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+--- Thread: CPAP Side Effects (/Thread-CPAP-Side-Effects--43318)
CPAP Side Effects - Tylermdugan - 02-13-2024
Hello,
I've been on CPAP for less than a week but have been having some rough side effects. I know some of this comes from not being used to it yet, but I wanted to post my OSCAR to see if everything looks alright. The worst side effects have been acid reflux, stomach pain, and nausea. This has been happening on and off throughout the day since starting CPAP. I've attached a screenshot in case anything looks off.
Thanks!
P.S. I have yet to have a sleep study done because my local sleep doc is very backed up. I am doing a home study from an online provider this week.
RE: CPAP Side Effects - Deborah K. - 02-13-2024
You can make a couple of changes now that will help you feel better and give you better therapy. I suggest that you raise your lower-pressure setting to 7 and raise your higher-pressure setting to 11. The 4 setting you presently use is quite low for an adult. I think you will feel better at 7. You are bumping up against your 8 setting, so you need a little more. There are other changes we can make once you have a copy of your sleep study and post it here. You already know how to use Oscar, and that's great. You are off to a very good start!
P.S. Others will come along who know more about your reflux and the other problems.
RE: CPAP Side Effects - robbob2112 - 02-13-2024
I would assume the reflux and other symptoms are caused by aerophagia (air swallowing). Increasing the pressure will likely make that worse rather than better. I am no expert but I think the pressure sawtooth is saying you are chin tucking in places.
If you haven't had any sort of sleep study how do you know you have apnea?
If you haven’t already gotten it, you should get the clinical manual for your machine and read it, pay particular attention to the section on titration. It will give you a starting point and instructions on what to do next. Sleeprider or sarcastic dave will come around and help with it from there.
RE: CPAP Side Effects - stevew168 - 03-18-2024
Based on your OSCAR screenshot, it appears that have mostly central apneas and they are occurring when your pressure increases, suggesting treatment-emergent central sleep apnea. (TECSA) is a specific form of sleep-disordered breathing, characterized by the emergence or persistence of central apneas during treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The higher pressures may be causing hypocarbia (low CO2 in the bloodstream) which can cause central apnea. You may not even have any obstructive sleep apnea above the normal range without the apap. With relatively mild pressure, you had only 7 obstructive apneas and over about 9.6 hours.
Another possibility is, you already had mostly central apnea, and you might need a different type of machine. It would be best to have a sleep study, even the at-home one you will have, before continuing to use the apap, or perhaps try lowering the pressure to 5 or 6, cpap mode, with EPR set to one. It would be interesting to see how the central and obstructive apneas change.
RE: CPAP Side Effects - Tylermdugan - 03-18-2024
Hello,
I actually did get a sleep study done recently, I've attached the results. It shows moderate obstructive apneas. I haven't made any changes to my CPAP but recently the teeth grinding and headaches have been worse than ever. Not sure what to do if I am having central apneas due to treatment.
Thanks!
Tyler.
RE: CPAP Side Effects - stevew168 - 03-18-2024
Your Lofta home sleep study does not detect central apneas. Most do not. If you are having TECSA but few obstructive apneas or hypopneas, I would start by lowering your low and high pressure, maybe try 5-8 or 9, and turning off EPR, if that is comfortable. However since you are having central apneas that might have been identified as obstructive in your home sleep study, ideally you could have a clinical sleep study, which give a better picture of all of your apneas. I had a home sleep study at first, and used a cpap and later an apap, for about six years, although I had central apneas as well as obstructive, and periodic breathing based on the reporting to OSCAR. After having a clinical sleep study, I was prescribed an ASV by my sleep doctor, which works much better for me.
You might have a different issue, but I would try lowering the pressure a bit and find out the result.
RE: CPAP Side Effects - Phaleronic - 03-18-2024
There is good advice in the thread for you Tylermdugan. I noticed too the clustering of some of your CA events (chin tucking likely) and also you're hitting your max pressure. I would try this for a night and see how you feel and see if it's more comfortable for you.
Change from apap to cpap mode, set pressure to 10cm and epr to 2.