

[Genecanuck]

Good morning,

I have been coughing up mucus for the past month and still have a morning cough. I do have stuffed up sinuses but I am wondering how much of this condition is related to cilia re-growth.

 

Here is an article I found on the topic from the Mayo Clinic.,  https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/expert-answers/quit-smoking/faq-20057818

 

Anyone else experience this early on in their quits?

 

 

I quit smoking a few weeks ago and now I'm coughing a lot. That didn't happen when I was smoking. What's going on?

 

Coughing more than usual may be a sign your body is starting to heal.

Tobacco smoke paralyzes and destroys some of the tiny hair-like structures in the airways called cilia. As a result, the cilia that remain have trouble sweeping mucus out of the lungs.

 

When you stop smoking, the cilia regrow and become active again.

As they recover and help move the mucus out of your lungs, you might cough more than usual. This might last for a few weeks or up to a year. But the cough often goes away on its own.

 

If your cough lasts longer than a month, you may want to check with your health care provider. You may need tests to find out if a medical problem is the cause.

In the meantime, you can do some things to try to feel better:

 

Drink plenty of water and other fluids that don't have caffeine, such as juice, to help loosen congestion.

You also could try a medicine called guaifenesin (Mucinex) to help clear up chest congestion. You can buy it off the shelf at drugstores.

Suck hard candy or cough drops to soothe your throat and possibly help tame your cough. It also might help to take up to 2 teaspoons of honey before bed.

Take a steamy shower or use a humidifier to soothe a sore throat.

Some people may notice that starting to smoke again reduces the cough. But this will make your health worse in the long run. Ask your provider to help you stay off cigarettes for good.

 

Coughing can be uncomfortable, tiring and disruptive to those around you. Get a checkup if your efforts don't bring you relief. Talk to your provider as soon as you can if:

 

You're in pain.

You see any blood in what you cough up.

Coughing keeps you up when you try to sleep.

 

[QuittingGirl]

Yes I did as well and so do a lot of people.  It's your body getting rid of the gunk that was in your throat and lungs.  I also got sick with a lot of infections after I quit.

[Genecanuck]

6 minutes ago, QuittingGirl said:

Yes I did as well and so do a lot of people.  It's your body getting rid of the gunk that was in your throat and lungs.  I also got sick with a lot of infections after I quit.

Yes, I think that is what is happening to me. I was on a merry-go-round start-stop-start-stop for quite a while... the past three years that it will take a while for me to really heal. 

[QuittingGirl]

Actually I still get a lot of infections.   I used to know someone who quit many many years ago, and after she quit, she kept getting sick and had lots of things wrong with her.  Weird for sure!  Hopefully your symptoms will go away soon.

[Doreensfree]

Hope things improve soon G , 

Keep reminding yourself it’s all good , your body is cleansing itself …

There is NOTHIN negative about quitting

[jillar]

I was lucky, I coughed so much while smoking that the cough was the first thing to stop when I quit. I'm sure it's cleaning your lungs up Gene but if you're concerned then it's never a bad idea to get yourself a checkup. If anything, it'll relieve your mind, and you'll get lots of kudos for quitting smoking  

Keep drinking lots of fluids too!  

[johnny5]

I coughed a lot, especially during my later years of smokinng (I smoked for roughly 20 years, less than a lot of people here have, not sure if that makes a difference). 

 

Once I quit, my coughing dropped down dramatically for several weeks and then got a lot worse for a while.  I do believe it has to do with your body clearing out all of the garbage in your lungs from smoking and the timing of this varies from quitter to quitter.  This often happens through coughing up.  This is fairly normal.  Things do get better over time.

 

 

[Penguin]

I've had a very small, intermittent cough since I quit. Frankly I wish it were more productive, just so I could get all that garbage out of my lungs. I can certainly understand how it would be uncomfortable and frightening for many. Definitely keep tabs on it with your doctor.