Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Effect of Venlafaxine on Apnea Hypopnea Index in Patients with Sleep Apnea - a Randomized, Double-Blind Crossover Study.
One of the key mechanisms underlying OSA is reduced pharyngeal muscle tone during sleep. Data suggest that pharmacologic augmentation of central serotonergic/adrenergic tone increases pharyngeal muscle tone. ⋯ In unselected patients, venlafaxine simultaneously worsened and improved various pathophysiologic traits, resulting in a zero net effect. Careful patient selection based on pathophysiologic traits, or combination therapy with drugs countering its alerting effects, may produce a more robust response.