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Opioids
Can anyone here tell me what effect opioids have on someone with sleep apnea? I seen something mentioned on another post concerning opioids. I am currently taking one of these drugs prescribed for pain. Can this add to my apnea problems? I have tried to stop taking this drug more than once, the withdrawl effects were more than I could stand. I can not miss one dose without going into withdrawl. If opioids cause sleep apnea problems Why would a doc prescribe them to someone with sleep apnea?
Carl
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Carl, sometimes you just need an opiate to control pain. If your pain is better you can talk to your Doc about weaning yourself off of them. It won't be easy, but there are meds he/she can prescribe to make it easier on you. For goodness sake don't try to go cold turkey! Like in the handouts you get with medicines, sometimes the Doctor thinks the need for a certain drug outweighs the side effects. No one should be in chronic pain- that is very detrimental to restful sleep.
Good luck with this, it's a tough question.
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Studies have shown that opiate use can cause a higher rate of apnea incidence.
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Permalink Reply by Tim on
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If a drug increases sleep apnea, I am not sure that it would make much, if any, difference if the sleep apnea is being treated. I take tramadol for fibromyalgia and it didn't seem to affect my AHI when I started taking it. Tramadol is a bit different from other opioids, so other opioids may work differently.
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Permalink Reply by Carl Speas on
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Tim I also take tramadol for fibromyalgia. I had already been on it for 2 years before finding out I had sleep apnea. I cannot cope without the tramadol, my pain is horrible without it.
Tim said:If a drug increases sleep apnea, I am not sure that it would make much, if any, difference if the sleep apnea is being treated. I take tramadol for fibromyalgia and it didn't seem to affect my AHI when I started taking it. Tramadol is a bit different from other opioids, so other opioids may work differently.
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Hi Mary. I cannot survive without medication, my pain levels are too high. I suppose the sleep doctor would have said something if it was a problem. He is a very good doctor. I was probably thinking too much.
Mary Z said:Carl, sometimes you just need an opiate to control pain. If your pain is better you can talk to your Doc about weaning yourself off of them. It won't be easy, but there are meds he/she can prescribe to make it easier on you. For goodness sake don't try to go cold turkey! Like in the handouts you get with medicines, sometimes the Doctor thinks the need for a certain drug outweighs the side effects. No one should be in chronic pain- that is very detrimental to restful sleep.
Good luck with this, it's a tough question.
Mary Z.
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I am taking 200 mg of tramadol and 2 extra strength Tylenol ever six hours and a 300 mg Ultram ER at bed time, and it doesn't help nearly enough. Heroin would be cheaper than the Ultram ER.
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I take 200mg tramadol and 1300mg tylenol every six hours. I have tried get something extra at night but doctor says no. She just keeps telling me "you have fibromyalgia and sclerodrma and you are going to hurt, get used to it". I would like for her to live in this body for 1 day.
Tim said:I am taking 200 mg of tramadol and 2 extra strength Tylenol ever six hours and a 300 mg Ultram ER at bed time, and it doesn't help nearly enough. Heroin would be cheaper than the Ultram ER.
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Permalink Reply by KAREN JAFFE on
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Carl, I take Vicodin several times a day for degenerative disc disease. Without it I would not be able to live a normal life. I have been taking this medication for several years. I started having sleep problems about 2 years ago. So I had already been on Vicodin for a long time before I started having my sleep issues. This opioid did not cause my Apena nor has it caused any problems for me. I'm not a doctor, so I can't say how it affects you but for me, not a problem.
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