Provent for sleep apnea

[pats]

As I indicated in another thread, I just got back from a high altitude vacation using Provent as a more convenient substitute for my normal APAP. My vacation included two nights sleeping at a hotel on the shore of Lake Titicaca, at over 12,500 feet about sea level.

Provent worked very well for me. I had no serious problems with altitude sickness. The only time I woke with what felt like the beginning of a mild headache, it turned out to be dehydration. I did find myself breathing hard when e.g. walking from a hotel lobby to my room up a couple of ramps, maybe a 20 foot climb, but that was when fully awake and unrelated to my sleep apnea management.

Although I prefer APAP for home use, and my sleep doctor considers it a better treatment , Provent is, for me, an excellent substitute during complicated travel, as well as a simple backup for power failure or machine failure. I was pleasantly surprised that I had no trouble adjusting back to APAP last night, my first night back home after two weeks of Provent. Provent is relatively cheap for a couple of weeks at a time, although it would cost more than my APAP if I used it every night.

I do have two things going for me that I think are critical to Provent success: It sticks well to my skin, and I can control mouth breathing with a simple, fairly loose, chin strap. The only preparation I need to do is to wash my face with soap and water.

My next planned travel is a couple of weeks in London in October. I have not yet decided whether to use Provent or APAP. On the one hand, Provent is very convenient - I can pack it along with my medications in my carry-on. On the other hand, taking my APAP would be far more feasible than for my recent travel. I plan to sleep at the same hotel every night. I would only have to carry the machine, along with my regular carry-on, for a round trip pair of direct flights between San Diego and London.

I do think that anyone considering high altitude use of Provent should get specific medical advice.

[subigal]

I began CPAP for severe sleep apnea in Feb. Took about a week to get used to the machine and had to switch from a a mask to nose pillows. Sleep great; wake up rested. I'm going to Italy in October with my aging mother, and she sent me an article about Provent. Decided to give it a try in hopes I could travel without a machine (one more thing to keep up with). Got the 10 day supply, and after 4 days, did fine. My allergies are a problem with both devices, as I'm prone to nose bleeds from so much drainage. With the CPAP, the pressure's causing more nose bleeds. With the Provent, I can's blow my nose without discarding the device in the middle of the night. I will continue to use Provent for overnight or multi-night trips from home, and even the plane ride over to Italy. CPAP will be my mainstay while at home. We recently lost power for 3 days, and I was grateful to have Provent available. All in all, it's nice to have options available to suit different sleeping needs. I highly recommend using Provent as an alternate device. (If and when my insurance company covers the cost, I may expand usage.) Hope this is helpful --
PS...my husband reported no snoring with Provent or CPAP; if he's happy, I'm happy!

[ChicagoGranny]

Marketing tactic addressed at the market segment that cannot be convinced to use Provent to replace their CPAP: Encourage this segment to use it for travel only. Success is getting them to buy one trial pack only.

Just more spam.

But at $20 for a trial pack if they can sell a million trials that is $20 million retail sales. I expect they will get very few repeat customers but trial packs could pay off their investment.

What started out as a novel idea with some merit has now turned into a scam?

[pats]

Marketing tactic addressed at the market segment that cannot be convinced to use Provent to replace their CPAP: Encourage this segment to use it for travel only. Success is getting them to buy one trial pack only.

Just more spam.

But at $20 for a trial pack if they can sell a million trials that is $20 million retail sales. I expect they will get very few repeat customers but trial packs could pay off their investment.

What started out as a novel idea with some merit has now turned into a scam?

Which articles in this thread do you consider to be spam? The ones discussing Provent for travel all seem to me to be on-topic for both the forum and the thread.

[Sloop]

Knowing the dynamics of Sleep Apnea and how in severe cases -- usually with middle aged folks who are seriously overweight, where the WEAKENED pharyngeal walls collapse due to a purging (vacumn) of your system -- I would tend to look upon this PROVENT device as snake oil.

Now maybe for some of you, who's OSA is only minor ... it might be adequate. But I wouldn't trust it as far as I could throw it.
One man's opinion.

[pats]

Knowing the dynamics of Sleep Apnea and how in severe cases -- usually with middle aged folks who are seriously overweight, where the WEAKENED pharyngeal walls collapse due to a purging (vacumn) of your system -- I would tend to look upon this PROVENT device as snake oil.

Now maybe for some of you, who's OSA is only minor ... it might be adequate. But I wouldn't trust it as far as I could throw it.
One man's opinion.

There is a big difference between snake oil and a valid, approved medical treatment that may not be suitable for all cases.

[Sloop]

Knowing the dynamics of Sleep Apnea and how in severe cases -- usually with middle aged folks who are seriously overweight, where the WEAKENED pharyngeal walls collapse due to a purging (vacumn) of your system -- I would tend to look upon this PROVENT device as snake oil.

Now maybe for some of you, who's OSA is only minor ... it might be adequate. But I wouldn't trust it as far as I could throw it.
One man's opinion.

