Sleeping pills while starting out CPAP

[RomeinDNVR]

Good morning all--

Two nights ago I took 1/2 of an Ambien that I was prescribed to try and get a full nights sleep. It worked and I slept for over 8 hours, woke up and felt better than I ever have. Last night I decided to try and sleep with out the medication to see how it would go. I feel asleep just fine around 11pm when I went to bed and woke up at 3AM and could not fall back asleep... I am exhausted today.

I don't want to get "hooked" on sleeping pills or make my brain think I need the medicine to fall asleep with the alien on my face. Is that a legitimate concern? I know it might sound stupid, but I really hate prescription pills and the thought of needing them to have a full night sleep. Today marks my one week with CPAP and it has really been a rollercoaster, which I know is normal.

What are your thoughts? Did any of you take sleeping meds during your first few weeks of CPAP?

Thanks, this board has been a great support system for me!

Rome

[RandyJ]

I have never taken Ambien while on cpap but took it a few years ago when I was having a problem falling asleep. I loved how it just knocked me out, I never had issues with it and had no problem w/stopping it.

However... my dad started taking it a few years ago and cannot sleep well now without it. He tried to stop it and has spent many sleepless nights trying to go without it.

If I were you, I wouldn't get used to taking it if I didn't have to. I think our bodies get used to anything that we associate with sleep; some people have a nighttime chamomile tea ritual etc, or Melatonin, and when you take it away they have sleep issues. I think it's better to postpone lying down in bed and masking up until you really feel sleepy and ready to sleep. I don't watch tv in bed so that I don't get used to being in bed for anything other than sleep.

If you absolutely cannot get to sleep without it, then I guess it's better to sleep than not sleep. But I think, at least for me, it's better to try everything else first.

Good luck!

[beijo4u]

Today marks 1 week for me as well. I have struggled to get used to the cpap mask, so a couple of nights I took Benedryl or Advil night-time to help me sleep. I won't make a habit of it but plan on doing that until I get used to it. Which I hope is soon. If I wake up about an hour before I get up, I will take the mask off to get some relief. One of my problems is that as soon as I put the mask on and get settled in...my nose starts itching! So aggravating!

[NightMonkey]

I know it might sound stupid, but I really hate prescription pills and the thought of needing them to have a full night sleep.

1. Use CPAP software to make sure your therapy is very effective at night.

2. Become an expert on the subject of sleep hygiene.

3. Become a dedicated practioner of excellent sleep hygiene.

[Perrybucsdad]

I tried Benedryl when I first started and I found out that I had more events each night when I was on the Benedryl. Can't say if the Rx you are using would do the same thing, but just keep it in mind.

[carbonman]

I don't want to get "hooked" on sleeping pills or make my brain think I need the medicine to fall asleep
Rome

Sound mind, sound sleep
--Dr. Barry Krakow

Forget the drugs.
Use your mind.

Close your day
SOLO to contact your mind /body
TFI (thought,feeling,image) balancing to quiet your mind

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0471650641/?ta ... qsaswqzh_e

[avi123]

Check these threads:

viewtopic/t70082/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60 ... ns#p573154
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66199&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... 3+about+Rx

Taking sleep medication while CPAPing.

It really depends on the cause of your sleep disorder.
Taking a 10 mg of Zolpidem ( generic Ambien) helped me a lot with my fragmented sleep for years, long before starting CPAP for OSA. When I started CPAPing, 9 months ago, I took half a tablet (5 mg) as soon as I mounted the mask at around 11:30 p.m. which let me sleep for 3 hours. Then after going to the BR I took another half a tablet which gave me 3 more hours of sleep. For the hangover the next morning I took two tablets of Tylenol and for the ingested air I took Pepto Bismol.
I have learned about the value of Ambien when I was prescribed it at the hospital after a joint replacement (hip) operation. It’s a true miracle sleep drug as long as you don’t continue on it for long time because of addiction. About 4 months ago I decided to withdraw from it. So I was prescribed Xanax to help me with the withdrawal which I did in two weeks, by following TonyCog approach. See below.

