So how many people developed a cough when they quit and how long did it last?

[MMoo]

My cough started around week 3 and it's continued on and off till now week 11. Sometimes I cough up just clear phegm others clear phegm with brown specks and sometimes although not that often plugs of brown mucus (thick sticky and gross).

[jillygirl Administrator LONG TERM WINNER]

Hello Morriemoo, I think most of us develop coughs when quitting as its your bodys way of clearing the lungs. How long and how many you smoked will probably determine how long you cough all that nasty mucus up. Everybody is different. Emjay will probably advise you better than I have.

[MMoo]

Hay I smoked 20+ for around 20 years (rollies). Judging by the amount of brown mucus which comes up my poor lungs must be it a right state. I keep saying to myself every bit of brown stuff is another part clean. It would be nice to hear others experiences and how they coped with the cough.

It's odd that not everyone gets the cough or cough any brown stuff out. Anybody knows why?

[MMoo]

Also while I'm still thinking about this. I've noticed that my cough comes and goes in stages.

At first I feel clear loose mucus build up in my throat, then in a day or so I feel a different part of my chest tighten then in another day or so I start bringing up the brown. Once this has finished, normally in around a week, it starts again but a different area of my chest tighten.

That's what I think is happening anyway. I also have found the more active I am the more brown stuff comes out.

I try and do 15 min jogs twice a day on the spot and also 107 step up!

Sometimes when my chest tightens I do find the exercise hard to do thou.

Just thought I would share my thoughts.

[monky Administrator 35 Months Winner in reply to MMoo]

Hi ya Ian, Like Jillygirl has said, we all get the cough and phlegm when we quit !!

Look, erm, everybody is different, BUT, I think the more exercise you do in the early stages of your quit, gets rid of it faster

Going by my own experience, after the first couple of days, I was coughing and spluttering but Emjay mentioned to do breathing exercises, or to exercise

So, I dusted my rowing machine down, and started I used to give it some flippin wellie pal, I tell ya !! And it worked for me, cos got rid of all that erm, stuff, in 2 weeks, plus when I get a hard craving, I just get on it and give it HELLLLLL, that does the trick

So am just wondering, if its down to how much exercise we do when quitting ?? as in if you dont, then it lasts longer but if you do exercise a lot, then it gets rid of the stuff in your lungs faster

Ian, am not sure whether am making any sense pal,

Speak soon, Pete

[SKJohnson1111 in reply to MMoo]

I have smoked formany years, started on Chantix but gave up .

But started it up again a little over a month ago

On Easter I was diagnosed with breast cancer, scheduled surgery immediately. ..May 11th was quit day and Surgery day.

I dont like taking pills in general so I stopped the pain meds after day 2...

But startedhavi g severe panic attacks and fear

Feeling like I couldn't breathe. It is a side effect ...

It got so bad my husband had to take me to the ER.

IAm using a vape pen but very little.

I just want the panic attack, anxiety and cough to go away.

[DannyTT in reply to SKJohnson1111]

Hi, thanks for sharing. I cannot recommend Allen Carr seminars enough. After 18 years of smoking I walked out and haven't wanted one since. No will power, no stress and I had tried EVERYTHING. 6 months clean and I'm surrounded by smokers everyday. Look into it 😊👌

[Ribbon36 11 Month Winner in reply to SKJohnson1111]

I am going through this now....feeling panicky, anxiety.....and like the cough and mucus is blocking my breathing ability. I have had to take xannax to calm things and then I feel better....but I hate having to take any thing to deal with it!!!

[Nhaughton in reply to Ribbon36]

I have the same issue! Lorazepam for me when the mucus gets stuck in my throat.

[MMoo]

Hay Pete, agreed!

I started doing well then develop my anxiety and panic attacks. This put everything on hold for me because I wouldn't leave the house etc. .

I now set myself goals daily and yesterday was to get back on my bike. Biked up a few hills got completely out of breath came home and hack up loads.

This will now be my daily routine

How long u given up for Pete?

I found that I had my clear phlegm in my throat, about two weeks before I quit, as I cut down drastically before stopping altogether. This has made it fell like my cough has lasted for ever. I only really started coughing up the brown mucus around week 3 in to my quit, and then it's off and on depending on how active I have been.

I cough is a strange one, I feel phlegm in my throat nearly all the time (sometimes it goes altogether), but never really want to cough, I just want to keep clearing my throat. It's like a forced cough to help clear it.

But after some exercise, then I do cough, cause I feel I have something to clear from my chest.

I think my anxiety also brings on a cough (nervous cough). I can remember when I gave up before, my wife had just given birth and she said she could always hear me coming because I was coughing (clearing throat) I never really knew I did this, until I stepped back and looked at myself in that way.

It strange how the mind can make your body to some odd things!

