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Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:21 pm
by Ograx
Both of those medications I have experience with. Both are absolutely horrible long term but can be helpful as a crutch. Vyvanse is an amphetamine based ADD medication and if I was going to pick one of the two to stay on due to your weight loss goals I would pick this one and maybe if I could even get on a larger dose or switch to Adderall XR til you hit your weight loss goal.
As far as Zopiclone which I used to take to counter the Adderall/Vyvanse I was prescribed in college, it made ever getting a somewhat restful sleep impossible. I know it messed with my sleep stages and I have a feeling the sleep maintenance insomnia I face today might be rooted in using it for a 2 year period which my body never really adapted back to not having.
I was prescribed for ADHD and used the drugs to fly through university but I wish I would never have.
This is just my opinion and I am not a doctor but I think you should ween the zopiclone if possible to lower dosage and use the Vyvanse to help with increasing your activity/exercise level and helping to lose weight. That’s a big amount you’ve lost and you should be proud of yourself but losing another 100 pounds or more is probably still needed and is the best thing you could ever do for yourself in my opinion.
Pugsy and the others here are great at the advice on the sleep front and any other advice given to me has been golden so take heed to their words of wisdom.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:27 pm
by mookie
Ograx wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:21 pm
Both of those medications I have experience with. Both are absolutely horrible long term but can be helpful as a crutch. Vyvanse is an amphetamine based ADD medication and if I was going to pick one of the two to stay on due to your weight loss goals I would pick this one and maybe if I could even get on a larger dose or switch to Adderall XR til you hit your weight loss goal.
As far as Zopiclone which I used to take to counter the Adderall/Vyvanse I was prescribed in college, it made ever getting a somewhat restful sleep impossible. I know it messed with my sleep stages and I have a feeling the sleep maintenance insomnia I face today might be rooted in using it for a 2 year period which my body never really adapted back to not having.
I was prescribed for ADHD and used the drugs to fly through university but I wish I would never have.
This is just my opinion and I am not a doctor but I think you should ween the zopiclone if possible to lower dosage and use the Vyvanse to help with increasing your activity/exercise level and helping to lose weight. That’s a big amount you’ve lost and you should be proud of yourself but losing another 100 pounds or more is probably still needed and is the best thing you could ever do for yourself in my opinion.
Pugsy and the others here are great at the advice on the sleep front and any other advice given to me has been golden so take heed to their words of wisdom.
Thank you for your advice. Do you think there is a difference between Adderall XR or Vyvanze in terms of the detrimental effects on sleep or is it more a case of Adderall XR potentially doing more for the weight loss. My goal is to get all the way down to 190 pounds. At that point, i'll be looking at a lot of cosmetic surgery in order to deal with the saggy skin ect.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:49 pm
by zan
Ograx wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:21 pm
Both of those medications I have experience with. Both are absolutely horrible long term but can be helpful as a crutch. Vyvanse is an amphetamine based ADD medication and if I was going to pick one of the two to stay on due to your weight loss goals I would pick this one and maybe if I could even get on a larger dose or switch to Adderall XR til you hit your weight loss goal.
As far as Zopiclone which I used to take to counter the Adderall/Vyvanse I was prescribed in college, it made ever getting a somewhat restful sleep impossible. I know it messed with my sleep stages and I have a feeling the sleep maintenance insomnia I face today might be rooted in using it for a 2 year period which my body never really adapted back to not having.
I was prescribed for ADHD and used the drugs to fly through university but I wish I would never have.
If it's not too personal for me to ask, what dose of Vyvanse were you prescribed and did you ever abuse it? Are you on ADHD medications right now, and if not, what did you do to taper off of them? I ask because I'm in university right now + have taken Vyvanse for the last 7-ish years of my life, and I'd like to go off them in the distant future, once my sleep issues are under control.
(mookie, forgive me if I'm upstaging your thread)
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:54 pm
by Ograx
Honestly I don’t know. I think Adderall XR at 40MG which I think is still max dose is going to be stronger. You can hack the medicine by eating tums or making your stomach less acidic to boost the medication then take large doses of vitamin c to help clear the amphetamine out of your system at night.
It isn’t something even though I have adhd that I would want to take to treat it but in the case of weight loss since you already are prescribed it I would try and use to your advantage.
When I took it I was a high level competitive athlete and I stacked it with caffeine and that tums trick and was really able to drop weight like nothing.
In your case I would be careful if you have heart issues of stacking it or using the tums trick and I would make sure to not be doing anything too crazy.
I do have a degree in kinesiology and the thing I can recommend with a professional opinion is that you don’t waste your time on treadmills or doing lots of cardio.
Diet and weightlifting is where you are going to see the most benefits without taxing your endocrine system and burning yourself out as much mentally.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:03 pm
by Ograx
I can’t remember the dosage of Vyvanse but I switched to Adderall XR after some time and was taking maximum dose. Did I abuse it and take more than I was supposed to?
Yes, pretty much immediately and I lied to my doctor to get them to write me 3 months worth at a time then come back 2 months later and they never caught on.
