Morning cough, phlegm and runny nose

For several months I have woke up in the morning with a "smokers" hack, phlegm and a runny nose all of which which I contributed to seasonal allergies. I have had to take Claritin every morning so I could just get on with my day. Recently I was doing some research associating my CPAP as the culprit of all of these symptoms because the seasonal allergies just didn't seem to make sense for months on end. Several people posted on another CPAP blog about having similar symptoms. One person said that she had been using a RESMED CPAP (thats what I have) and decided to try her old machine of a different brand to see if it would make a difference. Well, I thought after reading that what have I got to loose. So I put my RESMED away and got out my old Respironics CPAP and can't believe what a difference it has made! I honestly don't know why it has helped, but I hope that anyone with the same symptoms will look into trying another CPAP machine.

Maybe the settings on your Resmed were different from the ones on the other machine, and maybe it could have different algorithms installed and so give different results. Can you download Oscar (top of the page here) and post things so we can see what's what and help you interpret them, possibly make adjustments. But do specify which machine you use when you do it so as not to confuse things when we try to help. Also what is the model of the other machine and it's name please, plus the model of the Resmed and your mask. Have you been tested for COPD?

Another machine is never the answer unless your diagnosis calls for a different type - there is far more to this than you may realize.

Are you able to tell what your humidifier settings are on each of the machines? btw, the same numerical setting on different machines may not translate to the same amount of humidity produced. My sinuses are very sensitive to humidity and if I turn it up beyond low will get extreme nasal congestion and sinus drainage interfering with CPAP use. It can be a bit of a balancing act to help with dryness as much as possible without triggering congestion. Don't know if this will relate to your issues, just another thing to consider.

What model Respironics was you old machine? What was the humidity setting on that old machine?

What is the new ResMed machine humidity setting? Are you using a heated hose with it or a non heated hose?

Google "placebo effect".
The Resmed is a superior machine, but if you are really used to Respironics,
you may need to stick with that brand.
Also, Claritin is most effective when taken at bedtime, BEFORE you suck in the dust from your bedroom.
It would not hurt to CLEAN your room. (As I used to tell my kids--they didn't listen, either)