ozij wrote:Eric, here's what I hear you saying:
You were give pharmaceutical treatment for depression before your sleep apnea was diagnosed.
You were also given -- and have been taking -- large doses of benzodiazepines.
You were better when you started cpap therapy on a ResMed S8.
Your machine broke, you got an S9 - things are no longer so good.
You're disappointed in your doctors.
You are convinced you know everything you need to know about psychopharma.
I also conclude - I could be wrong of course - that you do realize some people have found help on this forum, and you post here in the hope of finding some yourself - despite your disappointing experiences.
Here are some thoughts / info I'd like to share with you -they may all be irrelevant to you, but on the off chance that they may help you, I'm taking the time to gather them. If they help, fine. If they don't - be that so. This is not posted in an attempt to convince you of anything, only to present options that may, possibly, help you.
Some of what you describe reminds of Jere's experience -- here's an example from Jere's posts.
Jere's experience
Jere wrote:Yikes! This thread reminds me of the years of being on Zoloft then Serzon and then back to Zoloft, suffering from the side-effects (the ones the doctor never tells you about). The meds were supposed to relieve my anxiety and depression (not to mention chronic insomnia). Every time I tried to get off any of them, I would get the 'zaps' (my GP had no answer to that) and getting off Serzon brought me as close to suicide as I ever want to be. Yuch.
I complained and complained that none of these medicines were helping. Finally, my psych referred me to a psychopharmacologist. After maybe two visits, and a long discussion about the psychotic behavior running through my mother's family (probably bi-polar), he put me on a low dose of lithium. I was skeptical at first (I have never been manic), but the stuff has been a great help. Anxiety is manageable and depression is almost gone. Insomnia is under control and I am off Ambien altogether. Add CPAP to the equation, and I have been sleeping at night and staying awake during the day. I don't ask for much, but being able to sleep at night and to remain awake during the day - well, it's priceless.
Doctors can be very quick to put people on antidepressants. They might work for some people, but they did not work for me (actually made things worse).
For me there is no noticeable link between OSA and anxiety. My anxiety is inherited and the OSA a coincidence.
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As for weaning off antidepressants, here is what works for me. First, every step/reduction takes two weeks. First, I cut 1/4 off my dose, then another 1/4, then another 1/4 (leaving me with a 1/4). I would then cut that 1/4 in half and finally - 8 weeks later - stop altogether. Still got minor zaps and some mood instability for a few weeks. The key is to GO SLOW. Never, ever go cold turkey.
If you find this intriguing, you can search Jere's other posts here:
search.php?author_id=2435&sr=posts
OSA may cause depression for some people - loss of sleep plus the physical experience of repeated choking all night long are not conducive to a sense of well being.
Here is a link to a
Google Scholar search on
OSA and Depression. Perhaps you can find the time - and hopefully ability to concentrate despite feeling so bad - and study some of these papers.
You may also want do some some serious study of this very informative site:
http://www.benzo.org.uk. I suggest you start out with this:
The Ashton Manual in order to get a sense of the seriousness and professionalism of the people.
Benzo's are mis-perscribed, are probably the most physically addictive substance known, and have terrible side effects in the long range.
I'm sure you wish you had good doctors who would co-operate with each other. I won't tell you how to go about finding them and I won't argue with you about whether it's possible or impossible.
Here's a suggestion though: If you decide to read any of the links I've given you and find hope in them, try to contact the writers and ask them for recommendations of similar minded colleagues who live close enough to you to make a consultation a viable option.
Good luck.
