LDN CAUSING SLEEP APNEA

[Joannamc74]

I have been taking LDN for Allergies, Asthma, CFS and fibromyalgia. I saw a significant improvement in pain and allergies at first but then my summer allergies were terrible and it didn't seem that LDN was working at 3mg anymore. So i increased the dose to 4.5. At that time I started having sleep apnea for the first 4 hours of sleep after taking it every night. I decreased the dose to 3mg but it kept occurring. I stopped and started several times and only ever experienced the apnea when I took LDN. Now im taking 1.5 and it is not happening unless i have a very bad allergy day but my fibro pain is back and allergies worse than ever. I think 1.5 is not strong enough but 3 mg gives me the sleep apnea problems. I'm not overweight and have been evaluated by an ENT and no abnormality found, so I feel that somehow LDN is affecting my sinuses somehow or else putting me into a very deep sleep that is causing apnea. Not sure what to do because I want to keep taking it but the apnea is causing me alot of anxiety. Anyone experience this problem? I can't find anything online about it...

[aredtigress Administrator]

Sleep apnea is not a common response to taking LDN, that's why you can't find any information about the two together. We are all different in our responses, my best advice would be to take a day or two off, then go back down to 3 mg. Personally, I would stay at that dose, taking a few days off when it seems the benefits lessen. The other thought is to take some time off, start back at 3 mg and when the benefits lessen go up to 4 mg and see how that works.

Many of us have to adjust dose levels, even after being on LDN for a while. I hope this helps.

Michelle

[Joannamc74 in reply to aredtigress]

Thank you for the reply. Since writing last I saw a doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and treated with antibiotics which cleared it up. I had been taking a break with LDN. Now I've started back on 3mgs with no problem. I think my throat was inflamed and swollen because of the infection and combined with the sedating effect of the LDN it was causing me to experience the sleep apnea. Hopefully the problem is solved but if it starts again I will try your suggestion of taking a few days off and lowering the dose. Thanks again.

[MorRos1 in reply to Joannamc74]

How do you know you were having sleep apnea.? I ask because I suspect I have sleep apnea caused by me accidentally taking 2 pills 4.5 mg. Pills of LDN. On that day I was in an extremely deep sleep and had high blood pressure. This lasted 2 weeks with no help from ER, Rheum, or PCP. I had a sleep study which showed 1 central sleep apnea during the study, but I was not diagnosed with sleep apnea because of the small number of occurrence but on other nights I wake out of my sleep, can’t get to sleep, or wake up like I’ve been holding my breath. It’s very frightening. Now after taking anything slightly sedating I will have the same symptoms for a week or two. I have discontinued using LDN which I took for pain caused by Sjögren’s syndrome but am currently having the same symptoms after taking 1/4 of clonidine pill last week. I have not found anything online except your post.