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CPAP Doesn't Alleviate Symptoms???

Posted by Abby0308 on July 18, 2007 at 07:42:59:

Hi,

I've been struggling with sleep issues for over 10 years and I am hoping someone may have some insight into my problem.

I saw a neurologist in 1999 and I was put on anti-seizure meds (pending test results). These seemed to control my symptoms, but once the EEG, Cat Scan and MRI results came back normal, those meds were discontinuted and I was referred to a sleep centre where I have undergone 2 sleep studies. I have also been taking clonazepam (0.5 mg) off and on for years, although it does not improve the quality of my sleep.

MY SITUATION
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I have no difficulty falling asleep, but I cannot STAY asleep. I have many episodes where I bolt awake, hold tightly onto the side of the bed/chair with one eye squinted shut and my head turning to the side. At times my leg will also kick forward, I have a weird sensation in my head and I feel kind of frozen (muscles tense up). I am totally aware of the fact that I do this, while I am doing it. My family has witnessed this on numerous occasions and they claim that I don't stop breathing before these incidents happen. This happens EVERY night, regardless of whether I am lying in bed, sitting up in a chair, etc. As a result, my sleep is very fragmented and I am very tired during the day.

My sleep study in 2006 revealed that I have Obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movement disorder and I was prescribed a CPAP machine and clonazepam (0.5mg) at bedtime. A second sleep study was done in December 2006 to reevaluate my sleep with the CPAP and adjust the air pressure. Consequently it was set at 8.0

MY CONCERN
**********
While I agree that the sleep study reveals that I have OSA, the CPAP and meds aren't alleviating any of the symptoms listed above (note: increasing the meds made me feel hung over the next day). When I stated this concern to the doctor at the sleep lab, he didn't seem very concerned that my symptoms persisted. He was mainly concerned with the oxygen saturation levels. He also pointed out that the number of arousals had decreased slightly while using the CPAP.

After the CPAP was titrated to 8.0cm my sleep study revealed:
- I had 78 spontaneous arousals, 19 respiratory arousals and 7 periodic limb movement arousals which calculated to 15.7 arousals per hour (normal <5 per hour).
- I had 98 periodic limb movements during sleep (i.e. 14.8 per hour where the normal range is <5 per hour)

I appreciate that the CPAP does protect your heart and I have no problem using it, if only I could get my other symptoms under control.

I have read a lot of posts on here and most people seem to notice an improvement in their sleep after using the CPAP.
I haven't so I decided to go back to my family doctor to get her opinion. She basically told me that increasing the dosage of clonazepam could have hang over effects and she renewed my prescription despite the fact its not alleviating my symptoms (grrrrr). I wasn't too impressed, so I asked for a referral back to the neurologist to see if he knows of a better solution. I am hoping there have been medical advances since I last saw him.

I personally think the sleep lab discovered that I have OSA, but I think there is more going on....perhaps frontal lobe seizures (which technology doesn't always detect).

I am tired of always going to the doctor to complain about my symptoms during sleep. It seems that a lot of doctors don't appreciate how sleep impacts all aspects of your life. I know sleep is one area of medicine that isn't really understood well, so I am hoping someone in this forum may have some insights into this, based on their own experiences. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Abby



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  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


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