Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

science.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 226 posts

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#61

Post by BurningFrog »

AtlasBarfed wrote: post #22
refurb wrote: post #15

It's definitely an interesting outcome and nice to see such a significant improvement in a clinical trial. And as the article states, there are questions that aren't addressed - does the reduction in obstructive events change the clinical symptoms such as daytime sleepiness? Intuitively you would think it does, but it should be measured in the trial. I also didn't see anything about adverse events during the trial. S…

A drug that deals with physical obstruction??? Does it make a sleeper want to be on their side? Is it a weight loss drug? Targeted area antiinflammatory? Cavity dialation? For some snorers,bit would be an improvement based on that standard in my experience. Exercise staying fit. Not getting fat and not drinking alcohol work for me.

From the article:

> scientists in Boston a decade ago identified a combination of two existing medications that kept the upper airway open by jointly stimulating the relevant muscles, particularly the genioglossus, a workhorse that forms most of the base of the tongue and is critical to keeping the throat open.

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#62

Post by AdamH12113 »

aziaziazi wrote: post #46
bryanlarsen wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My CPAP provides 3 massive life changing benefits: - a proper night's sleep - moisture that ensures I don't wake up with a massive sinus headache that destroys my morning - letting my partner have a proper night's sleep Any one of the 3 would be worth the minor inconveniences of a CPAP.

> letting my partner have a proper night's sleep I’m interested in this: how’s the CPAP noise perceived by the partners? I don’t snore and usually wake up quickly when doing the "apnea noise", stopping before waking her up. In the meantime I read that CPAP produce a a constant sound + an inconstant sound from the air coming in and out. She needs quietness to sleep and disturbing her sleep refrained me to try it out.…

Unless there’s a leak (and there shouldn’t be) CPAPs are much quieter than you think they are. The only time I even notice mine (Resmed with P10 nasal pillows) is when using it from a battery during a power outage when everything is dead quiet. If you have any kind of background noise (fan hum, AC, air purifier, living near a freeway) you probably won’t even notice it.

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#63

Post by Citizen8396 »

rowanseymour wrote: post #18

I've had problems with obstructive sleep apnea for a couple of years. Tried CPAP/BPAP for a month and hated it so much I'm now trying to see what I can fix with surgery even though surgeries like maxilofacial sound horrific. I currently have a MARPE device installed to slowly splitting my palate bone down the middle to expand that. A pill sounds wonderful..

You might want to consider an oral appliance. There's no guarantee you will tolerate them or get the desired effect, but the same goes for surgery. Oral surgeries often have dentists who are certified in sleep medicine who can create a custom, medical-grade appliance for you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandibular_advancement_splint

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#64

Post by rowanseymour »

Citizen8396 wrote: post #63
rowanseymour wrote: post #18

I've had problems with obstructive sleep apnea for a couple of years. Tried CPAP/BPAP for a month and hated it so much I'm now trying to see what I can fix with surgery even though surgeries like maxilofacial sound horrific. I currently have a MARPE device installed to slowly splitting my palate bone down the middle to expand that. A pill sounds wonderful..

You might want to consider an oral appliance. There's no guarantee you will tolerate them or get the desired effect, but the same goes for surgery. Oral surgeries often have dentists who are certified in sleep medicine who can create a custom, medical-grade appliance for you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandibular_advancement_splint

I tried everything I could find on Amazon but obviously that crap doesn't work. I can believe something custom made could help but my orthodontist persuaded me the only really solution was surgery or CPAP.

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#65

Post by bryanlarsen »

BurningFrog wrote: post #34
balls187 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you wear a cpap? It sucks. I have an OA now. And it also sucks.

I've been using CPAP for 10 years, and it's pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me! The morning after my first real sleep in ~5 years was an unreal improvement. It felt like I was snatched from my death bed and back to normal. I use the nostril mask, and it doesn't really bother me. The full face mask experience is a lot worse. PS Technically, it blows!

I started with full face -- I thought I needed to because I was a mouth breather at night. But with the nostril mask I breathe through my nose.

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#66

Post by scuff3d »

elric wrote: post #7

I swear CPAP wouldn't get such a bad rep if the media would stop using pictures of men with obscenely large full face masks. The most commonly used CPAP mask is probably the minimalist Resmed P10 [1]. It looks a lot less intimidating than a bulky full face mask. And in most cases, full face masks aren't needed (no sources to cite, but titrating to the correct pressure allows most people to breathe through their noses…

Not even just that, full face masks aren't nearly as bad as they are made out to be. I use the Resmed AirTouch F20. Nasal masks are just too uncomfortable for me. And it's really not that big a deal, certainly not as ridiculous as the pictures I see on articles like this.

As far as the meds go, I read this as something for someone who either can't or won't use a CPAP.CPAP would still be the go to treatment, and this would just fill in the gaps.

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#67

Post by scuff3d »

balls187 wrote: post #10
elric wrote: post #7

I swear CPAP wouldn't get such a bad rep if the media would stop using pictures of men with obscenely large full face masks. The most commonly used CPAP mask is probably the minimalist Resmed P10 [1]. It looks a lot less intimidating than a bulky full face mask. And in most cases, full face masks aren't needed (no sources to cite, but titrating to the correct pressure allows most people to breathe through their noses…

Do you wear a cpap? It sucks. I have an OA now. And it also sucks.

I've been using one for 4 years, and would never go back to sleeping without it.

I know it's annoying at first, took me a couple months to really get use to, but if you put in the effort to find a mask that works for you, it's 100% worth it. I dealt with bad sleep for 15 years before getting one, and I'll never go back.

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#68

Post by N00dlesHead »

I cant use a cpap so anything else worth trying is good for me. I have nocturnal seizures, need a sports guard to keep from biting chunks off my tongue while sleeping, plus a deviated septum. Cpap doesnt work for me theres no air flow,so Im waiting on both surgery on my nose (going on 3 years) and a mouth guard to pull my jaw forward which is taking forever as well. I havent had a decent sleep in years

Re: Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial

#70

Post by elric »

binoct wrote: post #30
elric wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> also on my relationship with my partner That's not really much of an issue. There's an adjustment period, and there's a bit of an art to finding an appropriate mask. One that fits perfectly fine for you might have an exhaust port that blows air in your partner's face. Or the one that your partner can't hear at all might sound thunderously loud in your ears. But all in all, your partner would much rather have you sl…

Those who can tolerate the general CPAP experience, have bed partners who tolerate it, and don’t experience detrimental effects should absolutely use it when there are no comparable solutions. However there are lots of perfectly legitimate reasons why not everyone can, and having alternatives (which do also come with side effects) to consider is amazing for the community overall. It’s legitimately great that it sound…

Almost everyone can tolerate CPAP. The problem is that the medical establishment sucks at helping people adjust and is awful at properly titrating them. Followup is abysmal. If they did a better job of that, compliance numbers would skyrocket.

Skepticism is very much warranted. CPAP is the gold standard because nothing has come along that comes even close. I'm much more optimistic about an upcoming generation of micro-implants that stimulate various throat muscles than I am about pharmaceutical treatments using stimulants.

Edit: to be clear, I am not dismissive of any OSA patient's concerns. But most of their issues are a consequence of shitty titration and poor support from their sleep docs.

Post reply on HN