No more OSA? 250 to 215 lbs.

[Pugsy]

Your report from last night looks good "on paper"

Are you still averaging around 6 to 7 hours of sleep on the machine...and still going to bed late?
Is this normal for you?

[Maxman190]

Your report from last night looks good "on paper"

Are you still averaging around 6 to 7 hours of sleep on the machine...and still going to bed late?
Is this normal for you?

Yeah, it's pretty normal. Go to sleep around midnight or after that. Still feel excessive sleepiness/tiredness though.. About a week ago, I use to have only 3-4 hours of sleep for a week. Do we conclude that it's my medication causing me to be sleepy? Or is there still a chance that it's the apnea?

[Pugsy]

Do you ever get more than 7 1/2 to 8 hours of sleep to eliminate the possibility that you simply need more hours of sleep?
As in maybe a little better sleep hygiene.

I noticed that when I went from averaging 7 hours of sleep a night to 7 3/4 hours to a little over 8 hours of sleep that I felt much less drowsy the next day and the need to nap simply went away. Even now if I get less than 7 hours of sleep I can bet on wanting a nap.
Some people just need a little more sleep to feel better.

If not hours of sleep...that pretty much leaves the meds as a possible culprit. Certainly a possibility and needs to be looked at.
Talk with doctor about it...maybe alter dosage a bit or the time that you take the dosage.
I can tell you that I know first hand that meds can affect sleep quality. I take Ultram for pain control during the day...it does a pretty good job but despite the warning sticker "may cause drowsiness" I happen to find that it actually makes me a bit hyper and insomnia is a known side effect. Small % of people with that side effect and I happen to have it. If I take it after 6 PM in the evening I am up cleaning the house at 2 AM.
Meds can and will affect sleep quality and how we feel the next day.
Can I say with 100% certainty that you meds are responsible...of course not but they sure are a strong possibility.

[RandyJ]

My money is on that cocktail. Any one of them could be the culprit, or the combination.

Common side effects:
Lexapro: drowsiness, dizziness, sleep problems
Wellbutrin XL: cannot focus thoughts, dizziness, abnormal dreams
Buspar: dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness, trouble sleeping

Ring any bells?

[Maxman190]

One time I slept more than 10 hours with no waking up during the night.... Still tired as crazy... The thing is... If it is the medication, then what happens? Kind of need them for my depression and anxiety...

I remember not taking the medication for a few days, don't remember if I was sleepy or not, but I kind of felt suicidal... and was freaking out a lot more than usual...

[Pugsy]

The thing is... If it is the medication, then what happens? Kind of need them for my depression and anxiety...

I am not suggesting that you stop your meds at all.
Just talk with the doctor and educate yourself on what the side effects are and maybe you and your doctor could maybe alter the dose (reduce it) or even take the meds at a different time in an effort to perhaps minimize any potential side effects.
Sometimes we just have to accept the fact that meds come with their own baggage that we have to deal with.
There's that old risk vs rewards thing. We understand why you have to take them...and you may or may not be able to do anything about them but I am betting that they are a significant contributing factor in how you feel during the day.
What to do about it though? That's something you have to talk with your doctor about. Sometimes we just have to accept and live with some unwanted side effects from the meds we take. To not take them creates more issues than taking them might cause.
That's where the risks vs rewards come in.

Going back to my pain pills that give me insomnia...I talked it over with the doctor....if I don't take something I wake up a gazillion times each night due to pain. If I take my regular pain med I can't sleep due to the insomnia thing....so we tried various things that help me sleep and not have the pain wake me up AND not make me into a zombie feeling like crap the next day.

Talk to your doctor about your situation. Maybe there is something that can be changed to maybe help the situation in some fashion.

[Maxman190]

That reminds me, when I take Nightquil cold medicine, it knocks me right out in 5 minutes, but the next morning, I wake up INCREDIBLY tired, like A LOT more than the usual sleepiness. Then, I just can't force myself to wake, I just HAVE to go to sleep. Which kind of scares me because I've never been that sleepy before...

[49er]

One time I slept more than 10 hours with no waking up during the night.... Still tired as crazy... The thing is... If it is the medication, then what happens? Kind of need them for my depression and anxiety...

I remember not taking the medication for a few days, don't remember if I was sleepy or not, but I kind of felt suicidal... and was freaking out a lot more than usual...

Hi Maxman,

What happened was you had withdrawal symptoms (one symptom is rebound suicidality( from cold turkeying medication. That is not an indication that you need the medication.

As an FYI, I am not telling you to go off your medication as that is only a decision you can make with your doctor. But please don't base your decision on what happened during those two days.

