Sleep Apnea

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 wakefulness-promoting medicines for people who are using CPAP but still have excessive daytime sleepiness:

• Wakefulness-Promoting Medicines

What To Think About

People with sleep apnea who take wakefulness-promoting medicines should continue using CPAP to treat sleep apnea.

Go to previous section	Go to top of page	Go to next section
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: July 13, 2007
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Jan Ulfberg, MD, PhD - Sleep Disorders
© 1995-2008 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.