UARS treatment and anxiety

[sleepsurfer]

being that most likely my anxiety is from constant sleep fragmentation(uars) and that anxiety (i believe) is compromising my cpap therapy, does anyone have experience with anti-anxiety medication? i'm not depressive, just a general anxiety.

[Dan on CPAP]

I had anxiety issues associated with my diagnoses and initial CPAP therapy. I researched and self prescribed 450mg of Valerian root (2 a Day), 1000mg fish oil (1 a day) and self medicated myself to sleep with Melatonin 3mg, Kava Tea and Tylenol simply sleep for the first 3 to 4 weeks of acclamation to CPAP Therapy. Today, I only take the fish oil supplement. I believe my recovery was greatly due to getting the sleep my body needed to recover from the years of sleep neglect/deficit. I also gave my cup to God and asked friends and family to pray for me that I would get better. Anxiety was very horrible for me and it really sucked the happiness from my heart. It lead to the misuse of my imagination, as quoted from Mark Twain.
God, Therapy, Friends, my Family and this site are my secret to my positive outcome...

[mars]

being that most likely my anxiety is from constant sleep fragmentation(uars) and that anxiety (i believe) is compromising my cpap therapy, does anyone have experience with anti-anxiety medication? i'm not depressive, just a general anxiety.

Hi SleepSurfer

As my experiences with anti-anxiety medication border on the bizarre, I cannot make any recomendations there, unless you want to free of anxiety about everything.

There is often a thinking aspect to anxiety, and getting anxious about having anxiety is not uncommon. There are many good rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioural resources can help with this problem that you can find on the net.

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=ratio ... =firefox-a

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=cogni ... =firefox-a

If you can find the book - Overcoming Worry and fear - by Paul Hauck, it is by far the most practical book resource I have found, published by Westminster Press, Philadelphia.

Good luck.

Mars

[tattooyu]

SleepSurfer, I'm just sorry I didn't find this post sooner!

I am amongst the experts in anxiety. I have panic disorder and most likely generalized anxiety disorder. At the culmination of my pre-CPAP nightmare, I was having panic attacks -- really intense ones -- every single day. I have been in an ambulance three times over the past few years because of them, thinking I was dying.

Currently, I am seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist and have probably been branded for life by my health insurance. Thank God for group insurance through employment!


MEDICATION

I tried an SSRI (Celexa) once and will never do that again. For me, I had a bad reaction (more anxiety, hot skin, jitters...). There are studies showing that SSRIs really aren't very effective. Here's one:

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlse ... ed.0050045

Currently, I take a teeny tiny amount of Klonopin (0.125 mg) -- yes one of those dreaded benzodiazepines -- as needed and no more. So far, I have not built up a tolerance at all, and it works really, really well for me.


THERAPY

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - So far this type of therapy, that teaches you how to rethink and react differently to stimuli has worked very well. I highly recommend it.

Hypnotherapy - I am using a self-hypnotherapy program for my IBS -- which is a brain-gut disorder and also involves anxiety often -- and it is incredible. It's a 100-day program that I use as I'm going to sleep. It's okay to fall asleep with it on. It has a very good track record and is called the "IBS Audio Program 100" by Michael Mahoney.


BOOKS

"Hope and Help For Your Nerves" by Claire Weekes. This one book single-handedly jumped me forward in my progress to rid myself of excess anxiety. Written in the late 60s, she NAILS the feelings and processes that we go through.

http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Help-Your-Ne ... 823&sr=1-1

"Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" by Edmund Bourne. Another great book to help with anxiety and panic.

http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobia-Wo ... 1572244135

"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness" by Dr. Daniel Amen. You may have seen him on PBS. I don't completely agree with his methods, but his techniques have seemed to help me as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Brain ... 879&sr=1-1


The combination of therapy and medication (or supplements) usually gives a better outcome than either one alone. I know Uncle_Bob on here really likes biofeedback. Look into that too! Currently, I am down to maybe one or two panic attacks a month, and they aren't usually (what I call) full-blown ones.

Best of luck to you!


EDIT: Certainly the biggest impact on my panic and anxiety has been PAP therapy. How could I leave that out? The fact that I'm not suffocating every night and don't have high levels of stress hormones running through my body 24/7 is the most enormous factor.

[mtb211]

hey there, yeah I wish I saw this post earlier too

I used to have horrible panic attacks, now i just have GAD ... The stuff you are taking is all natural right? I take lorazapam sometimes at night but I only take them when I feel i need them.

The best thing to do is to run 30 minutes a day, it will help a lot... try not to drink a lot of caffeine, under 100 mg a day

How long have you had the anxiety for? It is manageable, I almost didnt finish college because of it but I did, and i was having a bad panic attaack every few days and moderate attacks daily... If you really want I have read books that really have worked, its better then self medicating.

[tattooyu]

mtb211 is right. Don't self-medicate. I'd even be careful with certain supplements if you are taking prescribed medication. And for God's sake don't take 5-HTP... it's turning out to be nasty stuff.

