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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Treated Sleep Apnea With Use Of A C- PAP Machine, Still Dose Off, Blackening Out. What Could Be Wrong?

I am a 66 year old male who has successfully treated his sleep apnea with use of a C- PAP machine. I usually get between 7-8 hours of good sleep a night. However, no matter how awake or refreshed I feel, when I get behind the wheel driving, I go into a trance and immediately begin to dose off, sometimes blackening out for a second or so until I catch myself and fight to stay alert. I have arranged to see a neurologist to see if I may have some type of seizure disorder. Any other suggestions?
Fri, 5 Jul 2013
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

The assessment by the neurologist is important to rule out seizure disorder.

There are other conditions that can cause temporary lapses in consciousness levels such as :
(1) heart disease- the presence of any abnormal rhythms of the heart can result in loss of consciousness
(2)conditions where is obstruction to the blood flow to the brain for example subclavian steal syndrome where there is obstruction to a blood vessel that is involved in brain supply
(3)hypoglycemia or low blood sugar
(4) kidney disease- because of the accumulation of toxins


Your neurologist would likely evaluate you for all the possible causes

I hope this helps
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Treated Sleep Apnea With Use Of A C- PAP Machine, Still Dose Off, Blackening Out. What Could Be Wrong?

HI, thanks for using healthcare magic The assessment by the neurologist is important to rule out seizure disorder. There are other conditions that can cause temporary lapses in consciousness levels such as : (1) heart disease- the presence of any abnormal rhythms of the heart can result in loss of consciousness (2)conditions where is obstruction to the blood flow to the brain for example subclavian steal syndrome where there is obstruction to a blood vessel that is involved in brain supply (3)hypoglycemia or low blood sugar (4) kidney disease- because of the accumulation of toxins Your neurologist would likely evaluate you for all the possible causes I hope this helps