Antidepressants and anxiety pills effects

[ChicagoGranny]

And your problem is that you meant to say 'minimize', but obviously screwed up.

Logic fail. This is a typical mistake by people who have poor critical thinking skills.

The word "optimize" was chosen carefully.

As I explained in my followup comments (There again are your problems with reading and comprehension.), it it unhealthy to minimize emotional stress. This is what a hermit tries to do. This is what some overly-protective parents try to do with a child and the results are bad. Healthy social engagement always has a level of emotional stress.

You have bought into the poor paradigm that "stress is bad".

Never encounter emotional stress and you become a vegetable. The human body, mind and soul were made to endure stress and respond appropriately to it and grow and thrive. No emotional stress equals no emotional growth.

I will never say "minimize emotional stress".

[Julie]

The OP likely has a serious mental/emotional diagnosis (at age 24) on top of OSA. More stress is probably not what he needs right now!

[MarylandCPAPer]

I have taken antidepressant drugs and anti-anxiety meds since long before starting CPAP treatment. On my first CPAP machine, data showed my AHI went from an untreated level of 49 to below 1, so I don't think the meds interfered with OSA treatment all. My current CPAP has been showing AHIs below 2 most of the time.

My dr. recently added another medicine that is a 2nd anti-depressant that is supposed to help skin problems at low doses. I have found that it is an excellent sleep aid and I am routinely sleeping soundly for 12 or more hours a day, which is fantastic for me, as I have been a light sleeper who has had a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep, and I have a lot of pain that interferes with sleep. I have been using it for about a week. I checked Sleepyhead data to see if I can see an effect on AHI. It has not had a significant effect, other than longer periods of continuous sleep, which is a positive effect for me.

I hope that whatever change is made in your treatment helps. Please keep us posted on how things go.

Just out of curiosity is that Remeron or Trazadone (generics, of course)

No, I have not used either of these medicines.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Just out of curiosity is that Remeron or Trazadone (generics, of course)

Doxepin is an antidepressant sometimes prescribed for itching and has recently been repackaged and dosed winning FDA approval as a sleep aid under the brand name Silenor.

[MarylandCPAPer]

Doxepin is often prescribed for itching and has recently been repackaged and dosed winning FDA approval as a sleep aid under the brand name Silenor.

Doxepin is the medicine I was prescribed recently for skin itching. Even at a very low dose, 25 mg., it has been an EXCELLENT sleep aid for me--good SOUND sleep and no grogginess when I wake up. The dose I was prescribed for skin itching is 75 mg. The pharmacy only had 25 mg capsules in stock the day I got the prescription, so I started at bedtime with one 25 mg. capsule. I think I slept for 14 incredibly sound hours, except for bathroom breaks, which I didn't even remember taking but saw on SH. I am up to 75 mg now (the prescribed dose). I am not noticing a difference as a sleep aid between 25 mg and 75 mg. The long sleep was just what I needed after the previous day's exertion.

I was previously using a natural OTC supplement, Somnapure, which worked well as a sleep aid, 1 tablet a day for me. However, I stopped Somnapure before I started Doxepin. There was no addictive or rebound effect from Somnapure, fortunately.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Doxepin is the medicine I was prescribed recently for skin itching. Even at a very low dose, 25 mg

I think as a sleep aid, Silenor (doxepin) is dosed at 3 or 6 mg.

[MarylandCPAPer]

Doxepin is the medicine I was prescribed recently for skin itching. Even at a very low dose, 25 mg

I think as a sleep aid, Silenor (doxepin) is dosed at 3 or 6 mg.

WOW!! 3 or 6 mg. Just looked at the Silenor web site and read "After taking SILENOR®, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. You have a higher chance for doing these activities if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy with SILENOR®. Reported activities include:

driving a car (“sleep-driving”)
making and eating food
talking on the phone
having sex
sleep-walking

WOW!!!! All I know I have done is take bathroom breaks,which I am glad it did not deter me from taking. At the dose I am taking, I could not possibly attempt most of these activities. While still at 25 mg., I did not even hear a lawnmower being used. for which the man wears sound deadening headphones, which always has awakened me before.

For depression, the therapeutic dose ranges from 25 mg to 300 mg/day, according to http://www.drugs.com/dosage/doxepin.html This is why my dr. referred to 75 mg as a low dose compared to the dose for depression. She was not thinking of it as a sleep aid at all, but the pharmacist told me to only take it before bedtime, thankfully!

[sleepinow]

antidepressants or anxiety pills

How is your CPAP therapy? Highly effective or not? AHI? Leak level?

