Weight loss drugs known as GLP1s are all the rage right now. They were originally developed for diabetes and weight management, but other “off label” uses are becoming more mainstream.
The FDA recently approved the first ever medication for obstructive sleep apnea, and it’s a drug many have been using to lose weight recently.
“The sleep was more solid, more deep, a deeper sleep than anything else,” Owen Wilde said.
Wilde is getting more, and better, sleep now that his sleep apnea is under control, thanks to his CPAP machine and tirzepatide. Also known as Zepbound or Mounjaro, it’s the same drug helping millions lose weight and battle diabetes.
“I’ve been on the tirzepatide for probably four months now,” Wilde said.
He said it’s been easier to keep his weight loss steady.
“You know, I think it’s a combination. The first chunk was always the easiest chunk, so for me it is doing all the little things all the time the right way,” Wilde said.
The FDA recently approved tirzepatide for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when a person stops breathing while sleeping.
“I like to say sleep is important because being awake is important. It has a significant effect on our cognitive function,” Dr. Samuel Gurevich, a pulmonologist and sleep physician at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston, said.
“When you go to sleep, everything relaxes, and that includes the muscle tone that controls the back of the throat,” Gurevich explained. “For people who are predisposed to this, whether it’s just how they are genetically, or weight plays a role in many patients as well, the back of the throat overly relaxes and can even collapse when you’re sleeping, and you’re basically choking in the back of the throat.”
Gurevich is not surprised this drug is helping his sleep apnea patients.
“There’s nothing magical about this medication as it relates to sleep apnea, other than that it can cause weight loss. So as those patients lost weight, their sleep apnea also got better,” he said.
Wilde said he hasn’t experienced the side effects sometimes associated with GLP1s, like gastro-intestinal issues or headaches. But he has noticed an improvement in his overall quality of life.
“It’s not a magic bullet,” he said. “So I’ve got to be really cautious of all of the aspects of health and nutrition and exercise, but I definitely know that it does help, it does make it easier.”
The FDA approval of tirzepatide for sleep apnea could make the drug more accessible and affordable to those who need it for this purpose.
You may have heard there was a shortage of certain GLP1s, but earlier this year, the FDA also removed tirzepatide from the list of drugs in short supply.
