Sleep apnea medical therapy
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Saarah T. Alkhairy, M.D.
Overview
If left untreated, sleep apnea can have serious and life threatening consequences: heart disease, hypertension, automobile accidents due to excessive daytime sleepiness, and many other ailments. Treatment often starts with behavioral therapy. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common therapy used. Acetazolamide, oxygen, and oral appliances are alternative methods of treatment.
Sleep Apnea Medical Therapy
The treatment often starts with behavioral therapy. Many patients are told to avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, and other sedatives, which can relax throat muscles, contributing to the collapse of the airway at night.
Possibly owing to changes in pulmonary oxygen stores, sleeping on one's side (as opposed to on one's back) has been found to be helpful for central sleep apnea with Cheyne-Stokes respiration.[1]
Medications
- Lowers blood pH and encourage respiration
- Low doses are used as a treatment for hypoxia but are discouraged due to side effects[3][4][5]
- Cannabis derivatives have also been studied in the treatment of sleep apnea
- A 2002 study found that orally administered THC was able to stabilize respiration in rats and bulldogs during all sleep stages, decreasing apnea indexes during NREM and REM sleep stages by 42% and 58% respectively.[6]
- A 2013 proof of concept trial found that dronabinol (synthetic THC) was able to reduce apnea indexes by 32% on average in the 17 human subjects that were studied.[7]
- Lead study author Dr. David Carley subsequently received a $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a Phase II clinical trial[8]
References
- ↑ Szollosi I, Roebuck T, Thompson B, Naughton MT (2006). "Lateral sleeping position reduces severity of central sleep apnea / Cheyne-Stokes respiration". Sleep. 29 (8): 1045–51. PMID pmid16944673 Check
|pmid=value (help). - ↑ White DP, Zwillich CW, Pickett CK, Douglas NJ, Findley LJ, Weil JV (1982). "Central sleep apnea: Improvement with acetazolamide therapy". Archives of Internal Medicine. 142 (10): 1816–9. doi:10.1001/archinte.142.10.1816. PMID 6812522. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sleep Apnea". Diagnosis Dictionary. Psychology Today.
- ↑ Mayos M, Hernández Plaza L, Farré A, Mota S, Sanchis J (2001). "[The effect of nocturnal oxygen therapy in patients with sleep apnea syndrome and chronic airflow limitation]". Archivos de Bronconeumología (in Spanish). 37 (2): 65–8. PMID 11181239. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Breitenbücher A, Keller-Wossidlo H, Keller R (1989). "[Transtracheal oxygen therapy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome]". Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift (in German). 119 (46): 1638–41. PMID 2609134. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Carley DW, Paviovic S, Janelidze M, Radulovacki M (2002). "Functional role for cannabinoids in respiratory stability during sleep". Sleep. 25 (4): 391–8. PMID 12071539. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ Prasad B, Radulovacki MG, Carley DW (2013). "Proof of concept trial of dronabinol in obstructive sleep apnea". Front Psychiatry. 4 (1). doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00001. PMC 3550518. PMID 23346060. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help) - ↑ "Cortex Pharmaceuticals and Pier Pharmaceuticals Consummate Merger". BusinessWire.com. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013.