Medication and CPAP Use
by JohnBFisher
Over the Counter Sleep Medicine
"Dan on CPAP wrote:... So what about sedation such as Tylenol PM and other over the counter stuff?"
You might want to look at the following URL:
You will see that Tylenol PM contains the same active ingredient as Benadryl.
Diphenhydramine, the sleep aid in TYLENOL® PM, can aggravate the following medical conditions:
- Breathing problems such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
- Glaucoma.
- Difficulty in urination due to enlargement of the prostate gland.
And if you go the the following websites, you can find more about the side effects of Tylenol PM and Advil PM:
Tylonel PM side effects
Advil PM side effects
Because I use xPAP and the pressure already tends to dry out my nose and throat (the heated humidifier helps, of course), I tend to stay away from Benadryl since it makes that worse.
BUT, I also note you are trying different things and rotating what you do. That is a great idea. I assume part of what you are doing is trying to help calm yourself and make it easier to continue to use the mask. And that sure makes sense to me, since I still sometimes struggle with a bit of claustrophobia 18 years after I started to use xPAP. When my sleep is good, I welcome putting on the mask. But some nights, having something to help me sleep is also welcome.
As you adjust to using the unit, you will probably discover you need less of an aid to fall asleep.
An alternative might be to discuss one of the generic medications to help you sleep (a hypnotic). Some are now available as generics and much more reasonably priced as a result.
So, I understand the idea of using this approach to help you learn to sleep with a CPAP unit. Compliance is important. And if it is easier to fall asleep it makes compliance easier. But over the long haul, you will want to wean yourself off of these as you adjust to CPAP. And rotating through different tools to help you sleep will make it easier to see sleep as something that happens when you put on the CPAP mask, rather than when you take something before sleep. Psychologically and physically that should help you avoid a dependence on any one thing.
Sinus Congestion
See the page devoted to the issue: Sinus congestion