Palpitations/shortness of breath common with APAP treatment?

[Sleeprider]

Results from your Airsense 10 Autoset For her at 9-18 pressure EPR 3 are excellent with less than 1 AHI and a range of pressure of 9 to 12 cm.  Whatever other problems are coming up, are not likely related to your CPAP therapy.  I think a lot of our members here would be very pleased to get results like this.  It would help to see the flow rate chart included as recommended in the Organizing Your Oscar Charts wiki, http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ganization, but this looks nearly perfect.

Thank you so much for the reassurance. On the surface, it looks like my AHI is within normal range, but with the symptoms returning, I wasn't sure if it was related to something sleep apnea related that I missed, being a noob and all... Thanks again!

It's very common that when one starts CPAP therapy that a host of problems can be associated with CPAP. Your symptoms are real and it's nt my intention to minimize their importance, just to say it is unlikely they are a result of CPAP, which is working well. What I want you to consider is that you have eliminated sleep disordered breathing as a primary cause of the symptoms, and to look at possible external factors.

[photolabrat]

Not trying to be pedantic, but are you suffering palpitations or ectopic beats, which many people mistake for palpitations? It's important to know. Ectopic beats are usually harmless, though they can be distressing when you're having lots of them, and this can lead to anxiety and shortness of breath.

I've had ectopic beats since I had a heart attack in 2008. Stress can trigger them. I take a beta blocker currently, which helps but doesn't stop them completely.

You know, I'm honestly not sure. I've never been evaluated for any heart issues related to the shortness of breath/"palpitations" or whatever they may actually be. I think it was assumed to be related to my hyperthyroid levels and they ran with that based on the description of what I was feeling. I'll read up on ectopic beats because I've never heard of them and don't have a clue what the difference is and talk to my docs. Thank you!

From a UK site:

Your heart may feel like it's pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly, often for just a few seconds or minutes. You may also feel these sensations in your throat or neck.

Palpitations may seem alarming, but in most cases they're harmless and are not a sign of a serious problem.

Sometimes you may feel an extra or missed beat. These are known as ectopic beats and are also usually nothing to worry about.

Because I've been having ectopic beats for some years, I have become familiar with them and, if I put a finger on my neck (as when checking my pulse), I can feel the pause or "missed beat"  then a couple of fast beats when the heart tries to 'catch up'. When I'm stressed, dehydrated or tired, I can have these ectopic beats for many hours - all day sometimes. If it gets too bad, I go to bed and read for an hour or so, which often helps.

I suppose that could be it? That makes me feel better to read. Does it typically cause or come with shortness of breath? I've described it as feeling like I ran around the block when I really just went up and down the stairs to put my kids to bed. My doc said I'm on a low dose of beta blocker and can up it by 1 tablet per dose if I feel I need it. I'd really like a little more guidance in regard to that, but getting an appointment now isn't likely to happen. I've never been good at taking my own pulse and feeling the beats, so I don't know if I'd be doing it right. It definitely seems to come and go and not last too long, but more noticeable in the evenings or in the morning after waking up.

[photolabrat]

Results from your Airsense 10 Autoset For her at 9-18 pressure EPR 3 are excellent with less than 1 AHI and a range of pressure of 9 to 12 cm.  Whatever other problems are coming up, are not likely related to your CPAP therapy.  I think a lot of our members here would be very pleased to get results like this.  It would help to see the flow rate chart included as recommended in the Organizing Your Oscar Charts wiki, http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ganization, but this looks nearly perfect.

Thank you so much for the reassurance. On the surface, it looks like my AHI is within normal range, but with the symptoms returning, I wasn't sure if it was related to something sleep apnea related that I missed, being a noob and all... Thanks again!

It's very common that when one starts CPAP therapy that a host of problems can be associated with CPAP. Your symptoms are real and it's nt my intention to minimize their importance, just to say it is unlikely they are a result of CPAP, which is working well. What I want you to consider is that you have eliminated sleep disordered breathing as a primary cause of the symptoms, and to look at possible external factors.

Oh, I totally understand and didn't think you were minimizing my symptoms at all! I'm glad that my CPAP therapy is working and that my AHI is down-I only posted one night in my previous post, but my AHI has never been above 1.0 since starting my treatment. My sleep study was 19.7, which isn't all that high considering what I've seen others post here. But I do feel better. I'm just puzzled as to why the shortness of breath/palpitation symptoms returned. I still think it's related to my thyroid levels going up, but still within "normal" range. Hopefully I can see my ENT in June like originally planned and we can discuss it. I'm glad it's not likely CPAP related because I don't need any more specialist visits, much less have them recommend another sleep study now.

[StevesSp]

Though I believe the vast majority of palpitations and ectopic beats are benign, you should get checked out by a cardiologist, or at least your GP, especially since you're experiencing shortness of breath. If anxiety is causing or exacerbating the problem, it makes sense to rule out any heart issue asap, because knowing it's anxiety causing your palps can actually reduce the anxiety, thus the palps could impove. Until you know what the cause is, you're just going to worry. Making sure it isn't heart-related makes sense anyway.

