Posted by Jakeman on May 17, 2005, at 23:21:40
In reply to Re: If all effective AD's supress REM sleep....., posted by university on May 16, 2005, at 21:32:08
> > > i just got my polysomnography results back;
> > >
> >
> > I did a sleep study last night and am eager to get the results. It felt like I barely slept at all but the tech said I slept several hours. Has your Dr. made any recommendations based on your polysomnography? I often wake feeling very tired and unrested, I'm guessing that I'm not getting enough stage 3 & 4 deep sleep. My Dr. has mentioned Xyrem as a possible treatment.
> >
> > The issue of REM sleep and depression is confusing to me at this point. As an aside, I know of two people that are heavily into meditation and martial arts who function happily on 4 hours sleep per night.
> >
> > best regards, Jake
>
> What's Xyrem?? Yes, the sleep lab MD advises CPAP therapy. For the diminished REM, absent 3&4, and increased 1&2, she can't really advise anything but clinical correlation, since it's anybody's guess what's responsible (though Prozac is probably the main factor).
>
> But I'll be very pleased if CPAP therapy "cures" my excessive daytime sleepiness, which is why I had the study done in the first place. I've been on sundry stimulants (methylphenidate right now) for this ESD.
>
> My insurance--Blue Cross PPO--won't cover a CPAP machine for me 'cause my apnea index was too low (I had more hypopneas than actual apneas). So I'm looking into just buying one (about $800).
>
> Good luck--let us know what the results are. And make sure you ask the lab for a copy of the results. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to tell you what I've learned...
>
> JM------------------------
I believe Xyrem (aka GHB) was approved for treatment for narcolepsy but is being presribed for other sleep disorders such as insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. Because the DEA/FDA has fears about it being abused the distribution is tightly controlled. Maybe someone who's taking it can correct me, but I believe it has to be ordered directly from a central pharmacy. The main drawback is that you have to take it two times a night, but apparently its been a godsend for some people.
You mention Prozac...I believe my insomnia started over 10 years ago when I first started on Prozac. The problem was manageable at first but has progressively gotten worse. Recently I started taking Elavil and Lunesta at night and
and my sleep has improved somewhat, though not great.Good luck to you too with the CPAP. Maybe you can try one for a while before you actually buy it. Yes I may have some more questions when I get my results. I'm going to call the lab tomorrow and make sure they send me a copy. That's the least they can do for the $500 I had to pay out-of-pocket.
-J
poster:Jakeman
thread:490873
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050516/msgs/499250.html