I have mentioned more than a few times that taking any kind of sedative is usually not a good idea if you are a sleep apnea patient. The sedative relaxes you which is good but it also relaxes the muscles in the throat which makes the sleep apnea worse. But what if you suffer from depression or anxiety and take a medication; does that have any effect on your sleep apnea? Depression meds take a while to kick in and they don’t make you sleepy so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Ironically depression and anxiety can cause some sleep disorders, not sleep apnea, so taking anti-depressants would help in that regard if your problem is insomnia or other things that keep you awake at night. There are quite a few anti-depressants on the market such as Prozac, Zoloft, celexa and many others. While they all try to relieve your depression you may have to try a couple before you find the one that works for you. You would have to work closely with your doctor to find the right one.
Do they make you sleepy?
They are not supposed to but I have read that some find Zoloft makes them tired. But then again I have also read that Zoloft can cause insomnia which goes to show that medications produce different results in different people.
As for the connection between sleep apnea and anti-depressants you should talk to your doctor about any possible conflicts.
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Yes, you're probably right,the two are not a good mix.
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