Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by SaraLynn on February 9, 2010 at 11:32am

Provigil is a band aid to make you feel more alert and better; however, please remember that if you have sleep-disordered breathing, your body and brain are still sleep deprived. Whatever you do, keep working on the sleep quality piece. P.S. When I bumped up on Provigil, it gave me panic attacks. Best wishes, Victoria!

Victoria Castro said:

My boyfriend's cousin passed away from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. That was a wake up call for me to get checked out because at the time I was very exhausted from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. I also snored my boyfriend out of bed a few times before getting checked out. Today, I'm currently using cpap therapy and I still have excessive daytime sleepiness. I depend on Provigil to get me through my day at work. I'm usually sitting idle at my desk and that's when I usually get the urge to fall asleep. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next week. Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy; I think I might need to bump up my medication or try to get more sleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mack D Jones, MD, SAAN on February 9, 2010 at 11:34am

Apnea causes hypoxemia (low blood oxygen) of varying degrees depending on the length of the apnea. When a prolonged apnea results in extremely low blood oxygen levels, cardiac arrest occurs.

Apneas are prolonged by sleeping pills, sedative hypnotic medications, alcohol, and general anesthetics. Michael Jackson's death, in my opinion, is a case in point. He very likely had OSA as a cause of his profound insomnia and was "treated to death" by a doctor who didn't understand OSA nor the risks involved.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Z on February 9, 2010 at 11:48am

I understand that OSA is so serious that it can raise the cost of health insurance and life insurance when a physical is required. Puzzling to me is the new recommendation for CPR where once you establish the airway is open you proceed straight to Chest compressions without rescue breaths (I don't believe this is endorsed yet by the Red Cross). The theory is there is enough oxygen in our blood to sustain the vital organs for what should be- paramedics on the way- a very short period of time. Also it is felt more people will do chest compressions if mouth to mouth is not required.
However a one time event is quite different than OSA where one might stop breathing many times an hour and also have a number of hypoxias.

Mary Z.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Daniel Quarberg on February 9, 2010 at 12:41pm

If you cannot breath, you cannot breath. I can literally feel my airway collapse somewhat when I lay down and the breathing becomes difficult. To top this off, I do stop breathing several times without having the mask on. There is that possibility that the brain will not say "hey, the body is not breathing, get it going." I cannot afford to find out the hard way. I am sure that others will agree. On top of the OSA, I also have a disease called pulmonary sarcoidosis. This is granuloma attaching to the insides of my lungs and making it difficult to breath.
Now can you see my concern?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Eric James Bennett on February 9, 2010 at 12:41pm

Ms Linda,

I still have the issues with falling asleep at the most unusual times.. The doctor has me on 60 mg of dextroamphetemine daily and it helps quite a bit. As a matter of fact if I do not take it as soon as I get up in the morning it may be lunch before I get moving again. I have been using a cpap for a year and have yet to make it through the night wearing it. I wake up constantly with a lot of discomfort, bad dreams of being smootherd etc. But, hey whats a guy to do but keep on tryin.. I mean there has to be a solution somewhere.. Other people have to have these problems also?

Linda Hare said:

Hi,
I have to use Provigil to get through a day also. In fact, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is take two Provigil tablets and grab the newspaper and a drink. Many days I fall right back to sleep sitting in the chair. I will then wake up from one to two hours later. It drives me crazy because I expected to have my normal energy level back once I started using the CPAP machine. How much Provigil can one person take a day to stay awake? Is there another medication for daytime sleeping that works better? I went from a nasal mask to nasal pillows because the mask leaked all the time. I don't think the pillows are leaking, but my brain always feels ready for sleep. I've been doing this for over three years and the results have been disappointing. I am afraid to not use the mask ever since I had to have "twilight sleep" sedation to have a broken, dislocated elbow set and during that procedure, I stopped breathing and they ended up reversing the sedation with Narcan and woke me up in the middle of them setting my bones - not fun. But it scared my husband, sister and daughter half to death because I stopped breathing and they couldn't keep me breathing while sedated. Another point you should all remember - for any reason you need to go to the hospital and have minor procedures where they use sedation, but not general anesthesia where you are intubated, make sure you tell them you have sleep apnea, better yet-take your machine with you so they can use it while they do their surgery. So, I guess my qestion was related to how much Provigil do you take, how much can you take and are their other medications to try to keep you awake during the day. Thanks. Linda

Linda Hare said:

Victoria Castro said:

My boyfriend's cousin passed away from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. That was a wake up call for me to get checked out because at the time I was very exhausted from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. I also snored my boyfriend out of bed a few times before getting checked out. Today, I'm currently using cpap therapy and I still have excessive daytime sleepiness. I depend on Provigil to get me through my day at work. I'm usually sitting idle at my desk and that's when I usually get the urge to fall asleep. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next week. Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy; I think I might need to bump up my medication or try to get more sleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David Bruskin on February 9, 2010 at 12:57pm

You should check your level and make sure the CPAP is at a high enough setting. Depending on when you had your last sleep exam -- and you should be prescribed at least once a year -- something may have changed with your body, such as weight gain, that also changes the need for oxygen.