Exercise does help a lot! I have a bad pinched nerve so my exercise has been even more limited than my usual lazy-ass self and I can tell my anxiety level is higher but managed.

[mtb211]

i have not taken 5-htp, Only because I couldnt find it a few years ago. In a book I read that it was good.... did it cause more panic attacks for you?

[tattooyu]

I have never taken it after reading warnings about it on the Interwebs. I'm curious about inositol, though.

Supposedly, Omega-3s are really good for mood, but I can't digest fish oil: no gallbladder AND IBS, what a winning combo! What other sources of Omega-3s are there?

[-SWS]

being that most likely my anxiety is from constant sleep fragmentation(uars) and that anxiety (i believe) is compromising my cpap therapy, does anyone have experience with anti-anxiety medication? i'm not depressive, just a general anxiety.

If I suffered from both UARS and anxiety, I think I would take a close look at Dr. Barry Krakow's web site:
http://sleeptreatment.com/

Dr.Krakow is both a sleep doctor and researcher who happens to specialize in sleep-related anxiety and UARS. He has some very interesting books and even web-based material that people here have found extremely useful.

[roster]

being that most likely my anxiety is from constant sleep fragmentation(uars) and that anxiety (i believe) is compromising my cpap therapy, does anyone have experience with anti-anxiety medication? i'm not depressive, just a general anxiety.

From my experience, get your CPAP therapy working well, practice immaculate sleep hygience, exercise regularly and reasonably, eat a good diet, and enjoy good friendships. This will get to the root of your anxiety and solve it and gradually you will begin to sleep better.

Medications will only mask the symptoms. Medication does nothing for hypoxia (often makes it worse) and often screws up sleep architecture.

Good luck.

[Uncle_Bob]

being that most likely my anxiety is from constant sleep fragmentation(uars) and that anxiety (i believe) is compromising my cpap therapy, does anyone have experience with anti-anxiety medication? i'm not depressive, just a general anxiety.

I think the others have pretty much covered it. The only thing i would do if i where you is to try a herbal supplement first. Try some St Johns Wart its used to promote mood balance. Helps work to take the edge off.

I got the 300mg capsuals but find that too much so i break the capsule and sprinkle a bit of the powder in a decaf green tea.

Good luck
UB

[sleepsurfer]

wow...you guys are all great!!!! thank you for all of the advice........let me refine my request for advice.
i want to find something i can take at night while using cpap in order to better tolerate the treatment......it is as if my anxiety has gone from underlying to more in the forefront since starting my cpap therapy(3 months ago). i have a pr system one remstar on the way which i hope will be an improvement over the leaf blower(cpap) that my sleep doc prescribed.
i eat well, have a relatively low stress job, a supportive wife, a great life basically, however the UARS has slowly taken away my vitality over the last ten years or so(38 years old). lately, i have gotten to a point were i can't even really surf anymore, which is probably the scariest thing for me after doing it my whole life. so maybe if i can take the edge off of the anxiety for a short period, then my cpap treatment will become more effective.

thank you all for your advice, it truly is appreciated......hope to get to a point were i can also help others!

sleepsurfer mike

[Rustyolddude]

Read the Wiki on Mirtazapine (Remeron), see if it sounds like something you need to discuss with your doctor.

[secret agent girl]

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[Rustyolddude]

I'll jump in here again, didn't have time to do a detailed post. I suffer primarily from UARS and "moderate severe alpha intrusion" 50% sleep efficiency. Very fragmented sleep and long sleep latency. Ambien doesn't keep me asleep, I wake up after 3-4 hours. I tried Valerian capsules with melatonin and Tilo. No improvement. After doing some research I asked the Doc about mirtazapine. Started out on a 15mg dose and ended up on 30mg taken before bed. Took a while to adjust, was groggy all day for about a week or more.

After getting adjusted to it, it has helped a great deal. I typicall fall asleep in about 1/2 an hour. I stay asleep all night. Along with the mirtazapine, I take one 3mg melatonin just because I paid for them and I might as well use them up, I take one D vitamin, one magnesium tablet and a mens multi vitamin. Started the vitamin regiment a month after starting on the mirtazapine. Haven't noticed any changes from the vitamins.

In addition, I have a small MP3 player loaded with Dr. Thompons Delta Sleep System. I put the player inside the pillow and tuck a cheap pair of earbuds in my ears and don the mask. The sleep music has been exceptionally effective, equal to the medication, at getting my brain to shut down. The ear buds fall out at some point every night, the player shuts off after about 2 hours. The cat seldom wakes me, the wife getting up and dealing with the cat doesn't wake me.

I've had & have issues with anxiety but unrelated to the CPAP. CPAP has become my teddy bear of sorts, as much of a pain as it can be, I really miss it's comfort if I happen to sleep without it or on the rare weird occasion I take it off in my sleep. I usually wake up as a result and put it back on. Hope this helps.