Meds

I know, you can't believe everything you read on the Internet but you still might want to take a look. In my travels on AD withdrawal boards, cymbalta seemed to be one of the tougher ADs to withdraw from.

My point is that if this med does not offer clear benefits to you in dealing with fatigue, then I am not sure the risks of having to deal with what might become a horrible withdrawal is worth it. Obviously, it is your call.

I've been reading the last few minutes and I agree; I'm not taking this med. What a waste of time that visit was. I should have walked out when I had the chance.

Goddamn apnea.

I tried a psych today, and he prescribed Wellbutrin. I'm going to try Chinese medicine next.

Low dose SSRI anti-depressant. Like 25 to 50 mg Zoloft or Prozac or Paxil or Lexapro.

Males with sleep apnea oftentimes have low testosterone. I have low T, the gels do jack sh*t for me I require the old standby testosterone cypionate shots

Others do fine on provigil or that new one, whats it called, nuvigil?

Lotta people (including me) augment informally with A LOT of caffeine.

Losing a bunch of weight will make you have more energy.

Honestly though, if you are still having a lot of residual fatigue issues, unless you have significant pre-existing depression levels that are of the clinical depression severity, or you work shift work or something, you really should not need a med if your CPAP is done right. And you are compliant.

MrGrumpy wrote:Low dose SSRI anti-depressant. Like 25 to 50 mg Zoloft or Prozac or Paxil or Lexapro.

Males with sleep apnea oftentimes have low testosterone. I have low T, the gels do jack sh*t for me I require the old standby testosterone cypionate shots

Others do fine on provigil or that new one, whats it called, nuvigil?

Lotta people (including me) augment informally with A LOT of caffeine.

Losing a bunch of weight will make you have more energy.

Honestly though, if you are still having a lot of residual fatigue issues, unless you have significant pre-existing depression levels that are of the clinical depression severity, or you work shift work or something, you really should not need a med if your CPAP is done right. And you are compliant.

My testosterone level is normal. Tried Provigil and it didn't work. I use my cpap nightly and my AHIs are consistently between 0 - 1.5. I don't know what to do anymore.

Had your thyroid tested?

I find these machines dont provide me the right anti-fatigue effect if I use the comfort features, Resmed EPR mode, Phillips Respironics A-Flex/Biflex. I have tried them all and they leave me feeling tired the next day, very quickly. I dont like the comfort features, they water down the therapy a lot.

One thing that could be doing it big time is you really need a full face mask, when you are still using a nasal mask or nasal pillows. I did not look to see what mask you are using. I feel worse using a nasal mask than on no CPAP at all!!! No joke, Im not exagerating. Nasal mask when you need a FFM, can actually worsen your sleep.

Noctuary wrote:

MrGrumpy wrote:Low dose SSRI anti-depressant. Like 25 to 50 mg Zoloft or Prozac or Paxil or Lexapro.

Males with sleep apnea oftentimes have low testosterone. I have low T, the gels do jack sh*t for me I require the old standby testosterone cypionate shots

Others do fine on provigil or that new one, whats it called, nuvigil?

Lotta people (including me) augment informally with A LOT of caffeine.

Losing a bunch of weight will make you have more energy.

Honestly though, if you are still having a lot of residual fatigue issues, unless you have significant pre-existing depression levels that are of the clinical depression severity, or you work shift work or something, you really should not need a med if your CPAP is done right. And you are compliant.

My testosterone level is normal. Tried Provigil and it didn't work. I use my cpap nightly and my AHIs are consistently between 0 - 1.5. I don't know what to do anymore.

Had your thyroid tested?

I find these machines dont provide me the right anti-fatigue effect if I use the comfort features, Resmed EPR mode, Phillips Respironics A-Flex/Biflex. I have tried them all and they leave me feeling tired the next day, very quickly. I dont like the comfort features, they water down the therapy a lot.

One thing that could be doing it big time is you really need a full face mask, when you are still using a nasal mask or nasal pillows. I did not look to see what mask you are using. I feel worse using a nasal mask than on no CPAP at all!!! No joke, Im not exagerating. Nasal mask when you need a FFM, can actually worsen your sleep.

I use a full face mask. My thyroid was tested, and it was normal. In fact I think I've done everything I'm supposed to, and still feel really bad everyday.

I have to take an SSRI anti-depressant everyday in addition to using my APAP to feel OK. But I had severe depression for a decade prior to being put on CPAP. Sometimes, people are depressed and dont know it and need a medication for depression, PLUS CPAP therapy. I need both, if I use my APAP but dont take my SSRI, I feel awful. If I just take my SSRI but dont use my APAP, I still feel awful.

Noctuary wrote:

.

I use a full face mask. My thyroid was tested, and it was normal. In fact I think I've done everything I'm supposed to, and still feel really bad everyday.

