I am a 22 year old male who started smoking weed when I was 19 years old when I got into college.. about 2-3 grams a week every week for about a year...I had a bubbler, but I mostly smoke out of pipes and..apples for a few months before I quit ..the ghetto way I know.. But anyway, I quit two weeks ago and have developed a sore throat, shortness of breath, swollen tonsils, overall fatigue, and I believe its my body adjusting to life without weed as I have never gone without it for more than 3-4 days at a time. My mind is finally waking up to reality and now I realized what a retard I was for smoking weed to deal with my stress and emotions...I made this decision because I am graduating soon and need to start looking to the future and leave this childish behavior behind me!
I started coughing up some speckled up phlegm with brown and speckled grey spots about 2-3 times since about 2 days ago...It's not dark globs of phlegm its a bunch of clear phlegm mixed with the gray/brown resin..I know its my cilia finally starting to come back to life after inhaling hot fumes and weed smoke..because in the past I never coughed up anything..but my concern is how long does this usually last for?? Since I am not someone who smoked copious amounts of weed a week, and I do work out 4 times a week (lift weights) are my lungs screwed? Is the damage still reversible? I know there is some thermal damage done but its not like someone who smokes a pack of cigarrettes a day for 5+ years right? Then again most of my smoking has been through pipes not water filtered pieces? I do not have a smokers cough at all I am just getting paranoid and anxious because of this...Any input from former marijuana smokers? Will this shortness of breath subside soon its not constant shortness of breath, it comes and goes in episodes but it is overall bearable? Overall I have been feeling light-headed and almost like in a dreamlike state? Please tell me these are all normal symptoms and will go away? Like I said, any input or past experiences with this is GREATLY appreciated!!!! Thank you for your time guys!!!
Answerfrom Richard D. Hurt, M.D.
Although it's not common, some people find that they seem to cough more than normal soon after they stop smoking. The cough is usually temporary and may actually be a sign that your body is healing.
Why some people seem to cough more soon after quitting smoking isn't clear. One explanation is that as the lungs heal, the microscopic hairs lining them — called cilia — begin working again. As the cilia attempt to clear out the inhaled particles, it can lead to coughing. This coughing may last as long as a couple of months, until the cilia are fully recovered. To relieve coughing in the meantime, try sipping water or sucking on cough drops.
If coughing persists for more than eight weeks or if coughing brings up sputum or blood or disturbs your sleep, see your doctor to check for a more serious cause of your coughing.
Need more information, do you smoke cigarettes, a lot of phlegm can be caused by what you eat.
2: all depends on your body I would say if it lasts over a year of you quitting I would go and see a doctor . Good luck.
I know many people who smoke daily and have very successful lives. It's not about the weed it's about how you manage your life.
Coughing up brown phlegm is normal. However, your other symptoms are not and you should get to a doctor ASAP, you may have a respiratory infection or early form of COPD; a doctor can definitively tell you.
I was a heavy substance abuser. I smoked between .2 and .8 of black tar heroin a day, half a gram of THC concentrate s and usually 2g of cannabis bud (if from a club) or more (if I harvested my outdoor crop). I quit everything three months ago and I still cough up some brown phlegm every other morning, sometimes every couple of mornings.
The lungs and cilia are a pretty amazing system in your body and incredibly powerful at expelling foreign particles. I wouldn't be alarmed by your phlegm unless it's consistently black and you are coughing it up constantly all day every day. That type of cough should severely diminish 2-3 weeks after quitting smoking, it shouldn't be persistent months down the road.
Your other symptoms worry me more than the phlegm do. I realize this is an old post but maybe what I say can help any new visitors who stumble upon this thread on Google.
I could see problems arising if the cannabis was abused and smoked heavily, but vaporizing a quarter gram of wax with low temperatures throughout the day did wonders for my mental health.
Regardless, you should always see a therapist or psychiatrist if you feel you are dealing with mental stresses, regardless of the medication.