Sleep apnea symptoms and conditions

I am 74 years old and have been taking 50 mg dose of Amitriptyline for 12 years and I take it two hours before bedtime.

Recently it has been causing sleep apnea. I am now taking 25 mgs, two hours before bedtime at 8pm and need to know what time should I take the second dose in the am? I took it this morning around 9am and was sleepy most of the morning. I am guessing this has to do with how long between the dose the night before and the am dose was taking.

How long between these 25 mg doses should I take them.

Thanks Much. D.

I have been on Levoxyl for about 2 1/2 years. Before I was on levothyroxine, but my new endo said the generics don't work, so he insists on the name brand. I've been taking it in the morning on an empty stomach, and have been battling extreme daytime fatigue ever since. At first I thought it was because I was unhealthy. I had LAP-band surgery, and I use a CPAP machine for my sleep apnea, and I lost 50 lbs, but I've hit a plateau that can't be explained by my food intake, and the fatigue is so debilitating. My GP is adjusting my anti-depressant to see if that makes a difference, but so far no. On my own I decided to start taking the Levoxyl at night before I go to bed. It's only been a couple of days, but I have noticed a marked improvement. I'll talk to my endo about it, and hopefully he'll be at least willing to consider the change.

On a side note, anti-depressants are the best medicine ever discovered. If you are feeling at all depressed, talk to your doctor. Whether the Levoxyl contributes to it or not, the anti-depressants help. I never want to go back in that black hole again.

Okay well...i've been on the nuvaring since 2006 off an on...and i would definitely have to say that I have had similar symptoms but I never attributed them to the ring. I have had morning headaches (which I thought was from sleep apnea that i was just recently diagnosed with). I have been very tired and sleep...falling asleep while driving...which again I thought was to be my sleep apnea. Sooo now that I read all these stories about similar symptoms...I feel like the nuvaring may have some kind of effect to my headaches, sleepiness, depression, moodiness, low sex drive etc. I just finished my period when i take the ring out it usually doesn't come for a couple days. I didn't put it back in because i have gained a lot of weight since i started and I really want to try to loose it. I've gained about 30lbs... and it is making me miserable!! The last time I went off the nuvaring for a couple months and I never got my period...but I wasn't pregnant either..I'm really up in the air... I don't want another child (because I have 1) because I know I cannot afford it right not...but emotionally, I would love to have another baby. But, the constantly tearing up and crying over sad commercials or movies or just dumb stuff and the morning grump because I'm still tired or the headaches and laziness. I hope it stops soon so I can get back right with my life! So anyone who has gone off the ring and had problems with getting their period again or any positive stories after going off the ring would help.

Hello everyone, I started taking Lisinopril about 1 year ago and the side effects started immediately. The coughing, headaches, restless nights and low sex drive were the main sides effects for me. I noticed my hair texture felt different. It felt dry and stripped as if it was over processed and I have had all natural hair for over four years. About 6 six months of taking Lisinopril I realized my hair was thinning on the right side of my head and also the same side where I have those terrible headaches when I take the medication. So I don't take it any longer. I also have Sleep Apnea which contributes to HBP. This is another reason I discontinued use of this medication. I decided that losing lbs. and taking supplements will be the first 2 steps to healing. I don't suggest anyone follow my practice, I just didn't want to take any more chances with hair loss and I can't do anything during the day until the headache is gone. I've only been exercising and taking supplements for a month. My BP is still a little high but every week it is getting closer to normal. Thanks P.M.

I had my mirena taken out today. I had it placed in Oct or Nov 2007, and I have been soooo tired every single day since then, and it's just gotten increasingly worse. I've tried antidepressants, I had my tonsils and adenoids out to help with breathing and obstructive sleep apnea, I've started vitamins, changed my diet, picked up a bike.... NOTHING will shake this fatigue.

I did some research on it and found hundreds of women posting online about the ill effects of mirena - including depression, weight gain, FATIGUE, back pain, headaches, symptoms similar to a thyroid problem... some things I didn't think could be the Mirena, but lo and behold, here's an army of women in the same boat as me.

