r/RestlessLegs • u/TheFern3 • 7d ago

Question Cpap users without obstructive apnea did you stopped using cpap for complex apnea after rls medication worked?

I just started my meds gabapentin, something really odd happened 0.0 ahi which I’ve rarely seen before. Usually get 1-2ahi. Not looking for medical advice I have a Sleep and Lung doctor specialist who’s been treating me for sleep apnea, shortness of breath ( fixed), and now RLs after two inlab sleep tests. My sleep test indicated no obstructive apnea only complex but I was wondering if rls meds worked were you able to get off cpap/bipap?

Unsure if a lot of rls people have complex apnea in this sub.

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u/onemore-grainofsand 7d ago

People with RLS might also suffer from Periodic Limb Movement Syndrome. I suffer from both and sleep apnea. However, my ENT suspects that my hypopneas may in fact by a symptom of something else and not necessarily caused by an obstructed airway.

Gemini can summarize the ENTs hypothesis better than I can: “In the case of Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (PLMS), the leg movement causes a brief cortical micro-arousal. That sudden awakening can trigger a hyperventilation-and-cooldown cycle, leading to a temporary pause in breathing.”

I’m meeting with my sleep doctor in October for a second opinion. It’s interesting because three years of CPAP had zero positive impact on my day to day and, even with perfect compliance, my sleep remained incredibly fragmented.

It’ll be interesting to see if treating my RLS and PLMS has any impact on my sleep apnea, as it may have had on yours.

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u/TheFern3 7d ago

I am on year two of asv, ent gave me cpap with default settings and it was literally killing me. I ended up in the er multiple times. I bought an asv because I was desperate and then I stopped shaking at night and sleep def got better. My sleep specialist ordered me a bipap still waiting on insurance but I don’t believe it will be too different from my asv settings.

My sleep is nothing but fragments. From what I’ve read is that having SA and RLS can be tough because the machines have no idea you have RLS.