Side Effects?

Empis · Post by **Empis** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:25 pm

HI there, I am trying to get some answers, I started to use the CPAP mask last week, and the three first nights I slept pretty good, but on the fourth day I experienced some disiness and some vertigo, and low pulse so I guess I had low blood pressure, are those symptoms some kind of side effects for wearing the maks, how long would it take so my body can use to it? and is there an average for using it during the night, I mean 8 hours as maximum for a good sleep or 6 or 7 hours during the night??

Please help me to get more clarification about using CPAP mask, thanks!!

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:46 pm

Please gives more details as to your mask, machine and pressure. Are you on any medications of have any other medical conditions.

Den

Empis · Post by **Empis** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:31 am

Thanks for responding, well like I said before I am new in this situation, i am using a resmed mask and a respironics REMstar M3 CPAP with the humidifier, my pressure starts at 4 during the first 35 minutes and than it goes up to 7. I don't have any other medical conditions, my only problem is the sleep apnea (mild), and very seldom headache. Hope this info can help to find some answers. The doctor didn't warning me about any side effects, could that be possible?

Country4ever · Post by **Country4ever** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:06 am

How low was your pulse? What does it usually run?

Empis · Post by **Empis** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:43 pm

My pulse rate was about 58 and usually is like 83, 88, do you think my body needs to adapt to the new mask? and what happened to me was something like side effect?

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:17 pm

Were you diagnosed following a 'regular' sleep study? Do you see your family MD (who presumably got the results from the sleep doc), or some other specialist like either a neurologist, pulmonologist, etc. etc? I'm asking because I'm wondering how serious (or not, actually) your OSA is (did note what you said about 30 events). Starting at 4 is kind of pointless (at 4, none of us can get any air to speak of - it's just the low end of the default scale (4-20) on the ramp). Most of us don't use the ramp any more and instead start off at our lowest titrated pressure, setting the high point about 4-5 notches above that at most (the machine will go higher if necessary, though for individual events). In other words, I'm not exactly questioning that you may need Cpap, but wondering if by not restricting the high end of your setting, you're just getting too 'much' air and it's making you woozy! Headaches for most of us usually mean our BP is high in the a.m. (from inadequate therapy via mask leaks, etc.), but in your case I wonder if it isn't even an opposite effect.

Empis · Post by **Empis** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:45 pm

Thanks for the info, I guess I am learning more and more everytime I log in, well I have a sleep study, I went two times to sleep at the lab, and then they sent me copies of both studies and of course I don't understand a word, and my doctor prescribed me to wear the CPAP and the recommend 7 pressure, and when I went to get my machine the technician already set it up for me starting at 4 from the ramp for the first 35 minutes and than it will stay all night long at 7, is there an automatic setting that set up the air high or low depending if I need it?? what I can read and learn from this chat I see in my studies that my PLM Events was 56 the first night they monitored me, and the second night wearing the mask it says PLM Events 0 can this information give you more light about my problem?

...well · Post by **...well** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:13 pm

CPAP therapy is still new. Not enough studies have been done to show how safe or unsafe it is. All we know it is the only non invasive treatment for OSA which really doesn't mean much. It may help in one way but harm in another.

ww · Post by ww » Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:23 pm

...well wrote:CPAP therapy is still new. Not enough studies have been done to show how safe or unsafe it is. All we know it is the only non invasive treatment for OSA which really doesn't mean much. It may help in one way but harm in another.

Do you have a source for this comment that you can share? CPAP is the gold standard for OA treatment and has been used since the 60's. The therapy is quite well characterized as are the side effects after nearly 50 years of use.

Empis · Post by **Empis** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:54 am

I would like to know exactly, for how long did it take you to adapt to the CPAP Mask to control your sleep apnea? I am pretty new in this journey but unless I know I am not alone. Thanks

ffarmer · Post by **ffarmer** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:40 am

Empis wrote:I would like to know exactly, for how long did it take you to adapt to the CPAP Mask to control your sleep apnea?

I don't remember quite how long it took me to adjust to the mask, but I do remember in the beginning I thought that I would NEVER adjust to it. Now it feels as familiar as my pyjamas! Just keep persevering, you will get used to it!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:55 am

Trust me on this - for the first six weeks of cpap therapy, I thought everyone here was CUCKOO for insisting they LOVED their machine and would never sleep without it.

Took me 6 weeks and 8 different masks to find one I could sleep with all night long. Took a couple of weeks after that to wake up feeling nearly normal again.

Now I wake up feeling pretty much "normal" and can document very slow positive improvement over the past year since I started therapy.

I now can't sleep without my mask and machine.

It's a rough road starting out. We've all been there. We KNOW you can get through it. Hang in there, and keep in touch. We'll help all we can.

Huggers,
Babette

Empis · Post by **Empis** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:22 pm

Thanks all of you for your advices and to encourage me to keep using my mask, you now, til now is my first week using my mask, and honesty I was feeling very old and ugly while wearing it, my husband is in a business travel and I don't know how is he going to react when he is going to see me the first time wearing my mask, he is going to come back in 3 more weeks, so I hope to adjust better during this time, the last 2 nights I've been sleeping pretty good, so I hope soon to share with you that I won't go to sleep with my mask !! Thanks again

Huh? · Post by **Huh?** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:47 pm

ww wrote:
...well wrote:CPAP therapy is still new. Not enough studies have been done to show how safe or unsafe it is. All we know it is the only non invasive treatment for OSA which really doesn't mean much. It may help in one way but harm in another.
Do you have a source for this comment that you can share? CPAP is the gold standard for OA treatment and has been used since the 60's. The therapy is quite well characterized as are the side effects after nearly 50 years of use.

Where did you get your information??? Cpap was first created in 1981!!

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:32 pm

Maybe it was the leaf blower was invented, and it took 21 years to get the hose to fit it. Jim

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: Resmed HumidAir 11 for humidifier