I had to argue with my doc to get it taken out (I read that a lot of women had to do this), stating I felt better on the pill when my body could bleed properly and my hormone levels were a bit different. He maintained that the fatigue had nothing to do with the mirena and the pill just had more hormones, but I said, hey, what I do know is that sometimes, some things just don't work for some people, even if it doesn't follow logic. He pleaded with me to give me a second antidepressant, and I said, hey, I won't fight with you, but let's try it my way first. I promised to go back in a month, and, if the fatigue has not subsided, I will submit my body to thyroid tests and more antidepressants. You've got it, doc.

Well, it's hard to tell so far if things have changed, since it's only been out for hours. One thing I noted was that my body did feel different - almost immediately younger, like my joints hurt less and whatnot. I'm a little tired now, but not as bad as I normally am. I also was not on my sleeping schedule today (went to bed two hours late and had split sleep).

Haven't had bad effects as a result of getting it taken out - I cramped a little this morning, but it was NOTHING compared to what I felt when I cramped on Mirena. Also, my cramps were in a little more normal area - more center. With Mirena, I cramped on my lower right abdomen, from hip to groin, every couple of weeks.

Hash thyriod disease with vitiligo.Synthroid .88mg. 3 yrs on Synthroid.
NONE OF THESE SYMPTOMS I HAVE HAD BEFORE SYNTHROID.
SEVERE knee pain,ovary pain,joint pain, bone pain,muscle aches, fatigue, sleep apnea, weight gain,depression, anxiety, edema, FIBROMYALGIA / LUPUS SYMPTOMS,chronic inflammation, numbness in left foot,numbness in left hand, lower back pain, headaches,elbow pain,abdominal pain, brain fog,HAIR LOSS and greasy hair (always had thick curly drier hair) greasy skin, white pimple-ish areas on arms, itchy breast, lymph breast pain,increased hunger, strong food cravings, irritability,high blood sugars (I am type 1 diabetic) synthroid is known to mess with insulin in a diabetic, all my symptoms have had one test or another ran and all come back normal. I have no diabetic neuropathys..which surprised the doctors when my nerve tests came back normal...he was blaming my diabetes for most symptoms and told me to eat less in regards to weight gain.Still he brushed off my symptoms. I have asked my (endo doctor) to put me on Armour but she refused, she said I would be taking steps into the dark ages.
As if the symptoms are not enough, I am developing more.
NEW SYMPTOMS..Globus sensation (feels like constant lump in throat) eye twiches, eye floaters (not diabetic related).
I did experience twice after a higher dosage was made I felt great for the first two weeks and then like crap again.
I have oddly noticed I have crazy-fast hair growth, although my hair is thinning and not replaced..I have to shave twice a day.

Also I read a comment about one person switching synthroid to evening and said they felt better. I am pretty sure this is because doing it that way the body absorbs less synthroid. And for any one who doesn't know..synthroid takes calcium from the bones over time.
I am sure the avg person on synthroid complains to a dr about symptoms and doctors never get a clue.

would anyone who has experienced sleep apnea since being on wellbutrin, please let me know?

pitbull lover2

My hair loss actually started 10 years ago with the advent of menopause. It was less an issue of hair loss but that my hair started to grow in baby fine. With that came a depression. A hormone implant helped. Later, celexa and then lexapro helped particularly with the symptoms of irritable bladder. Other symptoms that started 10 years ago included a slowing pulse rate, lower body temp, lost my eyebrows on the sides, etc. I was bounced between cardiologists and endocrinologists -- blaming a marginally low thyroid. An MD, alternative doctor, blamed mercury which did not abate with two separate rounds of IV chelation. Finally, my heart slowed into the 30s and the exhaustion was extreme. Got a pacemaker which helped but did not cure the exhaustion. Sleep apnea study showed a sleep disorder but no apnea. I am on thyroid meds (125 mg.), mycardis, and .75 patch of estrogen. Wellbutrin 150 mg was added about 6 months ago and that helped tremendously with the tiredness. It was great but I finally noticed that I could see my scalp -- my hair had thinned that much with that low dose. I went to various doctors (including a dermatologist) who never mentioned the connection with any of my meds. They could not tug hair out of my head and suggested a genetic problem (the women in my family have big heads of hair until they die in their 90s). Finally a physician friend in Florida suggested that Wellbutrin might be the problem. I am off of it and tired. Too soon to see if the hair loss is getting better. I just want the loss to stop and to start regrowing my hair. Suggestions? A new doc recommended Provigil for exhaustion but there is some hair loss with that noted on the blogs. I have been taking a b complex, biotin, minerals, a vitamin for hair, zinc, D, MSM -- a handful of supplements. I need something for energy (I am a college professor of graduate students) but will not put my hair at risk. I am lost in all the information about how to stop hair loss and help my hair grow out.

