Medical Adhesive Allergy

[Greyghost1962]

Although my CPAP Therapy is generally going well, I still have a mouth leak problem with my N20 nasal mask.  I have tried a mouthpiece and that really didn't work well.   I have a fairly severe allergy to medical adhesives.   A simple bandaid causes hives that take several days to clear.   I am not allergic to the adhesive in the 3M Micropore tape and that is working ok and has reduced my mouth leaks quite a bit, but not completely.   I am curious if anyone else has a similar allergy and if there are any suggestions for other types of tape that might work.    I always test any anything designed to stick to me on a spot on my forearm before I ever stick it on my face as I am ugly enough without hives around my mouth

[Jeff8356]

Greyghost1962, Welcome to the forum!

I am right there with you.  Cannot tolerate any type of medical adhesives without getting the burns/welts.  I never have found any suitable tape to use as a replacement.

I use the F30 mask so mouth breathing is not an issue for me.

Have you considered a chinstrap of some sort to help with the mouth leaks?  There is one in the Suppliers List that may help, it's a slightly different design than most.  Have a look at #37.  

Hope you find something......

[mesenteria]

I gather, then, that you are looking for a suitable replacement/improvement over the Micropore.  IOW, it's just not quite good enough, and you'd really like to find something better...?

I wonder if it would be useful to contact 3M and ask for their help.  Do they have other tapes, other adhesives, which are specialized and not likely to be found on store shelves?  Nurses at hospitals will probably know of some specialized tapes for people who can't tolerate latex-based or other common variant adhesives.

[Jeff8356]

 Nurses at hospitals will probably know of some specialized tapes for people who can't tolerate latex-based or other common variant adhesives.

Not in my experiences.  They just know what is in the supply closet, nothing else.  Or tell you it's hypoallergenic which really doesn't mean much.

I cant speak for the OP but it's not the latex that bothers me.  I can wear latex gloves all day long and have no reaction.  It's the chemical compound that makes up the medical adhesive that burns like mad.  Surgical tape, sensor pads, wound bandages, any of them.  The micropore tape may use a different adhesive formula though, I never tried it.

I think asking around at 3M is a good idea.  Time for some emails.....

[Cpapian]

There is something else some people use; although it is expensive. Has a name like somnifex or something similar. Someone here might know the correct name. But if you Google it, it will probably turn up.

[Jeff8356]

Found it, search for SomniFix Mouth Strips.

[Hydrangea]

I have the same allergy.  After my sleep study, it took 2 to 3 months for the redness to go away from where they had adhered the microphone.

My best advice is to find a mask that works better for you. 

In my experience, if I am opening my mouth while wearing a nasal mask it means the nasal mask does not exhaust my exhaled air enough for my body. So I have found a different nasal mask that vents better, or I have used a full face mask that vents better.

[Hydrangea]

 Nurses at hospitals will probably know of some specialized tapes for people who can't tolerate latex-based or other common variant adhesives.

Not in my experiences.  They just know what is in the supply closet, nothing else.  Or tell you it's hypoallergenic which really doesn't mean much.

I cant speak for the OP but it's not the latex that bothers me.  I can wear latex gloves all day long and have no reaction.  It's the chemical compound that makes up the medical adhesive that burns like mad.  Surgical tape, sensor pads, wound bandages, any of them.  

Same here to all of the above... except I react to latex also.  But the reaction I have to the adhesive is slightly different from my reaction to latex.  This adhesive reaction (for me) is like a chemical burn.

[Greyghost1962]

Thanks - this is all helpful.   I did find some of the somnifix and they came in yesterday.   I am going to check the results to see how they did.   They are a bit pricey for sure.   Like others, I have no problems at all with latex.   I don't know all the different adhesives that are problematic or aren't, but I do know that the acrylate and polyacrylate like are in the steri-strips are bad.   Some products don't list the type of adhesive on the product or on the webpage which means often it's trial and error.

[SarcasticDave94]

I'm sorry I can't add to the advice on this sticky subject. It appears others have assisted, and that I hope you find a good replacement to the irritating tape. I myself do not tape, nor in fact do I PAP or sleep much right now, but even so I don't tape as there's likely not a tape strong enough to keep me from spouting some info, useful or not.

nobody here really knows what I'll say next, sorry for the shock. They have accidentally let me outta the cage and I'm skipping merrily or madly about running amok, creating havoc and torment and a few good bits of info mixed in for good measure. I am not biased, I treat everyone equally badly. Good day to ya.