Kate's Therapy

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 7:58 pm

I'm not feeling like a train wreck - the morning headaches are gone. However I am finding it more difficult than ever to wake up in the morning.

I have always had a hard time waking up. Alarm clocks are simply not alarming enough. I can sleep through anything, including apneas, hypopneas and RERAs. And the dog whining to go out. And so on.

I am waking in the night - once, perhaps twice. I can fall back to sleep easily, but I am waking, and that is unusual.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm

Not feeling like a train wreck and no headaches....that's a least a positive sign.

Do you take any medications of any kind? If so what? I apologize if I already asked this or you mentioned it earlier...I can't see the earlier posts from here now and I forget...if I ever asked or knew or saw the answer.

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:05 pm

I do. I am on effexor (venflaxine) which is an antidepressant, and losartan, which is for high blood pressure.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:26 pm

Research the potential side effects of your meds.
The Losarten maybe not so bad (I take it myself) but the Effexor has a long list of unwanted side effects from fatigue to excessive sleepiness to messing with sleep cycles (which messes with the restorative powers of sleep) and on and on.
The Effexor may be playing a significant part in the not wanting to wake up in the mornings.

I realize that it's not advisable to just stop taking the Effexor for various reasons including the reason you are on it...but sometimes it helps to realize that sometimes our medications are also impacting how we sleep and feel and no amount of tweaking settings on the machine can fix problems caused by medication. I am in a similar situation with one of my problems and the medication I need for that problem. Damned if I do and damned if I don't kind of situation.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:29 pm

OMG...I just looked up Losarten...
The red ones I have...geezzz...My back is messed up anyway from really bad scoliosis and arthritis...and I have insomnia from the back pain....and of course with insomnia and poor sleep anyone is going to have fatigue.
Sigh...even more reason for me to try to get my BP down so I can go off this medication.

Dry cough.
Cold or flu symptoms, sore throat, fever.
Muscle cramps.
Headache, dizziness.
Leg or back pains.
Diarrhea, stomach pain.
Fatigue.
Insomnia.

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:33 pm

I will look into the side effects of effexor.

My previous antidepressant was one that knocked me completely unconscious when I took it. This one is better in that regard.

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:36 pm

Side effects of Effexor include

dizziness,
nervousness,
nausea,
constipation,
headaches,
anxiety,
insomnia,
strange dreams,
drowsiness,
increased sweating,
blurred vision,
dry mouth,
changes in appetite or weight,
decreased sex drive,
impotence,
difficulty having an orgasm,
increased blood pressure, and
seizures.

That's it! Insomnia at night and drowsiness in the daytime! LOL

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:52 pm

katestyles wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:36 pm
That's it! Insomnia at night and drowsiness in the daytime! LOL

Sucks doesn't it?

I take a pain pill for the arthritis stuff...it comes with a big "may cause drowsiness" sticker on it. It wires me up something awful.
I might go to sleep at 11 PM abut wake up 2 hours later totally wide awake with zero chance of going back to sleep.
For that reason I don't take it after 6 PM. It doesn't cause me to be drowsy...but it sure causes insomnia. It's listed as in the 0.1% of the people taking it will report insomnia. I just drew an extremely short straw.

We have to weigh the risks vs rewards with any medications...all meds have the potential to mess with us in some way or another.
We just have to decide what is worse...how they mess with us or what we are trying to fix with the meds.
I could take a sleeping pill to help with the insomnia but then I want to sleep all the next day...no energy..etc.
To me that's a worse feeling all day than short term not so great feeling in the morning from not so great of sleep that can go away with a bit of coffee and a pain pill in the morning. So I have a choice...feel bad all day or part of the day...so I choose part of the day and rarely take the sleeping pill.

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:54 pm

I need a wake-me-up-in-the-morning pill

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 3:45 pm

: screenshot-20190227-164220.png (158.45 KiB) Viewed 819 times

Pugsy - note that the min pressure still shows as 9. This is the min pressure on ramp. When I scroll down the stats pane on the left, it confirms that my pressure is set 14-20.

: screenshot-20190227-164220.png (158.45 KiB) Viewed 819 times

Switch to 15?

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:00 pm

Yes...I understand the Statistics minimum showing 9 because of the ramp usage.
As long as the settings above those statistics show the actual minimum setting I am good.

You are fast approaching the need for a bilevel machine that can go over 20 cm. The machine certainly wants to go higher but of course can't.

I was hoping that if the minimum were higher that you might get lucky and the max needed would drop but it doesn't appear that you are going to be that lucky.
Keep trying more minimum is about all I can offer.
When is your next appointment with someone to evaluate your pressure needs who can maybe get the ball rolling towards a bilevel machine?

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:18 pm

I need to make an appointment with my PCP. I will email to get the ball rolling.

I need an appointment to confirm compliance - I should check the paperwork to see what is the penalty if I stop using the machine - perhaps I get to stop paying for it and they trade it for one that works for me. (I'm not seriously expecting that to happen!)

What models should I be looking at?

Okie bipap · Post by **Okie bipap** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:28 pm

I would recommend the Resmed Air Curve VAUTO. This is the auto adjusting bilevel machine.

palerider · Post by **palerider** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:46 pm

What he said.

katestyles · Post by **katestyles** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:50 pm

OK. I will contact my PCP, to initiate a "this is not working" conversation.

I will contact my DME to see what they figure might be happening to make my AHI still be so high.

And I will start to train myself for a whole new phase of CPAPpery.

Kate's Therapy

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?

Re: Two nights - what?