Medroxyprogesterone acetate and sleep apnea.

Seven patients with sleep apnea DOES and one with sleep apnea DIMS were treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). The therapeutic effect was confirmed in most of them by polysomnographic recording. A marked increase of TST was observed in two patients whose AI and/or %SAT remarkably decreased. Contrarily, three patients exhibited a considerable decrease in TST, and AI and/or %SAT were reduced remarkably in two of them with MPA. After the MPA medication a few patients complained of disturbed nocturnal sleep. A significant positive correlation was observed between the decreased rate of TST and that of the mean duration of apneas. From these results, it was considered that MPA has a mild activating action on the arousal system in the CNS, and that the action may be partly responsible for the therapeutic effects of MPA on sleep apneas.