As for my PCP I only saw her a few times, one where I needed meds for thyroid and help for hemorrhoids. She never really examined me through a psychological assessment. I have never even been assessed before.

Then why jump to the conclusion that you need drugs for depression?

Your posts here are concise but thorough and well written. These are not signs of depression.

Why? Because I have felt like this for my adolescent years up until now age 24. I have more bad days than I have good. If I were to rate my life satisfaction out of a 10 I would give it a 3.5. And although a 3.5 is very low I am not going to do something to harm myself and I'm sure theres some that would think that.

My therapy is good. AHI is around 1ish. Very effective. Leaks are not significant. I really REALLY like my machine because of how much it has helped me. Although there can be some improvements, it has thankfully helped me in a lot of places in my life

[sleepinow]

I have taken antidepressant drugs and anti-anxiety meds since long before starting CPAP treatment. On my first CPAP machine, data showed my AHI went from an untreated level of 49 to below 1, so I don't think the meds interfered with OSA treatment all. My current CPAP has been showing AHIs below 2 most of the time.

My dr. recently added another medicine that is a 2nd anti-depressant that is supposed to help skin problems at low doses. I have found that it is an excellent sleep aid and I am routinely sleeping soundly for 12 or more hours a day, which is fantastic for me, as I have been a light sleeper who has had a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep, and I have a lot of pain that interferes with sleep. I have been using it for about a week. I checked Sleepyhead data to see if I can see an effect on AHI. It has not had a significant effect, other than longer periods of continuous sleep, which is a positive effect for me.

I hope that whatever change is made in your treatment helps. Please keep us posted on how things go.

CPAP, black curtains, and ear plugs have helped me from being a huge light sleeper. I will keep you all posted on how everything goes

[MarylandCPAPer]

Why? Because I have felt like this for my adolescent years up until now age 24. I have more bad days than I have good. If I were to rate my life satisfaction out of a 10 I would give it a 3.5. And although a 3.5 is very low I am not going to do something to harm myself and I'm sure theres some that would think that.

My therapy is good. AHI is around 1ish. Very effective. Leaks are not significant. I really REALLY like my machine because of how much it has helped me. Although there can be some improvements, it has helped me concentrate on things substantially better

In your situation, I would strongly consider the dr.'s recommendation to see a psychologist. You realize that you may be suffering from depression, which is a huge step in getting help. Psychologists do not prescribe medications but they can be very helpful in finding ways to cope with depression and improve your quality of life. In my opinion and experience, being put on anti-depressant drugs should be the treatment of last resort after evaluation from qualified medical professionals and specialists. Finding the right anti-depressant drug is usually trial and error, and these drugs have serious side effects when they don't work right, such as potential for suicidal thoughts. The wrong medicine can make you worse, not better, and even very experienced psychiatrists (who are very familiar with antidepressant drugs) still use a trial and error (and frequent monitoring) approach. I would first go to a psychologist and/or a holistic physician who is familiar with nutritional supplements that may help your condition before going the anti-depressant route. With your description of how you are feeling about life. I would be hesitant to have a general practitioner doctor prescribe anti-depressant medicines, although they do it every day and sometimes find the right one and sometimes don't.

I am sorry your discussion got sidetracked by a discussion of medicines I take that help with sleep. I am much older than you and would not recommend my treatment routine, because everyone's needs are different. Mine has developed over many years and due to specific problems that have developed with age.

I hope you have a good support system of family and friends, which is something we all need. This is off the topic of this forum but I understand what you are feeling. Feel free to PM me if I might be able to help you informationally.

[sleepinow]

Is that some new kind of therapy?

I don't believe in nonsense new therapies.

Optimize emotional stress in your life

This is just age old, plain common sense.

If you have too much emotional stress hitting you at once, it can affect your ability to sleep well. Do things to remove some of the stress.

If you have very little emotional stress, then you must not be engaging with family, friends and society - again, an unhealthy position to be in.

I think the latter may be your big problem, Julie. You seem to have no close family, no friends and no social life - just an internet forum as the only contact with the great big, beautiful world.

The latter is my problem. I wish I was more social but I do not have the skills and definitely do not possess the 'natural' social skills that most people have. When engaged in a conversation, I best converse when NOT looking at the person because it would be too difficult for me to explain things to them. I also don't want to look like a person not interested or weird for not looking at them while engaged in a conversation. When I do look at them I either look into there eyes and experience the beauty from it or just look at parts of their face without really realizing until afterwords. Most people that I observe tend to look into each others eyes while speaking. This is something that takes effort on my hand to do because it doesn't feel natural and I'm anxious a lot too which also doesnt help