Sleep Apnea: Medications


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Medications


Doctors generally do not suggest medicines for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). But medicine can help reduce daytime sleepiness when continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is reducing apneas—the number of times you stop breathing at night—but daytime sleepiness continues.13, 14

Medication Choices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved one medicine for people who are using CPAP but still have excessive daytime sleepiness:

What To Think About

People with sleep apnea who take modafinil should continue using CPAP to treat sleep apnea.

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Last updated: July 13, 2007
Author: Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By: Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Jan Ulfberg, MD, PhD - Sleep Disorders
Editors: Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman

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