Misdiagnosed w/apnea! Selling everything cheap!

[Goofproof]

P.M.s stay in your outbox until the person you P.M.ed reads them. Jim

I'm glad you found relief, but please fron time to time have a overnite pulse O2 done to verify it.

[ozij]

Congratulations, mountainlvr, and thank you for taking the time to tell the story -- I too am sure you helped many people by doing that.

O.

[wearysoul]

mountainlvr,

Thank you for sharing your story. Another example of how so many doctors are too ready to offer antidepressants without really trying to find the real problem. Antidepressants have had a role in my story, too, but not a leading role like they have in yours.

In addition to CBT, I'm wondering if magnesium might be good therapy for your moodiness. Take a look at this web page by George Eby.

http://george-eby-research.com/html/dep ... html#sleep

It's possible the moodiness is a symptom of withdrawal from the Ativan. Maybe some magnesium would help. It's a very dense web site, as you will see, and will require some careful reading of relevant sections.

Best,
wearysoul

[mountainlvr]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes!! I'll post every now and then and update you on how it goes over the next few months. I'm going to read the info. in the links you shared, try the magnesium and B12 and the fish oils, etc. We'll see how it goes!!!

If you want the machine, the Swift, or the Flexifits, email me at nancy0@charter.net. Make me an offer, I'm ready to have it all gone!!

Thanks so much!

[Muse-Inc]

...try the magnesium...

Don't use magnesium oxide...it's only real use is as a laxative. The oxide form just isn't available for other uses. The citrate, taurate, gluconate froms are easily used.

[GaryG]

No one ever told me to stop my meds before having the first study so of course I had apneas and hardly any REM.

Very interesting to me. I'm on zoloft, wonder if meds could be a factor in my apnea. I have normal BP, am not overweight... I'd give up my meds in an instant and seek alternatives if that was the cause.

Like to hear from others. Did other folks take their study with meds like we did?

[fuzzy96]

glad to hear you are doing well.

scary story though. the effects of drugs vary from person to person and in your case was the problem not the solution.
i believe way too many people in this country have antidepressants shoved under thier noses because too many doctors with too little time because of too many patients (and kickbacks from pharmacutical companies)take the easy way out. some do need the medicine though.


just wondering -- did you ever ask your pharmacist if the drugs could cause your problems? seems my pharmacist knows a whole lot more than my doc when it comes to side effects.

[FatiguedMe]

Hey! I am also on Lexapro and Klonopin for anxiety/depression. I was on Paxil and Klonopin when I did my study. NOONE told me to skip them for my sleep study! UGH I can so relate to the suicidal withdrawal from these damn drugs. Oncologist tried to cold turkey me off of Paxil (NEVER just stop any of these meds) I have been on meds for 11 yrs for panic attacks. I haven't had a panic attack at all since starting CPAP. Pre CPAP I was still having panic attacks even on meds. I can see where I can try to wean off of these sometime down the road. Next time I am gonna take my time!
Babs I am with you, I am not ready yet to try to give these meds up. HAHA I get moodier too! My second name is BIOTCH! Mntn some of the moodiness may be because you are woman! (giggle) ROARRRRRR!!!
Please keep us posted as to how you are doing. We do care and always will!
Fatigued ((((((((((BIG HUG)))))))))))))

[Maple Leaf]

For those currently taking antidepressants/benzo's for depression, anxiety, social phobia etc, I strongly doubt that stopping your meds in an attempt to eliminate xpap therapy will prove positive. Xpap therapy may help some with occasional situational depression in terms of increased energy / exersice, but, for true clinical depression and anxiety disorders.... NO.

If you require prescription drugs to improve your quality of life in combination with xpap, there's nothing wrong with using the two in combination, sometimes we don't have a choice in the matter. I know that I require meds to treat my depression /anxiety disorder, with or without xpap therapy.

Regards, Rick

[millich]

Well said Rick!

[midnightdweary]

Yes, Rick's comments not withstanding, its still a little puzzling to me.
There needs to be a lot more studies done on this.

The reason is that at one time or another, doctors have prescribed those same medicines to me.
The last time, my sleep doctor made some rather vague comments on how some studies had shown the combination
of Ambien and Serequel was quite effective for sleep related problems.

On the 4th study, how were you able to sleep without any medications?

For me, that would be next to impossible. In my three studies, I was heavily dosed with meds at the complete approval of the staff. In fact, well in advance, I was instructed to feel free to use my Trazadone, Xanax, etc, to help me sleep.
However, each time they said I did get some REM sleep. (although not much)

If research shows that these meds can in fact, when taken in mixed dosages, cause sleep apnea, we'd better get the word out to all the docs, because its the first time I've ever considered it as possible cause of OSA.

