Effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate in obstructive sleep apnea.

We studied the effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate, a respiratory stimulant, on the incidence and duration of episodes of apnea and disordered breathing in 13 nonhypercapnic men with obstructive sleep apnea. Nocturnal polysomnography was done before and after four weeks of treatment with medroxyprogesterone acetate (60 mg/day) and one week after cessation of treatment. There were no significant (p less than 0.05) differences in the mean frequency of apneic episodes per hour of sleep before (31.3 +/- 5.7 [+/- SE]), during (26.8 +/- 6.6), or after (23.6 +/- 7.0) treatment, or in the mean number of disordered breathing episodes per hour of sleep before (19.4 +/- 5.6), during (21.4 +/- 5.8), or after (23.1 +/- 6.3) the period of treatment. Medroxyprogesterone did not alter significantly the total time of apnea or the total time for disordered breathing, expressed as percentages of total sleep time. Arterial oxygen desaturation during apnea and disordered breathing did not change with treatment. Medroxyprogesterone increased the minute ventilation and occlusion pressure responses to hypercapnia measured in the awake state; however, the results of this study demonstrate that medroxyprogesterone does not improve the breathing disorders during sleep in the nonhypercapnic patient with obstructive sleep apnea.