Sleep technician says meds may cause sleep apnea!

I was told by the sleep technician that the meds I am taking may be causing my sleep problems or I have delayed sleep phase syndrome
I tried a lower setting on my asv, ps max 12 instead of 15-16 and woke up with terrible fog which lasted all day with nausea. I think the nausea is from high blood sugar or metformin

Could any of these cause sleep disturbances?
Nexium, vit C, Vit D, fish oil, testosterone, dulera, symbicort, advair, singulair, combivent, xopenex, caffeine, high sugar, theophylline, alavert, metformin
most of them are asthma meds

I think klonopin and trazodone help, maybe klonopin is better, but it may have long term effects... I have this twitching when I fall asleep

I would ask your doctor or the pharmacist.

I have asthma too, but I only take the meds as needed. So, I may go months without using either inhaler, then use both daily for a week or two. I have never noticed any difference in my sleep other than when I have an actual asthma attack.

I also have dsps. It started about 20 years ago. I gave up trying to fix it a long time ago, so I go to bed between 4 and 6am most nights. It works for me. I went 6 months straight without any pop. I do not drink coffee or tea. Some minor chocolate, but this was after drinking Mountain Dew multiple times a day, so I went from a high level to barely anything. No change in my sleep at all. I didn't go to bed any earlier. No fewer bathroom trips, etc.

I'm not sure when my sleep apnea started up. I know it wasn't there 20 years ago, but definitely at least 5 years.

Many of these things MAY make a difference for you, but it varies from person to person. My mom can't drink a cup of tea or pop after 5pm or so, and still get to bed before 2am. I used to drink mountain dew right up to bedtime, and I slept fine. Since the no-pop experiment about 12 years ago, I have gone back and forth with what pop I drink. I never did go back to Mountain Dew. I did drink decaf root beer for awhile, then sunkist orange for a long time (with caffiene). I switched to Crush (decaf) about 4 months ago. I was hoping it would reduce my high blood pressure. That, and 3 medications did not. I only really saw good numbers after starting the apap.

so did you notice that symbicort/prednisone worsened or caused sleep apnea?
I don't understand how I developed this central and obstructive sleep apnea. my IPAP shoots up to 20cm for me to feel ok the next day. I was on a lot of antibiotics and then when I came back to the US from SE Asia I started having asthma problems and sleep apnea at the same time so it seems to be from asthma

I shaved my head because I have a dust mite allergy and I find that I need to clean the machine tubing every day

I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 17 (1989). Looking back, I had some symptoms as a child, but not even enough to cause me to complain. I learned what triggered it, usually a combination of things, and I can go months, sometimes years without a need for medication. Three years ago, I had a bad asthma attack and discovered that my inhaler was over a year past the expiration date. It had been so long since I had used it. For rescue inhaler, I use albuterol. If I am having problems or my doctor hears a problem with my lungs, then I use singulair for 1-3 months. Most of the time, I do not need it, and it does add its own risks.


I really don't know when my sleep apnea started. I asked my mom, and she said the bad snoring has been at least 10 years. I am currently 39. I just started treatment on APril 30 of this year, so long time sleep apnea, new to treatment. I definitely should have started earlier. I have very little experience with some of the medications you mentioned. I do plan to take a list of my medications and ask my sleep doctor if any of them affect sleep apnea or sleep in general.

Depends on how high your BG is, but yes that can certainly make you nauseous. So can metformin - depending on the dose and when you take it. If you have any stomach issues or nausea, then always take it in the middle of a meal, or at least after the first bite.

I just don't see how meds can CAUSE OSA...... they may make it worse, or seem worse, but IMHO you would have OSA with or without the meds.

Cheers,
xena

sickwithapnea17 wrote:
Could any of these cause sleep disturbances?
Nexium, vit C, Vit D, fish oil, testosterone, dulera, symbicort, advair, singulair, combivent, xopenex, caffeine, high sugar, theophylline, alavert, metformin
...

klonopin and trazodone ...

