Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

Can Cough And Flu Symptoms Be Due To Inhaled Plastic While Smoking Marijuana Through Vaporizer Pen?

ok so this might be a weird question. i am a regular marijuana smoker. I came back to Iowa for christmas and i got this vaporizer pen that is strictly for marijuana waxes/concentrates. its basically a pen, with a battery for heating, then an attachment with a piece of plastic on the top and inside that plastic is a heating coil. so what happened is I took the attachment and used it on a different vaporizer pen battery with a temp control on it. apparently that was my first mistake, for i didn t know i wasn t supposed to do that. anyway, i had been using this pen since christmas eve and somewhere in between then and the 27th, the plastic piece started melting as i was smoking...therefore i was inhaling this plastic unknowingly. on the 27th, i started feeling ill. felt like i was getting some chest congestion, a normal thing for smokers here and there. the congestion lasted for a couple days, then i got what i thought was the 24 hour flu - puking, diarrhea, etc. (not sure if thats related or not). and now that the flu has passed, i have had this persistent cough that has yet to leave me. its fine in the mornings usually and then towards 5pm and so on its hard to make a complete sentence without a coughing fit. i also noticed my voice was cracking here and there. so my question is.... is it possible that my cough is from the plastic i could have inhaled? and what about the puking/flu situation? is that linked at all or is that just the flu? I do know the flu is going around iowa pretty bad right now. also, do i need to seek medical attention?? because I m signed up for obamacare right now...which basically means i have no health insurance (even though thats what obamacare promised but its not the case) and theres no way i can afford any sort of treatments at the moment :(
Mon, 24 Apr 2017
Report Abuse
Addiction Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Yes, it is certainly possible. I see a lot of occupationally exposed patients with this. The consequences of it are HIGHLY variable. Mostly it gets better in a week. Irritation from the flu, however, usually lasts a month. It can be drastically improved if it is the flu with monteleukast. Frankly all the possible treatments are under 100 dollars. monteleukast for a month is about 50, inhalers vary a lot in price but run about 100 dollars a month. Initial doctor visit runs about 200, but wouldn't need tests after that. The doctor will recommend full lung functions and lung specialist and CXR, but that just isn't immediately needed when a therapy can be prescribed that will likely fix it.
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Loading Online Doctors....
Can Cough And Flu Symptoms Be Due To Inhaled Plastic While Smoking Marijuana Through Vaporizer Pen?

Yes, it is certainly possible. I see a lot of occupationally exposed patients with this. The consequences of it are HIGHLY variable. Mostly it gets better in a week. Irritation from the flu, however, usually lasts a month. It can be drastically improved if it is the flu with monteleukast. Frankly all the possible treatments are under 100 dollars. monteleukast for a month is about 50, inhalers vary a lot in price but run about 100 dollars a month. Initial doctor visit runs about 200, but wouldn t need tests after that. The doctor will recommend full lung functions and lung specialist and CXR, but that just isn t immediately needed when a therapy can be prescribed that will likely fix it.