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The journey continues........
#11
RE: The journey continues........
(12-13-2012, 07:59 PM)ImReallyTired Wrote: Yeah, that's got to be it, I'm on methadone, 45 mg/days for quite a few years now. Actually just yesterday I decreased my dose by 5 mg. Probably not enough to make a huge difference here, but we'll see. Funny, I make sure I tell any doctor I see that I'm on it, the sleep doc never mentioned that it might be a problem, but now that I think about it, I'm sure it's affecting my OSA treatment.

This is gonna be a tough one. Getting off methadone is a long, painful process, but it may be that, or deal with ongoing sleep apnea issues.

Your symptoms sounded familiar to me, I had Googled and read when I was trying to figure-out if Vicodin was making my numbers abnormally high.

Google "sleep apnea and pain meds" and the 4th hit down specifically mentions methadone.

Good luck!

Ren
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#12
RE: The journey continues........
I've not noticed a significant difference on nights I take Vicodin before bed. But, oddly enough, if I go to bed with a headache, the AHI is worse with more hyponeas. The only new drug I have taken that I noticed a difference (using the oximeter only as I had the S9 Escape) was the Bacolfen (via pill, not pump). If I remember correctly, my O2 levels dropped a lot starting on night 3 until night 7.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#13
RE: The journey continues........
(12-13-2012, 11:19 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: The only new drug I have taken that I noticed a difference (using the oximeter only as I had the S9 Escape) was the Bacolfen (via pill, not pump). If I remember correctly, my O2 levels dropped a lot starting on night 3 until night 7.

Paula,

Baclofen is a muscle relaxant, I've taken Flexeril (muscle relaxant) for years and while it helps one problem my AHI almost always goes up, they're literally the last thing we need to be taking for OSA but I still need the muscle spasm relief they provide.

Ren
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#14
RE: The journey continues........
(12-14-2012, 12:04 AM)TheWerkz Wrote:
(12-13-2012, 11:19 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: The only new drug I have taken that I noticed a difference (using the oximeter only as I had the S9 Escape) was the Bacolfen (via pill, not pump). If I remember correctly, my O2 levels dropped a lot starting on night 3 until night 7.

Paula,

Baclofen is a muscle relaxant, I've taken Flexeril (muscle relaxant) for years and while it helps one problem my AHI almost always goes up, they're literally the last thing we need to be taking for OSA but I still need the muscle spasm relief they provide.

Ren
Uh oh! Does that mean the same for Valium? I'm on strong doses as needed to prevent muscle spasms. Most people believe it is prescribed for anti-depressant only but my doctor said it is the strongest muscle relaxer he could give. I have Spinal & Cervical Stenosis apparently from the Osteoarthritis and it prevents the muscle spasms from pulling together my lower lumbar discs that don't have much left between them! The cervical discs weren't as bad last MRI but obviously helps them too.

Tim
Finger Lakes Region, NY
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#15
RE: The journey continues........
To drift off topic, the best muscle relaxer I have ever used, and had no side effects, was Skelaxin. However, no Medicare pharmacy will supply it (at least those available to me.. It's over $17 a pill, even with generic. When I had to stop taking it due to cost, the neuro prescribed Baclofen which is more of an anti-spactisity than muscle relaxer. It helps with the overall issues but does diddly for accidents, bad days, etc.

To drift back on topic, nearly all narcotics and muscle relaxers are breath suppressing. And since obstructive apnea events are muscles that relax to the point of blocking the airway, medication such as these would not be helpful.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#16
RE: The journey continues........
(12-14-2012, 06:33 AM)2Tim215 Wrote: Uh oh! Does that mean the same for Valium? I'm on strong doses as needed to prevent muscle spasms.

Tim,

Valium is a Benzodiazepine (like Xanax or Clonipin and others) and the sedating effect can make OSA worse, it's not in the same class as a true muscle relaxant but they can both have a similar effect on the body.

If your AHI is high you might talk to your doctor about it, there's usually a trade-off to make one problem better you sometimes make another one worse, sometimes without realizing it.


Ren
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#17
RE: The journey continues........
(12-14-2012, 12:30 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: To drift off topic, the best muscle relaxer I have ever used, and had no side effects, was Skelaxin.

I've tried it a couple of times and while it didn't have the sedating effect that Flexeril does on me, it didn't actually help anything either, I've had friends that said it worked well for them but I've always had the best results with Flexeril, that's why there's so many different drugs on the market, what works for one may not work for another.

Ren
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#18
RE: The journey continues........
True! I got nothing from Flexaril but dizziness so bad I hurt myself falling.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#19
RE: The journey continues........
(12-14-2012, 07:28 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: True! I got nothing from Flexaril but dizziness so bad I hurt myself falling.

I like Flexeril... it makes me goofy. Bigwink

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SuperSleeper
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#20
RE: The journey continues........
(12-14-2012, 08:45 PM)SuperSleeper Wrote: I like Flexeril... it makes me goofy. Bigwink

I have literally had to stop my car on the side of a highway and just pass-out for 30 minutes they've made me so drowsy.

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