Epilepsy drug could reduce major sleep apnea symptoms, new trial shows

Image shows a woman holding a bed pillow over her face to block out the noise of her husband with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea snoring loudly next to her in bed.

A new study presented at the European Respiratory Society Conference in Vienna suggests that popular epilepsy drug Sulthiame may reduce major Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) symptoms. According to researchers behind the new study, patients taking Sulthiame experienced a reduction in the number of times their breathing stopped during sleep. Patients also saw an increase in blood oxygen levels.

Researchers behind the trial argue that Sulthiame could be a game-changer for people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea who can't tolerate the use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines.