Looking for better stimulants.

[cancun]

PROTEIN! A grown man needs protein! Fat and high or low carbs aren't enough.

I eat a lot of beans. And when I was low carb I got massive amounts of protein from meat, nuts and fish.

My unending fatigue is not an issue of protein or diet. I feel sleepy; I'm not getting restful sleep, even with the cpap.

So I am looking to drugs now.

Have you ever considered checking into acupuncture? Not sure if it would help but might be worth a try. Back in the day we used "diet pills"!

I have, but it requires multiple treatments at $90 a pop.

Didn't know it was that expensive. Sadly all things that help seem to cost more than most can afford.

[HoseCrusher]

Noctuary, What's your passion?

What do you get really excited about?

What can you do that you get so involved you loose track of time?

[valsedai]

I am interested to read more of this issue due to my fatigue issues after using cpap.

Have you had another sleep study to see if you have any other sleep disorders?

[Sir NoddinOff]

I drink a "deadeye" in the afternoon. I brew a 4 serving pot of espresso and then a regular pot of coffee in the bunn. In a large mug put all the espresso (full strength and black) and then top off whatever room is left with regular coffee. I do mine black with no sugars or creams. Neat as I call it. Most people can't handle this but I've been doing it for years. I drink a full pot of regular when I get up and then brewed ice ted the rest of the day. The deadeye is for when I feel like I am dragging. I have no trouble going to sleep later in the evening.

Last year there was a lot of talk about coffee and caffeinated beverages on this forum... someone found an online link to caffeine calculator that told how much caffeine was not metabolized by bedtime. I can't find that calculator link but basically it boiled down to the proposition that one-fifth the amount of caffeine you consumed early in that day was still in your bloodstream at bedtime.

In the real world that means if you had one 12oz regular coffee at say 9-10am (100 mg caffeine) then at bedtime there was one-fifth of that still in your system at bedtime, ie. 20mg. You can extrapolate that upward, for example, if you have five cups of coffee or the equivalent in the morning (or worse still in the afternoon), that actually amounts to ONE full cup of coffee still in your system at bedtime. This is all just averages etc since everybody is different, but it is interesting... so do with it what you will.

Here's a link on some new info about sleep studies and caffeine, even tho it sort of refutes what I just wrote : Like Fox news sez: A no spin zone

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michae ... 54546.html

[Prefer2breath]

I am under the same situation as you. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (ahi of about 100) about 7 years ago. They told me I would feel so much better once I started Cpap therapy. That never happened. I went in to have another sleep study done and the results were the same as the first study. My titration settings were correct. I faithfully use my Cpap every single night. I haven't missed one night since I got it. I went to talk to my doctor and he suggested provigil. I tried that and it did absolutely nothing for me. I gave up and didn't try any other meds fora few years. Then I decided it was time to try something else. I was prescribed Concerta. It's main purpose is for adhd but a side effect is wakefulness. This worked for me but it is really expensive. Like $540 every 3 months. Anyway, after a couple years of being on that we switched insurance and it was really killing my wallet. So, I went back to the doctor and got a generic. It is Methylphenidate. It is alot cheaper especially if you get the ones where you take every four hours not the controlled release in which you take just once a day. That is about $70 every 3 months. Hope this helps.

[M'ohms]

I had the same I unrefreshed sleep and daytime fatigue that you seem to experience after being on xPap for over a year and a half. With palerider's help, I got a recording oximeter and discovered that my night-time oxygen was waaay too low. After starting O2 therapy, I began to fell better right away. 6 months later, I feel like I'm finally feeling rested during the day.

If you want to discover or rule out low blood oxygen as a reason for your fatigue, then you should consider an overnight recording pulse oximeter like this one http://www.aliexpress.com/item/CE-CONTE ... 46893.html. It is supported by Sleepyhead so it can be integrated into your Sleepyhead reports.

[zoocrewphoto]

because why would you ask where there might be better information on DRUGS.

But today I am asking HERE. I have sleep apnea, this is a sleep apnea site.

I think you are confusing us. You are telling us that you are not sleeping well, but instead of cpap or sleep advice, you want drug advice. That sounds like a drug question instead of a sleep apnea question. We already know that drugs don't help sleep apnea.

If I have a crappy night because I took off my mask, fell asleep without it, or simply didn't get enough sleep; then I will drink a gulp of 5 hour energy drink. I have never had more than half at one time. But if I sleep well, I have no need for it at all. I would much prefer to sleep well every night than rely on stimulants. I used to drink them a lot before cpap. Now, it is usually only when I travel since I have to do mornings and tend to get shorter nights of sleep. I try to use them as rarely as possible so that they work more when I do use them.

I do not drink coffee or tea. I do drink soda, but I switch to a decaf version a couple years ago. I never felt any difference, so I suspect the caffeine wasn't doing much for me before. I also drink more water than I used to, though not as much as I should.

[Julie]

prefer2breathe - it's possible your original pressure settings were too low - happens all the time - and that you never got advice about raising them or how to do it... we could have helped!

[49er]

You might want to visit this link as it could be applicable to your situation:

http://www.brainhealtheducation.org/

It is run by a physician who spent 30 years in the military who has had success using high dose fish oil for various brain injuries. While I definitely wouldn't try what he suggests without medical supervision, in consultation with a health professional, due to what sounds like brain fog in your situation, I could see starting with a very low dose and perhaps slowly titrating yourself to one that does the job.

49er

[postitnote]

I drink a "deadeye" in the afternoon. I brew a 4 serving pot of espresso and then a regular pot of coffee in the bunn. In a large mug put all the espresso (full strength and black) and then top off whatever room is left with regular coffee. I do mine black with no sugars or creams. Neat as I call it. Most people can't handle this but I've been doing it for years. I drink a full pot of regular when I get up and then brewed ice ted the rest of the day. The deadeye is for when I feel like I am dragging. I have no trouble going to sleep later in the evening.

Last year there was a lot of talk about coffee and caffeinated beverages on this forum... someone found an online link to caffeine calculator that told how much caffeine was not metabolized by bedtime. I can't find that calculator link but basically it boiled down to the proposition that one-fifth the amount of caffeine you consumed early in that day was still in your bloodstream at bedtime.

In the real world that means if you had one 12oz regular coffee at say 9-10am (100 mg caffeine) then at bedtime there was one-fifth of that still in your system at bedtime, ie. 20mg. You can extrapolate that upward, for example, if you have five cups of coffee or the equivalent in the morning (or worse still in the afternoon), that actually amounts to ONE full cup of coffee still in your system at bedtime. This is all just averages etc since everybody is different, but it is interesting... so do with it what you will.

Here's a link on some new info about sleep studies and caffeine, even tho it sort of refutes what I just wrote : Like Fox news sez: A no spin zone

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michae ... 54546.html

Yep, I have heard that before. I'm not sure why it (coffee and tea) keeps me awake and gives me energy but doesn't bother my ability to sleep at all. Of course one of my kids swears I am not human

[Web ie73]

Have you considered that maybe something else is causing your sleep problem like pain or disease? Have to had a complete physical?