Hi all, I'm hoping someone here with Seroquel-experience can help us with some information. My wife has been on Seroquel for approximately 5 weeks (ramping up to 200mg per day during the first 10 days, approximately). After 4 weeks, the severe breathing problems started. Physicians have verified the oxygen level in her blood to be excellent, her lungs and heart are in perfect shape, she has no fever and no indication of bacteria-infections. All indications are that this is caused by the Seroquel. She explains the intense sensation as drowning, almost passing out while gasping for air. She's feeling very dizzy, probably due to breathing too much as a result. Occasionally her breathing is not so deep, but more like hyper-ventilation. The problem became unbearable (and my wife endures a lot) after approximately 1 week, so 5 weeks into the Seroquel scheme she quit cold-turkey two days ago. The breathing problems are still the same. We are hoping someone could tell us how much time these breathing problems can be expected to remain, as I've googled my eyes out without finding any information on this. A week? - Two weeks? -Even more? - please respond, and in advance, thank you for your help!

Hi
My husband has been prescribed 2 different blood pressure meds Lisionpril and metoprolol back in June. Come mid July he started to have trouble sleeping and slight tingling in hands and feet. Then it progressed to the arms and legs and then the face and chest. We have seen cardiologist, neurologist, sleep apnea doctors, Had EKG, MRI, Heart sonograms, Nerve test done due to the symptoms. Everything came back normal. He is miserable. The burning and pain is unbearable to wear he wants to cut his feet off and the only thing we keep hearing is well LETS DO ANOTHER TEST or TRY THIS MED. So now he is taking a a sleep med for insomnia and some seizure med for the nerve pain, thinking he may have neuropathy. This is going on 2 months now of trial and error and after reading 20 minutes of experiences, I THINK ITS THE MED!!!!!!!
What do we do then? He had high blood pressure so what meds are good with no side affects of burning or insomnia? Any suggestions or help would be of great appreciation. Thank you!!!

I was on the low dose, 100/50, for 2 years. I had blurry vision in my right eye and lethargy. Last week I woke up and could not breathe AT ALL. I was choking for about 45 seconds with no air coming in. I have read that Advair can bring on sleep apnea. After a couple of days of doing research, I stopped cold turkey. My vision cleared up in a day and my lethargy is gone. I am now using apple cider vinegar for my asthma (brought on by my 2 dogs and cat) and so far, all is well. How that stuff is legal, I don't know.

I am a 45 year old black female. After the death of my father, I started experiencing blood pressure problems and headaches. I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea 2 years ago. Not having bought a CPAP yet has contributed to a lot of the blood pressure and headache problems. But, my GP put me on Toprol in June '08. I am having difficulty sleeping.Every time I eat, I have severe gas and my chest is hurting off and on. There has got to be a better solution. I started exercising and using Isagenix (******). It is simply wonderful - I have lost weight and toxins. When I go to my doctor on tomorrow, I am going to ask him if I can get off of Toprol. I do not like the way this medication makes me feel.

