paxil & apnea

I have been taking Paxil CR (25 mg) for about four years and have fought tiredness on a daily basis until my apnea was discovered in March 2009. I am now on a CPAP and just titrated up to a pressure of 17 cm H2O. Does anyone know of an association, that is, side-effect of Paxil causing obtsructive sleep apnea?

Thanks,
Rick

Apnea is linked to depression. As for apnea being caused by a medication, it's known that opiates cause Central apnea but as for SSRI's, I haven't seen anything. I don't have anything good to say about Paxil.

Rustyolddude wrote:I don't have anything good to say about Paxil.

This. I was put on Paxil before being diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. It destroyed my gallbladder and had horrendous withdrawal symptoms.

Seems very unlikely that Paxil would cause apnea. Apnea in caused by disproportion, and consequent dysfunction, in the upper airway.

What is more likely is that sleep-breathing disorders are hidden for many years before they become obvious enough to cause us to consider treatment. Many of us ignore fatigue as a character issue or as a universal problem (everyone else is tired, too, why would it be any different for me?) My guess would be that you were tired before Paxil (?) and just dismissed it as something unimportant.

(I went through 30 years of fatigue before my diagnosis. I had tried all types of things to fix my insomnia, depression and anxiety. After almost 10 years of anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication, I realized that I wasn't depressed or anxious, but I was still tired. Only then did I get a sleep study and get the full picture. In fact, it became clear to me after reflecting on my personal history, that sleep problems were exacerbating, if not outright causing, depression and anxiety.)

I read all over the internet about this stuff, and have seen no evidence or reasoning to suggest that Paxil is to blame. What they are mostly citing as causing apnea is:

in children and adolescents, allergies and enlarged tonsils and adenoids
in adults, small lower jaw, lower jaw retropositioned (towards neck) crowded narrow dental arch, narrow hard palate, enlarged soft palate and uvula, weight gain, large neck size - also, nasal congestion and allergies appear to be contributing factors

Good luck with your treatment. Maybe CPAP will help with your depression issues, too!