When I found that Provigil wasn't doing the job of keeping me awake, my doctor prescribed Adderall (generically known as amphetamine salts). It's strictly controlled by doctors abnd pharmacies by law because it's a Class B drug, so Rxs must be sent through the mail -- no phoning in even for refills, no faxing. It's been pretty effective.

Linda Hare said:

Hi,
I have to use Provigil to get through a day also. In fact, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is take two Provigil tablets and grab the newspaper and a drink. Many days I fall right back to sleep sitting in the chair. I will then wake up from one to two hours later. It drives me crazy because I expected to have my normal energy level back once I started using the CPAP machine. How much Provigil can one person take a day to stay awake? Is there another medication for daytime sleeping that works better? I went from a nasal mask to nasal pillows because the mask leaked all the time. I don't think the pillows are leaking, but my brain always feels ready for sleep. I've been doing this for over three years and the results have been disappointing. I am afraid to not use the mask ever since I had to have "twilight sleep" sedation to have a broken, dislocated elbow set and during that procedure, I stopped breathing and they ended up reversing the sedation with Narcan and woke me up in the middle of them setting my bones - not fun. But it scared my husband, sister and daughter half to death because I stopped breathing and they couldn't keep me breathing while sedated. Another point you should all remember - for any reason you need to go to the hospital and have minor procedures where they use sedation, but not general anesthesia where you are intubated, make sure you tell them you have sleep apnea, better yet-take your machine with you so they can use it while they do their surgery. So, I guess my qestion was related to how much Provigil do you take, how much can you take and are their other medications to try to keep you awake during the day. Thanks. Linda

Linda Hare said:

Victoria Castro said:

My boyfriend's cousin passed away from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. That was a wake up call for me to get checked out because at the time I was very exhausted from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. I also snored my boyfriend out of bed a few times before getting checked out. Today, I'm currently using cpap therapy and I still have excessive daytime sleepiness. I depend on Provigil to get me through my day at work. I'm usually sitting idle at my desk and that's when I usually get the urge to fall asleep. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next week. Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy; I think I might need to bump up my medication or try to get more sleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Pearlman on February 9, 2010 at 1:10pm

I don't have high blood pressure and do have probably obstructive sleep apnea. When I don't wear my mask, I snore and don't sleep real well, but that's about the limit of it for me. But I do worry a bit about the suprisingly....

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Judy on February 9, 2010 at 1:20pm

Swimmers don't swim 8 hours a night every night. Enough said.

richard rydza said:

Here is some food for thought. Ok sleep apnea is said to be correlated with heart disease. I saw many responses with a buzz word, Insufficient O2 in the blood. We can only hold our breaths for so long until the bodies need for homeostasis kicks in and the internal mechanisms including the hypothalmus say, HEY! breathe. Just like a child who wants to hold thier breath. So what! They'll pass out and return to normal breathing because thats what the internal body says it needs to do to survive. Question for thought: Well why don't swimmers die suddenly? Swimmers constantly hold their breath for periods of time longer than those with sleep apnea. Will those periods of O2 depletion lead to heart failure??? or other internal medical issues?

Is this not a hole blown in the theory? Any comments on the correlation?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Judy on February 9, 2010 at 1:28pm

When is the last time you discussed your continued sleeplessness and exhaustion w/your sleep doctor? You may well need an adjustment of your therapy settings or even a more sophisticated xPAP. You're the one not feeling rested so it is up to you to PUSH the sleep experts for the right answers.

Eric James Bennett said:

Ms Linda,

I still have the issues with falling asleep at the most unusual times.. The doctor has me on 60 mg of dextroamphetemine daily and it helps quite a bit. As a matter of fact if I do not take it as soon as I get up in the morning it may be lunch before I get moving again. I have been using a cpap for a year and have yet to make it through the night wearing it. I wake up constantly with a lot of discomfort, bad dreams of being smootherd etc. But, hey whats a guy to do but keep on tryin.. I mean there has to be a solution somewhere.. Other people have to have these problems also?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sherry Rachauskas on February 9, 2010 at 2:04pm

Everyone is right on with this!! I was also told that John Candy died from a heart attack that was due to sleep apnea. I myself was diagnosed with Tachycardia over 12 years ago. I have gone back for follow ups regularly and was told a murmur had developed and that there was no biological reason for it. No valve slipping, not artery congestion. The tachycardia was getting worse also. I was averaging 120-130 beats per minute. I had been put on Nadolol, to try to slow my heart, but it wasn't doing much good. I took it at night, and it did reduce my snoring some. I was also taking Nexxium, for GERD, and had increased from 1 pill a day to 2 and still had to take an otc stomach acid reducer some nights as well. I finally gave in and went for a sleep study. I have arthritis in my lower back, and always blamed the lack of sleep and pain I was experiencing on that. While in for the study, I sat straight up in bed and was angry because my back was hurting so bad and was mad at the mattress!! After looking at my results, during the time I thought my back was responding to the mattress, I had had my worst sleep apnea occurance during REM sleep. My O2 sats went down to the high 70's! And I was blaming it on the mattress!!!

