gabapentin increases deep sleep?

[avi123]

Gabapentin (generic Neurontin) is NOT a Sleep Medication.

The best Sleep Medication, by far, is Zolpidem (generic Ambien), according to Consumer Reports:

It's especially recommended for those with CSAS-CSR.

[robysue]

you don't seem to know that much about these medications robysue, how can you be so confident you aren't a doctor so then why do you give such advice?

A simple Google search is all that is needed to find out what these medicines are used for; reading the prescription information that is readily on line makes it clear that these are prescription drugs with potentially serious side affects.

Klonopin is a benzodiazepine that is typically prescribed for anxiety, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, periodic limb movement disorder, and seizures.

See the following websites:
http://www.drugs.com/dosage/klonopin.html
http://www.drugs.com/pro/klonopin.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/clonazepam/article.htm
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/pe ... edications

Gabapentin is an anti-epileptic medication and is typically prescribed for seizures, nerve pain, and restless leg syndrome. (Some conditions are treated only by particular brand names of gabapentin.)

See the following websites:
http://www.drugs.com/gabapentin.html
http://www.drugs.com/dosage/gabapentin.html
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-8217-GA ... l&source=1
http://www.medicinenet.com/gabapentin_e ... rticle.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/gabapentin/article.htm

Prazosin is a prescription alpha-adrenergic blocker. As such, Prazosin is used to treat high blood pressure, although a google search does show that Prazosin is sometimes used off-label to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related nightmares in people without sleep apnea.

See the following websites:
http://www.drugs.com/mtm/prazosin.html
http://www.drugs.com/dosage/prazosin.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/posttraumati ... rticle.htm
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-8695-pr ... l&source=1

Prescribing either [Klonopin or Gabapentin] of these for treating "arousal central apnea cycles" makes no sense to me.

As the phrase "makes no sense to me" should make it clear---this is my opinion.

However, I have never found a reliable medical site with information about central sleep apnea that suggests klonopin, gabapentin, or prazosin are useful in treating CSA. Some reliable web sites with information about CSA include:

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 003997.htm
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004404/
  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20030485
  http://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/ ... leep-apnea
  http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/Practi ... rs/CSA.pdf
  http://www.sleepapnea.org/learn/sleep-a ... apnea.html
  http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/06/dif ... apnea.html
  http://www.remmedical.com/conditions/ce ... -apnea.php

With a bit of reading, it's easy to determine that klonopin, gabapentin, and prazosin are NOT recommended by any of these reliable sources as a possible treatment for central sleep apnea. And drug therapies in general are NOT seen by the AASM as being particularly effective for treating CSA. (See http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/Practi ... rs/CSA.pdf for details of the AASM recommendations for treating CSA.)

then why do you give such advice?

You seem to be looking for someone who will support your ideas of treating your central sleep apnea with klonopin, gabapentin, prazosin, or some other drug.

But after doing even a small bit of on-line research, it's easy to determine that klonopin, gabapentin, prazosin are NOT recommended by any reliable source as a possible treatment for central sleep apnea. And so it seems reasonable to me to point that out in case others who are newly diagnosed with CSA stumble on this thread.

As for why I keep telling you that you need to work with a doctor who knows your full medical history: With everything you've posted in the past, it seems clear that you have a number of different medical conditions that all need to be effectively treated at the same time before you will start to feel better.

[mellabella]

I can't believe how much time I've wasted going to bad sleep doctors and being exhausted. I'm really interested in how prazosin can help. does prazosin give you restful deep sleep and you have better clarity and energy?

Prazosin is a prescription alpha-adrenergic blocker. As such, Prazosin is used to treat high blood pressure, although a google search does show that Prazosin is sometimes used off-label to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related nightmares in people without sleep apnea. I can't imagine why a doctor would be prescribed for sleep problems NOT related to PTSD in a person with sleep apnea.

I'm just going to leave this here for anyone else who might find the thread: If you dig a little deeper than google--or talk to a sleep doc or neurologist who specializes in problems with sleep architecture--you'll learn that to the extent that Prazosin is "for nightmares" (which I don't have), the mechanism behind that is the side effect of increasing REM time and decreasing REM latency in those with fragmented sleep for any reason--you don't have to have PTSD, or even nightmares, for a doctor to find it appropriate, and for it to work.

In fact, UARS [Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome, a sleep disorder] is seen as an arousal disorder that can also prevent normal REM cycling in some (since REM paralysis compromises the airway further, setting off the very sensitive "alarm" system people with UARS experience for that), so it is absolutely not unimaginable it would work for some individuals with that diagnosis--and for me it's been a real godsend. For anyone else who's getting more than 2% of REM sleep and not having constant microarousals all night due to partial airway collapse....it may just be a blood pressure pill. That's why you can suggest it to your doctor, but you'd want to listen to the answer you got back on whether or not it would be helpful, harmful, or nada. (By the way, the theory is that consolidating REM may allow vets and others with PTSD to process nightmares "all the way through" instead of repeating them every night. Here's a layman explanation of how, to the extent prazosin works on PTSD and nightmares, that's a side effect of the increased REM:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01 ... ed-by-ptsd )



But I am glad you reiterated (as I did in a series of PM's that qualified my own experience as just that, and for very specific and relatively unusual symptomology/diagnoses s/he may not have--and urged going back to the doctor with all these questions) that we are not the poster's physician--and you're a superb asset to the board by catching that she has a CSA diagnosis, which, indeed, doesn't have anything to do with these medications she is asking about, if that's the cause of her residual fatigue.

