CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
msr0459
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CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by msr0459 » Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:04 am

Hi,

I've already searched and read MANY posts on this very subject, however all of the posts that I've read seem to be years old. I was just curious if anyone else currently is having these same symptoms:

I've been on cpap for almost 2 months now. I just had my pressure adjusted from 7 up to 8 a few days ago. The first morning after the new pressure I was terribly dizzy, and felt like I was close to stumbling over. Research tells me that in fact cpap therapy could indeed be the catalyst for these vertigo like symptoms. I have never in my life had these symptoms before now. Moreover, I've also read where some have attributed cpap therapy with hearing loss. I run a recording studio part time, and I REALLY can't have any hearing loss!

I am 52, but have worked out and stayed in great shape for the last 30 or so years. Of course I have spoken to the medical supplier, who has never heard of such a thing. I have also spoken to my sleep docs nurse, who also has never heard of cpap causing these type of symptoms. She is going to forward my complaints to the sleep doc, and she's supposed to get back to me with his conclusion.

You can bet that he's simply going to tell me to go see an ENT, which I'm sure will not consider cpap as the cause. I feel like I should stop cpap therapy before I make matters worse. The problem is mainly the insurance. I still owe a boat load, due to my large detuctable, and if I stop now,.. I'll likely owe the FULL AMOUNT, which I really cannot afford.

Any thoughts on how I should proceed?

Thanks,
Marc

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by DJ_Boxer » Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:20 am

I have had the same symptoms and after a few doctor visits from different specialists, I had my Vitamin D levels checked and they were low. How low, is 7 low enough. I was given Rx D for 6 weeks twice and they have risen to a normal range. I am now taking 2k IU's of D3 daily and feel much better. I suggest you get yours checked to see if this is the problem.

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Ineedanap
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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by Ineedanap » Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:52 am

There are a couple of reasons this could be happening. One is your ears. The pressure from the pap could be throwing off the little balance sensors in there. It could also be your blood pressure. If you are on high blood pressure medicine, and apnea is the cause of your high blood pressure, your blood pressure could drop too low.
You'll need to work with your doctor to figure out which of these or another I haven't thought of is the cause.
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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by mayondair » Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:59 am

The vertigo may not be related to CPAP, I had similar prob before CPAP, turned out to be a viral ear problem and it did result in hearing loss, if I were you I'd go to ENT ASAP. kathy
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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by Pugsy » Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:06 am

Anatomically there are tiny passageways from the nasal cavity to the inner ear. One of the reasons people can get an ear infection with a cold. It would not be impossible for pressure changes to create an inner ear disturbance especially if one has those little crystals that often move out of position and create vertigo. My husband has them and we call him the rocks in his head. If he moves suddenly or in certain positions he experiences extreme vertigo.

One really needs to be evaluated by a good ENT doc to know for sure what is going on. Make sure nothing else is going on because there could be other issues.

Since no symptoms at 6 cm and the vertigo started with the increase in pressure to 7 cm, perhaps talk with your doctor about reducing the pressure to a point that the vertigo doesn't present itself. Sometimes a small change will still work..reduce the vertigo and still treat the events adequately. I still would strongly urge a good ENT visit to make sure nothing harmful is going on.

Most people don't have ear problems with CPAP therapy but it seems like a few will....from pain to vertigo so best to figure out what to do right now. Stopping CPAP completely is not a good option but perhaps a reduction in pressure would be a satisfactory compromise and in time maybe the pressure will no longer cause the vertigo as the body gets use to the pressure.

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by jamiswolf » Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:22 am

...and just because nobody said this. Don't stop cpap just because of some worry about losing your hearing. I don't have any studies to quote, but if it has happened, and I'm not saying it has, it must be REALLY rare because I've never read a thing about it and I read quite alot on cpap (and not just here). But please...do your own research before quitting cpap...
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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by msla » Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:28 am

If vertigo is caused by otoliths being out of place in the semicircular canals of the inner ear, having the Epely repositioning procedure done may help. Ask your ENT about it. It took care of my vertigo.

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by toosexyformycpap » Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:40 am

I have just begun using CPAP this week, and I have had dizziness!!!! Sometimes it occurs as soon as I put it on. Other times, it is just happening throughout the day, especially when I get up from a reclined position. I have hesitated to call the dr because I figured it was due to the CPAP adjustment. I wondered if it was my O2 levels in my brain. My blood pressure is good.

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by Mary Z » Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:49 am

I second and strongly recommend an ASAP visit to an ENT and a follow up with the sleep doc if they do not get back to you soon. Since your hearing is so important to you do not let this slide for long. If it were me I would adjust the machine back to pre vertigo symptoms temporarily until you get things sorted out. Trouble with the ears is a fairly common complaint with initial CPAP use or an increase in pressure. I feel pretty sure they are related.
Good luck, keep us posted.

