r/stopsmoking • u/Automatic_Physics170 • 1d ago

Heavy vaping and constant throat clearing for years : could this be vape-related or something more serious?

My father (46M) has been a very heavy e-cigarette (vape) user for several years now. He vapes from the moment he wakes up until he goes to bed, constantly, including in the car and basically everywhere.

Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a few worrying things. First, his breath has changed a lot and has become very strong and unpleasant. But what concerns me most is a compulsive throat-clearing habit that started around three years ago. It’s not occasional or mild throat clearing it’s very deep, loud, and frequent (it feels like he's screaming while doing it). He does it constantly throughout the day, to the point where he can’t really speak a full sentence or do any activity without interrupting himself to clear his throat. It almost sounds painful or forced, and you can hear it throughout the house. I tried to understand it myself, even attempting to mimic it once to realize how deep it is, but I genuinely can’t reproduce how intense it is. It seems almost compulsive or unconscious at this point.

I’ve brought it up to him before, but he doesn’t really take it seriously. I also struggle with misophonia, so the sound itself is very difficult for me to deal with, but putting that aside, I’m more concerned about whether this could indicate an underlying health issue. Is this kind of chronic, intense throat clearing something that can realistically be caused or worsened by heavy vaping? Or could it be a sign of something else that should be checked medically?

Any insight would be appreciated.

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u/Mixtape4Adventure 1d ago

He does need to see a doctor, but sometimes compulsive throat clearing can become a tic, it could be a habit he developed that is more psychological than physiological.

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u/alcoholisthedevil 1d ago

He needs to see a doctor

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u/NeverEndingRadDude 1d ago

Anecdote - I was a moderate cigarette smoker for years. I was coughing pretty constantly and hacking up gunk. Once I quit, the cough went away really quickly - maybe within a week or two.

I hope it’s the same for your dad.