There is a big difference between snake oil and a valid, approved medical treatment that may not be suitable for all cases.

Question
Have you spent a night hooked up to all the monitors in a sleep lab using only your Provent? If so, will you share your results?

[pats]

There is a big difference between snake oil and a valid, approved medical treatment that may not be suitable for all cases.

Question
Have you spent a night hooked up to all the monitors in a sleep lab using only your Provent? If so, will you share your results?

No, my sleep doctor decided that I could go by whether Provent maintained the improvement in sleep apnea symptoms I experienced with the APAP.

When I started APAP I noticed a clear improvement in several symptoms, including nocturia. Those symptoms did not return at all when I was using Provent, including the two weeks of continuous Provent use, so I'm confident it is effective for me. I got through the entire tour without headaches, other than one incident of dehydration, and, unlike many of my fellow travelers, without having to resort to supplemental oxygen in the morning.

[ChicagoGranny]

Which articles in this thread do you consider to be spam? The ones discussing Provent for travel all seem to me to be on-topic for both the forum and the thread.

pats, What you write is credible and I like that you post it here.

I am not going back through them but I am very skeptical of all of the posts by guests. I did not say they are not on-topic. Provent is a legitimate topic for this forum IMO.

[GatorLord]

I travel a lot, either as a consultant, or the traveling companion of my gf, who is also one. If the gig is in Fla. or Ga. and we can drive the PAP is an acceptable and minor inconvenience for the benefits accrued. However, the whole thing gets turned on it's head when the airport is part of the mix. Then the extra baggage and BS to benefit ratio start swinging south fast.

I'd love to have something that would work 'OK' at least that would pack well.

I'm going to see my PCP today for another reason, but I'm thinking he could write a script for this. Does anyone have their script handy and can tell me what to have him write on it? Thanks. I'll report how well (or not) it works after I try them out.

Also, I did notice how these 'non-PAP' product discussions seem to be guest magnets...I'm not trying to be a grumpy skeptic...just saying.

At the risk of a tangent ramble...has anyone used the Provent stickers while also using an oral appliance? I have one of those snoring mouthpieces that really improves my REM sleep, so it must be doing something. I wonder if both together would be additive.

Anyone? Registered users to the front of the line, guests with a vetted trail in second place, others will be taken with a grain of salt.

[pats]

I travel a lot, either as a consultant, or the traveling companion of my gf, who is also one. If the gig is in Fla. or Ga. and we can drive the PAP is an acceptable and minor inconvenience for the benefits accrued. However, the whole thing gets turned on it's head when the airport is part of the mix. Then the extra baggage and BS to benefit ratio start swinging south fast.

I'd love to have something that would work 'OK' at least that would pack well.

I'm going to see my PCP today for another reason, but I'm thinking he could write a script for this. Does anyone have their script handy and can tell me what to have him write on it? Thanks. I'll report how well (or not) it works after I try them out.

https://www.proventtherapy.com/hcp/prescribe-now.php has information on how to prescribe Provent. My sleep doctor completed their doctor order form, and a local pharmacy filled it with no problems.

I do suggest initially getting only the 10 day starter kit. That is enough to find out whether it sticks to your skin, how well you adjust to it, and whether it is effective enough for your planned use.

I did do one modification to Provent's advice that worked for me. It is quite common to get uncomfortable after a few hours each night during the first week of use. Instead of taking it off and using nothing, I would take it off and put on my APAP. That way, I gradually worked up to wearing Provent all night, while treating my OSA all night every night.

[chunkyfrog]

As mentioned before, cost comparisons indicate Provent would be more costly than cpap if used full time.
Further, the absence of a statistically representative sample of polysomnograph data casts a cloud on the 'treatment' as a whole.
No fewer than two or three hundred patients should be in a medically acceptable trial.
Use at your own risk!

[GatorLord]

OK, got the scripts no problem. I'll see if I can't get them over the phone or online. We've got a trip coming up next week, and while it's in-state and we're driving, it seems like a good opp for a 'field test'. At $50/m I'm certainly not planning on using them to supplant my machine which is essentially free and awesome. I'll report any findings for a brilliant sample size of one.

[SleepingUgly]

Try it when you still have your CPAP around. I wouldn't bank on success with them and then have no access to CPAP.

[pats]

OK, got the scripts no problem. I'll see if I can't get them over the phone or online. We've got a trip coming up next week, and while it's in-state and we're driving, it seems like a good opp for a 'field test'. At $50/m I'm certainly not planning on using them to supplant my machine which is essentially free and awesome. I'll report any findings for a brilliant sample size of one.

Next week seems far too soon for a field test. It took me over a week to get used to using Provent, gradually working up to full nights, and I'm a Provent-for-travel success story. I strongly recommend going through the learning phase, and finding out if Provent works for you, at home with your PAP at your bedside ready for use. Sleeping with something that weird feeling should be started with everything else as relaxed, familiar, and comfortable as possible. Especially, you should not commit to driving a lot on a day after one of the early Provent use nights in case you sleep badly.