Modafinil for sleep apnea

Examples

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Brand Name	Chemical Name
Provigil	modafinil

Modafinil is taken as a pill once a day to decrease sleepiness during the day.

How It Works

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Modafinil works by affecting chemicals in the brain. The effects improve alertness and memory.

Why It Is Used

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Modafinil is recommended to relieve extreme sleepiness in people who are using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy to treat sleep apnea but are still sleepy during the day.

How Well It Works

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In people with sleep apnea who used CPAP, treatment with a type of modafinil improved alertness, reduced tiredness, and improved memory.^{1, 2}

Side Effects

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The most common side effects of modafinil are:

• Headache.
• Nausea.
• Back pain.
• Nervousness and anxiety.
• Upset stomach and diarrhea.
• Inflammation of the tissues in the nose (rhinitis).
• Problems sleeping (insomnia).
• Dizziness.

When side effects occur, they are usually mild to moderate.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

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Modafinil is recommended only after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy alone does not get rid of daytime sleepiness in a person with sleep apnea. The CPAP therapy should continue during modafinil treatment.

Modafinil may interfere with birth control methods that use a form of estrogen (ethinyl estradiol), such as birth control pills, the birth control patch, and the vaginal ring. You may need to use another form of birth control while you are taking modafinil.

Some other medicines may be affected by modafinil, including warfarin, cyclosporin, and tricyclic antidepressants (such as clomipramine and desipramine). Before you start modafinil therapy, tell your doctor about all of the other medicines you are taking.

People with severe liver disease may need a lower dose of modafinil.

Complete the new medication information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.

References

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Citations

1. Hirshkowitz M, et al. (2007). Adjunct armodafinil improves wakefulness and memory in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome. Respiratory Medicine, 101(3): 616–627.

2. Black JE, Hirshkowitz M (2005). Modafinil for treatment of residual excessive sleepiness in nasal continuous positive airway pressure-treated obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome. Sleep, 28(4): 464–471.

Credits

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Author	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor	Pat Truman
Primary Medical Reviewer	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Jan Ulfberg, MD, PhD - Sleep Disorders
Last Updated	July 13, 2007