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Sleep Apnea (Expert Forum)
can the use of mirtazapine cure" RERA's?
Answered by
Steven Y Park, MD - sleep-breathing disorders
Private Practice
New York - NY
Questions in the Sleep Breathing Disorders Forum are being answered by Dr. Steven Y. Park.
can the use of mirtazapine cure" RERA's?
by angela06, Aug 24, 2009 10:38PM
My polysonogram revealed an AHI of 5 and a total RDI of 25. I had no apneas, 16 hypopneas in REM and 6 REM RERAs and 71 RERAs in non-REM. I only achieved REM 12% of the total sleep time. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and am wondering if I really have UARS or the inability to stay in REM sleep. I have been using CPAP for almost two months, routinely get AHIs of under 2, but I rarely feel like I get good sleep. I don't think I am getting much REM sleep.
I read a study that said that mirtazapine helped with shallow breathing, aka hypopneas. Is it possible that that my RERAs arent being addressed by cpap and that mirtazapine may be able to help?
I read a study that said that mirtazapine helped with shallow breathing, aka hypopneas. Is it possible that that my RERAs arent being addressed by cpap and that mirtazapine may be able to help?
Doctor's Answer
by Steven Y Park, MD, Aug 25, 2009 11:29AM
, Aug 25, 2009 11:29AM
It's a coin toss. There is a study that showed that mirtazapine lowered the AHI on average of 50%. In some people much more and in others none at all. It's also been shown that in general, UARS patients can't tolerate or benefit from CPAP as well, probably due to very hypersensitive nervous systems. If your doctor is willing to prescribe mirtazapine, it's worth a shot, but there are also potential side effects. One possible mechanisms is that it diminishes REM sleep and shifts it to non-REM deep sleep, when your muscles are not completely relaxed.
