OSA with Rheumatoid Arthritis

[texmels]

I was diagnosed with RA in 1998 and have been dealing with the painful symptoms since then. I started Cpap treatment for severe OSA in March of this year. I am interested to hear about other people afflicted with both OSA and RA, and how CPAP treatment has affected or changed their RA symptoms. Thanks guys!

[Hawthorne]

I was diagnosed with RA in 1991 and with Sleep Apnea in 2002. I did not find that sleep apnea or cpap therapy affected or changed my RA. The main difference I noticed was that, with a good night's sleep, I was better able to cope with RA during the day. I am not as fatigued. I still have RA fatigue but not sleep apnea fatigue during the day. This has made quite a difference for me. Hope you find the same.

As far as RA pain goes, I'm not sure there is much difference except that don't have night time pain. I think this is because I am sleeping more deeply and more restfully and the pain doesn't seem to bother me at night. I am still stiff when I get up in the morning but that passes in about 1/2 hour.

[msradar65]

My RA has not really changed since starting CPAP. What has really changed is treating my critically low Vit D level. Since treatment my pain levels and stiffness have improved greatly. I sleep ALL night now and like a rock since starting CPAP.

[MelindaJoan]

I was diagnosed with RA in 2009 and earlier this month with severe OSA. I've only been using the machine since 7/5 with pretty good results, I think. There are more good nights than not, anyway. In addition, I also have some other sleep disorder going on which is under investigation but I think it'll end up being Periodic Limb Movement disorder. In terms of the latter, I do have a concern with the medications being at cross purposes with RA and RA medications.

I can't say I've really seen a change in my RA condition; it seems stable, although like most people there are good days and not-so-good days. Like the previous poster, I think after a good night's sleep I'm in a far better frame of mind and more able to cope with any RA issues. And I had a heck-of-a-great night's sleep last night.

[texmels]

My sleep doctor told me to expect my RA symptoms to improve after about 6months of therapy. The only difference I feel is less sleepy during the day, but the RA pain and associated body fatigue has not improved either. I am four months into cpap treatment now, so the really good news is that I am able to get through a full day without involuntarily falling asleep lol.

[Sheriff Buford]

I was diagnosed with RA about a year ago. I cannot say that cpap therapy has made a significant improvement to RA, but I went to a RA doctor, and he prescribed Humira. I don't know how many of you RA folks have tried Humira, but it has really worked for me. Prior to Humira, just about every joint in my body ached (wrist, ankles, neck , elbows, shoulders, etc...). After about a month on Humira, I started to see a significant improvement. It also allowed me to sleep better (less achy).

Sheriff

[Hawthorne]

texmels - your sleep doctor does no know what he/she is talking about when they say that cpap therapy will improve RA symptoms in about 6 months! Your sleep doctor knows little or nothing about RA if he/she is telling people this!

The only difference you will observe is possibly less fatigue during the day and that is only because the fatigue caused by unreated sleep apnea is addressed with cpap therapy. The fatigue, pain and other RA symptoms will not be affected or eased by cpap therapy. I speak as someone who has had RA for 20 years and been on cpap therapy for 10 years.

As for Humira - I tried that and it did nothing for me. The course of drugs AND EXERCISE PROGRAM that I am currently on (and have been on for some time now) has helped relieve my RA symptoms. The point I'm trying to make here is that there are lots of drugs available for RA treatment these days BUT only trial and error (working with your Rheumatologist) will find the right combination of drugs for you. Also, difficult though it may be for people with RA (or any of the over 100 types of arthritis) exercise is crucial for controlling symptoms, slowing the progress of the condition and keeping as much mobility as possible. I do Tai Chi regularly (3-4 times a week), walk almost every day and do stretching and range of motion exercise daily. In addition moderate strength training is also helpful to keep the muscles and tendons around your joints strong and healthy.

Sorry! I got off on RA treatment there but it is important not to believe that cpap therapy is going to do anything for RA except give you a better night's sleep,making is easier to cope with RA and give you more energy to do that exercise!

[msradar65]

I have tried Humira, Enbrel, Arava and a ton of other drugs...with minimal success. The best success i had was to fix my Vit D problems. That along with weightloss and exercise as made a big difference.

[Janknitz]

I don't have RA, but I have heard that CPAP therapy can make a dramatic difference in SOME people.

Other things I've heard make a big difference are supplementing Vitamin D if it's low and ridding your diet of grains.

You can ask your doctor to test Vitamin D. If you supplement, it should be with oil-based D3 capsules, tablets do not work.

As far as removing the grains, your doctor will probably not think this will work (and it may not). But it's free and drug free and worth trying for 2 weeks. If it works, you're going to be happy, and if it doesn't, no harm, no foul--go back to your current diet. Take a look at the "Wheat Belly" website http://www.wheatbellyblog.com and the book by the same name. Be sure to avoid hidden forms of wheat that are in most processed foods.

[chunkyfrog]

I have some relief from my osteoarthritis; but it may be because that inflammation may be more responsive
to changes in blood chemistry attributable to Cpap. Perhaps some docs are in a 'one-size-fits-all' rut?

[texmels]

I have not had my vit d levels checked, but a pharmacist told me to avoid extra vit d because I take a calcium channel blocker for my blood pressure/elevated heart rate. i will definitly have a conversation about this when I go back to see my doctor. Thanks for the advice:-)

[Greg Fountain]

Hi everyone
I don't have RA but do have dermatomyositis (autoimmune "arthritis" for muscles") and deal with many of the same issue you do. One thing to keep in mind it that there is no cure for any of these autoimmune diseases. With that in mind I did not expect my cpap to work wonders on my aches and pains. It did help with getting closer to a good nights sleep. Currently I am awakened only occasionally due to pain and that is a good thing.

While we can predict that six people in a million will get what I have, it is still impossible to predict how any given individual will react to a drug or treatment plan. Hopefully your cpap will improve your over all quality of life....it certainly did for me....and have very few side effects. For what ever it is worth, I have tried several of the the TNF blockers to no avail. Currently I use prednisone and Cellcept to keep my white blood cells in line.

Best wishts
Greg

[Sheriff Buford]

I didn't know about the vitamin D thang.... Thanks for the info.... I'll try the vitamin D and see if there's improvement.

Sheriff

[Crist]

I was diagnosed with RA in 1997 & sleep apnea in July 2014, which I suspect I've had for at least 10 years if not longer, the past 2 years getting steadily worse up til diagnosis.

For me, I think the biggest factor had been the pure exhaustion from undiagnosed & untreated apnea resulting In a lower tolerance to the pain from the RA.

With apnea now well controlled, I'm in a much better mindset and therefore coping better with the pain (which is actually worse at the moment due to a flare up) and I have the energy to get back to doing some exercise which is helping with gradual weight loss and that of course means less pressure on the joints, but CPAP can't 'fix' an autoimmune disease, I wish it were that simple