SCIENCE ALERT
Many of us will be familiar with feelings of sluggishness and lethargy in the afternoon, but for those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the problem is more severe.
Fortunately, researchers have identified a drug that offers a good chance of helping. And no, it doesn’t come in espresso form.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) for people who have OSA can severely affect daily life. It means having overwhelming urges to sleep at inappropriate times – while driving or eating, for example – and often struggle to complete simple tasks.
While a positive airway pressure (PAP) mask is standard issue for those with OSA, and can help support the lungs with compressed air at night, it doesn’t always eliminate EDS. As a result, experts are working to identify drugs that could lend a hand.
“The most important thing that people with OSA should do is use their PAP machine, but if they are still sleepy there are options in the form of medications that can reduce their tiredness,” saidresident physician in internal medicine Tyler Pitre, from McMaster University in Canada.
In their study, published in May, Pitre and his colleagues reviewed 14 previous clinical trials involving 3,085 people with OSA and EDS, looking at the comparative effectiveness of three anti-fatigue medications: solriamfetol, armodafinil-modafinil, and pitolisant. All three were more effective than placebos at combating EDS, to varying degrees.
Combining the data for the 14 trials, the team found that solriamfetol offered the biggest statistical difference over a placeboin terms of wakefulness. The evidence wasn’t quite as concrete for armodafinil-modafinil and pitolisant, which “probably improve” some, but not all, measures of wakefulness after a month of use. The statistics also showed that side effects could be an issue with armodafinil-modafinil and solriamfetol, though patients were more likely to stop using the former…
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