Got depressed after using cpap

I’m a new CPAP user having only mild sleep apnea and after 3 days am experiencing daytime anxiety and depression with no previous symptoms at all! Using a Dreamstation with nasal gel pillow mask and pressure setting at 4. I would rather not sleep well and be tired than experience these feelings! Anyone else experience this? Thank you!

Contact your doctor about these new symptoms.
Please start a new thread so your problems won't get lost in this thread.
Include anything that you feel might be feeding into the anxiety thing.

by Junestar » Mon Mar 26, 2018 9:38 am
I’m a new CPAP user having only mild sleep apnea and after 3 days am experiencing daytime anxiety and depression with no previous symptoms at all! Using a Dreamstation with nasal gel pillow mask and pressure setting at 4. I would rather not sleep well and be tired than experience these feelings! Anyone else experience this? Thank you!

Have you tried raising your setting to e.g. 6 or 7 for a couple of nights to see if there's any improvement? 4 is the machine's default low and very hard to breathe at, let alone deliver therapeutic help.

Terih wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 11, 2016 7:55 am

Am I the only one who developed depression after starting cpap? Started about 3 months after starting cpap . Fixed my daytime sleepiness immediately and that's still true. But now on meds for anxiety and depression and wake up severely depressed. This has been going on for about 3 years.

Janknitz articulated it exactly right IMO. That's why there's over 50% failure rate in CPAP usage. This is not the forum to say this as I'll get flamed but the CPAP made me feel like I was on my death bed when I put it on. It isolates you from your mate if you have one and it's a terrible lonely feeling. (I loved going to bed, with the cpap, I dreaded it). I fought that for nearly 3 years and gave it up. I went the surgery route which I will get flamed for also. But, I would try the dental mouth thing first, which I will get flamed for also. They can be very successful. It's working for my daughter. Uncomfortable at first but you get used to it.

Since the CPAP cured your problem, you need to either stick with it or find another solution. (which is what I did). They are alternatives.

This is a CPAP forum and there's a few CPAP bullies who don't want to hear anything but CPAP and try to intimidate anyone who may recommend other solutions. If you only have apnea when supine, learn to sleep on your sides. My dentist, threw his CPAP away and his wife sewed some tennis balls in his sleep shirt so it would wake him up when me rolled over on his back. But yes, it's a solution for some people but not for everyone and doctors are quick to put you on those contraptions. That's how they make their money, by keeping you on the payroll.

As far as drugs prescribed by your doctor, no problem. I found Ambien made me a little depressed in the mornings (without the CPAP) as well as luesta. Those are #1 prescribed sleep medicines. Xanax works much better IMO. (too much will cause depression also). They all have a short half life so you might have to re-dose halfway thru the night. As far as therapy, ha, good luck with that. Your doctor may put you on an anti depression med but I'd stay away from that as you will probably be on them forever.

In the end, quality of life is what's important. If drugs can give it to you, don't hesitation, IMO. If you can live with the CPAP, great, obviously some love it. If you can't get rid of the damn thing and try something else. Hopefully one day, someone will come up with a better solution than those damn things. Everything I've said here, is my opinion and I have experienced all of it. I recommend taking your medical issues into your own hands, do your research before going to the doctor. Doctors don't always give you the right answer, that I also know. Experiment till you find the right compromise.