If so, then we'd better start labeling the warnings on the vials: Caution: taking these in conjunction with other known depressant medicines may cause sleep apnea, which has the potential for serious health issues. (or some such)

However, in your case, I'm happy you found the solution.

Jay

[Maple Leaf]

If research shows that these meds can in fact, when taken in mixed dosages, cause sleep apnea, we'd better get the word out to all the docs, because its the first time I've ever considered it as possible cause of OSA.

If so, then we'd better start labeling the warnings on the vials: Caution: taking these in conjunction with other known depressant medicines may cause sleep apnea, which has the potential for serious health issues. (or some such)

I strongly believe that illness, physical or mental, is interlocked in one way or another. Perhaps taking a certain drug might induce apnea, but, I ask the question, do CNS drugs increase ones potential to trigger obstructives.... or centrals? It really doesnt matter, not breathing is not breathing. I wouldn't flush all my medications down the toilet in attempt to rid myself of sleep apnea. There's just too much at play, and too little is understood in the field of psychiatric medicine. Someone may be diagnosed as bipolar 2, move into a manic phase, have little to no need for sleep and act irrational....perhaps believing they are cured of sleep apnea? Some people just have no choice in the matter, they need medication to function, and if the medication increases ones chance at apnea then so be it. As bad, or good as it sounds, sleep apnea is very treatable, chronic, severe depression can be complex and treatment resistant..... a life of hell.
But yes, medications of any sort have the potential to help and at the same time, cause secondary complications.... it can be a tough "pill" to swallow.

Regards, Rick

[mountainlvr]

Let me add a few things. My story is so long and complicated that by trying to sum 25 years of medical stuff up in a few paragraphs can end up being confusing.

One thing the neuro/SP told me is that Ambien doesn't cause apneas or affect REM, and that's the only thing her clinic will prescribe if someone absolutely CANNOT sleep without a sleep aid. She strongly advises on doing all her studies sans all meds. I'm sure she wouldn't have someone spend the time to come off of meds they truly need to control major depression, anxiety, etc.. In my case, after several consults, she felt that it was in my best interest to do the last two tests witout any meds in order to come to a solid conclusion, AND because everything I had told her led her to conclude that I wasn't depressed and that the drugs could be causing a lot of my issues. AAANNNNDDDD, I wanted to get off all my medications to see what my personality, moods, behaviors, etc. were like without anything, as I'd been on so many cocktails for so long that I really didn't know.

It just worked out that my "self" without all the meds is a more productive and healthy one than with all of it. You know how it goes. You take one thing to control one issue, but that drug causes, lets say, insomnia. So they add something for sleep, but that makes you a zombie the next day, so they give you something to combat that, but that makes your heart race, so they give you something for that, and so on and so forth. That's what I've been through all these years, from such a young age that I never really took a break from everything to see what my body would really do.

Now, she also said that it's the mood stabilizers, anti-depressants that suppress REM, and that the benzo's are the one's that can cause apneas. I researched the one's I was taking and found what she said was accurate. I did NOT research all the drugs in those families, so I certainly cannot say that they ALL do this or that. I'm going only on my situation.

One more thing. I was diagnosed a few years back with PMDD which is absolutely accurate and for that I just stay on my OC all month for 3 months, break, then 3 more, etc. Now that i'm off all the other stuff, my grouchiness is like a mild version of what my PMDD feels like during that week every 3 months that I "allow" a period. I can live with that so much better than what I was existing with on all those drugs!!!!

And how did I sleep at all during the last two tests?? The third test I had was a PAP test and I took an Ambien for that one, as I was still fresh off the meds and they wanted to make sure I slept. The last one was without PAP and without all drugs, and I slept just fine for it. No apneas, and plenty of REM.

So please don't think I'm saying that accross the board ALL benzo's WILL cause apnea or ALL anti-dep/mood stab. WILL prevent REM, as I'm just a simple person and this is only my story. Who knows how this stuff effects each individual, especially when you consider that everyone has their own cocktails, their own medical background and issues, and own phisiological construction. I'm just offering my own story as, um, interesting news to consider.

Hope that helps. In any case, it gives us all something else to GOOGLE, right??? I think more than anything, God has finally answered all my prayers and begging!!! I'm a very fortunate girl!!!!

Thanks for everyones interest and input. If even one other person out there is able to benefit from my story in some way, then it was all worth it!!!!

[Muse-Inc]

...do CNS drugs increase ones potential to trigger obstructives.... or centrals?...

Good comments Rick. I think my sleep doc would be concerned about that possibility because he was when I went in with a 1.5 pg of symptoms from taking a supposedly "no possible side effects" drug -- he identified all as CBS-mediated functions...because breathing is also CNS controlled he was concerned.