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Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that is estimated to affect 1 in 5 adults in America, currently doesn’t really have an effective cure. However, a new hope has emerged in the form of a clinical trial showing that cannabis is effective at treating the symptoms of this disorder.

The new drug seen in the clinical trials is called dronabinol, and it’s based on THC, one of the components found in marijuana (the one that gets us “high”). The randomized clinical trial has been going on for a long time, and dronabinol is already being used for treating the symptoms of chemotherapy-affected nausea sufferers.

Typically, obstructive sleep apnea (the most common form of this condition) is treated by using a CPAP mechanical device. However, treatment adherence to this option is usually quite poor.

This condition, if left untreated, could potentially lead to even more problematic health conditions such as strokes and heart disease. The problem with the CPAP treatment option is that the treatment tends to be focused on the symptoms rather than their cause.

The clinical trials of using dronabinol to treat sleep apnea were regarded as a success. To provide a very brief summary, those participants who took the highest dosage of it reported to be the most satisfied with the treatment. In technical terms, they were showing less signs of subjective sleepiness, apnea, and hypopnea episodes.

Particularly, the new drug managed to reduce the apnea symptoms by 33%. Could this be the first viable sleep apnea drug?

Source:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320240.php