Still tired, next step DRUGS!
So It has been over a month using this new ASV machine. I just saw the doctor assistance for my follow up. she said if I want to change to the autoASV mode , with the setting deepbreather told me about, that's fine. nothing else, she did not look at the results, other then the AHI of the last night was below 5!.
I told her I am still tired, still wake up several times (2-4 times, not for bathroom breaks) All I got was some people are just tired all the time, and I should do another sleep study and nap study!. I already had many sleep studies now, and nap studies, with no results, just more cost to me! getting too expensive with no results.
So she said I can try Modafinil 200mg to see if that will help. Has anyone tried this drug? I am on it for a few days now, while not 'dead tired' anymore, I have a low grade headache.
It looks like I am stuck buying yet another machine, with no results. The only good thing about this ASV is that I dont have the bloating I had with the cpap and bi pap machines. I guess I can use them as door stops!.
I will be using the sleepy head data and postings on this site, perhaps I can diagnose myself!
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
As I understand it, Modafinil will help keep you awake during the day, but won't improve your sleep at night. There could be many reasons you're tired, one of which could be that the apnea treatment isn't yet optimised. Alternatively it could be related to haemoglobin levels, thyroid, vitamin deficiency and a whole lot of other things. If you can post a SleepyHead chart from a typical night, at least we can help you with the apnea side of things.
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
PaulaO
Take a deep breath and count to zen.
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
Drugs like that are a crutch, not a solution, in my opinion. A month is not that long to adjust. It has taken me about a year to start thinking that maybe I was as good as I was going to get. And I still wake up at least once a night. DeepBreathing is correct, don't assume that sleep apnea is the only thing affecting you. Vitamin D supplements made a huge difference for me. Other things had a smaller effect. Don't give up!
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
Hi there, I definitely agree with Chill above that it takes a long time before you can say you've adjusted to therapy / figured out he right pressure settings etc. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend going for Modafinil at this point.
I do take Modafinil -- about a third of a pill (35mg) whenever I feel absolutely miserable. Otherwise, I try to avoid it. But that was only after two years of CPAP and still feeling tired 50% of the time.
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
(09-12-2017, 11:58 PM)chill Wrote: Drugs like that are a crutch, not a solution, in my opinion. A month is not that long to adjust. It has taken me about a year to start thinking that maybe I was as good as I was going to get. And I still wake up at least once a night. DeepBreathing is correct, don't assume that sleep apnea is the only thing affecting you. Vitamin D supplements made a huge difference for me. Other things had a smaller effect. Don't give up!
I agree that a month is not long enough to adjust, but we all still have to function while we work things out. Absolutely, the OP should look at the other factors. Sometimes, we are able to identify other factors, but other times we do not. I take the drug in question everyday--the alternative is losing my driver's license and not being able to work. Obviously, I think calling the drugs a crutch is somewhat harsh.
Charlie Sue
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
With your numbers being 5 or under, you are considered "treated" and that is all the insurance company cares about. A low AHI does not mean that you are comfortable with the treatment. It is difficult to get a good nights sleep if you are uncomfortable. It may take more time or perhaps like me, there is an adjustment you can make that will make you comfortable with treatment to get a good nights sleep.
My Doctor gave up and the people here helped me find the right settings, sleeping bliss once again.
Do you still have the BiPAP? It looks like my BiPAP has more adjustment that can be made than the ASV has. Following this thread, Hand in there.
09-18-2017, 07:39 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-18-2017, 07:42 AM by Ockrocket.)
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
It took me more than a month just to get the mask adjusted to seal properly without causing pain and leaving marks on the bridge of my nose.
A year on and I've got pretty much all of it sorted in all respects now.. mask, humidity, heated hose temp, pressure, and so forth.
The biggest improvement to my fatigue came from the fact that I broke the 10 year cycle of only sleeping 4.5 to 5.5 hours per night.. my wife doesn't like to go to bed early, so I would stay up late to keep her company, but then she would decide to sleep in and go in to work late seeing as she had gone to bed late, meanwhile I had no choice but to get up and go to work at 5.00 AM.
Because she had gone to work late she would stay up late again, and so the cycle perpetuated itself.
For me it all came to a head when I crashed a work vehicle 14 hours in to my fourth long day at work... the accident cause was that I fell asleep due to sheer chronic exhaustion.
Now I sleep 7 to 8.5 hours at night, my tiredness has dropped markedly due to that fact, and even if I miss a night on CPAP I still wake up feeling rested if I have had 7 hours plus of sleep.
If you are sleeping less than 7 hours at a minimum you need to change your sleeping habits.. it will take time, and CPAP alone will not reduce your fatigue, you need to do the other things to gain full benefit from reducing your apnea number.
Stick with it, and look at your overall sleeping regime, not just the apnea component of it.
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
I too still felt tired after a month. I am going on four months and i just now getting where i dont need a nap. It takes time for us to repair all the damage to our bodies. Have patience. Also post you results so we canhelp.
RE: Still tired, next step DRUGS!
Thanks all for your support!
So After trying this drug, I found instead of making me more awake, I got one heck of a headache! Needless to say, I stopped it after a week. ( It was expensive also). It did not help with getting tired during the day. I'm just getting tired of not having the energy/want to do things when I get home from work. I am afraid of falling asleep at my desk. ( which I have done) I just think I may start snoring at work!  I have driven when I was tired, but never fell asleep when I am moving.
As far as hours sleeping, I average 6 - 7.5 hours a night. On the weekends it is longer, but I cant go past 9 hours. I found if I take one AdvilPM, I will wake, but go back to sleep right away.
I was going to see if there is any correlation between my apnea events and waking, but have not found any.
The doctor just said some people are just tired all the time.
Wife said I'm just falling apart. 
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