Untreated sleep apnea and antidepressants

[oxygenium65]

Hi!
(Sorry my spelling.. my english is not very good)
I'm 42 years old man, strong sleep apnea diagnosis. I'm still waiting C-pap (i get it in 40 days), and my mental depression is quite bad.
Not having suicidal thoughts, just dead tired and depressed.

I have antidepressants recipe (sertralin), but i don't take them yet.

I would like to hear some opinions first from others. My doctor says that C-pap don't help much for depression.
I´d like to try C-pap fist.

Thanks!

[Marietjie]

Hi Oxy - your spelling is fine - I'm also not english speaking (home language is Afrikaans) ......Oxy, ask your doctor to read what sleepdisorders look like - Depression is one of the symptons ! ! !(depressed because your body is so tired and deprived of sleep) - I wasn't on antidepressants (I don't like them) - after 3 months on cpap therapy my depression is 90% better ! (I think the other 10% is old age! ! ! (63 now) (ha-ha) Just you watch this forum re your question......the members of this forum is going to give you the best advice ever.... I'm only 5 months into cpap therapy - besides better health - one also feel 'nicer' and happy.
WELCOME, Oxy - ask questions and you will learn very quickly. Kind regards and have a nice day - Marietjie, South Africa

[roster]

Hi!
(Sorry my spelling.. my english is not very good)
I'm 42 years old man, strong sleep apnea diagnosis. I'm still waiting C-pap (i get it in 40 days), and my mental depression is quite bad.
Not having suicidal thoughts, just dead tired and depressed.

I have antidepressants recipe (sertralin), but i don't take them yet.

I would like to hear some opinions first from others. My doctor says that C-pap don't help much for depression.
I´d like to try C-pap fist.

Thanks!

Untreated sleep apnea is a major cause of depression and anxiety. My docs failed to diagnose my sleep apnea and treated me improperly for 18 months. They prescribed talk therapy, sedatives, sleeping pills and had me try three different antidepressants (SSRIs). Each drug I only took a few nights because they made me sicker.

Finally I diagnosed myself with sleep apnea, had a sleep study and started cpap. Within some months after getting the pressure settings correct I was much improved and will never take another sedative or antidepressant.

It is well known that sleep apnea is a root cause of depression. Cpap can treat the root cause and eliminate the depression. It was exciting for me to learn that it was not a character failure - just an inability to sleep and breathe at the same time.

Good luck.

[mindy]

Although I agree that sleep apnea can cause depression, I had severe depression long before I had sleep apnea. It just goes to show that we're all different. If depression started after sleep apnea and it's not at a dangerous level, imho it *may* be worth seeing what cpap will do. However, you can always discontinue anti-depression meds after cpap becomes effective. I've found anti-depressants to be hard to get used to but I've been on them for a long time and just don't notice any effects any more.

Mindy

[roster]

........ I had severe depression long before I had sleep apnea. ....

Mindy, can you be sure about that? Many of us, myself included, had undiagnosed sleep apnea for decades. I never suspected it all of those years, even near the end when I began to develop depression and anxiety.

[mindy]

Well, Rooster, I can't be completely sure but I think my sleep apnea started when I gained weight - which was about 11 years ago. Prior to that I didn't have any sleep apnea symptoms but I've had major depressions since I was very young. There is a traumatic cause for my depressions so although I certainly can't be 100% certain, I do strongly suspect that my depressions pre-dated my sleep apnea by many years.

Mindy

[Pineapple]

Oxy,

IMO your sleep apnea is at least a contributing factor to you depression. I think you will find that as your therapy becomes effective, your depression will decrease, but be warned, this is not an immediate gratification therapy, most people don't report improvement for at least a month. Myself my depression is still with me at 6 months although it no longer has a strangle hold on me. You have to be the judge of whether or not you can do with out the antidepressants. While I might disagree with Mindy about when her Apnea started (I've had misdiagnosed symptoms since I was 7 and my depression started after the birth of my last child) Mindy's suggestion of using them to "get over the hump" maybe you best bet.