WOW, I am so happy to find this site. I am a 56 yr old female. I too am on Toprol. I was on 75 mg 2 x's a day for HPB and mitral valve prolapse pain. Then yesterday the Dr. increased my dose to 100 mg 2x's a day .Today my ankles and feet blew up like balloons. I have been having profuse sweating and was cold and clammy for the past year and no Dr could tell me why!! NO sex drive , depression,sleep apnea, severe insomnia, brain fog, short term memory issues, moody, irritable, my husband has threatened to leave me. NO appetite!! Floaters in my eyes started a few months ago, I have so many symptoms that I have read in all your posts. No quality of life for the past year. I have felt like I was losing my mind, gained 35 lbs in past 2 years without changing my eating habits. I gained the weight after I had lost 50 lbs. Been on Toprol about 2 1/2 years ( I think ) Every symptom I have experienced I have read in your posts!! I have type 2 diabetes and am on glucophage, I also take 10 other scripts. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, RSD in my left arm, muscle pain and joint pain. Pain in my right upper qaudrant. Nausea/ some vomiting, NO ENERGY, Loss of interest in most of life. So now after reading all your posts I have to ask myself, are all my symptoms linked to the Toprol and not syndromes or illnesses? I am calling my doctor in the morning and getting off this med!! They will just have to put me on something else!!!
So how do I post to receive replies?
Joyce47oh

I have been trying to self diagnose myself for months now and Mirena was the last think I thought of!! I can't believe how bad my life has gotten since I had Mirena inserted 10/07.

I had surgery 08/07 relating to thyroid cancer and thought that my side effects were a result of the surgery, but I have not improved and it's been 10 months. I had my thyroid medicine increased and no improvement in my fatigue. I was evaluated for sleep apnea and got a CPAP machine and no improvement in my energy level. I've gained about 30 pounds and haven't had my period since the Mirena was put in. My depression is getting progressively worse. I've been feeling like I'm at the end of my rope and I FINALLY googled Mirena and found this website. I pray to God that this is the answer to my prayers!

I spoke with my boss today and asked her for her opinion if she could remember how I was before the Mirena and now. She said that she had noticed a considerable difference in my sales, attitude and attention to detail. I can't tell you how many times I've been late for work because I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. She said that I come in with a glazed look on my face every day and she can tell that my fatigue is getting worse. (I dozed off last week during a teleconference and she was NOT happy with me.)

The funny thing is that when I called my gyno's office today and asked to make an appointment to have my IUD removed and that I thought I was having problems with it, the receptionist immediately asked if it was the Mirena. I tried to ask her if I was the only calling with problems and felt like she was dancing around the subject when I kept questioning her and then she referred me to a nurse. The nurse didn't want to make the appointment, but for once I was persistent and told her I wanted it out or else!

I had a copper IUD for 6 years and don't remember ever having any of these issues. I'm switching back to that!

I hope that my life gets back to normal! My appointment isn't until 7/9/08 so I'm kind of excited (wish I had the energy to be more excited) to see if this is the answer to my problems.

My mother is on Toprol-XL, and she has complained of being so fatigued, she sleeps so much, and this is someone who has always had a tremendous amount of energy. The other thing, and I would love a reply to this - she said she's experienced something at night while sleeping that feels like a seizure. She describes this as follows, "like my brain is shaking or trembling inside my head and my hands are trembling too." Has anyone else experienced this? Please let me know.

I have been taking Topamax for about 6 months now. I have been on several different everyday medications for migraine prevention and Topamax has been the best one. I was first prescribed Relpax to help relieve the headaches. I eventually got to a point where I was getting migraines every day/every other day (insurance only covers 12 pills per 20 days). I was later switched to Imitrex - which is MUCH more effective (1 100mg tablet) but my insurance only covers 9 pills per 30 days (unbelievable).

Just wanted to give you guys some background on my situation. I have been through 2 MRIs and a CAT scan, visited a neurologist, done 2 sleep studies, spent 2 months on a breathing machine for possible sleep apnea causing migraines. My family doctor, my neurologist, everyone I saw was unable to determine the cause of my migraines.

THE GOOD NEWS is I was referred to an UPPER CERVICAL SPECIALIST by my old chiropractor. This may not sound believable but my headaches have decreased to about 2-3 per month since I've been treated by my new chiropractor. My old chiropractor was the type who did a complete adjustment on my spine/hips and cracked my neck both ways every time I visited. The upper cervical specialist focuses on C1-C2 vertebrae and uses calculated heat readings to determine where there is inflammation and there is no twisting/turning involved. Look up upper cervical chiropractic on google and see if these treatments will help with any of your headaches. It has helped my situation dramatically and I will continue seeing this specialist and probably come off of the topamax in the next few weeks.

