Can someone with sleep apnea take Ambien safely?

When insomnia happens, a question I get asked by these patients is: “Can you give me something to sleep better?” For my patients with ... Patients who have both conditions, but are not aware of their sleep apnea diagnosis, may be making their sleep condition worse by taking sleeping pills. read more

Normally when a person stops breathing, their arousal level increases and forces them into a lighter stage of sleep or fully awake to take a breath. Suppression of this reflex by drugs or alcohol can only further worsen the sleep apnea problem. read more

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that causes repeated episodes of blocked breathing during the night. A person with sleep apnea will typically fall asleep snoring heavily. Snoring will then be interrupted by a period of no breathing followed by a gasp for air. read more

Because of earlier studies suggesting the sedative-hypnotic drugs might help central sleep apnea, Dr. Quadri and colleagues established a protocol under which eligible central sleep apnea patients were given Ambien for six weeks—10 mg/day 30 minutes before bedtime—after an eight-hour polysomnographic exam. read more