mixed apnea and Lunesta?

[absurdlyTired]

I have mixed apnea, but mostly central. I have never taken any medicine before, but I was just given Lunesta to try by my sleep specialist. Here's my problem: my mask (the only one that I have right now that will fit) hurts my nose. So, by 1.5 to 2 hours into the night, I wake up in pain and have a difficult time.

So, the doc thinks this may help me finally get a night's sleep. But I am concerned that I will still take my mask off after 2 hours, and be without any treatment for my apnea. Won't the addition of Lunesta just make me sleep through my arousals. Can I just stop breathing and die?

I'm so tired. Thanks.

[squid13]

Try some mole skin on your nose where it hurts. Cut a piece to fit your nose where it hurts. You can buy it in the foot section at WalMart or any drug store, or just put a band aid on that spot.

[jdm2857]

Here's a link to a blog post entitled "Taming the Mirage Quattro". It has very detailed
procedures for adjusting this mask. Give it a try:

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... ge-quattro

[absurdlyTired]

I have gone through the "taming" steps and I do use a bandaid. I had been tolerating the mask the first couple of weeks i had it until I had a complete nose breakdown (blood, puss, scabbing, etc). Now, there is just general pain in that area. I have to use the size medium and crank that thing as tight as possible to stop it from leaking. The "taming" steps did not work for me. And the sleep lab gave me a few other masks - including one that goes around my face (no nose touching at all) and it leaked like nobody's business.

I guess, what I'm wondering is...will Lunesta kill me?

[Sir NoddinOff]

I have gone through the "taming" steps and I do use a bandaid. I had been tolerating the mask the first couple of weeks i had it until I had a complete nose breakdown (blood, puss, scabbing, etc). Now, there is just general pain in that area. I have to use the size medium and crank that thing as tight as possible to stop it from leaking. The "taming" steps did not work for me. And the sleep lab gave me a few other masks - including one that goes around my face (no nose touching at all) and it leaked like nobody's business. I guess, what I'm wondering is...will Lunesta kill me?

No Lunestra will not kill you, most Z-meds like Lunestra and including Ambien are designed to target the sleep centers of the brain by avoiding the GABA receptors in the lower spine.... unlike other Benzos. IMO however, it is best not to become dependent on them when used on a nightly basis, therefore I suggest you Google the various forums on Z-meds and read up on how to avoid that situation. It's not that hard to do.

Not to derail your brave and determined efforts with your full face mask, but open sores and bleeding were the main reason I switched from FFMs to the ResMed FX Swift nasal pillows (my nose history is a freakin' mess ). Keep that in the back of your mind if your nose suffers too badly and you need to find the exit ramp quick! One last quick tip: try shaving the areas around where the mask seats... by that I mean right before you go to bed. Works for me!

[MagsterMile]

I have gone through the "taming" steps and I do use a bandaid. I had been tolerating the mask the first couple of weeks i had it until I had a complete nose breakdown (blood, puss, scabbing, etc). Now, there is just general pain in that area. I have to use the size medium and crank that thing as tight as possible to stop it from leaking. The "taming" steps did not work for me. And the sleep lab gave me a few other masks - including one that goes around my face (no nose touching at all) and it leaked like nobody's business. I guess, what I'm wondering is...will Lunesta kill me?

No Lunestra will not kill you, most Z-meds like Lunestra and including Ambien are designed to target the sleep centers of the brain by avoiding the GABA receptors in the lower spine.... unlike other Benzos. IMO however, it is best not to become dependent on them when used on a nightly basis, therefore I suggest you Google the various forums on Z-meds and read up on how to avoid that situation. It's not that hard to do.

Not to derail your brave and determined efforts with your full face mask, but open sores and bleeding were the main reason I switched from FFMs to the ResMed FX Swift nasal pillows (my nose history is a freakin' mess ). Keep that in the back of your mind if your nose suffers too badly and you need to find the exit ramp quick! One last quick tip: try shaving the areas around where the mask seats... by that I mean right before you go to bed. Works for me!

Since you previously used a FFM, was that your choice or determined by your sleep study? You say you have nose issues and are using a nasal pillows now. How are you able to work that out?

[Sir NoddinOff]

Since you previously used a FFM, was that your choice or determined by your sleep study? You say you have nose issues and are using a nasal pillows now. How are you able to work that out?

I started out with a FFM in the sleep study, then used several different ones at home for about a month. My nose has been broken several times, but the worst break included my cheekbone and bridge. This was decades ago, but my nose bridge is still lumpy, therefore the several FFMs I tried never really worked and I would get bloody ulcers after a night or two.

At that time, I happened to have a set of Swift FX nasal pillows with headgear, so I tried those out... they worked very well for me. All my nose issues are at the bridge of my nose, therefore I don't have any problems with the lower fleshy parts (nares and nostrils), which receive the nasal pillows. Never had one problem in over a year, and thankfully my leaks are quite low. Hope that helps.

[papman857]

have you thought of using a different mask?