[mindy]

Oxy,

IMO your sleep apnea is at least a contributing factor to you depression. I think you will find that as your therapy becomes effective, your depression will decrease, but be warned, this is not an immediate gratification therapy, most people don't report improvement for at least a month. Myself my depression is still with me at 6 months although it no longer has a strangle hold on me. You have to be the judge of whether or not you can do with out the antidepressants. While I might disagree with Mindy about when her Apnea started (I've had misdiagnosed symptoms since I was 7 and my depression started after the birth of my last child) Mindy's suggestion of using them to "get over the hump" maybe you best bet.

I never had any sleep apnea symptoms until I gained weight .....; never snored, etc. etc.

Mindy

[karisma446]

Oxy, when it comes to depression and sleep apnea you will get many answers. You need to do what you think is best for you. I know, just like mindy, that I had depression for many years before I had sleep apnea, I had never snored, I always felt rested, I was far from sleep deprived. I am now always tired and ready to fall asleep while playing on the computer. My depression is also from traumatic experiences in my past. I have had depression since I was about 13. I am not on any meds because of many reasons but my depression is under control. If you want to just use the cpap for awhile and see if that works, go for it. Many people do suffer from depression because of the apnea and once the apnea is under control then so is the depression so it just depends on what your cause is.

Hope this helps
Karisma

[mindy]

ps I had a sleep study because of severe insomnia in 1992 and it showed no evidence of sleep apnea at all.

m

[roster]

I guess it is good to have varied opinions. Since you, Oxygenium65, are not suicidal and you know you have untreated sleep apnea which may cause your depression, I would suggest you not start an antidepressant which might yield negative side effects and no benefit. Get the sleep apnea under control first.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

[oxygenium65]

Thank you for your fast replys. Your experiences on cpap therapy is very encouraging for me.
I have had symptoms long as i can remember... and at least last 20 years my wife has been my "sleepguard".
She wakes me up sometimes when i'm not breathing ... and she can't sleep well because of "keep on eye on me".

I feel stupid because i didn't understand to get help earlier.. i somehow accepted that i'm hazy, lazy , slow, dead tired,
cynical, frustrated, anxious, sometimes very short tempered, can't concentrate, bad memory.. etc.

I have had sooo meny different jobs in my life i can't count. I always somehow "burn-out" on one job, then same thing with next job.
Always trying and failing... (i'm not so bad worker, but i always felt failed and frustrated) and wondering what's wrong with me.
Not strong depression feelings like now, until last 2 years. Things got worse at the same same time when my asthma started.
I hope its not too late for cpap.

(I registered my username)

[roster]

Many of us had development of our lives similar to yours. Get treated and have a wonderful life.

[jnk]

I feel stupid because i didn't understand to get help earlier.

I think most of us feel similarly. But it's not our fault. We do the best we can with what we know and understand once we know and understand. We should just be glad that now we know and understand.

i somehow accepted that i'm hazy, lazy , slow, dead tired, cynical, frustrated, anxious, sometimes very short tempered, can't concentrate, bad memory.. etc.

We may have been separated at birth!

I hope its not too late for cpap.

You are still breathing, so it isn't too late. It's never too late.

Decisions about antidepressants should be made with as much help from your loved ones and doctors as you can get. No one should tell you what to do, of course, but people who know you well and know all the medical ins and outs of your situation can be a major asset to you. There is no doubt that CPAP will help and can't possibly hurt. But where meds fit into your equation (before? during? after? never?) has a lot to do with numerous other factors.

May it go well for you.

[Pineapple]

Oxy,

Don't feel stupid. Many doctors don't recognize apnea. I've been symptomatic for apnea for 40 years but since I don't snore and no one ever hear me gasp in my sleep (my husband freaked out when he was told I stop breathing 24 times a hour) no one even considered apnea. When I asked for my sleep study my GP didn't think he could get me accepted by the sleep lab - "your not the type and you don't have symptoms" I told him to tell them "the obvious reason I'm tired is I'm not sleeping and I don't believe I'm sleeping" The sleep lab nurse said that is exactly what he put on the referal. I filled out the "symptom" questionaire. When the nurse called me back the day after the test she told me "there were so many red flags on this questionaire, it would have been amazing if you didn't have apnea".