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:
What To Think About
People with sleep apnea who take
wakefulness-promoting medicines should continue using CPAP to treat sleep
apnea.
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