After being checked, checked and checked again my the doctors, nurses, A/E I need to except what they are telling me about my cough/clearing phlegm. But this bloody anxiety can be so over-powering sometimes, it just puts all logic out of the window and I end up sneaking reassurance all the time about my cough. (probably why all my posts have the word cough in it!).

Sorry to waffle on, I sometimes find it useful just to jot this all down. It will be interesting to read this back once I'm back to normal.

Ian.

[Kaprin]

Very similar story to you Morriemoo, started about 3rd day and almost 7 weeks in still got it, tickly sort of cough until you do some exercise which is also when I start to hack up, even a brisk walk daily gets it out, waiting to start coronary rehab next week that will be good twice a week and then back to my swimming 3 times a week, hopefully that should do it as well

[seatallan]

I'm on day 4 and have the tickly cough too. I'm drinking lots of water which helps, and chewing sugar free gum. I shall be glad to get through it though as it's most irritating especially as I have a job that involves lots of talking.

[Kaprin in reply to seatallan]

Think you are doing all the right things let's hope it doesn't last too long

[MMoo]

I'm using hard sweets, cough sweets, polos and Bon bons! I'm now only drinking water apart from a couple of cups of tea in morning.

I've completely cut out coffee as I found I couldn't handle that much caffeine snice stopping.

My poor body must wonder what the hell us going on!

No fags, exercise and no caffeine!

Kaprin,

Swimming is really good, once I sort my anxiety me and my boy will be back in the pool.

Seatallen,

I do find a hot tea really clears my throat for a hour or so I think it also helps clear my chest a little also.

I'm now also adding garlic to everything.It meant to be a good healer for the lungs.

[Kaprin in reply to MMoo]

Strange you should say that I am also struggling with coffee too

[MMoo in reply to Kaprin]

I thought it maybe making my anxiety worse. I definitely could not drink as much as I could when I smoked.

I now only drink tea, so I still get a little caffeine in and it's just enough to pick me up in the morning.

[monky Administrator 35 Months Winner in reply to MMoo]

Aup Ian, It sounds like your having a bit of a tough time pal

Erm, maybe you are changing things to fast for your body to cope with !!, you just think, it is one HELL of a change for your body, just to quit fags and all the chemicals in them Then your exercising alot more, and youve cut caffeine out too !! Maybe just have the odd cup of coffee now and again, then try decaf coffee

Like I say, we are all different, and it takes our bodies different times to recover Perhaps I'm one of the lucky ones, cos after about the third week it seemed to erm, get back to something like the norm

I am on week 14 now and this week, with no flippin patches just got my gum and inhalator for when I need them, so I am rite chuffed with myself now and flippin happyyyyyyyy I never thought that I would get off the patches !! but I HAVE, and thats a big step for me Ian, I tell you

I erm, snack on mixed nuts & raisins, yep, I know there fattening, BUT, they are jam packed with protein and nutrients, all good stuff

Speak soon pal, and hey, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter You stick at it, cos your doing just great It will get better and easier for you, and above all, hold your head up HIGH and go out and buy yourself something nice cos I tell you, quitting smoking is the hardest ever ever thing I have had to do !!

Pete

[MMoo]

Hi Pete thanks for the encouragement.

Well done for reaching week 14.

Your quit reminds me of my first quit 12 years. I manged nine months before I went back on the fags.

I was like you coughed rubbish up for first few weeks but then felt fine. Why the hell did I start again I will never know!

This quit is completely different, and I really did not expect any of this to last this long, maybe it's because I've added another 12 years of smoking on top and I'm not as young and fit as I used to be.

The anxiety is my real issue I think because every cough ache and pain seems like a massive deal and I let it sit on my mind and begin to worry about.

I've Started to keep a daily dairy of all my anxiety and health issues I think I'm experiencing, then when I read it back hopefully logic sinks in and helps me to stop worrying.

That's the plan anyway!

Again well done for 14 weeks! No looking back for you now

[monky Administrator 35 Months Winner in reply to MMoo]

Aup Ian, that sounds a great idea pal ( as in a daily diary ) Yeah, cos then you can put down what you were doing at the time !! what you think caused it !! from 1 - 10 how bad was it !! what did you do about it !! and so on

There may be a pattern, a common denominator, in your anxiety attacks

I know one of them now !! That is coughing up all that horrid phlegm !! but please trust me on this Ian, all that is, is your body getting rid of all that flippin crap in your lungs, all that tar etc etc from smoking for Years

You let your body get rid of it cos its best out, than in eh I've found this NHS site about anxiety, just have a look eh

google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j...

Nite nite Ian, try to get a good nights sleep you aint getting no x's pal I tell ya !! Well, not untill I get to know you better anyway

[MMoo]

Hi Pete,

Yup the link is what I have been diagnosis with (GAD). It's a bug*er, cause it makes any of the withdraws that much worse!

I have alway had mild anxiety issues raging from heights, health etc, but not to the extent to what I have been experiencing now.

