Aromatics and Shortness of Breath

fadingdaylight · Mar 1, 2014

Does anyone else have this issue? I am a 20 year cigarette smoker, still trying to complete the conversion. I have noticed that smoking aromatic tobaccos seems to leave me short of breath. I am a clencher, and I tend to inhale small amounts of smoke unintentionally. I recently started trying other types of blends, and noticed that it does not happen with Nightcap at all, or ODF. So Im thinking it has to do with one of two things;

A. Moisture content in the aros

B. Something used in the flavoring/curing process
Any ideas gentlemen? Thanks!

phil67 · Mar 1, 2014

That's rather strange. I've smoked cigarettes for 50 years and I've never experienced that. I also clench at times and inhale a small amount occasionally. Sometimes unintentionally, and yes... sometimes on purpose.

cosmicfolklore · Mar 1, 2014

You may have an allergy to something in the aromatics. I don't think moisture would do it, alone.
It may just be time to branch out and try some different genres of blends. I never took well to latakia, but if you like the Nightcap and the strength of ODF, you might just want to step out into the world of English blends or VaBurs.

andrew · Mar 1, 2014

Probably all the chemicals they add, I just can't smoke aro's, I find there's something about them that burn my mouth and result in an unpleasant smoke.

pylorns · Mar 1, 2014

I know what you are doing. You're exhaling and then sniffing to get the scent of the aromatic through the front of your nostrils - I've done it sometimes when I dont get much taste or retrohaling doesn't do the trick, I french inhale - and when I'm doing it I'm somewhat sniffing and it can lead you to having a shortness of breath sorta....

fadingdaylight · Mar 1, 2014

Ah, I do have a tendency to french inhale, didnt even think about that. Thanks Pylorns.

goldsm · Mar 1, 2014

When I smoke a couple of full flavored aromatic in a row I feel shortness of breath sometime.

I guess it's cause something in flavor.

phil67 · Mar 1, 2014

Never thought about the chance of french inhaling and getting a shortness of breath. Then again, if that is the cause it would seem to have the same effect no matter what tobacco you smoke aside from the stronger nicotine content of some blends. The first time I tried and found out about the 'french inhale' was about 40 or so years ago with cigarettes and it did indeed make me dizzy, but not short of breath. I never do it while smoking a cigarette, but I do it occasionally with a pipe. Then again, after 50 years of cigarette smoking I could probably french inhale those small Parodi cigar turds and not get short of breath, and or dizzy. Something I'm certainly not proud of, but there it is. Well... one positive note is that I'm smoking less of the cigarettes since taking up the pipe again.

andrew · Mar 1, 2014

Yes I hardly think it's the french inhaling either.

fadingdaylight · Mar 1, 2014

Phil, Im smoking alot less cigarettes too, and happy about it. I dont really get it either, I can flat out inhale Nightcap intentionally, french inhale it all I want, and not have a problem. Perhaps I do have a flavor allergy.

monsterbear · Mar 4, 2014

Its happened to me when I smoke a straight virginia. I think it has a lot to do with exhaling and then trying to smell it afterwards. I got dizzy once when I got off the couch and thought Id pass out. I was super relaxed though.

fearsclave · Mar 18, 2014

I've noted this smoking Brigham's Maple Vanilla, and to a lesser extent Blatter Executive, not so with other tobaccos.

blueeyedogre · Mar 18, 2014

I've noticed it with blends with a lot of burley in them. 1Q I can smoke all day inhaling a little of it but the Sutliff D-40 vanilla I feel like I just smoked half a pack of cigarettes after a bowl if I'm not careful with my inhaling.

salmonfisher · Mar 18, 2014

I inhale Aro's and all others never experienced shortness in breath

johnnyiii · Mar 18, 2014

I had / have that problem. In figuring it out I noticed that since I exhale out of my nose a lot that smoke was still in my mouth and I was breathing that it. I found that if I include an exhale out of my mouth after the nose it got better.
If that was already added sorry. Didn't read through all the replies.

flakyjakey · Mar 18, 2014

Maybe it's down to unnatural artificial additives? I hyperventilate and have breath-holding attacks just THINKING about aromatics! In fact I'll have to lie down now, in a darkened room!! LOL

peteguy · Mar 18, 2014

Any chance you have GERD, acid reflux, etc.?
A few years ago I almost gave up our beloved pipe. I felt like I was having a full on asthma attack almost daily and I noticed that smoking a pipe made it worse. Doctor told me to stop the pipe, gave me an inhaler and said good luck. Doctors are pill dispensers but that's another story.
Anyway, after a few months I was still having problems but not nearly as bad so I did my own research on the web. Found out that GERD can cause some of these shortness of breath things and it somehow ties in with asthma. I have always had reflux problems off and on so I thought I would try the 14 day otc thing. I felt amazing after about 4 days and was back to the pipe after 2 weeks. I have had a few flare ups but the 14day trick always rights the ship. For me its Burley and certain Aros that trigger it. I switched to mostly VA's and can enjoy the hobby again.
When I told my doctor the next time I saw her she said something like, " yes, GERD can cause asthma type symptoms and sometimes gets mistakenly diagnosed as asthma". I found a new doctor, lol.

fadingdaylight · Mar 19, 2014

Seems the problem may have just been method all along, now that I am letting the tobacco dry out, and smoking it very slowly, I don't seem to have as much of an issue. Guess it was just ignorance all along,

Aromatics and Shortness of Breath

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