Long term use of CPAP - any negatives

I have been using CPAP since April and it has dramatically improved the quality of my life - don't like all the associated "gear" but it does work!
I am curious about long term use of CPAP and wonder if anyone who has been using it for several years or more has noticed any negative results?
I am sure the positive will always outweigh the negative but I was just wondering??

Yes, there is one for me after 4 years of use. Always have a spare handy in case your favorite one breaks down. Because if you are 100% compliant then you won't be able to sleep without it. My machine is a part of my life. No machine, no sleep.

snoozysue wrote:I am curious about long term use of CPAP and wonder if anyone who has been using it for several years or more has noticed any negative results?

Besides not being able to sleep without it - I would like to say that there is a significant loss due to alimoney payments. Think she'd pay for my supplies?

Are the payments worth it?

I think even short term the darn thing can become addicting. I've been on it about the same length as you and have had 2 nights without it. The first night was when sleepy (my poor machine) met my wife's coffee. I couldn't sleep that night at all. Thank God for overnight delivery. The second time was a power outage that lasted all night. Once again no sleep. It's amazing that you can get so addicted to something so fast. One thing I wonder about though is I have gone from small nose pillows to medium. Humm.

As nearly as I can figure, the principle side effect of nightly, long-term xPAP use is...longevity.

I am hoping longetivity is a definite side effect. What about wrinkles and creases from the mask - does it speed them up or make them permanent?

Neither... they're somewhere between genetic and acquired-by-life and if you i.e. use Padacheek liners, or probably even if you don't, the lines won't be permanent.

Well, I have been using cpap for 8+ years now. I doubt that I could sleep without it.

As for negative side effects, I can't think of any - lots of positives!

My beautiful long sleek nose is now a stubby pug nose.

I am also addicted to the machine and can't sleep without now. I have notice some fine wrinkles on the sides of my mouth, but I am getting older so I'm not sure if it's age or from my mask.

rosie

Well beyond normal aging, I'm pretty certain that wrinkles above my mouth have developed in the past year as a direct result of the blown air drying out my skin inside the FFM--probably also increased by not using usual moisturizer cream at nights anymore due to the mask. I'm not concerned about that, but would be more interested in knowing about negative effects upon ears & eyes due to the blown air into our internal cranial cavities. I think I have a lot of space up there for air to swirl around in!

sleepyb wrote:I think even short term the darn thing can become addicting..

Actually it is the O2 and breathing that you became addicted to with the first breath you drew when you were born. Xpap machine has just allowed you to enjoy that addiction fully again - your withdrawal symptoms have gone and they were killers.

Those of you that mentioned "wrinkles" as a side effect of cpap, if you are using your humidifier.......you are hydrating your skin way more wherever the moisterized air touches. Do a test, if you wear a ffm, in the morning feel around the mask area of you face..I'l bet its much smoother there than on the rest of your face
Cheers
Nan

nanwilson wrote:Those of you that mentioned "wrinkles" as a side effect of cpap, if you are using your humidifier.......you are hydrating your skin way more wherever the moisterized air touches. Do a test, if you wear a ffm, in the morning feel around the mask area of you face..I'l bet its much smoother there than on the rest of your face
Cheers
Nan

Yes Also my skin got some of its bounce back and looks much better since I started cpap. Within 2 weeks I was getting comments about how much "healthier" I looked.

snoozysue wrote:I am hoping longetivity is a definite side effect. What about wrinkles and creases from the mask - does it speed them up or make them permanent?

Probably less permanent on the green side of the grass, once you make it to the brown side, everything wrinkles. john