I suffer from sleep apnea and use a C-Pap. I have a long history of chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. My sinuses are usually congested. It is imperative that my airways be clear at night when I am sleeping. I have been using muscinex for a few years now and it WORKS. Since I began treatment with this drug I am able to sleep through the night as I am not congested. Nasal drip and mucus stays thin and does not collect in my throat and lungs like it used to. Since beginning the use of this drug, the incidence of respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia have become infrequent. The only side effect I have noticed is dryness in my nose and throat. We run a humidifier at night and this takes care of the excessive dryness. I have only seen an improvement in my quality of life.

I have been on Effexor for at least 4 years and am now taking 225mg per day. I was not aware that it is addictive until checking on line. My doctor never told me and I wonder if he was aware. What should I expect when I begin to go off Effexor.
It seems that now when I don't have to go to work all I want to do is sleep. Yesterday I got up at 5 PM and had gone to bed at 10 PM. Although usually not for so long, I have been wanting to sleep my weekends away since he uped my dosage but didn't realize what was causing it.

I am 55 have asthma and allergies since I was 2. I have taken Singular 10MG on and off for the last few years. It doesn't seem to have much effect on my asthma. However, I have noticed that while I am using Singular and Klonopin 1 MG I quickly become very angry the next day. I use Klonopin occasionally to improve sleep with my sleep apnea CPAP.

I have a 10 year old daughter who took Singulair from age 3 until this past November. She has severe asthma/allergies. When she was 6 the night terrors started I informed the pediatrician of this, but they said she probably had sleep apnea. Her concentration level kept her in trouble in school. I never considered that it might be the Singulair. She developed a speech problem and the school speech teacher referred us to a speech pathologist because they thought she might have vocal fold dysfunction. Several specialists later, we wound up at an allergist's office who IMMEDIATELY took her off of Singulair stating that it was a dangerous drug and should have never been prescribed to her.

Her health has IMPROVED off of the singulair and we are doing allergy shots and symbacort with allegra. I wish I could have saved her the emotional roller coaster ride - all because of this drug.

Has anyone experienced hypersomnia with Topamax? My son just started taking it a couple of weeks ago and now I can't wake him up in the mornings. Not just tired... but literally unwakeable. Then he has sleep drunkenness once he eventually wakes up in the middle of the morning. I have taken him off it to see what happens.

This is the 3rd time I have been on Wellbutrin. Once in 1999, then in 2004, and just started taking it again 3 months ago. The first two times I took it I had joint pain and a lot of muscle inflammation. This go around is different... Just recently, within the past few weeks, I started breaking out with hives, after taking it with no problems for three months! Started on my head and progressively got worse. I break out all over my body, head, legs, back, hands, etc. For some reason it seems to happen more frequently when I lay down in my bed to go to sleep (weird!) One other scary side affect is, I frequently stop breathing when I start to fall asleep, and wake up gasping for air. Has anyone else experienced this?
Since I had never experienced problems with hives the first few times I was on Wellbutrin, I didn't think it was the medication causing the hives. So, I cut my dose in half (50mg/day). The hives didn't go away, so I stopped taking it all together 3 days ago, but still continue to get hives. Does anyone know how long it takes to get it out of your system?

I don't typically write on message boards, but wanted to share my story. I wish I knew about the affects of singular before I gave it to our son.

My 3 year old son was put on Singular and 2 puffers at age 2 1/2. He had chronic coughing and croup and seemed to always have throat infections. Our Family Doctor thought it was seasonal allergies, (and because he was under the age of 6 - no allergy testing can truly be done) so she prescribed Singular. As tired parents of a little boy who didn't seem to sleep through the night any longer, we did as the doctor advised and gave him the medication every night.

