OSAS and anxiety/panic disorder?

I've been suffering from anxiety/panic disorder since year 2000. It affected my whole life really bad. I've been on antidepressants since then. Maybe I feel better now, but I am definitely not cured. Ok, we all know that OSAS may cause psychological problems such as depression and personality disorders; but I wonder how many people with OSAS have specifically anxiety disorder here?

I am asking this, because I found out for myself that there's correlation between OSAS and all forms of anxiety disorder. This may already be a known issue among some forum members, but no doctor ever told me about this relation before and they only tried to find traumatic events in my past life, trying different antidepressants for the whole ten years. The idea just came to my mind while talking with my doctor about OSAS, possible future medications and serotonin. I did some quick research and found a few articles and clinical studies, generally supporting my thoughts about OSAS and anxiety. There are also some cases in which the OSAS patient starts a CPAP therapy and surprisingly gets rid of most of the anxiety episodes in the same period.

Personally, I'm not sure which one hit me first; OSAS or anxiety disorder. But I know one of them -probably OSAS- triggered the other and now I have both. My panic episodes always come with breathing difficulties, fear of respiration problems and suffocation. My fear was not about death actually, but the idea of endless suffocation, suffering and pain. We never could find out why I felt that way. I never had this sort of traumatic event in my whole life. Now I understand my subconscious fears. I had been really suffocating EVERY NIGHT for the last 10 years.

So, CPAP can be the hope for people who have both diseases..
What do you think? Do you also have anxiety disorder?

People who suffer from really bad anxiety and nerves can be given shock treatment. This can include being put to sleep for days under medication. Please look forward to CPAP therapy to gradually help calm your nerves.

In addition look up for a book "Hope and help for your nerves" by Dr Claire Weekes, 5 star review on amazon.

I'm no doctor, far from it, just my 2 cents

I have found CPAP therapy helpful--it has reduced my panic attacks and "mind racing a mile a minute" stress quite a bit. I feel calmer overall.

I felt better after the first month of treatment--now it seems to be coming back a bit despite really good numbers, and I don't know why, but it's not as bad as it was.

I don't think it can totally cure it, but not having your brain and organs bathed in adrenalin from trying to breathe all night has GOT to help!

resistance wrote: So, CPAP can be the hope for people who have both diseases..
What do you think? Do you also have anxiety disorder?

I know panic/fear in the form of PTSD.

Triggered by loud noise.
Spent 2yrs in a CBT group defining the source and
developing coping methods.
In the deepest, darkest part of that journey I
did a few months on SSRI's to cope.
I was consumed by OSA, I think, for most of my life.

Now, with almost 2yrs of cpap, things are different.
The physical pain and fatigue are gone.
The depression is much improved.
W/the healing and restoration of my cognitive abilities
I just did 2mths w/the original CBT therapist.
Kind of like a tune up. Had the plugs replaced
and got an oil change.

With my new life, I have considered going back to the
CBT group setting for awhile. I could do so much more
work now than when I was so brain dead from the OSA.
I have a supply a Xanax, for those just in case times....
but since my cpap therapy really kicked in.....
I very rarely use it. ...and that is a good thing.

Successful cpap therapy will help.
I would suggest:
try to get off the drugs.
check out CB therapy.

Sound sleep, sound mind -- Barry Krakow
He presents tools that are very CB related,
to help you sleep, but I have incorporated them into my
daily activities, also. Excellent tools to deal w/fear/panic
anxiety during the day. Good stuff.

All the best for you on this journey.

I posted earlier today about how I was continually diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder, though any meds for ADD make me more anxious. I've also been diagnosed with Seasonal Depression because during the darkest months I sleep and sleep and sleep and never feel right. I've only had my CPAP for a week, but even after one night in the sleep lab on CPAP, I woke up feeling completely different. I haven't had any panic episodes this last week. I would LOVE it if it turned out all I needed all this time is a good sleep. Well, I'd be a little annoyed, too, given how long this has been ignored.

Sonya

Resistance,

Are you taking a benzodiazepine like Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, etc. If you are, there is a good chance that it is CAUSING your anxiety and panic attacks. I was a mess when I was on Ativan. I had to go through a long period of withdrawal. I am now free of anxiety and panic attacks although I still have OCD. If you are on any of these med consider titrating off of them very, very slowly.

Yes. In addition to Escitalopram (Cipralex), I take very little daily dose of Clonazepam (Rivotril). I take Xanax rarely, only in serious emergencies. And I never change my dosage without my doctor's consent. You know, they go crazy about that;)

I just e-mailed a well known doctor, Fatma FIDAN, who has academic studies on OSAS, CPAP therapy and anxiety/panic disorder. She shortly told me that "the CPAP therapy is especially proven to help with the night time panic attacks. But its possible positive effecfts on me about day time panic episodes may be tracked and evaluated seperately".

From what I've read until now, I see there is a strong connection between OSAS and panic. I'm still researching and testing on myself though, but I believe CPAP therapy will also improve psychological stability of OSAS patients who also have panic disorder.

Ahhh, this is very interesting and hopeful.

I've recently been diagnosed with OSA and am currently getting it fixed, but I have also had a history of depression and a social anxiety disorder. This is the first I'm hearing about the two being related.

Years ago, I had a severe depression which was peppered with a lot of panic attacks. I have also had social anxiety which always struck me as weird because I was very outgoing when I was much younger. For this, I went on SSRI's which didn't seem to do the trick. I have since taken myself off of them as the side effects were not worth any gains that I was aware of.

Also, I pretty much tried just about every trick in the book to get over my social anxiety. This includes hypnosis, meditation, SSRIs, CBT, exposure therapy and eastern medicine. Even though my social anxiety has improved, there's still some nagging anxiety which makes me feel like I am not where I want to be. I hope that CPAP therapy can finally do the trick.

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