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I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea a couple of years ago and have to use a CPAP machine. I weighed about 260 lbs. when I was diagnosed. I have lost over 30 lbs. on the McDougall plan, but still use my CPAP every night. I read an article by Dr. McDougall where he says most people who lose weight can get off their CPAP. Has anyone here been able to discontinue their CPAP since losing weight?

I have two close friends that have weened themselves off the CPAP mask through losing 43 and 87lbs respectively. They both were looking for a way to get away from the hassle of the masks. They are not forum members but I have been impressed with their progress. My mother, on the other hand, continues to require more pressure on the mask as her weight increases. The explosion of people on CPAP masks seems to correlate with the increase in obesity. I understand some thin people benefit from CPAP but most can discard the troublesome and akward aperatus with weight loss. Masks and BMI seem to go hand in hand.
f1jim

I stopped using my CPAP about a week ago. I weighed 250 lbs when I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and now weigh 189. I was nervous about stopping, but figured I would just take it a night at a time and see how I felt. So far, so good.

Do you have anyone around who can tell you if you stop breathing or not? It kinda makes me nervous too. Before I got on the CPAP I would wake up 4-6 times a night and have to go to the bathroom. It was so bad I had to quit working because I was only getting maybe 4 hrs. sleep at most every night and sometimes less. With the CPAP I sleep about 6-7 hrs. But, I have a full-face mask and hate it. I also hate struggling with all that tubing. Argh!

p.s. Congratulations on your weight loss and I wish you success without your CPAP.

Thanks for your good wishes! Yes, I sleep with my girlfriend, and she has not noticed any snoring or apneas. I would be much more reluctant to stop using it without a sleep study if I lived alone. I am also judging by how I feel during the day, as I used to get very sleepy before I started using the CPAP.

My SO has been diagnosed with medium to severe sleep apnea and is using a cpap machine every night, unless we go camping.
He is still about 15 lbs overweight and working on it, but so far, I doubt that he can quitt the machine. When I am awake in the night, I still can hear him stop breathing occasionally. So I guess we will have to wait until he is down to his goal weight, then maybe another sleep study.

I've been off my CPAP for almost 3 months now. Looks like I was at about the 50 Lbs lost mark when I quit using it. Previously on trips that long I would take it, sometimes on shorter trips I would not, and could notice a big difference in how tired I was in the afternoons when I wasn't using it. When I went to a funeral right after Thanksgiving, I decided not to take it with me. I was very surprised with how long I was able to drive on the way back without getting sleepy.

I started not using it at home, and asked my wife about the snoring. She says I rarely snore anymore and she has not noticed me "jerking and gasping" like I did before the CPAP. I rarely wake up in the middle of the night. I also seem to be able to survive on less sleep than everyone else. I will attribute that to either years of suffering from sleep apnea or my new found "Super Vegan Powers" as one of my sons calls it.

My husband has lost 70 pounds with this WOE, but has been unable to discontinue his CPAP machine. (He was quite disappointed because it was one of his major goals initially. He hates the mask, tubes and traveling with it too.) One possible reason that he hasn't been able to stop is that he has not only obstructive sleep apnea, but also cerebral sleep apnea.

Yes...probably the reason you have sleep apnea is because of your weight..My Sister was able to get off her machine, and also to get off her inhaler( for asthma) just by losing over 100 lbs....Her Doctor told her most cases of Sleep Apnea..not all, are caused by being overweight.

Safest way to do it is to do a sleep study at the hospital w/out the CPAP. They can tell what you're doing in GREAT detail. Talk to the doctor about doing that, but perhaps wait until you're closer to your weight loss goal.

I don't know about everyone else here who uses a CPAP machine, but I see my sleep doctor once a year--more if I am having any problems. My sleep study was not done in a hospital, but in a sleep center. It was the most miserable experience of my life--a gazillion wires attached all over my body and the thought of a camera being on me all night was very unpleasant to say the least. I would hate to go through that again, but I suppose if it meant getting off my CPAP for good, it would be worth it. There is a problem with insurance covering it if you get off it without your doctor's consent and then need to get back on it. Dr. McDougall once said that CPAPs should be sold over the counter, but if that was the case, insurance wouldn't cover them. Besides you could blow out your eyes or your ears if the pressure is turned up too high.

I know it's awful (had a friend who did it) which is why I'm suggesting waiting until you're near goal weight. It would really suck to do the sleep study, find out you still need the machine, and then have to do it again when you're at goal weight.

If it were me I wouldn't risk going off the CPAP w/out knowing for sure (via sleep study) that it was for sure OK to do so.

For me, one small step to me knowing it may be ok to quit my CPAP therapy will be when I can comfortably take a nap, sans CPAP, without waking up in a big ol' panic. Until that time, I'll continue to refer to it as a lifesaver for me for the last 2 years.

My diagnosis of sleep apnea was not related to daytime sleepiness.

You might want to ask your question at http://www.cpaptalk.com--it's a great place with lots of knowledge.

Hi Gramma Jackie:

I am hoping to get off my machine too, I have upper area resistance not sleep apnea per se. I don't know for sure but I think it means I have a fat throat

I was thinking I try to ditch it now, but I was just in the hospital for my gall bladder attack. The ER had me hooked up so that they could tell when I stopped breathing during sleep - and darn it I still am.

I go a few more pounds and then take the test again though, because I think my machine needs to be re-calibrated.

The reason I write you though is this - what's up with going in to have these studies, they don't do that here anymore. They give you your own machine to take home and it tracks every breath and non breath. There is no need according to any Doctor I have talked to to do the in house sleep tests anymore.

I hope you can investigate this angle, because it's no more invasive than your normal CPAP night!

Good luck - Michelle

I haven't gone in for any more sleep studies. I had one sleep study and got my machine. The sleep dr. scheduled a followup appointment for 6 mos. after my sleep study to assess how I was doing. Then he made another appointment for 1 year later for followup. My next appointment wasn't for another 2 years. Each time I've gone in they've read my CPAP machine. The dr. said that schedule was required by my insurance. I finally got my machine paid off, but still use insurance for my CPAP supplies. However, I was also told that if I had any trouble with my CPAP that they might do another study. So far so good. I just hate stuggling with all the tubing and the darn face mask.