Zoloft's effect on AHI?

Does anyone have any personal experience with taking Zoloft and noting changes in your AHI? I just started on Zoloft about a week and a half ago for anxiety-related issues and tonight I looked at my machine and noticed my 7 day average AHI was 1.7. It has always been anywhere from 0.2-0.6...usually 0.4.

I need to download my machine data and look at my daily information to be sure, but I had checked my average AHI prior to starting the Zoloft and it was at 0.4, so the only thing I can attribute the increase to is something related to the medicine.

Doing some research online, it seems Zoloft reduces the number of REM cycles one has, so I would expect my AHI to be lower. Right now I'm still in the phase where I'm experiencing sleep disturbances (i.e., I sleep for 3 hours then sit awake for 3-4 before sleeping another hour or two), so I wondered if that plays into it.

If anyone has personal experience with this I'd appreciate hearing your story. While I know an AHI of 1.7 is still under 5, I'd really like it to be down where it was before.

I'm a long-term Zoloft user however i've only been on CPAP for 8 months so unfortunately, i can't compare before and after. I'm curious to know more about Zoloft's effects on sleep. I've found no improvement with my CPAP therapy so far even though my average ahi is around 2 and i get 8.5 hours sleep a night. I'm still exhausted during the day and have found that i'm actually more alert the next day on those rare occasions that i haven't worn my mask the night before. I'm about to have the complete blood tests done however i was wondering if Zoloft may be one of the problems?

Hi,

Let me qualify what I am about to say by stressing I am not a doctor or medical professional and am speaking totally from my personal experience and nothing more.

As an FYI, I was on a psych med cocktail for 15 years, including withdrawal time, and at various points, included SSRIs. I can't prove it but I have strong suspicions that being on psych meds may have either bought on the apnea or worsened my condition.

Before anyone jumps me for that statement, think of all the times in medical history when patients suspicions were blown off only to be proven correct.

Lullaby - I would agree with you about your suspicions of Zoloft. SSRIs wreck havoc with the sleep cycle. Also, if I remember correctly, fatigue is a side effect but I am not 100% sure.

Feel free to PM me if you need support regarding this issue.

Beanfruit - Pretty much the same message as I wrote to Lullaby. PM me if you want more support.

I've been taking zoloft for awhile but I've only had a data capable machine for 3 months but my average ahi since I've had the machine is .46. One of the issues I was having was insomnia at the time my doctor prescribed it. (Also some ptsd, depression, constantly crying). He told me to take the zoloft at bedtime for that reason and when the sleep doc reviewed my files, he wasn't concerned by any of the meds I took.

beanfruit wrote:Does anyone have any personal experience with taking Zoloft and noting changes in your AHI? I just started on Zoloft about a week and a half ago for anxiety-related issues and tonight I looked at my machine and noticed my 7 day average AHI was 1.7. It has always been anywhere from 0.2-0.6...usually 0.4.

I need to download my machine data and look at my daily information to be sure, but I had checked my average AHI prior to starting the Zoloft and it was at 0.4, so the only thing I can attribute the increase to is something related to the medicine.

Doing some research online, it seems Zoloft reduces the number of REM cycles one has, so I would expect my AHI to be lower. Right now I'm still in the phase where I'm experiencing sleep disturbances (i.e., I sleep for 3 hours then sit awake for 3-4 before sleeping another hour or two), so I wondered if that plays into it.

If anyone has personal experience with this I'd appreciate hearing your story. While I know an AHI of 1.7 is still under 5, I'd really like it to be down where it was before.

SSRI's mess with various stages of sleep. Most, including zoloft, can reduce REM sleep. Sleep apnea is often worse during REM sleep. So theoretically (and there is some data that shows this is true) SSRI's can reduce sleep apnea. Whether the reduction in REM sleep is a good or a bad thing is a different matter.

It is a fact that SSRI's reduce or eliminate REM sleep. I've been on Effexor for a few months. In my split night sleep study three weeks ago, I had NO REM sleep the entire night. Yet, I do have dreams on some nights so I'm not totally deprived of REM. My psychiatrist said SSRI's should be taken in the morning (not at night) because the effect it has on sleep. You tend to stay in Stage I or II but spend little to no time in deeper sleep levels. On my sleep study I cycled between Stage I and II all night.

So it should be no surprise that anyone on SSRI's may feel fatigued and tired even WITH CPAP. Ask your doctor if you can take Zoloft in the morning.

There are other medications that can also make you feel tired and fatigued but do not disturb sleep. Norvasc, an antihypertensive I was on a few years ago, really made me sleepy all day. I was afraid to drive any significant distance. I asked my doctor to change me to an Angiotensin II inhibitor (Avapro, Cozaar) and the daytime sleepiness was gone. It had nothing to do with my CPAP.

VikingGnome wrote: Yet, I do have dreams on some nights so I'm not totally deprived of REM.

It is a common myth that dreaming only occurs in REM. Humans dream in all stages of sleep.

Reading these discussions about SSRIs makes me wonder whether they are part of the solution or part of the problem.

Insufficient REM sleep? Very unhealthy for mind and body.

I have not taken Zoloft, but I have been on Pristiq (the latest), an SNRI and on SSRIs for many years. My AHI is all over the chart. Average for the last 6 months is 18. My best AHI for some reason comes in the sleep lab. Lately I haven't been remembering my dreams.

I took Zoloft for a few years, maybe 10 years ago...so my memory might be suspect. But what I remember is the first couple of weeks, I felt absolutely wired - couldn't sit still. I remember feeling like I didn't sleep well in that initial period. But I "mellowed out" after that initial period.

I have no memories of how it affected my sleep overall, though.

If I remember correctly, the doctor told me it would take something like 17 or 21 days for it to come into its full benefit. So you might want to see if the numbers even out after the first 3 weeks or so...

(totally just my opinion, of course!)

I would definitely give it a few weeks on the SSRI. Like the previous poster said, the first few weeks of SSRIs are aweful while you get adjusted to them. After that things smooth out. I discussed the Zoloft with my sleep doc and he said that taking it in the morning is best. I personally think that having your depression, agitation, anxiety effectively treated along with the CPAP will maximize your sleep efficiency.

Jenn