benzodiazepines and sleep apnea

My psychiatrist has me taking Xanax at night for sleep and I'm wondering if this is okay considering the sleep apnea or if this is screwing up my breathing and that's why I'm still so tired all the time... any ideas?

My sleepdoc doesn't really want me taking any kind of sedatives at night. I take one benzodiazepine plus Ambien. It can make sleep apnea somewhat worse but I'm under the impression that it doesn't cause it.

I took my meds for my titration study so I could at least get some sleep.

Mindy

MTMama,

If you are on cpap treatment, taking the med should be ok IF you are either using an autotitrating machine or if your titration study was while on the same meds so your pressure should be high enough to address any increase in events. That warning about the meds and sleep apnea is noteworthy especially for those with nontreated sleep apnea. Ask your doctor to be specific as to how this relates to your case.

Don't know for sure if or how long you've been on cpap. It takes a while with therapeutic treatment to recover from the effects of sleep apnea. About the continued tiredness, sometimes it's a side effect of a medication, or caused by other health issues. Have you been tested for the most frequent causes of tiredness - diabetes, thyroid, anemia? Sometimes there are other underlying sleep disorders, as in limb movements, that keep sleep fragmented even with cpap.

Best wishes on finding answers.

Kathy
P.S. Just thought I should add a note that I am referring to OSA only. Have no clue about when central sleep apnea is a part of the equation.
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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Titration, CPAP

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Titration, CPAP

Bezodiazepines are supposed to be short term (2-4 weeks) therapy.

Guidelines for the Rational Use of Benzodiazepines When and What to Use

• by Professor C Heather Ashton, DM, FRCP
  
  
  
  Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit,
  Department of Psychiatry
  The Royal Victoria Infirmary
  Queen Victoria Road
  Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP

O.

ozij wrote:Bezodiazepines are supposed to be short term (2-4 weeks) therapy.

O.

That's what I've heard too, but with ptsd I've been on sleeping meds (currently Ambien) and clonazepam for over 15 years. They're not pushing me to get off them although I do try to minimize the dose whenever I can.

m

I've never really needed anything to make me sleep, but a number of folks on the forum take Melatonin and swear by it.
Just ask Snoredog.

Den

The ambien stops working effectively for me after a couple of weeks anyway, so, I've been switching between than and melatonin. I take the melatonin, but if I'm not feeling sleepy enough before bed, occasionally I'l take an ambien.

But, I try to restrict my usage of it... because I like to know it's REALLY gonna work for me when I need it the most.

I've managed to keep it workable by taking a "mini-vacation" two nights a week when I don't have to get up to go to work. That way it doesn't seem to lose effect.

m

You ARE aware that Xanax IS addictive?

Yes I am aware of that, and I've brought up that fact to my psychiatrist many times. However, right now, considering I'm borderline suicidal, they insist it is the best treatment for my anxiety at night. I have severe major depression, bipolar II, borderline personality disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. They are weighing the risks versus benefits.

Hi mama,

First of all, welcome to our group! Take it from someone who has bipolar disorder...take what your doctor tells you to take, exactly as he or she prescribes it. We have a big problem with "self-medicating" and it is really in everybody's best interest if you let a psychiatrist do his or her job and maintain 100% compliance. You can always ask your psychiatrist about his or her choices, but try not to make suggestions. Especially when you're in a vulnerable place, you need to let someone else make these kinds of decisions for you, at least until you feel that you are stable and that life is worth living.

Wow, I just read that and it looks preachy! Well, I meant well.....I turned a hypomanic episode into a full-blown manic episode by deciding that I didn't need to be taking all of these pills and discontinuing certain ones. If I had taken everything as prescribed, even though I didn't want to, I would have been a lot better off.

CPAP is a big part of feeling better mentally....I am still waiting for my benefits to kick in! But, psychiatric stability is the priority now. You need to be getting plenty of sleep, and you also need to be using your CPAP, so if your psychiatrist wants you to take something that makes you able to do that, take the help and swallow the pills. There's no way in hell I'd be able to sleep with my BiPAP on if I weren't sedated!!!

As for being addicted, this is once again an issue of trust with your psychiatrist. Any psychiatrist worth his or her salt will not get you "hooked" on benzo's (after all, that would be a huge liability, with malpractice cases being what they are today). They can be tapered down and stopped rather easily for the vast majority of people. Again, if taken as prescribed, you are going to be fine. It's all about compliance. Benzo's are actually some of the safest drugs around--most of them cause very few drug interactions, and are not toxic in overdose (to an extent). For example, to overdose on Valium, you would literally have to take HUNDREDS of tablets.

I wish you the best and hope you get a good night's sleep! Ask some more questions!!!

Bert =)

P.S. I will say that out of every "natural" product that I've ever taken, including herbs, vitamins, supplements, and other crap, Melatonin is the only product that has had any effect on me. I think it works quite well and it can be found in sublingual tablets that take effect quickly! Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying it because it tinkers with serotonin levels!

WTG, Bert! I think your advice is right on.

Mindy

BigGayBert wrote:Hi mama,

First of all, welcome to our group! Take it from someone who has bipolar disorder...take what your doctor tells you to take, exactly as he or she prescribes it. We have a big problem with "self-medicating" and it is really in everybody's best interest if you let a psychiatrist do his or her job and maintain 100% compliance. You can always ask your psychiatrist about his or her choices, but try not to make suggestions. Especially when you're in a vulnerable place, you need to let someone else make these kinds of decisions for you, at least until you feel that you are stable and that life is worth living.

Wow, I just read that and it looks preachy! Well, I meant well.....I turned a hypomanic episode into a full-blown manic episode by deciding that I didn't need to be taking all of these pills and discontinuing certain ones. If I had taken everything as prescribed, even though I didn't want to, I would have been a lot better off.

CPAP is a big part of feeling better mentally....I am still waiting for my benefits to kick in! But, psychiatric stability is the priority now. You need to be getting plenty of sleep, and you also need to be using your CPAP, so if your psychiatrist wants you to take something that makes you able to do that, take the help and swallow the pills. There's no way in hell I'd be able to sleep with my BiPAP on if I weren't sedated!!!

As for being addicted, this is once again an issue of trust with your psychiatrist. Any psychiatrist worth his or her salt will not get you "hooked" on benzo's (after all, that would be a huge liability, with malpractice cases being what they are today). They can be tapered down and stopped rather easily for the vast majority of people. Again, if taken as prescribed, you are going to be fine. It's all about compliance. Benzo's are actually some of the safest drugs around--most of them cause very few drug interactions, and are not toxic in overdose (to an extent). For example, to overdose on Valium, you would literally have to take HUNDREDS of tablets.

I wish you the best and hope you get a good night's sleep! Ask some more questions!!!

Bert =)

P.S. I will say that out of every "natural" product that I've ever taken, including herbs, vitamins, supplements, and other crap, Melatonin is the only product that has had any effect on me. I think it works quite well and it can be found in sublingual tablets that take effect quickly! Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying it because it tinkers with serotonin levels!

Excellent information Bert.

I also was unaware of the sublingual Melatonin... I'll have to look for that!