49er

[RandyJ]

That reminds me, when I take Nightquil cold medicine, it knocks me right out in 5 minutes, but the next morning, I wake up INCREDIBLY tired, like A LOT more than the usual sleepiness. Then, I just can't force myself to wake, I just HAVE to go to sleep. Which kind of scares me because I've never been that sleepy before...

With the anxiety/depression cocktail you are taking, you should be very careful of ANY over-the-counter meds you take. Nyquil has ingredients that turn into powerful narcotics in your blood (see here: http://www.wired.com/science/discoverie ... /st_nyquil) and I imagine they react with your cocktail to magnify the sleepiness/drowsiness. Always check with your pharmacist, who knows what you are taking and can advise you on OTC meds. People can easily get into trouble once you add OTC meds and/or alchohol to a mix that can already be depressive to the respiratory system.

Pugsy's advice about discussing meds with your doctor is the way to go in my opinion. You just need to stress to him that you want to minimize the daytime side effects you are having and he should be able to help you either adjust dosages, time of day, or substitute meds.

[Maxman190]

That reminds me, when I take Nightquil cold medicine, it knocks me right out in 5 minutes, but the next morning, I wake up INCREDIBLY tired, like A LOT more than the usual sleepiness. Then, I just can't force myself to wake, I just HAVE to go to sleep. Which kind of scares me because I've never been that sleepy before...

With the anxiety/depression cocktail you are taking, you should be very careful of ANY over-the-counter meds you take. Nyquil has ingredients that turn into powerful narcotics in your blood (see here: http://www.wired.com/science/discoverie ... /st_nyquil) and I imagine they react with your cocktail to magnify the sleepiness/drowsiness. Always check with your pharmacist, who knows what you are taking and can advise you on OTC meds. People can easily get into trouble once you add OTC meds and/or alchohol to a mix that can already be depressive to the respiratory system.

Pugsy's advice about discussing meds with your doctor is the way to go in my opinion. You just need to stress to him that you want to minimize the daytime side effects you are having and he should be able to help you either adjust dosages, time of day, or substitute meds.

Ah, that makes sense with OTC medication.

My doctor also prescribed me some stimulant to be less sleepy, but it only works a little bit.

[Pugsy]

My doctor also prescribed me some stimulant to be less sleepy, but it only works a little bit.

You need to research the stimulant also. The half life of some of those are fairly long and there might be enough of it left in your system at night to affect the quality of your sleep. Some are known to mess with sleep architecture like keep you out of the deeper stages of sleep that the body needs...so you get hours of sleep but not good sleep because you don't get the right % of each sleep stage that the body needs for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic.

[Maxman190]

My doctor also prescribed me some stimulant to be less sleepy, but it only works a little bit.

You need to research the stimulant also. The half life of some of those are fairly long and there might be enough of it left in your system at night to affect the quality of your sleep. Some are known to mess with sleep architecture like keep you out of the deeper stages of sleep that the body needs...so you get hours of sleep but not good sleep because you don't get the right % of each sleep stage that the body needs for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic.

Half life of the ones I have is fairly short, doctor told me it would only stay in my system for 4-8 hours, that's why she told me to take them in the morning. When I told her it was too short, she gave me XL and that didn't work as well as the immediate release one.

[SleepingUgly]

I agree with Pugsy 100% Those particular meds are known to cause daytime drowsiness, a feeling of sedation, etc.

To my knowledge, most of the meds you are on are not sedating (e.g., Wellbutrin, Buspar).

I think the number of hours you sleep is potentially problematic and could account for your daytime sleepiness. Your June 4 data showed that you typically average ~6 hours of sleep, and on average don't even reach 7 hours of sleep.

[Pugsy]

To my knowledge, most of the meds you are on are not sedating (e.g., Wellbutrin, Buspar).

They can be.. almost all the meds for depression or anxiety can impact sleep quality and how a person feels the next day.

side effects link for Buspar
http://www.drugs.com/buspar.html
there are more side effects but these stand out as potentially messing with sleep architecture or how a person feels the next day
drowsiness, feeling tired;
feeling restless or nervous;
sleep problems (insomnia), strange dreams;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buspirone
Most common adverse effects:[4]

drowsiness
upset stomach
vomiting
constipation
diarrhea
stomach pain
headache
dry mouth
depression....I love this one...depression is a side effect and the reason we take the stuff in the first place.
excitement
fatigue
nervousness
insomnia
lightheadedness
weakness
numbness

Wellbutrin is well known for messing with sleep quality/architecture. Insomnia specifically. Listed known side effect
and if one takes the Controlled Release form then it is in the blood system at much higher levels during the night than the regular dosage.

[SleepingUgly]

Yes, Wellbutrin can cause insomnia. I must have missed his post that says he has insomnia.