Opioids What is going on with my chest? *More from previous semi-OD in sleep story*

[shreddedlettuce]

This thread is like an episode of "House MD".
Jokes aside.. please see your doc.

 

[kokaino]

I am going to have to agree with tricomb and say that this may be some form of sleep apnea (there are different types of sleep apnea). Are you a smoker by any chance and do you snore? Either way, if this is happening only while you sleep then I suspect some form of sleep apnea (just my opinion). If you do have sleep apnea and sleeping with an opioid analgesic running through your system is a bad combo - opioids are one of several groups of drugs that people with sleep apnea cannot take (others are muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines (especially ones which produce marked sedation and strong muscle relaxant effects, alcohol, etc). Opioids produce moderately significant respiratory depression (this can also depend on the opioid/opiate - ie. morphine/heroin and methadone are known to produce profound respiratory depression whereas hydrocodone or oxycodone are usually less severe), benzodiazepines relax the throat muscles and produce mild respiratory depression (some of the more toxic hypnotics ie. temazepam can and do produce a considerable rate of respiratory depression in doses higher than therapeutic, so again different drugs pose different threat levels) and muscle relaxants relax the throat muscles which causes collapse of the airway while sleeping.

The thing with sleep apnea is that you can have it for a long time and not really know it or you're aware of it and just get accustomed to the day and night cycles.

What you have to do is go to a doctor and ask for an overnight sleep study. That is the only way they can know for sure whether you have sleep apnea or not. If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, life for you will change quite a bit. First of all, you will have to find a way to use your opioid safely so that it doesn't cause any breathing issues for you. There are medications that may help, but usually you're put on an airway pressure device which blows air at a prescribed pressure. That is something that the doctor will have to figure out and titrate the pressure. If you are obese they will also recommend diet change.

I'm no doctor, but I am a medical laboratory technologist (not working in the field at the moment) and this is just my opinion on your problem. So don't start thinking you have sleep apnea just because I told you that this may be your problem. Only a doctor can know for sure whether you do or you don't and they can only find that out by conducting a sleep study so that they can get a polysomnogram (PSG). This can be a totally different thing here and not be sleep apnea.

 

[Thomas29]

Ya I remember reading something awhile ago that said Sleep Apnea is VERY common among Opiate/Opioid users definitely a possibility to consider.

 

[Mel22]

IMO, it would be absolutely stupid to hold off seeing a doctor in regards to this.

 

[regfairfield]

yea...dont go to the er ( they dont do ish and they dont know YOU as a person ) call your pc and let them know...u say your not doing the drugs illegally so whats stopping you?