What meds do you take because of your OSA?

[socknitster]

It doesn't help when you tell your psych that all of your problems seem to revolve around sleep and the constant need my body seemed to have for it. I asked if he could get me a sleep study. He said my need for that much sleep was all in my head.

Nuff said.

Jen

[Sammy_J]

It doesn't help when you tell your psych that all of your problems seem to revolve around sleep and the constant need my body seemed to have for it. I asked if he could get me a sleep study. He said my need for that much sleep was all in my head.

OMG, that's exactly what I am going through now. You got mail.

[cabhoney]

Just remember everyone, don't stop your meds without first talking to your physician or psychiatrist. As a mental health counselor and someone with OSA, I really understand the depression like symptoms and how OSA can mimic that. If your doctor is not listening, then find someone who will. Treatment for OSA may make it possible for you to get off meds, but just remember to communicate that desire with your doctor first. There are some folks that I've met who have had OSA and several recurrent bouts of major depression. They need their meds and probably will continue to take them all of their lives. Suicide is too serious an outcome of going off meds.

[Sammy_J]

Agreed, nobody should stop taking psych meds without medical intervention as all the current literature to date says doing so will be very harmful to you, the withdrawl symptoms/side effects are bad. In general, it' better not to start them in the first place then you won't have this problem.

I think we also have to realize that we ALL go through periods of depression in our lives, that's a normal course in our daily lives. Maybe we all should take antidepressants? :shock

I find it ironic that the meds that are suppose to prevent suicidal tendencies are the same ones that can cause them. :

[socknitster]

I agree. I should have mentioned. I am weaning slowly under a doctor's supervision. From 40 mg--now at 20 mg. In a few weeks I will go down to 10 mg for a few weeks and then off. My doc will see me freq to make sure I'm ok.

Jen

[gknee]

I gave up caffeine on Dec. 31st because it was giving me heartburn, which I was self-treating with Prilosec OTC. But even though I wasn't a huge coffee drinker, I found myself severely fatigued once I gave it up. That led me to see an endocrinologist who discovered I had hypothyroidism, and then when he heard I've been a snorer my entire life, he also recommended a sleep study. I agreed to it and afterwards discovered I have severe OSA. Anyways, the only medicine I'm taking is Levothyroxine for my thyroid, Prilosec OTC (as needed), and that's it. The cpap machine is really making a difference in my life. Yet if I hadn't switched to decaf, who knows how long I would have been just getting by.

[John_M]

In a conversation recently with a group of people that I know, some are in the area of research it was brought up that people with OSA have other medical problems and/or get other medical problems while using xPAP.

I find it interesting that most people with OSA have to take psychiatric medication or sleeping aids. It seems that OSA and psych drugs seem to go hand in hand?

What I am finding out is that a number of what I thought were unrelated medical conditions now seem to be correlated/caused by Sleep Apnea.
I have/had bipolar, depression, bruxism,GERD, diabetes. I am starting a wiki to explore these correlations and would welcome contributions and comments.

http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/dreamsharing/sleep_apnea

I am particularly interested in stories about being cured of bipolar by xPAP.

John M

[robbieh]

My medications include the following (for problems I think come from OSA)

atenolol 25 mg for hypertension (mild) but it also stops the palpitations I used to get

bupropion 150 mg twice a day for depression and tried twice to get off it but had terrible exacerbations of severe depression (before starting cpap)

ambien 10 mg every night for insomnia, can't get to sleep with that thing on my nose yet...

OTC ranitidine as needed for occassional GERD

For my nose, I too have a cocktail of meds: Flonase, Claritan, pseudophed, ipratoprium spray and Nasal Crom for nasal congestion that became problematic after starting cpap.

After I've been on cpap for at least 6 months, I'm going to work on getting off the bupropion, ambien and atenolol one at a time (with my doctor's permission)