u/Independent-Path2489

I’m trying to understand whether my experience is common in sleep apnea treatment because I feel very confused and honestly discouraged.

My original PSG showed:

- Overall AHI 34.5
- REM AHI ~68/hour
- NREM AHI ~27/hour
- primarily hypopneas
- high respiratory arousal burden/microarousals

I’ve now been on CPAP for about 10 months. According to the machine, my treatment “numbers” look good (usually <2 AHI on CPAP), but my actual sleep experience still feels awful.

I still:

- wake up 2–3x/night fully awake
- often wake with a choking/tight chest/can’t breathe sensation
- have very fragmented sleep
- struggle to fall back asleep after awakenings
- wake especially in the later night/early morning hours (which makes me wonder about REM)
- have dry mouth/mouth leak issues despite full face mask
- deal with congestion variability
- feel exhausted and cognitively/emotionally affected during the day

The symptoms were MUCH worse before CPAP, so treatment has helped somewhat, but honestly sometimes I almost feel worse now in terms of stress/exhaustion because the sleep fragmentation is so constant and disruptive.

What’s confusing me is that providers seem very reassured by machine AHI numbers even though my lived experience still feels severely disrupted.

I had to push hard for a repeat sleep study, and I often feel like I’ve had to educate/troubleshoot things myself (data, leaks, settings, patterns, etc.).

For people who’ve been through this:

- did anyone have persistent awakenings/choking sensations despite “good” CPAPo numbers?
- did you eventually discover residual flow limitation, leaks, pressure issues, REM-related problems, nasal obstruction, etc.?
- did anyone need more comprehensive follow-up beyond basic CPAP management?

I’m trying to understand whether this kind of disconnect between “treated on paper” vs feeling terrible is something others experienced too.

( Update: I have now been off ADHD meds for six months. I’m still ravenously hungry often, more Impulsive snacking that’s difficult to stop (I was never this bad before being on adhd meds… I know there is a correlation to binge eating with adhd) and my weight continues to climb)

I wanted to share my experience coming off Biphentin (methylphenidate ER) and see if others have experienced something similar.

My timeline:

•	20 mg daily for about 4 months

•	Increased to 30 mg daily for about 6 months

•	Total time on it: \\\~10 months

•	Stopped 8 weeks ago

•	No taper

I was told tapering wasn’t necessary, so I stopped outright.

The first 1–2 weeks made sense to me. I felt what I’d describe as a “dopamine crash”:

•	Exhausted

•	Sleeping a lot

•	Low mood

•	Huge appetite

I expected that part.

What’s surprised me is that I’m now 8 weeks out and still don’t feel back to baseline.

Current symptoms:

•	Ongoing fatigue

•	Low motivation / low drive

•	Anhedonia (things feel flatter)

•	Brain fog / reduced mental sharpness

•	Increased forgetfulness

•	Harder to get started in the mornings

•	More frequent end-of-workday energy crashes

•	Increased appetite, especially late-day carb cravings

•	About 10 lbs of weight gain (a new high for me)

One thing I also noticed: during my second menstrual cycle off the medication, my symptoms were significantly worse than the first cycle off. The fatigue, mood flattening, appetite shifts, and energy crashes all intensified in the luteal phase. It made me wonder how stimulant discontinuation interacts with hormonal fluctuations.

I’m functioning, but I feel dulled compared to how I was before stimulants. It’s hard to tell what’s expected neuroadaptation versus something else.

I’m curious:

•	Did anyone else have symptoms last this long after stopping?

•	Did you taper, and do you think it made a difference?

•	How long did it take to feel normal again?

•	Did anything help beyond the obvious (exercise, sleep, stress management)?

•	Were you warned this adjustment could last weeks to months?

•	For those who menstruate — did you notice hormonal cycles amplified symptoms after stopping?

I don’t feel unsafe or in crisis — just honestly underprepared for how prolonged this has felt.

Would really appreciate hearing other lived experiences.

F (37) of M partner (35). I was a virgin due to being very religious most of my life. I was still holding onto the idea of waiting for PIV sex until marriage when we first met/ started dating. He knew this off the bat and said he was okay with it. Of course we fooled around in other ways. I continued to remind him (not in the heat of the moment) what my sexual boundaries were just to keep it clear.

One time he asked if he could rub his penis on the outside. I told him I’d prefer if he had a condom on to do that just to be safe. Which he did. Of course - he slipped his penis inside of me pretty quickly after that.

— given my transparency about my boundaries and sexual history (limited) I very much expected I was consenting only to outside play and not full intercourse.

I did address this with him — but it took me quite a while to process what that encounter meant for me and how express my feelings about it. It was very difficult for him to hear too.
I was definitely upset and expected him to ask for consent to have intercourse instead of an ambiguous “rub”.

Anyway — this is the history of how we started sleeping together.

I’ve been feeling some ambivalence in the relationship- which I’ve communicated. But we’ve still been seeing each other and sleeping together. Last time I saw him, he asked me if he could “rub it on the outside” againnnn. I have to say I hate that damn phrase.

Just be honest about your intention.

I clarified with him, in the moment this time if he was asking for sex without a condom, which was a yes.

I’m not on birth control for other reasons and I’d already told him we need to be extra careful because I am in my fertile window atm.

Honestly-I felt really disrespected that he would even attempt or request unprotected sex with me, A) using that language and knowing our history and the impact it had on the relationship B) since I’ve consistently expressed a very clear wish to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, am not on birth control (he is aware) and informed him we needed to be extra careful that weekend due to being in my fertile window.

I told him condom always. Which he did do. So technically he asked and respected my boundary.

I just feel really unimpressed.

F (37) of M partner (35). I was a virgin due to being very religious most of my life. I was still holding onto the idea of waiting for PIV sex until marriage when we first met/ started dating. He knew this off the bat and said he was okay with it. Of course we fooled around in other ways. I continued to remind him (not in the heat of the moment) what my sexual boundaries were just to keep it clear.

One time he asked if he could rub his penis on the outside. I told him I’d prefer if he had a condom on to do that just to be safe. Which he did. Of course - he slipped his penis inside of me pretty quickly after that.

— given my transparency about my boundaries and sexual history (limited) I very much expected I was consenting only to outside play and not full intercourse.

I did address this with him — but it took me quite a while to process what that encounter meant for me and how express my feelings about it. It was very difficult for him to hear too.
I was definitely upset and expected him to ask for consent to have intercourse instead of an ambiguous “rub”.

Anyway — this is the history of how we started sleeping together.

I’ve been feeling some ambivalence in the relationship- which I’ve communicated. But we’ve still been seeing each other and sleeping together. Last time I saw him, he asked me if he could “rub it on the outside” againnnn. I have to say I hate that damn phrase.

Just be honest about your intention.

I clarified with him, in the moment this time if he was asking for sex without a condom, which was a yes.

I’m not on birth control for other reasons and I’d already told him we need to be extra careful because I am in my fertile window atm.

Honestly-I felt really disrespected that he would even attempt or request unprotected sex with me, A) using that language and knowing our history and the impact it had on the relationship B) since I’ve consistently expressed a very clear wish to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, am not on birth control (he is aware) and informed him we needed to be extra careful that weekend due to being in my fertile window.

I told him condom always. Which he did do. So technically he asked and respected my boundary.

I just feel really unimpressed.