3 weeks into my quit (all going really well), I was round a friends and got out of breath for a couple of seconds while chatting to him. After that I panicked and developed a clearing throat tic, which in turned turned into a cough and then panic attacked.

Then I started really violently coughing to the extent I started to cough up a little blood in phlegm (because I now know I had damaged my throat)

Of course seeing blood in my phlegm made my anxiety even worse, then it's doctors, all the time, A/E chest x-rays etc etc.

I had a major panic attack at work (not sure why, but went back to doctors and told him everything. I then self referred to a wellbeing service for CBT I was also given beta-blockers to help deal with my anxiety.

However I read the label on the beta blockers which basically said that if I had hay fever or asthma taking theses would kill me! (although I was on the lowest dose possible this caused more panic attacks!)

I then had to call a doctor out later in the week because of another panic attack (basically I had a frog in the throat) but at the time it didn't seem so.

He put me on a anti-depressant which I took, my daughter took the labels away so I couldn't read it and worry about it, however the anti-depressant pushed me right over the edge and I ended up crying my eyes out all weekend! (I hadn't cried since I was 7 I don't think. I was in a right mess.

I then got refereed to mental health and they basic explained what was happening to me and my body (knowing this helped me a lot) I now understood what was happening to me and I could now now start to deal with it.

So I'm completely off meds, apart from patches. I'm seeing somebody one2one about my anxiety and doing self relaxation and setting myself goals everyday basically putting myself back into the situations that causes my high anxiety and re-training my thoughts to deal with it.

But I tell you bud, it's a long and very hard road, completely knackers me out of times. And when I've had little sleep I find it really hard to control! (The anxiety causes lack of sleep, so I can get stuck in a circle)

GAD also includes health anxiety, so every day as soon as I wake up my brain consistently checks my body for any odds signs (going though quitting smoking as you know putts your body though loads of changes). My brain then picks this up and exaggerates its. So a slight pain in my chest is also on my mind, a sore or lump in my throat makes me hack over the sink until it's completely clear etc etc.

I'm currently looking at my nails, because I see vertical ridges, may of always of been there I don't know, but now it's a massive deal to me.

Seriously GAD really does suck! - every day is a battle, but everyday I fight it it gets a little better. I'm now back on my bike, started driving again and getting out of the house, at one point I couldn't even been in the house alone!

In hindsight perhaps I should of dealt with anxiety before quitting, but I'm now starting week 12 of my quit, so I will be buggered if I'm going back now!

I'm only 39 years old, smoked since I was 17 or 18 20+ a day rollies.

My advice is if anybody has or has suffered with panic attacks or any mild anxiety get it sorted now, don't be afraid to tell your GP, friends or family. I know mental health has this stigma about it still, but 1 in 4 people suffers from mental health issues in some part of there life!

Here are a few useful links

nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Wellbein...

anxietyuk.org.uk/

And this one really got me, a young girl talking though her panic attacks

youtube.com/watch?v=7-iNOFD...(Not working as expected?)

[Katina60]

I'm on week 10,, I coughed up brown mucus when I was smoking so that cleared after about a week or so, then I didn't have much of anything, now I'm starting to cough again, very Little mucus but it's still brown, I used a electronic cigarette as a crutch, so I just recently stopped that because I wasn't using nicotine, so I thought maybe my mucous problem is due to stopping the electronic cigarette, I cannot use the patches they make my heart pound, I have Anxiety issues as well, I'm on a .50 ZanexER for evening, it helped me get through this quit! That and the electronic cigarette helped me out a lot or I don't think I would've been able to do it.

[Uberundurance]

Hi Ian, I was reading your posts from 5 years ago when you quit. How have the last 5 years gone? -James

[yoyokim]

Hi, all, I have been smoking for 14 years. It has been 2 weeks I quit it and for the first time ever, after I quit, I started coughing with brown phlegm and having hoarse voice. It doesn't stop. I visited an ENT doctor, I had a nasal endoscopy and he didn't find anything in larynx/pharynx. But this thing doesn't stop and I find it really weird.

[Corrina125 7 YearsSmokefree in reply to yoyokim]

Hello yoyokim, welcome to Quit Support and well done on being 2 weeks quit. Its not the easiest thing to do but will be the best thing you could ever do for yourself.

What your are experiencing is your body ridding itself of the poisonous toxins caused by smoking and is a normal withdrawal symptom.

Have a look at the pinned posts which you will find either to the right or at the bottom of your screen. There you will find lots of useful tips and information to support you in your quit.

We also advise that you drink plenty of water as this helps with the detoxing process and will keep you hydrated as well.

Keep us close we are here to support and know what you are going through and you could let us have you actual quit date, we can add you to our database and assign you with a winners badge.

Also so that we don't miss you, please write a fresh post rather than add to an old one which could easily get missed.

Good luck and bye for now.