Doctors typically 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. ^{11, 12}

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.