Hpw long before CPAP made you feel better?

[cinnerz]

I'm at my second try with CPAP and its been about 3 weeks and I feel a lot worse than before CPAP. How long did it take other people to feel better? I want to have hope there is light at the end of the tunnel but its difficult since I feel a lot worse than before.

My doctor has given me ambien + clonapazepam to be able to fall asleep; without taking both of them I can't fall asleep with the mask on at all. I don't know if its the drugs that are making me feel worse or if I just haven't given the CPAP enough time. I was holding out hope for surgery but at my consult with the surgeon today he said septoplasty + pharyngoplasty might give me a 30% improvement which wouldn't get me off of CPAP (my AHI was 30).

[Pugsy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonazepam

Copied in part from above
Some users report hangover-like symptoms of being drowsy, having a headache, being sluggish, and being irritable after waking up if the medication is taken before sleep. This is likely the result of the medication's long half-life, which continues to affect the user after waking up.[33][34] While benzodiazepines induce sleep, they tend to produce a poorer quality sleep than natural sleep. Benzodiazepines such as clonazepam suppress REM sleep.[35] After regular use rebound insomnia can occur when discontinuing clonazepam


Geez, damned if you take it and damned if you don't (can't get to sleep). The Ambien has a much shorter half life.
Is it just the stress of being masked up that requires the meds? Any way you can just use the Ambien? Do you normally have trouble going to sleep if you weren't trying to use the cpap machine? How many hours of sleep do you get with the meds and being masked up.

It's probably too soon to expect results but with clonazepam who knows if you can even spot them if you do have improvement.

[CPAPorElse?]

I felt better in 3 days and really better in 3 months, with strange vivid dreams for the 1st month. I know it works because I recently had the pressure increased from 11 to 13, after 5 years I was tired all the time, the next day I had energy again.
The sleep meds might be complicating things, I've never taken them so I can't say. Maybe you aren't sleeping long enough?
I think in 2-4 weeks you should feel better, assuming the mask fits, but I'm no expert on that stat.

[TalonNYC]

I've been on CPAP for a bit over a month now, and I'm slowly seeing improvement. Friends and co-workers have commented on how I'm more "awake" these days.

That being said, for me it has been - and continues to be - a slow road. From the guidance on this board and from one of my closest friends who has severe sleep breathing disorders, that's not unusual, and it WILL get better over time.

[cinnerz]

Without both meds I haven't been able to sleep with the mask at all. I've tried a couple of masks but I just can't get comfortable with them on and will be up all night. I've been getting about 6 hours sleep a night, after that the meds seem to wear off and I wake up and can't fall back asleep.

Six hours is more sleep than I used to get pre-cpap. I've always had a hard time falling and staying asleep (though it could be at least partially due to apnea - the surgeon I saw said with my airway I've had apnea my whole life). The noise and discomfort of the mask it too much for me to fall asleep without both meds (I've tried them individually and either alone isn't sufficient). The doctor also wanted me on the Clonazepam because I had a lot of leg movements in my sleep and he thought that would help with that.

I guess I'll try to give it a little longer but its frustrating to be going through all this treatment and feeling worse every day. Its feeling like the cure is worse than the disease.

[TalonNYC]

With noise, I have found that soft foam earplugs (changed regularly - once a week for me) helps a lot. Most machines only put out about 20-28 decibles, and the Hearos earplugs block up to 33 decibles.

As for getting used to the mask, have you tried desensitizing yourself? There are lots of threads on here for dealing the claustrophobia and masks, but those techniques may work to help get your body to recognize the mask as safe and normal. If your body understands that the mask is no more odd than the sheets that are constantly touching your body all night, there is a chance you will begin to not "notice" the mask. This bit took about 3 weeks for me.

[Pugsy]

Do you have the software so that you can at least see if the therapy is doing what it should be, at least on paper? Eliminate one variable at least? If leaking or still having lots of events, then we can't even begin to expect improvement. Though, to be honest, I think part of the problem is the meds but I do understand why the need to take them.
If no software, send me a PM.

[archangle]

7 or so years ago when I started, I didn't really feel much difference at a pressure of 10. Throat problems are what got me started and it didn't seem to make much difference.

Half a year or so ago, I accidentally got my pressure set at 8 from messing with my machine and not realizing what I was doing. I started having bad problems. Fatigue, heartburn, nausea. I was probably doing myself harm. I didn't realize it was my apnea. Luckily, it dawned on me to check my CPAP machine.

I got almost overnight relief of my heartburn and nausea. I got a better machine and software and started checking the reports. I found out I needed a pressure of 12. Over a few weeks, I started feeling much better in general. I suspect that my pressure I'd been using for years was too low.

So, back to the question. I didn't notice much, if anything, the first time 7 years ago. I noticed overnight relief for some problems with my recent pressure correction. I'm noticing general improvements over the past month or so.

I guess the relief depends on how severe your symptoms are and what your symptoms are. I'm now convinced that I've been sort of sluggish for years from a too low pressure with a non-auto CPAP and no monitoring.

[cinnerz]

Do you have the software so that you can at least see if the therapy is doing what it should be, at least on paper? Eliminate one variable at least? If leaking or still having lots of events, then we can't even begin to expect improvement. Though, to be honest, I think part of the problem is the meds but I do understand why the need to take them.
If no software, send me a PM.

Yes, I have software and when I looked at it last week my average AHI was .1 and no major leaks shown on the report.

[Pugsy]

Yes, I have software and when I looked at it last week my average AHI was .1 and no major leaks shown on the report.

Well.... shot that idea down.

