Many patients “hate” CPAP at first, but most of the initial difficulties can be solved by close follow up with a caring, comprehensive medical team. For example, it is common to have sneezing and runny nose when you first start CPAP. What is happening is that the the histamine receptors inside your nose are being stimulated by the positive airway pressure and this results in the same symptoms as an allergy attack. The good news is that the nose quickly gets use to the pressure and these symptoms go away on their own. Until then, your sleep doctor can suggest saline nasal sprays, nettie pot rinses, anti-histamine nasal sprays, anti-cholinergic nasal sprays, steroid nasal sprays, oral anti-histamines, or any combination of these. The easiest solution is often to switch, at least temporarily from a nasal pillow mask to a regular nasal mask. That often works like magic, and the beauty is: no medication needed.