Both medications are amphetamines and if you look at them chemistry wise they are really almost the same as methamphetamine. The addiction aspect of them is probably just lower because the dose is so much lower than what a meth user takes. I won’t lie, I was addicted and after I graduated I quit taking them. Withdrawal wasn’t as bad but it was 3 months before energy came back to normal. Tapering off them I tried lowering dose but found it to be impossible cause I had more available so I just took more. I ended up just not refilling the prescription and sleeping pretty much for a week then slowly got back to normal. The urge to take them wasn’t bad because they weren’t around. I do still think of them sometime because I do still bodybuild and they are amazing weight loss tool. ( Ive never taken steroids)
I wouldn’t ever take them again and taking them to get through university was a mistake and I wish I didn’t do it.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:17 pm
by mookie
Ograx wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:03 pm
I can’t remember the dosage of Vyvanse but I switched to Adderall XR after some time and was taking maximum dose. Did I abuse it and take more than I was supposed to?
Yes, pretty much immediately and I lied to my doctor to get them to write me 3 months worth at a time then come back 2 months later and they never caught on.
Both medications are amphetamines and if you look at them chemistry wise they are really almost the same as methamphetamine. The addiction aspect of them is probably just lower because the dose is so much lower than what a meth user takes. I won’t lie, I was addicted and after I graduated I quit taking them. Withdrawal wasn’t as bad but it was 3 months before energy came back to normal. Tapering off them I tried lowering dose but found it to be impossible cause I had more available so I just took more. I ended up just not refilling the prescription and sleeping pretty much for a week then slowly got back to normal. The urge to take them wasn’t bad because they weren’t around. I do still think of them sometime because I do still bodybuild and they are amazing weight loss tool. ( Ive never taken steroids)
I wouldn’t ever take them again and taking them to get through university was a mistake and I wish I didn’t do it.
How much vitamin C are we talking about and how long before bed would be ideal? That might help with my quality of sleep.. I wouldn't want to risk anything in terms of what it would do to my mind and heart if i greatly increased the dosage of the ADHD medication but the idea of getting it completely out of my system for sleep is appealing.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:55 pm
by Ograx
I would say take the Vitamin C in 2 split doses of 500 mg once after lunch and once with supper.
That’s not a super high dose and is exactly what I took daily for years and still do.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:18 pm
by palerider
mookie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:20 pm
. I only have access to walkin doctors.
So, you have access to medical care that you can use without going bankrupt...
mookie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:20 pm
That's Canadian health care for you!
Yup.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:34 pm
by Ograx
I live in Canada and our healthcare is great for the most part. Sometimes people have issues with seeing specialists which can be hard to get into but all you have to do is call in to their office and be put on list to come in when people cancel.
I had an appointment with and ENT about a deviated septum and he said 3-4 months until my surgery. I talked to the receptionist when I left and I got in within a week.
Just did the same thing with the sleep study I took this week.
Since we have a government funded system they need to fill all the spots to make the best use of our tax dollars and people cancel all the time.
I don’t know why isn’t more well known that you can do.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:03 pm
by JustBreathe234
Posting here as I have had very long term issues of unrefreshing sleep, fatigue to the point of being homebound (after a long time). My OSA is treated now but I still had remaining unrefreshing sleep and fatigue. I got a private pulse oximeter test and it showed up periodic Limb Movement disorder, my heart rate was peaking at regular intervals. This means I wasn't getting refreshing sleep.
I see you have ADD, this is related to restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder through being a dopamin issue. I would encourage you to get a more involved sleep study to see if you have remaining issues?
In the mean time, other causes of fatigue or daytime sleepiness can be thyroid or related to certain vitamins. What doctors says is 'normal' is not necessarily OK for every individual and as someone with ADD you may need more of some vitamins & minerals. These are Ferritin (should be 100), Vit D3, B12 & magnesium. You can get pretty cheap blood tests online and it's a good idea to test every so often to see how you're doing. Supplements are available cheaply online also if you're having an issue with doctor coverage. That is something you can start tomorrow but will take a few months to show benefits.
Hope this helps.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:17 pm
by zonker
mookie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:59 pm
Sorry to hear you're in a temporary position where yoga is not an option. I imagine you're recovering from some sort of injury? I have osteo arthritis in my knees so i know what it's like to be limited.
heh. phrased that badly. i'm living in a rented RV will we have a house remod going on. it's too tight in here to do yoga. i suppose there are places in town i could go. just haven't gotten around to it, is all.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:26 pm
by zonker
mookie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:56 pm
Here is my sleep data from last night.
i will let my betters comment upon your charts. they look good to me, but i may be missing something.
it will help them to advise you if you could arrange your charts like-
Event Flags
Flow Rate
Pressure
Leak Rate
Flow Limit (Only for Resmed machines, not on Respironics)
good luck!
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:30 pm
by Pugsy
Unfortunately I don't see anything standing up screaming "fix me and you will feel better".
Pretty much an unremarkable report.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:48 pm
by palerider
zonker wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:26 pm
i will let my betters
There aren't any 'betters' ... some people just know some things you don't... and I'm sure you know things they/we don't.
Re: Sleep Issues That Go Beyond Cpap
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:59 pm
by zonker
palerider wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:48 pm
zonker wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:26 pm
i will let my betters
There aren't any 'betters' ... some people just know some things you don't... and I'm sure you know things they/we don't.
"my betters" in this case are people who "know some things i don't" like reading an oscar chart.
truly, i'm not putting myself down. it's that i have a tendency to get impatient and not see details in the chart.
that makes me hesitate.
but thank you for the vote of confidence!