I am not a doctor and have no medical training. These are just my opinions based on my personal experience.

[DeepBreathing]

StevesSp you're right that not all palpitations are ectopics. In my case they were - I could be sitting quietly reading or listening to music and I would feel my heart stop. After what seemed a long time (but was probably only a second or so) it started again. There was a kind of undefined "sick" feeling associated with these episodes. The cardiologist suspected apnea was the cause, and after I got that under the control the ectopics just went away. My PSG study indicated that about 11% of my heartbeats were ectopic.

[Jane9999]

I second what SteveSP says, get it checked out by a Dr just to be sure.

Too much betablocker can make one short of breath. I took a beta blocker for a couple weeks and I would climb stairs and my heart rate would stay the same (not get higher from doing a sprint upstairs), it was the weirdest feeling and didn't feel good at all and while it was a long time ago I would say it felt like I didn't have enough oxygen in me and my breathing was the same as if I was sitting down.

PVCs and AFIB that can cause irregular beats - they can happen rarely, for periods of time interspersed by regular beats, or all the time. Stress can make these worse (ask me how I know , been there seen that with DH). It is normal from what I have read to have occasionally irregular beats (not a Dr but I am guessing a couple times a week, but I also read fluttering that happens often is a concern. Drs can do a 24 hour holter that monitors your heart rate (even do it for several days in a row) to see what is going on and if it is something that concerns them.

[DavyP49]

Hi All,

Before I forget to mention it, I just wanted to state just how much I truly think this board is, I'm the type of person that loves to help other's, and when I need some help member's in here provide me with it. I received my philips respironics dreamstation cpap machine on 02/27/2020 , I participated in a home sleep study and was diagnosed with acute sleep apnea. That came as a considerable shock to me, because as far as I could tell I slept pretty well. Anyway, the reason I'm replying to this post is since I'm still having breathing issue's, I feel sure that my cpap machine won't help at all with that. Just for some background information, my wife & I retired in 12/2018 and moved to a different state where we had lived previously at an earlier time in our lives. We had already made our decision that upon retirement we'd be moving back to be closer to family. Since I retired from the retail sector (Lowe's Home Improvement), I was used to being active. So after we moved I decided since we live in a nice subdivision that I would start walking, I really enjoyed doing so but sometimes I might have walked too great of a distance. The last time that I started out on one of my walks, everything seemed to be going normally, but when I got about a half block from my house all of a sudden I started breathing very heavily, to the point at first I thought I was having a heart attack. But I didn't have one thank goodness, I just stopped and stood still till I could catch my breath. I went home and told my wife about my experience and she said I needed to make a doctors appointment, when I called and explained what had occurred they decided to work me into their schedule that same morning. Upon my arrival and when I was taken back for my doctor visit, the first thing that they checked was my oxygen level..it was 98% at the time. The doctor checked me over and didn't seem to discover any major issue. But I was then referred to see a pulmonologist at a later date, upon my first visit I was evaluated and given a breathing test. It was immediately that I was having labored breathing, especially when I tried to exhale. I was scheduled also for a nuclear heart stress test, as well as two chest x-ray's . My heart test came back as normal, my x-ray's didn't show anything that looked abnormal. Still I'm having basically the same breathing issue that I've been having, when I try and perform basically any physical exertion even pretty minimal, I quickly start to breath very hard and I get very light headed. Ever since all of this occurred I've been doing a lot of research about what might be causing my issue, I discovered the condition known as pulmonary hypertension. But to be sure if a person actually has it a right heart cauterization has to be performed. So far my pulmonologist doesn't think it's warranted so he won't schedule a procedure for me, and of course by not walking or being able to perform normal type of physical exercise I've gained some weight, which I know doesn't help with my issue. At this point I don't know what else to do, I surely miss being able to go walking and breathing normally. Sorry about the length of this post, but I felt I needed to provide as much pertinent as I could. Thanks for hopefully at least reading this.
David   

[Crimson Nape]

By chance, are you taking Cardura (Doxazosin)?

[DavyP49]

By chance, are you taking Cardura (Doxazosin)?

Hi,
No, to be honest I've never heard of it, I take very few medication's..one for blood pressure ( lisinopril 20mg ), ( hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg )
one for cholesterol ( atorvastatin 10 mg ) one for anxiety ( bupropion hcl sr 150 mg ) that's actually the only rx's I take. I know doctor's aren't perfect & they aren't god either,but I still feel as though they are missing something. Thanks so much for reply & concern.
David 

[Crimson Nape]

I came across this while researching your drugs.

Lisinopril:
https://www.medicinenet.com/lisinopril/a...astfeeding

In general, lisinopril should not be taken with potassium supplements or diuretics that conserve potassium, for example, hydrochlorothiazide/triamterene (Dyazide), since blood potassium levels may rise to dangerous levels.

Hydrochlorothiazide:
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-5310/...al/details

Bupropion:
https://www.medicinenet.com/bupropion/ar..._bupropion

How many doctors are prescribing these medicines?  The doctors know a heck of a lot more than I do, but it wouldn't hurt to bring up possible side effect concerns during your visit.

Good luck!