methadone and severe central sleep apnea

I am a severe chronic pain patient with many spine issues and RA that due to a stomach bleed and a portion of my stomach removed, I can not take Nsaids so I have been on Methadone for about 7-8 years. It does not give me the high feeling that other pain meds did. I have developed severe sleep apnea with central and obstructive. I stopped breathing 219 times in 3.5 hours of sleep. This was actually a long night of sleep for me since most nights are 2 plus hours. I was told that I do not go into the deep restorative sleep that is need for my body and now I am really having many health issues. I am told that most likely the Methadone is not causing the sleep apnea but I am not sure. I do go to a neurologist that specializes in pain.

We have one member who moved from methadone to medical marijuana and it helped his ca & Osa dramatically.

However realize that getting off of methadone means you deal with the pain - which also disturbs your sleep. So it is probably far better to use ASV therapy to help your sleep then to try and get off methadone.

Methadone is known to induce central sleep apnea. However, you may have had central sleep apnea to begin with.

If you didn't have central sleep apnea to begin with, when you are off methadone it is likely that over time the central portion of your sleep apnea may not be an issue, but the obstructive portion may still be there. (None of this is 100%; it is my opinion and you need to see a doctor)


Unfortunately it's a tricky situation. You need methadone for your pain and to sleep, but it's also interrupting your sleep.

You need to speak to a respiratory sleep physician with a real understanding of central sleep apnea and adaptive servo-ventilation (a treatment for central and complex sleep apnea)

This thread may be of interest to you:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=75940&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... =Methadone