ADHD Getting worse after CPAP

Face it I am a mess, depression, ADHD, RLS, and a few of the normal problems as I get older. Prior to CPAP I was even more of a mess, exhausted and barely holding on by a thread. Now it is been 7 months with 99% compliance with me sleeping about 7 hours a night and I a feeling pretty good. My depression has gotten much better and I am taking on more and more; but my ADHD is kicking my ass now. I am starting several projects at once and putting too many balls in the air at one time. Anyone out there experienced a similar situation. Most of what I have read was with children and showing that ADHD symptoms improved with cpap.

Maybe one of your regular drugs has a side effect?
I would check for interactions and side effects--these things are always getting updated.
Small wonder; the whole story never comes out at the same time as a new drug.
Sometimes the lag is considerable.
Always check your med list for new 'discoveries'.

retrodave15 wrote:Face it I am a mess, depression, ADHD, RLS, and a few of the normal problems as I get older. Prior to CPAP I was even more of a mess, exhausted and barely holding on by a thread. Now it is been 7 months with 99% compliance with me sleeping about 7 hours a night and I a feeling pretty good. My depression has gotten much better and I am taking on more and more; but my ADHD is kicking my ass now. I am starting several projects at once and putting too many balls in the air at one time. Anyone out there experienced a similar situation. Most of what I have read was with children and showing that ADHD symptoms improved with cpap.

Is it really ADHD or is it having more energy and not knowing how to manage it or over booking yourself?
I remember when my daughter got her thyroid meds and anti depressants all balanced and she was "Mum I feel so hyper and Silly" when all it was was that she was feeling "normal".

Hi - if you have been diagnosed, are you on any meds for it?

If you pm me, I can link you to a few really good sites that address the adult version and have lots of ideas about dealing with it...

This is not a direct response to your question, but a highly recommended book for ADHD people is: "ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life"
by Judith Kolberg & Kathleen Nadeau. An excellent website is: addresources.org

Until my sleep disorders took their toll, I was not symptomatic of ADHD, so even though I went through a period of having textbook symptoms, being fiftyish I figured that this late onset of symptoms had to be related to my sleep disorders. Then I went into a period of of total depletion - didn't have to worry about not finishing things because I couldn't even start the simplest of tasks. Once my cpap treatment stabilized, I began to feel better, and in my zeal I undertook things in retrospect I wasn't ready for. My brain still glitched and stonewalled, so I would move to the next project - and the next... Rarely could I return to a project and break through the wall on it. It caused me to seriously curtail undertakings and not set myself up for failure. Difficult place to be as I also wanted my life back. I still am reserved about what I undertake, but I have improved on my follow through more since getting my limb movements under control. Their disturbance of my sleep was very detrimental to my brain's healing. I see you have RLS. How certain are you that your sleep is not being affected resulting in feeling scattered? Just a thought.

kteague wrote:Until my sleep disorders took their toll, I was not symptomatic of ADHD, so even though I went through a period of having textbook symptoms, being fiftyish I figured that this late onset of symptoms had to be related to my sleep disorders. Then I went into a period of of total depletion - didn't have to worry about not finishing things because I couldn't even start the simplest of tasks. Once my cpap treatment stabilized, I began to feel better, and in my zeal I undertook things in retrospect I wasn't ready for. My brain still glitched and stonewalled, so I would move to the next project - and the next... Rarely could I return to a project and break through the wall on it. It caused me to seriously curtail undertakings and not set myself up for failure. Difficult place to be as I also wanted my life back. I still am reserved about what I undertake, but I have improved on my follow through more since getting my limb movements under control. Their disturbance of my sleep was very detrimental to my brain's healing. I see you have RLS. How certain are you that your sleep is not being affected resulting in feeling scattered? Just a thought.

Interesting - That is similar to what my therapist said. Right now with my improved energy level, even with a healing ankle, I tend to take on projects that are to big right now and get sidetracked along the way. I have always dealt with this to some extent, but right now it seems worse, even when conversing I can either change subjects or the train just gets derailed. I am going to make a follow up appointment with the med doctor to discuss this as I am wondering if now that my sleep apnea is under control the meds need to be adjusted.

As for my RLS it pretty well controlled with Lyrica and cutting caffeine out after 3PM.

Julie wrote:Hi - if you have been diagnosed, are you on any meds for it?

I was diagnosed back in the late 80's while I was in college for the first time. I tried some of the early drugs that were available, but they seemed to zap the creativity right out of me. So I found ways to "self medicate" without loosing the creative spark that was important as a Technical Theater major.

I was diagnosed with ADD (inattentive) in 2004 or so and have been on meds for it since then, first Strattera, then Concerta.

I've seen no change at all in ADD since starting CPAP in February 2011. Pity. I would have loved to stop taking Concerta or even drop my dose. No dice.

I do find it's helpful to take it the SECOND I get up so it wears off by the time I go to bed (I use the XR).

retrodave15 wrote: As for my RLS it pretty well controlled with Lyrica and cutting caffeine out after 3PM.

Do you also have PLMD? It's not unusual for PLMD to more fully manifest after the sleep apnea is treated. I didn't realize the extent of that until I went in for a sleep study while wearing the cpap at my usual settings and wearing my familiar mask. My limb movements were through the roof. When I went through a period of augmentation on a medicine, the movements were acting up even when I just got drowsy and was dozing. In two different studies, my limb movement count was low though I knew I'd had a miserably active night. I asked them to review one test at a specific time when I knew I had wakened to limb movements. Turns out there were something like 361 classic PLMD type movements while technically awake. The report never mentioned them as they weren't while sleeping. The reports would have led both the referring doctor and myself to believe I didn't have a limb movement problems, but when the sleep deprivation is so prolonged and intense the lines can get blurry in our perception. I always felt somewhere betwixt awake and asleep, as my sleep was shallow and my wake time was in a zombified state. Augmentation on a med can change the rules or expectations with PLMD. But I digress. Just be sure your sleep is really ok now.

BlackSpinner wrote:... Is it really ADHD or is it having more energy and not knowing how to manage it or over booking yourself? ...

Bingo! I was just going to post this ... It's much more likely that the greater energy is driving you to feel you can do a lot more ...

If you are less tired, your cognition, including attention, should not be worse. It's possible to be less tired, though, and not have your ADHD-type of symptoms change. As for them actually being worse, in the presence of better sleep and less sleepiness, I'd look to other things.

You might find this podcast interesting http://www.askthelowcarbexperts.com/201 ... -mccleary/

Although I have to be honest that I'm a little more ADHD on a low carb diet, probably because I feel so well.