RE: CPAP nightmare
(09-16-2016, 08:46 AM)bernerbits Wrote: A whole Ambien pill got me to sleep fast, but I woke up at 12:45 and had to take the mask off, then slept until 3:30-4ish. At least I got my compliance in last night.
There is a long acting Ambien that can get you some more sleep. Ambien CR (zolpidem) comes as a tablet and an extended-release (long-acting) tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken as needed at bedtime.
Rich
RE: CPAP nightmare
And possibly (if you haven't already) lots and lots and LOTS of time spent with the mask & machine on. (I'm not sure the mask alone is enough to get you accustomed to the breathing.) Like, while sitting watching TV or reading?
RE: CPAP nightmare
Well I think I've gone and complicated the matter by trying too many things at once. To control anxiety, I went back on Zoloft, which has an initial period of increased anxiety. I went off Ambien and used extended release Melatonin for a night as my neurologist suggested. The anxiety from the Zoloft was unbearable. Ended up using Lorazepam to control it, so there was no point to going off Ambien.
2 hours on the CPAP, none of them asleep. Took the mask off, slept for 4 1/2 hours without with a 90 minute wake-up.
Back on the Ambien tonight, looks like I'm on this (PM) and the Lorazepam (AM) until the Zoloft anxiety subsides.
I still experienced air hunger on the new settings, x1 and 9 cmH2O, but I think it was less severe.
RE: CPAP nightmare
Hi bernerbits,
I am speaking not as a medical professional but as a veteran of the antidepressant withdrawal boards. Here is what I am wondering and this may or may not be applicable in your situation.
Previously, you had been off meds since May but later, you mentioned Zoloft as part of the equation. As an FYI, many people who go off of an SSRI taper way too quickly and get rebound symptoms like anxiety that look like a relapse but aren't. It sounds like that may have happened in your situation but of course, I could be wrong.
Anyway, while you seem to recognize you made too many changes at once, I am concerned that you are not giving enough time to stabilize on the Zoloft reinstatement and are trying to cover the symptoms with ambien and lorazepam which may further destabilize your nervous system. Believe me, I do understand the need for immediate relief as SSRI induced anxiety is definitely not fun to deal with. But I wish I had a nickel for all the posters on these boards who did what you did only to end up alot worse.
49er
RE: CPAP nightmare
I'm going to talk it over with my providers Monday. But... I'm not sure what else to do. I have to keep functioning while all these changes are going on.
RE: CPAP nightmare
(09-17-2016, 08:30 AM)bernerbits Wrote: I'm going to talk it over with my providers Monday. But... I'm not sure what else to do. I have to keep functioning while all these changes are going on.
Totally understand and wish you all the luck in the world.
RE: CPAP nightmare
bernerbits,
Hang in there buddy, you are going to get through this.
Saldus Miegas
09-17-2016, 11:59 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-17-2016, 12:00 PM by bernerbits.)
RE: CPAP nightmare
(09-16-2016, 04:09 PM)BadGoodDeb Wrote: And possibly (if you haven't already) lots and lots and LOTS of time spent with the mask & machine on. (I'm not sure the mask alone is enough to get you accustomed to the breathing.) Like, while sitting watching TV or reading?
I'd like to. However, the two hours from when our son goes to bed around 7-7:30 until bedtime is the only time I get to spend alone with my wife on weekdays, and the mask means we can't really enjoy each other's company. I've already got anxiety about not feeling connected to my family during this time of stress so I need to take what I can get.
(09-17-2016, 09:14 AM)SaldusMiegas Wrote: bernerbits,
Hang in there buddy, you are going to get through this.
Saldus Miegas
I will. For my sake and my family's. Thanks for the support.
RE: CPAP nightmare
If you'd like to try a breathing exercise, I might suggest number 8 on the site below. No medicine, little time, possibly quick results. It's just a basic mindfulness technique, recommended to me by a CBT therapist. (I have no personal connection to the site.)
[URL workaround link to commercial website removed per Apnea Board rules. To get to the files Ron is referring to, simply go a Google search for "The Healing Power of the Breath by Richard P. Brown, MD,"]
Good luck to you,
-Ron
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We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
RE: CPAP nightmare
Eventually the cpap will become "normal" and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. I know you're using medication to cope with a lot of things right now. Maybe try something to snap your brain away fom thinking about the cpap whike you are asleep? A white noise of some kind? A box fan next to the bed was my old trick years ago.
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