About Ambien
viewtopic/t28525/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63 ... og#p593574

Sleep without Ambien!!
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60835&p=570869

p.s. here is a true story about those who are against taking Rx (and try very hard to convince others to follow). When my wife who happened to be a registered pharmacist at the time, gave birth to our first child she decided to do it without taking any sedation. But after 5 hours of labor, boy o boy, she vowed never to repeat it again.

[VVV]

I feel asleep just fine around 11pm when I went to bed and woke up at 3AM and could not fall back asleep...

That is called premature awakening (not to be confused with insomnia).

In addition to NightMonkey's recommendations,

1. Use CPAP software to make sure your therapy is very effective at night.

2. Become an expert on the subject of sleep hygiene.

3. Become a dedicated practioner of excellent sleep hygiene.

also get educated about reflux and RLS. There is a correlation between these two disorders and sleep apnea.

Either disorder may cause premature awakenings. Self-diagnosis is possible with reflux and RLS. MayoClinic.com is a good source.

[Pugsy]

I think that the decision to take (or not to take) sleep aids needs to be thoroughly discussed with one's own private physician. There is a time and place for some meds and not others. Pros and cons along with other possible drug interactions are best dealt with under the close supervision of a doctor. I personally have taken Ambien long term without issues and quit taking it without issues and now very rarely take it but what I do or find acceptable has been thoroughly discussed with my doctor and may not be suitable for the next person. We can offer our thoughts and personal opinions or experiences but only you and your doctor ultimately need to make the decision on what is suitable for you and your needs.

[scottjf8]

I took Lunesta for the first month or two of cpap, while getting used to the mask on my face.

Now I can usually go to sleep w/out it... I'll take it maybe once a week when I'm awake and can't seem to fall asleep. At some point I'll switch over to something like Tylenol PM.

[john_dozer]

Two things

1) Google Ambien and Central Sleep apnea and discuss whether that applies to you with your doctor.

2) If you're just starting, I would take advantage of your current sleep debt to help you get use to sleeping with your CPAP. If you get rid of the sleep debt and go off the sleeping pills it will be all the harder to learn to fall asleep unaided.

[ThirdOutOfFive]

I take 75 mg of doxepin (an anti-depressant) to help me deal with the insomnia that comes with fibromyalgia. I decided to keep taking the pills for my sleep study and while using PAPpy. I have been using the doxepin for much longer than I have had apnea. PAPpy is not going to cure this insomnia, so it makes sense to keep taking the pills. My ENT agrees. So, I guess my advice would be to ask the doctor, unless you know for certain that trouble sleeping is due to something other than apnea.

[RomeinDNVR]

Thanks for the advice!

My doctor prescribed it for me to make the transition to CPAP easier, I am going to try one more night with out any type of sleep aid and see how it goes. My heart is completely sold on CPAP and what it will do for me... apparently my brain is not yet, but in time that will come.

Rome

[robysue]

I don't want to get "hooked" on sleeping pills or make my brain think I need the medicine to fall asleep with the alien on my face. Is that a legitimate concern? I know it might sound stupid, but I really hate prescription pills and the thought of needing them to have a full night sleep. Today marks my one week with CPAP and it has really been a rollercoaster, which I know is normal.

As others have said, the choice to take or not take sleeping medication is highly personal and should be made in consultation with your doctor.

But it's not necessarily an all or nothing thing. Since you reacted well to the Ambien, but you are worried about taking it night after night and becoming dependent on it, a perfectly good compromise position you might want to consider is this:

Don't simply take the Ambien every night on the off chance that the night will be a bad one. But----if NIGHT 1 is indeed a bad one (and you define "bad one"), then take Ambien on NIGHT 2 in order to avoid having two "bad ones" in a row.

Back during the early days of my War on Insomnia, that was my philosophy with the Ambien. Unfortunately for me, the Ambien tended to leave me a feeling a bit hungover the next day and it did not help keep me asleep sufficiently well: I still was waking up far too often even with the Ambien.