Night Sweats - Sleep Apnea

[RanMan]

For the past several years, I have been getting bad night sweats.
I've never given it much thought but now I wonder if it's a medical problem.
The bedroom has AC and it is not unusually warm in there.

I recently had a physical exam and forgot to mention about the night sweats ~ every night.
I wake up in the morning and the sheets are soaked. My blood pressure is fine, blood/sugar is normal, cholestoral is normal etc, but my question is: Does anybody else out there suffer with night sweats on a regular basis? Can you relate this to epilepsy or the meds?

I'd love to hear your feedback on this.

Randy

 

[Bernard]

Hi Randy!

I just posted this in another thread recently (emphasis added for your benefit):

While patients with sleep apnea may not be aware of the problem, their spouse may seek medical assistance because they are frequently awakened by their partner's snoring, which may be described as loud, squeaky, or raspy. In other cases, the patient may seek help for fatigue, difficulty staying awake during the day, or falling asleep at inappropriate times.

Because of restless sleep and decreased oxygen supply to the brain, patients with sleep apnea may complain of impaired mental function, slowed reaction times, problems concentrating, memory loss, poor judgment, personality changes such as irritability or depression, morning headaches, and decreased interest in sex.

Additional symptoms may include excessive sweating during sleep, bedwetting, nightmares, dry mouth when awakening caused by sleeping with the mouth open, development of high blood pressure, and frequent upper respiratory infections. Young children with sleep apnea may have visible inward movement of the chest during sleep, learning problems, growth or developmental problems, and hyperactive behavior.

http://www.answers.com/sleep+apnea&r=67

I don't know if this is related to what you are experiencing, but it is fresh on my mind so I thought I would mention it.

 

[RanMan]

:woot:
Thanx for that Bernard, I was also wondering if could be one more side effect from long term use of Dilantin.

Randy

 

[Birdbomb]

Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea causes night sweats. I thought I was beginning the change of life when I started with night sweats but found out I have OSA to the point of it being life threatening.

I must sleep with a CPAP and an oxygen consentrator of 2 liters.

My oxygen stats fall to a very low 51%. This can cause sudden death.

You may want to explore a sleep strudy to rule out OSA.

 

[lorryanne]

I'm on dilantin and have night sweats (not as bad as yours).
I thought it was from menopause but I don't get the typical menopause daytime hot flushes so maybe it is dilantin.
You have given me something to think about.

 

[1096]

why would i want to medicate if im gonna sweat my guts out...


>>> SHIT SCARED

 

[Birdbomb]

If I am not mistaken, this sweating is NOT from working out but from the body attemps to get oxygen and a form of shock. Have you ever been in shock. Most unpleasent.

When you wake up in a night sweat, often you are trying to catch your breath, hair, clothing and bedding wet, and often disorentated. It's easy for us older women to think it's menepause, it's what we've been conditioned to expect. Not sleep apnea.

FYI Ranman just posted on another site, that he did do the sleep study and he has SOSA (severe obstructive sleep apnea) He now sleeps with a CPAP and oxygen. His study results were about the same as mine. One thing, he now has LESS seizure activity because of the new sleeping arrangements.

 

[1096]

the science of sleep

 

[Bernard]

Hey thanks for the update BB. Ranman only pops in here infrequently, so it's nice to hear that they were able to make a positive determination and help him.

Hey, I got one right (pats self on back).

 

[Bernard]

Ranman sleep apnea update

 

[Birdbomb]

I have to say a few things about the CPAP masks... they are most UGLY! They are not condusive to romance, I mean, who wants to turn to you and whisper sweet nothings when you look like you are on your last legs. It's like having a Shop-Vac set on reverse strapped to your face.

However....it keeps us ALIVE! We are more alert, a lot less afternoon exhaustion and some of us have fewer seizure activity like Ranman.

The oxygen consentrator is a big beast. About the size of a window AC. It's noisy and heats up the room.


Sleep Apnea!



Ahhhh...just another one of life's little surprises.

 

[RanMan]

You're soooo right BB. The CPAP mask makes me look like something out of a horror movie. (not very romantic at all)
The first night I wore it, I scare the s--- out of the dog (actually attacked me)
Although my CPAP machine has stopped my night seizures and gave me back my short term memory and more energy, I STILL GET THE NIGHT SWEATS so I figure it must be a side effect from the Dilantin.

I have to say a few things about the CPAP masks... they are most UGLY! They are not condusive to romance, I mean, who wants to turn to you and whisper sweet nothings when you look like you are on your last legs. It's like having a Shop-Vac set on reverse strapped to your face.

However....it keeps us ALIVE! We are more alert, a lot less afternoon exhaustion and some of us have fewer seizure activity like Ranman.

The oxygen consentrator is a big beast. About the size of a window AC. It's noisy and heats up the room.


Sleep Apnea!



Ahhhh...just another one of life's little surprises.

Randy (RanMan)

 

[1096]

what i meant bb was unclear.

I meant to say,

Recently I've had three tonic clonic seizures, been suffering myoclonus and absence seizures and other petit mals since I was 14. So

being uncontrolled and about to start medication, I'm curious as to whether the sleep apnea was something you developed as a side effect of the AEDs?