[grammie11]

A year ago I was put on gabapentin for depression and anxiety. They gave me 600mg 3 times a day. I couldn't drive or walk a straight line. MY doctor is now weaning me off this medicine. I can't wait to get completely off. I call it poison. I have fallen several times because it throws off my gait. I walk on the balls of my feet and I keep going faster and faster and I can't control it. Then I fall.

[dotyj]

Bonjour

I take Gabapentin 100mg thrice/day for pain. Well It helps a little but the result is not what I would jump up and down about.

no notice of deeper sleep. increased recall of dream occurrence.

Merci!

jos

[apw5746]

A year ago I was put on gabapentin for depression and anxiety.

Yes, it was found that Gabapentin, which is mainly an anti-seizure medication, also controlled anxiety and bi-polar problems. Often times medicines are used mainly for treating something entirely different than what comes out of the side effects. Originally Viagra was a blood pressure medication, but a helpful side effect is that it can treat ED. If one is going to be confronted with a stressful situation, and time allows, taking 2-3 Gabapentin helps relax a person.

I've been on it for almost five years, and it definitely helps my anxiety. It also helped me over the hump when I first was prescribed my S9. I'm claustrophobic about anything that covers my nose and mouth.

[sickwithapnea17]

..

[jaybeem]

I have taken gabapentin for nerve pain from a back injury (100-300 mg three times a day) and for shingles (600 mg 3 times a day).

For many months at the beginning of CPAP, I still was not getting good quality sleep. I had an allergic reaction to zolpidem (Ambien). My primary care physician (PCP) agreed that I could try 100 mg of gabapentin, as I had no side effects when I had used it previously and it is not addictive. It worked for me as a sleep quality aid. But my PCP took me off of it after several weeks, as she thought it was making me lethargic during the day. I did not have any trouble stopping gabapentin. I am now taking 50 mg of trazadone, which is also working. Neither gabapentin nor trazadone changed sleep onset for me. But both increased deep sleep, lessened arousals, and made a huge difference in the quality of my sleep, allowing me to feel much better on several hours less sleep.

My primary care doctor knows me well and was willing to work with me until we found something to improve my sleep quality. Talk to your doctor.

[Julie]

To all you relative newbies who are trying to deal logically and meaningfully with the OP, note that he's been around for a very long time, shows up at intervals with increasingly cuckoo stuff, takes no notice whatsoever of advice given to him and then comes back with really nasty messages to all. I suggest you not waste your time. Robysue has shown great restraint about responding here!

[ems]

To all you relative newbies who are trying to deal logically and meaningfully with the OP, note that he's been around for a very long time, shows up at intervals with increasingly cuckoo stuff, takes no notice whatsoever of advice given to him and then comes back with really nasty messages to all. I suggest you not waste your time. Robysue has shown great restraint about responding here!

People have gone out of their way to respond and support this person. Then he/she goes into cuss mode. This person's problems are beyond the scope of this forum. Let's wish this person well and move on!

[Madalot]

For those that are not familiar, the following link will take you to a post of mine, where I copied a post from SWA17 (I had to because SWA deleted the original post, which is another thing that frequently occurs). While all of us familiar agree that we have nothing but sympathy for SWA17, we have come to the realization that there is nothing any of us can do to help. If you read their post (imbedded in mine) and that entire thread as a whole, I think you all will agree.

viewtopic.php?p=872374#p872374

Here's another one from that same thread. Again, a copy from another poster...

viewtopic.php?p=873220#p873220

[chunkyfrog]

SWA17 has many health problems, apnea being only one--I can only sympathize.
Sadly, we are not equipped to do an intervention or drive him/her to detox, which would, IMO, do a world of good.

[happydaz]

SWA17 has many health problems, apnea being only one--I can only sympathize.
Sadly, we are not equipped to do an intervention or drive him/her to detox, which would, IMO, do a world of good.

You don't know if "detox" is the problem at all. That determination should not be made by anyone except a qualified physician. After reading some of the posts that were recently posted, I would guess that s/he's issues are much more complicated than just detoxing. Be prepared for more to come.

[chunkyfrog]

The individual seems to be intent on the "try another drug" route.
Abuse is always possible, and based on the person's apparent fondness for chemistry, not to be ignored.
This a serious and widespread problem--it should never be swept under the rug.
I doubt my comments will make any difference in SWA17's behavior, which I consider to be possibly self-destructive.

[chunkyfrog]

go away. Your problems are not the type we can help with.
You need to see a professional. This is beyond our scope.
We have tried--but you are not willing to address the real problem.