ive taken all of the advice....

[secret agent girl]

.

[SleepingUgly]

Do you use medication to hande your panic / anxiety? If you do, which?

no, i dont but im looking into what i can take--it'll have to be meds that dont interfere with my sleep and with my hormone meds

I would have to be in very bad shape before I would take an antipsychotic drug.

Who mentioned antipsychotic medications?!

There are so damn many people prescribed antipsychotic drugs to treat symptoms while the underlying cause is left untreated.

On occasion antipsychotics are used to treat other disorders besides psychotic ones, but there are certainly not "so damn many people" who are prescribed them. I bet you know very few people who are prescribed antipsychotic meds.

Antipsychotic drugs are quite ineffective

They are??? Compared to what??

and they are often a horrible partner to sleep apnea.

Perhaps those that cause weight gain, just like anything that causes weight gain, like, uh, food, could contribute to sleep apnea indirectly.

BTW, inaccuracies aside, that was a very empathic post.

[ozij]

Lest I be misunderstood -- I was in no way suggesting anti-anxiety medication is a good idea.
I was thinking of the side effects of abuse of one of the most popular tranquilizer family.

Whatever the cause of your panic attacks, there are many useful coping techniques that you can learn, practice, and apply to gain some relief while you are exploring the potential physical aspects/causes. Anxiety meds are generally a poor first-choice response. Best wishes to you on this journey.

Well said.

Have a serious talk with your doctor about the quality of your life, and tell them the meds you were given quite possibly are
ruining your life.. and perhaps they can step you down off them for a bit, to see if you improve.. then find something that wont
make you feel like your half dead.. that is NOT living.. ..

keep pushing until you find a way to feel like your old self again..

If this doc wont do it, find another one who will help you get your life back..

The only way to find out if its the meds is to stop them for a bit, with your doctors guidance. If you are back to normal, then its clear
what it was, and another med has to be found, or the dosage changed, or whatever.. but keep letting them know that you refuse to go on
feeling THAT way..

OSA can cause panic attacks, it causes panic attacks while you are sleeping in many people, and these spill over during the day sometimes..
so it could be quite possible once you feel better on the cpap, you wont have panic attacks anymore at all..

Yep.

[Junaid]

In a prior thread you mentioned using cabergoline for your limb movements. Since it is also used for treating prolactin levels, I wasn't sure if you are using it for both, and on a low dose or what. As with other ergot-based dopamine agonists, one needs to be aware of the potential side effects. What specifically did your recent tests say about your limb movements?

i using cabergoline for my high prolactin levels. my second mslt showed high PLM and jjust so happens the cabergoline helps with PLMs

[Rustyolddude]

Junaid - can't remember now, but have you seen an endocrinologist? Is that who told you about high prolactin levels?

I have, yes! She found that I have a growth on my pituatry which is elevating my prolactin levels

Elevated prolactin and FSH which are indicators of pituitary tumor are generally responsible for low testosterone, your doctor did check your testosterone level? Low T will cause all the symptoms you list. Sometimes the medications to lower the prolactin level will bring your T level back to normal but if it doesn't then you need to take supplemental testosterone and possibly have the tumor removed.

Here's an article for you to share with your doctor:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 2355.x/pdf

ETA
Be sure your doctor knows what a good T level is, depending on your age group it will vary. But somewhere between 400-500 is a reasonable average with supplemental testosterone. I believe for a 45-50 yo. the level is something like 300-800 ng/dl with the 95th percentile being at 800 ng/dl. If you're at 300 and your doc says good enough, it probably isn't.

ETA
Start doing some web searching on prolactinoma, there are all kinds of tie-ins with depression, sleep issues etc. From what I've read, medications are 80% effective in dealing with the tumor. When surgery is required, it's rather routine and carried out through the nose. You pituitary is about the size of a bean and the tumors tend to be small. Also it's estimated that 80% of the population have pituitary tumors but suffer no ill effects from them.

[Junaid]

Hi Rusty

my endo says my testoterone is low but she expects it to be because it is being suppresed by the high prolation hormone. my neurosurgeon also told me that the tumor cannot be removed? from what ou have said, it seems you disagree.

i have a macroprolactinoma (a big one-typical for males). Im 27 yrs old so my endo says she expects my tesotterone to elevate once the prolactin is within normal range