 

[Birdbomb]

My sleep apnea was caused by my VNS. Before I had it implanted I had done a sleep study. The results were normal, but 2 years later, I nearly died from complications after a total knee replacement. I was having oxygen problems, My % stats kept dropping and there was too much CO2 in my blood.

After 8 days, the doc refused to release me until I had another sleep study. The resuts were staggering. My puls-ox dropped to 47% When it dips below 90% the nursing staff freaks. I had seen it as low as 67% while in the hospital. This is severly life threatening. I could go to sleep and die.

I imagine the morphine drip didn't help much as most pain killers also supress breathing. They could not give me enough morphine to keep the pain level bearable because of that, so I was in agony.

Like Ranman I was having night sweats for months but blew it off as pending menopause. (I'm 52, time for the change of life) The sleep study clarified all that and a few other symptoms.

 

[Bernard]

A study done at the University of Michigan revealed that a third or more epilepsy patents also have sleep apnea. Anything that causes disturbed sleep also has an adverse effect on the brain. Sleep apnea does disrupt sleep and this causes excessive daytime sleepiness, an inability to concentrate and headaches.

If, however, the person also has epilepsy, then the sleep disruption can bring on a seizure. The coexistence of epilepsy and apnea suggests a link between the parts of the brain that are affected by epilepsy and the parts that control breathing.

This connection between sleep apnea and epilepsy was first documented by Beth Malow, M.D., M.S. and the late Michael Aldrich, M.D. of the neurology department at the University of Michigan. It is hoped that treating sleep apnea will also help to lessen the frequency of epileptic seizures.

Further proof of some connection between epilepsy and sleep apnea is the increased frequency of breathing problems in people using the Vagus Nerve Stimulator. This is a method of treatment used for people who do not respond satisfactorily to drug therapy.

Although the breathing problems appeared small and not harmful, obviously some connection does exist. Patients monitored overnight for airflow and blood oxygen demonstrated far more decreased breathing spells and interruptions when using the stimulator. The majority of epilepsy patients who also suffered from breathing problems were older males.

http*//sleepdisorders.about.com/cs/relatedproblems/a/apneaepilepsy.htm]Apnea and Epilepsy (this link no longer points to the article quoted, so I'm including the reference below)

BACKGROUND: Previous reports have documented the coexistence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and epilepsy and the therapeutic effects of treatment on seizure frequency and daytime sleepiness. The authors’ objective was to determine the prevalence of OSA and its association with survey items in a group of patients with medically refractory epilepsy undergoing polysomnography (PSG).

METHODS: Thirty-nine candidates for epilepsy surgery without a history of OSA underwent PSG as part of a research protocol examining the relationship of interictal epileptiform discharges to sleep state. Subjects also completed questionnaires about their sleep, including validated measures of sleep-related breathing disorders (Sleep Apnea Scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire [SA/SDQ]) and subjective daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]).

RESULTS: One-third of subjects had OSA, defined by a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) 5. Five subjects (13%) had moderate to severe OSA (RDI > 20). Subjects with OSA were more likely to be older, male, have a higher SA/SDQ score, and more likely to have seizures during sleep than those without OSA (p < 0.05). Seizure frequency per month, the number or type of antiepileptic drugs (AED) prescribed, the localization of seizures (temporal versus extratemporal), and the ESS were not statistically different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS: In our sample, previously undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea was common, especially among men, older subjects, and those with seizures during sleep. The impact of treating OSA on seizure frequency and daytime sleepiness in medically refractory epilepsy patients warrants further controlled study.

Obstructive sleep apnea is common in medically refractory epilepsy patients

 

[Birdbomb]

Surprise surprise!

 

[POSITIVEPERSON]

I had nite sweats before I got my vns inplant. I always thought it was from the mysoline and tegretol combo? Who knows I never asked the drs in Canada, or in NYC. Now that I am off the meds I am sleeping fine. But for years on that combo I had nite sweats!!!!!

Riva

 

[CuHead]

Ever tried a spirometer? I used one after I had spine surgery.

http://www.medexsupply.com/respirat...ve-spirometers-exerciser-each-x_pid-1924.html

 

[Birdbomb]

Ever tried a spirometer? I used one after I had spine surgery.

http://www.medexsupply.com/respirat...ve-spirometers-exerciser-each-x_pid-1924.html

Usually after general anesthesia you get one of these things to clear out your lungs otherwise pneumonia is a very real danger.

A spirometer will do nothing for apnea. The use of a spirometer is like an excersize tool. You do all the hard work by larger and larger breaths. Whereas a CPAP does the work for you while you sleep.

A CPAP is needed to force the airways open. It's kind of like having a leaf blower strapped to your face, forcing pressurized air into your nose. It takes time to get use to it. Even now 3 years down the road, I'll pull the thing off my face while I am sleeping and the full face mask I am currently using is far more comfortable and tolerable than the old nose mask.

 

[RanMan]

Hi forum members;

I mentioned in an earlier post that although I'm on the CPAP machine, I was still getting the night sweats. I blamed it on being one more side affect of Dilantin.
Well I've been on the CPAP for 4 months now and the night sweats are starting to go away. I guess my body had to get used to the CPAP.

Randy