Long story short, after 2 weeks on the CPAP, my heart rate went from 128 per minute to 64 per minute. My blood pressure went from 136/96 to 126/78. I quit taking the Nadolol altogether, since my heart rate is now so low (for me that is low!) and am down to 1 Nexxium at night. I noticed when I breath during the day, my breaths are nice and deep, not like they used to be, I was very shallow. All is not perfect, but really improving, and that is the key. I make myself keep my mask on at night, and I work very hard to ensure I can get at least 8 hours of sleep.

Funny thing is, the doctors knew I was in trouble, but not one of them, not even the heart doctor, considered sending me for a sleep study. It was my 19 year old daughter that finally noticed how bad I was when we shared a cabin on a cruise. The doctor's kept telling me we would just watch my condition and see what happened. And that I should lose weight! I couldn't even keep my eyes open, and sleep was miserable, how was I to lose weight?? Everytime I went on a diet, I got sick, usually ending in strep throat or lately mono. I've had 4 cases of mono in the last two years. Looking back it all seemed so simple, but not one of my doctors could put it together.

Most important thing, don't give up. If you are tired, for any reason, and not sleeping, ask for a sleep study, it may save your life!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Christine Myers on February 9, 2010 at 3:02pm

Thank you Eric for your comments. I have been working with the CPAP for 13 months and have yet to have a night's sleep. In the beginning I felt as though I was doing something wrong because the technician kept telling me that people would drop to their knees thanking him on the morning after first using the CPAP machine. It was the first night they had gotten sleep in years. I still wake up with headaches and my first thought (which I fight) is, can I go to bed yet. I'm not on any medication but I know this apnea is affecting every aspect of life. I have no zest and I really don't give a darn about anything which isn't my nature. I'm glad (not for you) to see that I am not the only one diligently working this process with no results. I've had the pressure altered, tried 6 different masks and yet no relief. I just keep trying....

Eric James Bennett said:

Ms Linda,
I still have the issues with falling asleep at the most unusual times.. The doctor has me on 60 mg of dextroamphetemine daily and it helps quite a bit. As a matter of fact if I do not take it as soon as I get up in the morning it may be lunch before I get moving again. I have been using a cpap for a year and have yet to make it through the night wearing it. I wake up constantly with a lot of discomfort, bad dreams of being smootherd etc. But, hey whats a guy to do but keep on tryin.. I mean there has to be a solution somewhere.. Other people have to have these problems also?
Linda Hare said:

Hi,
I have to use Provigil to get through a day also. In fact, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is take two Provigil tablets and grab the newspaper and a drink. Many days I fall right back to sleep sitting in the chair. I will then wake up from one to two hours later. It drives me crazy because I expected to have my normal energy level back once I started using the CPAP machine. How much Provigil can one person take a day to stay awake? Is there another medication for daytime sleeping that works better? I went from a nasal mask to nasal pillows because the mask leaked all the time. I don't think the pillows are leaking, but my brain always feels ready for sleep. I've been doing this for over three years and the results have been disappointing. I am afraid to not use the mask ever since I had to have "twilight sleep" sedation to have a broken, dislocated elbow set and during that procedure, I stopped breathing and they ended up reversing the sedation with Narcan and woke me up in the middle of them setting my bones - not fun. But it scared my husband, sister and daughter half to death because I stopped breathing and they couldn't keep me breathing while sedated. Another point you should all remember - for any reason you need to go to the hospital and have minor procedures where they use sedation, but not general anesthesia where you are intubated, make sure you tell them you have sleep apnea, better yet-take your machine with you so they can use it while they do their surgery. So, I guess my qestion was related to how much Provigil do you take, how much can you take and are their other medications to try to keep you awake during the day. Thanks. Linda
Linda Hare said:

Victoria Castro said:

My boyfriend's cousin passed away from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. That was a wake up call for me to get checked out because at the time I was very exhausted from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. I also snored my boyfriend out of bed a few times before getting checked out. Today, I'm currently using cpap therapy and I still have excessive daytime sleepiness. I depend on Provigil to get me through my day at work. I'm usually sitting idle at my desk and that's when I usually get the urge to fall asleep. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next week. Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy; I think I might need to bump up my medication or try to get more sleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Judy on February 9, 2010 at 3:47pm

I'd say that RRT was laying it on a bit thick when he/she said that "people would drop to their knees thanking him on the morning after first using the CPAP machine". VERY few people are fortunate to take to CPAP therapy like a duck to water. I'd march back in to him and tell him "I am NOT one who is dropping to my knees, figure out what needs to be done to get me some SLEEP, good sleep!".

All of you who are still having problems w/your CPAP therapy, what brand and model CPAP do you have? Do you have a fully data capable CPAP? Have you seen the data from it?

And what's all the fascination about whether one can die from not using their CPAP? We're better off focusing on what we can do to make our CPAP therapy more comfortable and successful.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page