Apnea and ADD?

cheeks · Post by **cheeks** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:41 pm

I looked under the collective wisdom icon and see lots more conditions then I imagined listed. I thought it was interesting just cuz lots of talk about anxiety, depression and generalized brain fog but not one for ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder ). Perhaps I missed it though, so dont kill me

Anyhow, I dont like to think about how shut off I think my brain might be. But like I just did the sleep study and got the cpap thing rolling,at the same time my psychiatrist was touting the possibility of ADD. Now he was thrilled to death that I did the sleep study and the results etc, but thought I should try 2 wks of adderral ( medication for ADD). I filled the rx but am wondering if I should actually follow his advice before really seeing how much Cpap does on its own for being scatterbrained. What do you all think?

btw it was real neat to see a display in his reception room for Sleep Apnea, the message is getting out there

cheeks

RosemaryB · Post by **RosemaryB** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:52 pm

Adderall does change sleep patterns. (making it harder for most people to fall asleep). I'm not saying this is pro or con, just that it's something to consider. If your doc is up on both apnea and ADHD it would be good to discuss it with him. Seems to me that it would interfere with your CPAP therapy by starting both at once.

Rose

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:55 pm

cheeks wrote:am wondering if I should actually follow his advice before really seeing how much Cpap does on its own for being scatterbrained. What do you all think?

Yes I would _defintlly_ wait a few months on CPAP before considering any meds.

ADD in kids has been shown to be sometimes linked to sleep apnea so I have see no reason to belive that could not be true in adults as well.

Let your body recover from years of sleep deprivation and then see how you are feeling...

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:28 am

Even worse, let's say you start feeling better with the meds. Who's to say whether it was the CPAP or the meds that made you feel better? You could end up taking meds that don't do anything for you because you can't be sure whether they do or don't help you.

I would wait.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:50 am

Add me to this list of people suggesting you to wait (for quite a while). You may be pleasantly surprised to see what happens when your brain gets oxygenated.

Den

lordbanchi · Post by **lordbanchi** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:52 am

Hi there,

Yes, I would definitely wait to use Adderall if I were you. But, that is only my opinion of course, so it's best to fully discuss this with your doctors involved. I was on Adderall for a little while about two years ago (prior to being diagnosed with CSDB), and I found that while I was already very tired and during the day (and exhibiting classic ADHD symptoms), the adderall caused me to crash after about a week. I would get home at night and once the adderall wore off, I couldn't stay awake. I felt like it literally sucked the remaining energy out of me every day I took it. I was fooled in the begining, as I definitely felt like superman when I first started taking it (very sharp, organized, well-spoken...it was wonderful), but that quickly subsided.

Funny thing...it was actually my neurologist (who had prescribed the adderall) that suggested I go for a sleep study. So, the moral of my story is to treat one condition at a time. That is the only way you can get to the root of the problem (unless you are really lucky and throw the dart in the bull's eye in the dark).

Best of luck,

Marshall

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:00 am

interesting... 30 years ago you never heard a thing about ADD, now there is already a drug for it.

wonder what the next new drug and disorder will be.

Offerocker · Post by **Offerocker** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:59 am

I also agree that your Apnea needs to settle down FIRST.
Reasses yourself at that point, and talk with your doctor again.

Snoredog wrote:interesting... 30 years ago you never heard a thing about ADD, now there is already a drug for it.

wonder what the next new drug and disorder will be.

Snoredog, I must comment on this because 30 years ago these children were just considered either inattentive students/disruptive/bad boys, etc. I can remember one from grade school that was sent to some sort of school that really stressed discipline (military school?). He was likeable, but continually disruptive in class. Today, he owns his own company (hi-tech).
Although I don't know the details of the interim years, I DO believe that 'Attention Deficit Disorder' is very real. Could be brain chemistry, as insufficient Serotonin has been found to cause problems.

I canot agree/disagree with the pharmaceutical treatmentS for "ADD" or its signs.

I'm merely pointing out that this 'condition' has existed for a long time, and someone finally gave it an identifiable 'name'.

"What will the next one be?"
Perhaps, what we think is Parkinson's is actually SEVERAL disorders?????

Who knows, but I hope the researchers are continuing to follow through on our valid complaints (verified by specialists), that don't yet have a 'name' for it.

Perhaps this is the oddity about it: it's not 'physical', although it certainly affects our physical actions and thought processes. Physical problems are more easily diagnosed and treated.

Experience is usually the best teacher.

SNOREDOG: I admittedly made the assumption, after reading your statement that you did NOT agree with the diagnosis of ADD. If my comments sounded 'slanted', that is why.

All of the above is my OPINION, based on MY experiences, yadayadayada.

sybert1ger · Post by **sybert1ger** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:58 am

lordbanchi wrote:
Funny thing...it was actually my neurologist (who had prescribed the adderall) that suggested I go for a sleep study. So, the moral of my story is to treat one condition at a time. That is the only way you can get to the root of the problem (unless you are really lucky and throw the dart in the bull's eye in the dark).

Interesting, it was a Neuropsychologist who recommended a sleep study to me. I had mentioned sleep apnea to my general practitioner and he didn't think it was likely. After 6 months or so of various unsuccessful treatments he sent me for ADD and similar disorder testing. When I described my symptoms to the new doc and before he'd done any testing he told me to get a sleep study because it sounded a likely cause.

It nice hearing other people have heard the same thing.

Offerocker · Post by **Offerocker** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:09 pm

sybert1ger wrote: It nice hearing other people have heard the same thing.

Sybert1ger:
Since apnea causes us to lose oxygen to our organs, including our brains, there's no doubt in my mind** that "ADD" could be a result, although not necessarily the full-blown paramaters of "ADD".

**(no doubt in my mind - sometimes I think that's ALL that's there, ha ha)

Let us not forget that the brain is a unique organ; it can seemingly 'repair itself', in that other parts of it sometime take over to overcome the shortcomings.

All in all, it's certainly not fun - any of it.

cheeks · Post by **cheeks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:16 pm

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I see the collective community agrees with what my gut is telling me to do and just hold off on the adderall. I will just let the doctor know and go from there, work out a time schedule for the future or something.

It is nice to know that other people experienced similar stuff, tis comforting

NeurosurgeryNP · Post by **NeurosurgeryNP** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:23 pm

I definitely had symptoms of ADD prior to my diagnosis. I would constantly be jittering around, going to the bathroom during college class, and figedity in my seat. Like ants in my pants! They tell me this was my body's attempt to try to stop from going to sleep. After I started cpap -by a week or so - these symptoms stopped.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:03 pm

In the last few months before cpap and until getting the quirks resolved, I had very disjointed thinking. My mind would jump from one thing to another, but it was more like it was desperately trying to fill gaps when the preceding thought vanished in mid air. Also, lingering on any thought too long meant certain sleep. I took Concerta for a month, but sleep was my real issue. I vote with the crowd on seeing how much cpap resolves first.
Kathy

uv · Post by uv » Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:07 pm

OSA creates havoc in one´s pre frontal cortex and that seems to be the cause of the cognitive and behavioral deficits that plague quite a few of us.
there is an interesting article at:

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pd ... ookieSet=1

that describes this OSA / ADD symptoms connection.

UV

SleepFitness · Post by **SleepFitness** » Thu May 03, 2007 12:00 am

Here's a 2002 Pediatric study showing children with sleep apnea are TWICE as likely to develop ADHD:
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/tonsils-out-to-treat-adhd

Suggestion? Have your tonsils removed to reduce risk for sleep apnea, and in turn, ADHD.

Wish I had mine removed as a teenager... I put it off twice and never did get them out.

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