Sleep disturbances? I am afraid that medicine cabinet would kill me.

[quote="sickwithapnea17"]I was told by the sleep technician that the meds I am taking may be causing my sleep problems

Sick...
I thnk you may have changed a word or two of what the sleep tech told you....
Taking meds does not "cause" sleep apnea, but may "make it worse"........

Sleep Technicians are not doctors. Nnne of the meds you list will CAUSE sleep apnea. Some of them may make your sleeping in general worse. Caffeine is not good for anybody's sleep. Theophylline is a stimulant also and will make falling alseep a bit longer. You need your sleep doc and asthma doc to go over your meds together. Do you really ALL those asthma drugs? Usually just one or two will do the trick. You are taking a lot of meds for it.

So just when did you have this sleep study? Recently? If not why didn't you ask before instead of all the other questions?

Sleep TECHS are just that. Technicians. If they had more education they would be doctors.

I don't think you should be taking all those asthma meds. It seems to me you're taking overlapping asthma medications, it should be either/or, not all together. Prednisone makes you hyper and if taken at night will surely cause sleep disturbances. Has your Dr been trying to taper you off? Does your Dr/Drs know you're taking all these meds? You really need a consultation with your Dr to go over all these meds you're taking. Your situation is very complicated and needs proper medical attention.

xenablue wrote:I just don't see how meds can CAUSE OSA...... they may make it worse, or seem worse, but IMHO you would have OSA with or without the meds.

You could very well be "borderline" and have the mechanical and neurological factors that predispose you to OSA.
Some people have apneas some nights and don't on others. Taking the medicine might very well push you over the edge from no apneas to having apneas.

You might very well not have apneas without medicine and have them with the medicine. Does that equate to "causing" apnea? If I were the patient, it would sure seem that way to me.

sickwithapnea17 wrote:on my asv,

Rarely used for simple OSA, as I understand it. (Except maybe in Albuquerque? ). So the tech may have been referring to certain central events rather than obstructive ones, or to other sleep difficulties.

Thing is, ALL medications affect sleep, one way or another. Some more than others, and it is often worth the trade-off to treat serious things--but still.

The timing and the dosing can make a big difference for some.

If a doc knows (1) that you want to take fewer drugs if possible and (2) that you want to take the minimum amount necessary for the ones you do take and (3) that you want to take them when they are likely to have the least effect on sleep, that doc may be willing to help you with all of that. Or at least the doc SHOULD be.

Sometimes a pharmacist has information about med timing to optimize sleep.
Sometimes even more than a doctor--depending on the doctor.

zoocrewphoto wrote:I would ask your doctor

I second this. Ceteris paribus of course, but over here 'sleep technicians' that I have met (it might have been an unfortunate accident, so there might actually be good ones who I just managed to miss) are nothing more than sheep herders with a new profession after having been to a - probably no more than 1 day - 'expert training', in which they learned how to key in a number on the computer in order to get a document sent to the paying insurance company automatically. Because if you ask them the simplest question about 'flow limitation' they don't know what you are talking about, 'fitting' on a mask takes them 3 seconds (click, click, click, you're done, good luck, bye - NEXT!), but when it is 04.59 PM they are off, home, having prepared for that highlight of their day the previous two hours by cleaning up their desk and sorting data on their Iphone.

Do I sound cynical? Yes, but it is meant to make you all laugh

But seriously, consult a doctor, and then still, don't take his word for it until you are convinced that he is actually really in-depth qualified, instead of having read a 30 seconds article in his weekly 'up to date medical information summary newsletter subscription, makes you and keeps you a pro in your field, now only 100 $ a month' email.

Yes, sorry, cynical again, but again meant to make you laugh

chunkyfrog wrote:Sometimes a pharmacist has information about med timing to optimize sleep.
Sometimes even more than a doctor--depending on the doctor.

Excellent point!

Though sometimes the pharmacist's hands can be tied by the doc's dosing/timing instructions on the Rx.