I used to exercise for depression; it worked great. Now I'm too tired. I wish some doctor would just give me a stimulant so I could function.

Asking what meds we think might help with fatigue? ... Not so sure you would get usable info from us.

Going to the doctor is the best way to get your questions answered.

It might be something completely unrelated to sleep apnea that's got you so tired.

Good luck!

Were you also tested for restless leg syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)? Do you have a way to test your oxygen levels at home when you're asleep?

Also, even though your thyroid is in the normal range, it doesn't mean that your numbers are normal for you. Some docs are okay with trying out some thyroid hormone for a couple of months just to see if it helps any even if you are "in range." It takes a couple of months, possibly three, to really see if it helps any because it builds up over time. Oh, and if they just tested your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), they need to run the the other main ones as well (FT4 and T3).

And if you haven't had your B12 and vitamin D levels checked, I'd do that. Low in either of those will cause fatigue, and a lot of folks are low in D.

I quickly searched this thread and didn't see any of the above mentioned, so hope I"m not repeating something you've already talked about.

Pam

WearyOne wrote:Were you also tested for restless leg syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)? Do you have a way to test your oxygen levels at home when you're asleep?

Also, even though your thyroid is in the normal range, it doesn't mean that your numbers are normal for you. Some docs are okay with trying out some thyroid hormone for a couple of months just to see if it helps any even if you are "in range." It takes a couple of months, possibly three, to really see if it helps any because it builds up over time. Oh, and if they just tested your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), they need to run the the other main ones as well (FT4 and T3).

And if you haven't had your B12 and vitamin D levels checked, I'd do that. Low in either of those will cause fatigue, and a lot of folks are low in D.

I quickly searched this thread and didn't see any of the above mentioned, so hope I"m not repeating something you've already talked about.

Pam

I agree with further testing. Consider talking to your doctor about having a sleep study at a clinic where you can be tested for RLS and PLMD. My sleep study showed severe PLMD and I had no prior awareness of this. RLS and PLMD will interfere with the quality of your sleep and cause fatigue. Also check vitamin D, B12, and iron.

jonny515 wrote:I think drug ads are highly odd. I don't think a civilized country would allow them, but then again who said we were civilized?

So you would prefer a country where information on drugs is closely held by doctors, and patients are kept in the dark?

If that is what you prefer, then the same system could be applied to CPAP. Only doctors would know the features of different brands and types of CPAP machines and masks. The manufacturers and DMEs would not be allowed to advertise or reveal specifications to us, consumers.

But, I believe in an advanced civilization, patients have all the information available.

Noctuary wrote:I used to exercise for depression; it worked great. Now I'm too tired. I wish some doctor would just give me a stimulant so I could function.

A 30-minute walk in the evenings might do you wonders.

I've asked you this before, but here it is again for you to review,

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps.
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Optimize emotional stress in your life
- Use CPAP software to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems.

Sonnyboy wrote:

WearyOne wrote:Were you also tested for restless leg syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)? Do you have a way to test your oxygen levels at home when you're asleep?

Also, even though your thyroid is in the normal range, it doesn't mean that your numbers are normal for you. Some docs are okay with trying out some thyroid hormone for a couple of months just to see if it helps any even if you are "in range." It takes a couple of months, possibly three, to really see if it helps any because it builds up over time. Oh, and if they just tested your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), they need to run the the other main ones as well (FT4 and T3).

And if you haven't had your B12 and vitamin D levels checked, I'd do that. Low in either of those will cause fatigue, and a lot of folks are low in D.

I quickly searched this thread and didn't see any of the above mentioned, so hope I"m not repeating something you've already talked about.

Pam

I agree with further testing. Consider talking to your doctor about having a sleep study at a clinic where you can be tested for RLS and PLMD. My sleep study showed severe PLMD and I had no prior awareness of this. RLS and PLMD will interfere with the quality of your sleep and cause fatigue. Also check vitamin D, B12, and iron.

My vitamin D was low last year; I take D daily now. I can't do a formal sleep study because I can't sleep in strange places.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

Noctuary wrote:I used to exercise for depression; it worked great. Now I'm too tired. I wish some doctor would just give me a stimulant so I could function.

A 30-minute walk in the evenings might do you wonders.

I've asked you this before, but here it is again for you to review,

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps.
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Optimize emotional stress in your life
- Use CPAP software to make sure your therapy is optimized
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems.

I get home at 2:00 a.m., soon to be 3:00 a.m. seven days a week. I have to go straight to bed. I'm just too tired for exercise; I have to save what strength I have for my job. The only medicine I take is Temazepam. My job is highly stressful now, so there's nothing I can do about that. I never nap. I rarely eat junk food, most moderate low-carb.

I just wake up everyday feeling like I didn't get enough sleep. Today my AHI was 1.6; I slept almost eight hours.