Would a doc provide an RX without official sleep study?

If I’m quite sure I have sleep apnea would a general physician be able to write me an RX for a sleep mask without having to do a sleep study? And would the DME accept the doctor’s RX?

I don’t have good insurance—I did have a sleep study several years ago, I feel tired during the day, and my tonsils are 3-4x larger than they should.

I’ll probably be paying out of pocket, so I’d rather avoid having to pay for a sleep study! I can probably get a cpap machine from a friend who never uses his, but I’d like to experiment with different masks.

Thanks!

why not go with a home test - 1800cpap.com for example will send you one for $350 - it has a cannula you place in your nostrils, a chest monitor for your heart rate and a pulse oximeter - you send it back to them and if they diagnose sleep apnea they'll send you an MD signed prescription for a machine with the diagnostic code on it - the site also sells the machines and masks and will keep your prescription on file or you can use it elsewhere

Yes...any doctor could write you a generic prescription for a CPAP mask. I would hesitate just using a machine without any evidence of having OSA. Unless the machine was an auto, you would have no idea how to set the pressure. Even with an auto it could be dangerous to use CPAP if you don't have OSA.

SCooper wrote:I did have a sleep study several years ago

And ??

What was the result?

johnthomasmacdonald wrote:why not go with a home test - 1800cpap.com for example will send you one for $350 - it has a cannula you place in your nostrils, a chest monitor for your heart rate and a pulse oximeter - you send it back to them and if they diagnose sleep apnea they'll send you an MD signed prescription for a machine with the diagnostic code on it - the site also sells the machines and masks and will keep your prescription on file or you can use it elsewhere

I've recently talked with the sleep tech at 1800CPAP and this solution will probably be fine if you have simple Sleep Apnea. If you have Complex Sleep Apnea, such as periodic breathing (CSR) or unwelcome centrals during deep sleep, he indicated to me that further testing on a loaner machine or your own machine would normally be indicated. You would send them your SD card and extra fees would (presumably) be incurred.

Their tech also stated some insurance companies and probably Medicare won't accept their prescriptions. For specific details, call them and ask to talk to their sleep tech, Mr Smith... he's very knowledgeable and friendly, plus he seems to be straight forward and honest. As a final positive note: You can take your prescription to most internet suppliers, presumably CPAP. com, who hosts this forum.

Just wondering. Why would it be dangerous to use cpap if you don't have apnea?

An interesting story from a while back:

viewtopic/t78832/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1027&p=5977#p5977

jnk wrote:An interesting story from a while back:

viewtopic/t78832/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1027&p=5977#p5977

That's that's a good story. Just one minor point of correction: with most online suppliers you do need a prescription for a mask. Recently I was able to buy a FitLife mask from Sears and did not need a prescription, but that is definitely an exception.

SleepyToo2 wrote: Just one minor point of correction: with most online suppliers you do need a prescription for a mask.

Rested Gal's story pre-dates the mask requiring RX enforcement.

We used to be able to buy a mask without a prescription. My first masks in 2009 from cpap.com didn't require a RX but later in the fall of 2009 I think is when things changed and the feds enforced the RX thing.
Machines required the RX but the mask thing wasn't really enforced until not long after I started therapy in 09. We all had a big to do about it when it happened but of course all we could do was complain..
Like who in their right mind would spend $100 to 200 for a mask if they didn't need it and use it? I never could figure out a scenario where a mask could be abused. but some body some where decided to crack down on the mask RX issue and pretty much all online suppliers had to start requiring the RX.

rjezuit wrote:Just wondering. Why would it be dangerous to use cpap if you don't have apnea?

As a general rule, it would NOT be dangerous. Problem is, there are always rare exceptions to all general rules.

Adding slight pressure to the upper airway may help people who don't have sleep apnea at all to get better sleep.

There are some contraindications for PAP, though, especially when PAP is discussed in a hospital or trauma context:

http://www.helium.com/items/2026745-con ... s-for-cpap

http://www.acgov.org/ems/OFM_2011/field ... E_CPAP.pdf

If you don't have a sleep study, it's even more important to get a good, data capable machine and monitor your treatment. A good modern CPAP machine records some, but not all, of the most important data that a sleep study records all night long, every night.

Check the links in my signature line. Right now, there are only 4 models of CPAP machines I think anyone should buy.

Thanks for your replies!

the sleep study a few years ago diagnosed me as having mild sleep apnea. but I lost 30lbs since then and now sleep on my side.

I may actually do that home-sleep-study thing, though I also heard that pulse oximetry can also be a screening measure.

If you can do an oximetry overnight, you almost don't need to do anything else!

Julie wrote:If you can do an oximetry overnight, you almost don't need to do anything else!

Yeah, how about a recording oximeter? $50-$100.

But it isn't always the best idea trying to diagnose yourself I have a simple case of mild OSA. Others might be tricky and not easily read by an untrained professionals.

SCooper wrote:. . . the sleep study a few years ago diagnosed me as having mild sleep apnea. . . . I also heard that pulse oximetry can also be a screening measure.

An oximeter can sometimes be used to prove that a person DOES need CPAP, but it CAN'T prove that the person does NOT need CPAP (especially so in the context of mild apnea). A home oximeter tells you virtually nothing about the quality of your sleep, and bad sleep from an unstable upper airway is what most with mild OSA need the most help with--not just staying oxygenated.

Oximetry lacks the specificity and sensitivity to be used as an alternative to polysomnography or an attended cardiorespiratory (Type 3) sleep study for diagnosing sleep related breathing disorders (AASM GUIDELINE). . . A normal tracing [from an oximeter] does not rule out mild OSA nor other sleep disorders. . . . The test is not reliable for mild sleep apnea . . . Tracings must be interpreted by a clinician experienced in sleep medicine who recognizes the validity of data, artifacts, and the significance of various patterns of cyclic oximetric variations and accompanying heart rate patterns. Physicians must review artifacts, abnormal patterns, etc., in the context of the patient’s medical history. -- https://intermountainhealthcare.org/ext ... =520783766