Does this sound like a sleep disorder

[robertin75]

Dear Drs.

I'm a male, 30 years old,normal blood pressure,50 kgs,no heart or lung disease.

I have been suffering from fatigue,dificulty concentrating and daytime sleepiness since 1997 and no one has found why.

Here is my history:

Everything started in 1997 when I had a bout of depression and since then I have never slept like before again.I have been given every antidepressant on the sun for the last 5 years and I still feel the same way with no improvement with my symptoms,as doctors think this is PURE depression.

In 2001 I had a sleep study done and it showed very mild sleep apnea. The neurologist put me on a CPAP machine and I used it for like a year with ZERO improvements,so makes me wonder that my sleep problem is very uncommon to what is found in most sleep labs.

One funny thing is that in this 8 years of feeling this way,I have only had like 10 days (randomnly) in which I have woken up completely refreshed like a new person,just like before 1997, when all this started.

One day in year 2000 I woke up at 4:00AM and then suddenly fell asleep,and by 6:00AM I woke up completely refreshed (I only slept 2 hours !) .I did not have any daytime sleepiness, fatigue or difficulty concentrating on that day.

Does this sounds like a sleep problem caused by maybe a blood gases exchange or metabolic problem (blood sugar abnormalities, etc)? All my endocrinology, liven and kidney tests are very normal by the way.

Also,have you heard of accutane causing these kind of problems or permanent brain damage,as I was given this drug for 4 months in that time.

Thanks,
Roberto

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

I cannot give you a clinical diagnosis over the internet unfortunately.

It might be beneficial to repeat your sleep study and compare it to that in 2001. If CPAP is indicated, then make sure it was properly set up, fitted etc before deciding it does not work. If not working, then yes, obtructive sleep apnea is unolikely to be the cause. THere are other primary sleep disturbances though, some better understood than others, some with other forms of treatment available. TO have your sleep properly assessed, and any abnormal sleep hygiene patterns or clues to a primary sleep disorder, it may benefit you to be evaluated at a specialized sleep center such as the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Center. It would seem unlikely that a blood gas problem or glucose abnormality would cause your symptoms. Depression can classically disturb sleep, usually with early morning awakening and unrefreshed sleep. Accutane most likely is not realted to these problems.

Good luck

[robertin75]

Dear Drs.

Do you think that I may need to be monitored for more complex variables like end-tidal or transcutaneous carbon dioxide, etc in majror sleep centers as these variables are not normally measured in typical sleep labs?

Thanks for your help,
Roberto

[missmellie]

Hi

i don't know much about the sleep problem you have , but i do know that in england they are no longer prescribing the accutane, i have heard that a lot of people had reactions to it, to include suicide, real bad depression etc.  my sister took it and she was really bad to the point she thought she needed to go be admitted.  i would go and have tests for asthma etc to make sure that you do not have a breathing problem besides the sleep apnea.  depression can certainly casue sleepless nights, since this has been going on for so long you certainly need professional help whether from the medical community or from you local church. good luck god bless