I have a strong suspicion that I might be shedding the mask not because of leaks but because I'm still not used to it when I wake-up between sleep cycles. My doctor suggested melatonin to make me less likely to wake up between cycles but it doesn't work. (In the past, melatonin would give me sleep maintenance insomnia)


Has anyone been prescribed paralytics/anesthetics/muscle relaxants (the Top Shelf smurf ;] ) to get them to stay asleep between sleep cycles? Some of these drugs likely exacerbate OSA so I'm curious if anyone has been prescribed anything hardcore

I would avoid muscle relaxants ...they will make the OSA a lot worse.
I had a chat with my sleep doctor about it a while back because I had pain issues waking me up often.
She said she would rather see me take an opiod like hydrocodone for the pain than muscle relaxants which make things a whole lot worse.

I wouldn't be using a paralytic at all.

But sleeping pills like Ambien or the OTC sleep aids which are usually Benadryl or similar...very safe to use unless you have problem with that type of medication. I know lots of people given RX for sleeping pills to help them get past the initial hump of not sleeping well when first starting therapy. My sleep doctor gave me Ambien to help me "sleep through the pain".

Ehh my OSA was previously diagnosed as insomnia and let's just say that I've overstayed my welcome when it comes to Ambien (or any hypnotic). Don't really work on me anymore so I try my best to avoid them.


I think an interesting premise would be to treat episodes of unconscious mask removal as NREM/REM sleep behavior disorder. Interestingly, while the traditional medication is clonozepam, melatonin of all things has proven to be effective. Now I realize why my sleep doc suggested melatonin to make me less conscious between sleep cycles.

I wonder if he'll suggest clonozepam. While benzos are usually a risky drug class, this one has been shown not to develop into depence/tolerance if managed properly.

All medications come with baggage...the old risk vs rewards thing. Even aspirin.
I think there is a time and place for any medication and I think that it is up to the patient and their doctor to examine the risks vs rewards thing for each individual.

Taking any medication that has the potential for dependence should always be something that the patient and the doctor come to an agreement on in terms of how it is managed to reduce the unwanted baggage chances.

Nothing is ever a perfect solution for everyone. We all can react differently to anything. Melatonin...I can't take at all...gives me bad vertigo and that's a listed known side effect. Others can take it and swear by how effective it is. I can't vouch for its effectiveness at all because I only tried it twice and the vertigo started about 15 minutes after I took it and lasted well into the next day and that was with a teeny tiny dose.
Unacceptable baggage for me.

I have been using "sleeping pills" and muscle relaxers for several years to help me sleep. I was initially taking Temazepam which was great. Started with one per night, then after a couple of years moved up to two per night. Really liked them, no hang over feeling in the morning and slept pretty well.

They stopped working for me so I went to something else. Then they gave me Baclofen for hip pain so I could sleep,

Recently did another sleep study (been using CPAP for 12 years with the same settings and same mask so figured I was past due for some changes). Currently waiting for my new machine and equipment and intend to wean myself from those meds.

My recommendation is don't start taking them. You become dependent on them for sleep. Good luck and I hope you find what works for you.

I tried Gravol a couple times and it seemed to help with the first couple weeks.

I found after that I have no problems whatsoever with the machine/mask

I taken Ibuprophen for joint pain before bed and Melatonin. The sound of the machine bothers me, so I used foam earplugs (connected with a string) for noise reduction. It took me a month or 2 to get used to the FFM and sometimes I suck on a lemon cough drop to help with relaxing.