Mask comfort and Ambien

[Blackcat99]

Hi
I am very nervous to tell you this in case you yell at me about the Ambien but here goes...

I have been on my machine for over a year now and still find it very uncomfortable to have the mask attached to my face... to the point where I use Ambien for a nights sleep to get some relief. I do this a couple of times a week but would like to get to the point where I don't have to use the Ambien at all. My doctor has no problem with it but I am worried about possible addiction.

How long did it take you to get to the point where you could sleep comfortably with your mask the whole night through.. I just cant seem to get there.

[SleepingBearDoNtWake]

Hi Blackcat99.

I think it is wonderful that you are still doing the therapy, even though you need the ambien to help you out. No one wants to be on meds, but I think you have to weigh the pro's and con's of the effects of sleep apnea, vs the use of ambien.

Have you tried a different mask? I don't see your mask listed. What is it about wear the mask is stopping your from sleeping? Is it the pressure of the mask on your face, the moister, the pressure of the air, the way you may not be able to lie the way you want in bed because the mask might interfere with comfort?

As for the ambien what about asking your doctor if you can wean off it, maybe you can take just a half, and do that for a while, and then cut that in half again, and do that for some time. You need to find a way that works for you. Your doctor will know if your med can be cut in half and if you can do that.

Maybe, your doctor can give you a different medicine for sleep, if you have anxiety, maybe a change to a different med.

The big thing would be I think, what makes you need to use the ambien, how are you feeling with the mask, if there is something we can fix or tweak there, maybe it will be easier.

[robysue]

Hi
I am very nervous to tell you this in case you yell at me about the Ambien but here goes...

I have been on my machine for over a year now and still find it very uncomfortable to have the mask attached to my face... to the point where I use Ambien for a nights sleep to get some relief. I do this a couple of times a week but would like to get to the point where I don't have to use the Ambien at all. My doctor has no problem with it but I am worried about possible addiction.

How long did it take you to get to the point where you could sleep comfortably with your mask the whole night through.. I just cant seem to get there.

I started CPAP about 5.5 years ago. I had an awful transition, and it triggered the absolute worst case of prolonged insomnia that I've ever endured. I fought the idea of taking sleeping pills for months, and then reluctantly agreed to take them on an "as needed" basis while doing serious CBT for bringing the insomnia under control.

Over the years, I've continued to have problems with insomnia due to the sensory stimuli that comes from the mask when I first put it on if I'm not falling asleep on my feet when I go to bed. It took several more bouts of (less serious) insomnia for me to eventually get to the point where I finally believed my sleep doctor when he said that taking a small dose of Ambien even every night for several weeks at a time if I needed it was probably the only way I'd be able to keep keep the insomnia under control. Since I had some real problems with Ambien-hangover and some constipation with Ambien when I was taking it, the doc switched me to Belsomra when it became available. The Belsomra is much more expensive than the Ambien, and it doesn't seem to work quite so well in terms of helping me stay asleep for the first half of the night. But it also doesn't trigger a hang-over feeling or constipation for me.

For me, taking Ambien or Belsomra doesn't seem to affect my treated AHI very much. And it does typically mean that I have at least one stretch of 1.5-2 hours of uninterrupted sleep during the night, and usually I get at least 2 or 3 stretches of sleep that are at least 1.5 hours long between the wakes. And the wakes are typically much shorter when I take the sleeping pill.

The point that I'm trying to make is this: For some of us, the regular use of a sleeping pill several times a week may be the best way of getting some solid sleep instead of fighting the machine all night long.

So I would not worry about taking the Ambien as needed even if it's several days a week as long as your sleep doc is ok with the frequency of your Ambien use, your treated AHI is acceptable when you use Ambien, the subjective quality of your sleep is better on the nights you take Ambien than it would be if you didn't take the Ambien, and you don't have any unacceptable side affects of the Ambien.

[Mudrock63]

You gotta do what works for you. If you can, I strongly concur that you need to search for a more comfortable mask. I say, if you can, because the dang things aren't very cheap, and exchange policies vary.

[Blackcat99]

Thanks so much for your support... I am not sure why my equipment is not showing, I use the Swift FX Nano nasal mask and have also tried the nasal pillows and have had the same issues.

I am not tempted to stop using my machine even though I pretty much hate it. I know I need it.

It feels as if only with the Ambien do I get a solid 5 or so hours sleep and without it I am awake tossing and turning most of the night. It is mainly a comfort issue and waking up being conscious of having something stuck on my face, I cant seem to get used to it. I also have a lot of generalised anxiety (I take medication for this) which also keeps me awake so I pretty much have no chance of a good nights sleep.

I don't have any side effects from it and no "hangover" the next day which is why I keep taking it but would dearly love to not need it!

[robysue]

I don't have any side effects from it and no "hangover" the next day which is why I keep taking it but would dearly love to not need it!

I'd dearly love to be able to not need the Belsomra. But I also need some sleep, and like you, I spend a lot of time tossing and turning during the night.

Since anxiety is also an issue for you, you might want to try some CBT to try to learn how to minimize your reactions to the mask. The CBT that I did for the first bout of CPAP-induced insomnia helped a lot in terms of helping me teach myself to not dread putting on the mask every night.

Good luck!

[Mudrock63]

My neighbor takes a Benadryl each and every night and says she sleeps like a baby. Not a big fan of having to stay on anything long-term, unless you just have to have it. But that might be something you can try. Use it one night instead of Ambien. If it works, rotate them out.

[palerider]

and says she sleeps like a baby.

what? waking up screaming and wet every two hours???

thank you, no.

[Mudrock63]

Good one, Palerider. You made me LOL.