So sorry. If it were me I would talk to the doctor about about the possibility of the meds making a bad situation worse.
Ambien isn't so bad with the sleep architecture stuff (that's why if is often prescribed for sleep studies). Wonder if Ambien CR would maybe make a difference. Just a thought.

It's tough when you already had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep and then add the PLMD and OSA into things.

[Jade]

Never did, even after several months of near-perfect use, comfort,and results. In fact, my functioning decreased.

I plan to write up my case and post it for reference by others. Can't believe I'm alone in my experience. Maybe there's an off-chance someone will have an idea what would "fix" it.

[WhoDatSleeping]

I felt almost immediate relief! After a few days, I noticed that I was not fighting to stay awake in the daily boring meetings at work.

In about my third week, I traveled overnight without the CPAP- big mistake I will not do again as I immediately fell back to the old fighting to stay awake mode.

I did have to try several masks and used the support of this forum to get to a more "comfortable" therapy solution.

Overall, each individual will react differently to the therapy but I really believe it is beneficial and it sometimes take time to find the right solution. Please do not give up and listen to the great people on this forum.

[dtsm]

Yes, I have software and when I looked at it last week my average AHI was .1 and no major leaks shown on the report.

What dose of Clonazapem are you on? 0.5 mg should be plenty to relieve any anxiety and help you sleep through the night. I was on 0.25 mg in daytime and 0.25 mg at nighttime for 3 months with no measurable side effects.

[robysue]

cinnerz and Jade,

You write:

I'm at my second try with CPAP and its been about 3 weeks and I feel a lot worse than before CPAP. How long did it take other people to feel better? I want to have hope there is light at the end of the tunnel but its difficult since I feel a lot worse than before.

and

Never did, even after several months of near-perfect use, comfort,and results. In fact, my functioning decreased.

I plan to write up my case and post it for reference by others. Can't believe I'm alone in my experience. Maybe there's an off-chance someone will have an idea what would "fix" it.

You are not alone in having very long, drawn-out adjustment periods to xPAP with not only no seeming improvement in your OSA symptoms, but also serious deterioration in your daytime functioning skills. I posted a rather long and full version of the first six months of my journey in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61942&p=580513&hili ... rn#p580513

Tonight marks the end of my seventh month on CPAP/APAP/BiPAP.

The first four months I felt like I was living in purgatory (or worse)---in spite of 100% compliance and superb AHI numbers. Within the first two weeks of starting therapy I was experiencing the worst crash and burn in terms of daytime functioning that I'd ever gone through in my life.

But something important happened at the end of month 3: I was finally able to admit to myself that my PA was correct and that I really needed to clean up my bedtime/wakeup times and get serious about tackling the insomnia using behavioral methods since I was unwilling to take prescription sleeping medication on a nightly basis. So during month 4, I was not only dealing with all the BiPAP-related issues, but also a sleep restricted schedule where I was allowed only six hours in bed each night and was told to go to bed no earlier than 1:30 am (wake up time is 7:30 for me) and that I absolutely had to get out of bed if I was NOT sleeping for a period of more than 30 minutes OR if I got angry at the machine.

And during months 5 and 6, something GOOD finally started to happen: I began to notice a few very subtle positive differences in how I was feeling when I woke up on a FEW days each week.

I posted the full, long, involved version of the first six months of my journey in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61942&p=580513&hili ... rn#p580513

Today, about 3--4 days every week I feel about as good as I did before I started this adventure, although I still feel rather cognitively impaired. I'm still on a sleep restricted schedule working hard on trying to move bedtime back by 15 minute intervals without sacrificing my newfound sleep efficiency (time asleep/time in bed). Some days I have enough energy to get through the day without yawning. Others, trying to stay awake until bedtime is painful. I still have issues dealing with my diagnosis, the necessity of masking up every single night whether I want to or not, and the fact that I am still on a sleep restricted schedule. But I'm slowly am regaining control of my life. And I've not yet given up hope that maybe the BiPAP will actually make more than my hands and feet feel better when I wake up every morning.

So there is hope---even if it's months before you merely start to feel more like your old self. Don't give up hope. And Jade---you should post with your story about your difficulties. Chances are there are people who can give you decent advice on how to "fix" your problems.

[snuginarug]

I'm at my second try with CPAP and its been about 3 weeks

3 weeks is early days indeed. Some people take to cpap immediately with no adjustment problems. Some people take months and months to get used to it. I think most people fall somewhere in between. I have noticed that people with insomnia problems before cpap have a harder time adjusting. Which, if you think about it, makes sense.

I just passed the 6 month mark. I am finally acclimating to the mask. I had insomnia problems before cpap, and they have been slowly improving since I've gotten used to the mask. It was a rocky road for me, and I had to tease out each little comfort problem, to finally get where I am. But I noticed dramatic improvements in day time wakefulness right away, even when I was getting sleep in 1 and 2 hour stretches. I felt wretchedly tired and shitty, but i was no longer dozing off continuously. Before cpap, I would fall asleep sitting up unless I was driving or talking to someone. That was gone immediately after I started. I also experienced a reduction in edema right away, which kept me motivated to continue doing something that was driving me mad.

Does your crummy feeling during the day feel like a hangover, extreme tiredness, or the zombie-like state most of us endured before treatment? Is the quality of terrible feeling changed at all since starting treatment... do you feel awful in a different way?

You've got a number of factors playing into all of this... previous insomnia, medications, mask comfort and acclimation. I followed the advice of a smart lady on here, and tackled one problem at a time. I first dealt with the claustrophobia problem, then changed my sleeping position, then changed the humidifier settings, then changed my physical environment, then changed my sleep meds, then finally broke my habit of clock watching, and now I have changed sleep positions again. One thing at a time.

Stick around here and you'll get plenty of support and insight. Good luck! Don't give up!