Almost immediately, his behavior changed from a happy 2 1/2 year old to a child with severe tantrums (we never experienced this behavior before), terrible night terrors to the point we were having trouble with him going to bed at night and him telling us every day he had leg pain. He would cry and hold his little leg - limping. Our son could speak at a very young age, so he was able to articulate his feelings/reactions to us. We thought we were entering the terrible "2's" late, but through our experience and ours alone I am certain it was the singular. After this I decided to check online only to be overwhelmed with similar reactions to this drug. We immediately stopped giving the drug to him. We had noticed that his tonsils were getting larger and larger and they would often have infected white soars over them. Off we would go to the Doctor who told us it may or may not be strep and prescribe antibiotics, he would complete a cycle of antibiotics and within 10 days the symptoms would return. We demanded we see a throat specialist to see if the coughing/sleep apnea and terrible drooling could be caused by his huge tonsils. He progressively stopped eating his favorite foods and would wince every time we served him meat.

We finally saw a specialist and at first look at our little boys’ throat, the specialist said 2 things: 1) "Let me guess, he will only eat pasta?" - which was the case, apparently it was the only thing he was able to eat without pain; and 2) "I do not know how this little boy isn't acting out more, he has to be in so much pain". The specialist explained that every time he coughed or ate, the infected soars on his tonsils would burst causing nausea and pain. Because it hurt to swallow, saliva would pool in his throat causing his terrible coughing fits. He had his tonsils/adenoids removed 3 weeks after our visit (which isn't done as often as it used to be) and he has been PERFECT ever since. He hasn't had 1 cold, he hasn't coughed one night and he is eating/laughing/playing like the child he was before singular. DO NOT TAKE SINGULAR unless they can conduct the proper asthma/allergy testing appropriate for the child's age. They were medicating my child with the assumption that he MAY have it. The reason for his coughing and wheezing was his enormous tonsils. A procedure which was hard to go through with a 3 year old, but he is truly a different child today.

I trust this information will be helpful to parents in the same situation.

Give Zoloft some time. At first I was concerned about the nightmares and upset stomach, but today (after 6 months) I feel so much better. I am a 60 year old woman who has arthritis, fibromyalgia, hypertension, and sleep apnea. Yes I still sleep more than 10 to 12 hours a day, but when I wake up I feel I can handle the day. I still work as a grade school teacher. I am more social with my peers at work and generally happier and catch myself singing a lot and joking around with my students. I have lost 20 lbs on Zoloft, but it could be that I am now exercising (swimming ten laps 3 times a week) and have given up drinking wine at night. Maybe that explains it, but the Zoloft helped me work on these other issues. Keep trying it, you never know.

I wish I had seen this page BEFORE I finished 5 days of Levaquin 500. The meds were prescribed for a post-upper-respiratory infection hacking dry cough that had been going on for nearly 3 weeks. I finished the meds 4 days ago and still feel super crummy. Levaquin did nothing for the cough (acunpuncturist stopped it with with several well-placed needles in my outer ear) and - before I saw this page - thought of asking the doctor for another round since I was still sick and seem to be getting worse. I have intermittent headaches, a racing heart, blurred vision, am so tired I never want to get out of bed. I'm also having a recurrence of sciatica in one hip and thigh and - new symptom! - the foot on that side is so sore it's hard to put my weight on it. I was told to report any joint or tendon pains but, according to the doctor, "they are very rare." I'm sure he told me about the symptom to protect himself "just in case" but it was clear he really didn't believe there would be problems. I took the medicine for three days, then stopped for a day because I didn't feel well. Then I thought, "Suck it in - there's only 2 pills to go and then you won't infect anyone. You don't want to be Typhoid Mary for the next antibiotic-resistant killer strain of some bug or another, do you?" I am devastated to think these symptoms will persist as long as people on this site say they will. I keep thinking I can sleep this off, or that I'm really sick with something that requires a different antibiotic. ( And how stupid is THAT?) But, from what I've read here, that's not likely to be the case. I'm 67 years old and already have compromised immune system plus sleep apnea, high blood pressure, narcolepsy, and asthma. Is there anyone out there who has been able to resolve these symptoms in less than three months? I refuse to believe I have to feel this way for the foreseeable future. And boy, am I mad! At myself as well as at the doctor. I usually research everything before I take it, but this one just slipped under the wire.