Legitimate Treatment or Just More Pill Pushing?

roster · Post by **roster** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 6:49 pm

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/rss/pto- ... 00001.html

A Pill for Sleep Apnea?
The antidepressant mirtazapine showed promising results for the common sleep disorder.

A medication used to treat depression may help those with sleep apnea get a better night's rest. A small research trial conducted with the drug mirtazapine showed promising results for the common sleep disorder. It is the most effective chemical treatment found so far for the condition.

The patients who took mirtazapine slept significantly better than those in the control group, according to researchers. The number of times breathing slowed or stopped was cut in half on average. And the number of sleep disturbances decreased by 28 percent. Overall, the 12 participants showed improvement in sleeping patterns. Mirtazapine works by regulating the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical that is known to affect mood, appetite and sleep.

The study was sponsored by NV Oranon, which sells mirtazapine under the name Remeron. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved mirtazapine for sleep apnea, which would require larger studies.

About 18 million people have sleep apnea, according to the National Institutes of Health. It occurs when the throat and tongue muscles relax and block the airway while a person is sleeping, sometimes waking the person hundreds of times throughout the night. Without treatment, those with the condition are at greater risk for high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Established treatments for sleep apnea include facial surgery or a pressurized nasal mask.

Psychology Today Online, 5 June 2003
Last Reviewed 10 Jun 2008
Article ID: 2806

Bearded_One · Post by **Bearded_One** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:16 pm

A medication might work for central apnea, it's not going to work for OSA.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:16 pm

If you take a heavy enough dose, you can get your tongue to hang out, that should keep it from falling into the airway, but I don't recommend it. Jim

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:18 pm

Yah, uh huh, sure. Regulating Serotonin is gonna open my throat passage, keep my tongue in position, short my uvula, etc. Be interesting to see all the ways they twisted the results to finally be able to come up w/28% decrease in sleep disturbances and WHAT they considered sleep disturbances - sleep disturbance can be a BIG difference than OSA.

Ambien GREATLY reduces my sleep disturbances but sure doesn't reduce my number of apneas and hypopneas.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:01 pm

Definitely pill pushing.

O.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:28 am

I bet that magazine also promotes pills that make your penis grow 6 inches bigger too

shortbus · Post by **shortbus** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:09 pm

DreamStalker wrote:I bet that magazine also promotes pills that make your penis grow 6 inches bigger too

I could use some of those pills.