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by BlackSpinner » Wed Nov 16, 2011 11:10 am

If you do reduce your presure, get software installed and check your AHI daily.

Remember having good hearing is useless if you have a stroke or heart attack due to untreated OSA.

You may want to start doing nasal rinses in the evening to keep your sinuses clear so they are not impacting your treatment. Sometimes sinus irritation can cause the same problems for me.

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msr0459
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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by msr0459 » Wed Nov 16, 2011 5:31 pm

Thanks everyone for responding. I was contacted today by the sleep lab. She said the doc wanted me to continue with the increased pressure ( from 7 to 8 ) until this Monday. If I'm still experiencing these problems, we're suppose to figure out what to do at that time. Last night I did bring the pressure back down to 7, but had the same symptoms as the night before,... although perhaps not as severe. Although, I was more careful and got out of bed slowly, so this may be why it didn't seem as bad.

I noticed today that my left ear has started to ache slightly. Surely this is related to my vertigo symptoms. It really seems odd that I've NEVER had any ear issues for as far back as I can remember, .... UNTIL I started cpap therapy. Could be coincidental, but at this point I really don't think so.

I'll point out again that even though everyone I've spoke with thus far SAYS they've never heard of cpap causing these issues, it's just seems odd that if you do a "google" search for "cpap vertigo", there's plenty of threads where quite a few individuals have had almost the exact symptoms after starting cpap therapy.

Thanks again and I'll keep you all posted.

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by chunkyfrog » Wed Nov 16, 2011 5:46 pm

I can see this is getting to you, but you need to stick with the CPAP, and keep after the doc to address your vertigo.
This may be nothing more than part of the 'settling in' process. Be patient. We've been newbies, too.

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by BlackSpinner » Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:02 pm

msr0459 wrote:Thanks everyone for responding. I was contacted today by the sleep lab. She said the doc wanted me to continue with the increased pressure ( from 7 to 8 ) until this Monday. If I'm still experiencing these problems, we're suppose to figure out what to do at that time. Last night I did bring the pressure back down to 7, but had the same symptoms as the night before,... although perhaps not as severe. Although, I was more careful and got out of bed slowly, so this may be why it didn't seem as bad.

I noticed today that my left ear has started to ache slightly. Surely this is related to my vertigo symptoms. It really seems odd that I've NEVER had any ear issues for as far back as I can remember, .... UNTIL I started cpap therapy. Could be coincidental, but at this point I really don't think so.

I'll point out again that even though everyone I've spoke with thus far SAYS they've never heard of cpap causing these issues, it's just seems odd that if you do a "google" search for "cpap vertigo", there's plenty of threads where quite a few individuals have had almost the exact symptoms after starting cpap therapy.

Thanks again and I'll keep you all posted.
Again I strongly suggest you start nasal rinses. The other thing is to play with your humidity. Too dry and your sinus get inflamed which causes problems, or too wet and your sinus get inflamed and ... you get the picture... it is different for everyone and changes depending on your geographical location.

You will find that most of these cpap providers and sleep doctors have just enough knowledge to prescribe and work with people who have no problems. Many have no training in much of anything. You need to find an ENT asap. Interview them to see what they know about cpap therapy. Some are good, some will want to put you under the knife to "solve" your problem (but their definition of success is not yours).

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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by napstress » Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:19 pm

It seems unlikely that, even if CPAP does cause hearing loss in some people, it would happen immediately. I would stick with the CPAP therapy and work on the vertigo and ear issues at the same time. In the meantime, you can research more about CPAP therapy and hearing loss. Eventually the ear problems will either be addressed or disappear—or you will have gathered enough evidence to warrant stopping CPAP therapy to protect your hearing.

I have noticed three things about my right ear, in which I have had congestion and autophony over the past few years: 1) it experiences a pleasant sensation when I mask up, like when your ears pop when going up a mountain in a car, 2) the autophony has disappeared, and 3) my inner ear is itchy (not sure if that's a good or bad thing).
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Re: CPAP causing vertigo symptoms??

Post by birdxofxprey » Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:46 am

i got dizzy the first time i had the mask on, instantly. while i became used to it quickly, i am now having problems with severe vertigo. i've never had these problems before cpap and just started cpap a couple months ago (with a recent pressure increase from 12 to 13).

there seems to be ample anecdotal evidence that cpap causes vertigo, and there are reasonable explanations for why this might happen. what i don't understand is why the folks at the sleep lab claim never to have heard of such a thing if we are talking about it so much on this board. being told to stick it out and get an ENT to take care of the vertigo is a cop out, imo. we need some research to investigate the link between cpap and vertigo and to gain insights on possible ways of modifying cpap to avoid this problem.

i have already ruled out other (less likely) causes of my vertigo with MRIs, CTs, bloodwork, etc. so the most reasonable expanation is the cpap.

yeah, i'm sleeping better. i just can't walk or read or eat for random periods of time when i wake up. it sucks.
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