While on medication, possible damage to airway from using CPAP?

I'm on a medication which is weakening soft tissues -- cartilage, tendons, that sort of thing. This is a known side effect, there isn't another option, it's absolutely necessary, and I'm stuck on it for another five weeks minimum. Is there a risk of damage to my airway, bronchial wossnames, and so on by forcing pressurized air down my nose all night?

I started on it a week ago. By two nights ago the medication had softened my airway enough that I was having major difficulty breathing all night. Not just normal "you really should get a CPAP" problems like when I did a sleep study a couple of months ago, but rather more like "you're going to die if you don't get on a ventilator RIGHT NOW" level problem.

I was going to wait on buying a CPAP until I made it back to the U.S. because they're significantly cheaper there ($600 vs. $1700), but because of this, I went in and started a "free trial" through a local shop. (I only get a week before I have to make a decision on buying.) Last night I was able to breathe on it, kept waking up every few minutes anyway, but wasn't waking up in extreme distress unlike the night before.

I'm wondering if this can cause other longer-term problems. I'm not sure I have a choice, because I don't think I'm going to survive without breathing assistance, and I can't go off the medication, but I'd at least like to know the risks.

Any thoughts?

CPAP doesn't force anything into your lungs.
You still breathe the normal way. It's not capable of "forcing" air into your lungs. You are thinking about a ventilator kind of thing and cpap doesn't work like that.

All it does is apply a little pressure and help hold the airway open so the soft tissues in the airway don't collapse and block the airway when you take in a breath.
You still do your own normal breathing though...just like you do during the day when awake.
Even at it's highest pressure it can't even blow up a balloon.

Have you discussed this with the doctor that prescribed you the medication?

If not you should do so in order to make sure that what you are experiencing is normal and so that they can make any recommendations on how to proceed.

In your shoes, I would consider consulting with a lung doc at major academic or hospital centered practice. They would ideally bring in a pharm to do a consult as well. Even if this is done via tele-med....

Here is the thing: You say have no choice but to take the med. You also say that you are essentially unable to breath while sleeping without pap because of the med. As Pugsy has noted, the pressure is both small and ventilation (triggers and volumes) is still under your control (unlike with invasive venting). Still, a doc might want to keep an eye on you and could provide guidance about what to watch for.

I would definitely report back to the doctor.
Any drug can have unexpected, but dangerous side effects,
so your doctor should know how severe the side effect is--IMMEDIATELY.

Does the doctor that prescribed the cpap machine use know of the medication use?
It should have been part of the medical records done in association with the sleep study.
So he should know...call him up and ask him to confirm and specifically ask him if it is safe to use cpap while taking that medication.

If he knows about the medication and still prescribed the cpap...I would think that he thinks it is okay but call him up and ask just to make sure.

I can't see any contraindication with it and since cpap normally helps with saggy airway tissues then I would think it would help things but I don't know all your health issues leading up to this particular medication and it's always best to go straight to the doctor when there is any doubt.

gorgonzilla wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 01, 2019 7:42 pm

I'm on a medication

Which medication?

If it's one of the fluoroquinolones or a steroid, I can't imagine the low pressures of CPAP creating a problem. Damage from these drugs would be more likely in weight-bearing tissues.

I started on it a week ago. By two nights ago the medication had softened my airway enough that I was having major difficulty breathing all night. Not just normal "you really should get a CPAP" problems like when I did a sleep study a couple of months ago, but rather more like "you're going to die if you don't get on a ventilator RIGHT NOW" level problem.

Really??? Are you on a ventilator at night now, or is that just how it feels? Do you need to be intubated and in a hospital???

You should ABSOLUTELY talk to your doctor ASAP (If you can't reach your doctor tonight, before you go to sleep, talk to a pharmacist. Any pharmacist. Call a 24 hour pharmacy and explain your concern), but if I was having major difficulty breathing all night (I do, it's called "apnea"!) I sure wouldn't want to try to sleep without my CPAP. I like the idea of waking up in the morning.

Consider this: they use CPAP with premature newborn infants. Delicate little brand new and very fragile baby lungs.

There are some rare contraindications to using CPAP, your doctor or a pharmacist can tell you if that drug is one of them or if you should be in the ER. Call NOW.