What to do when your CPAP isn't working

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Tips and alternatives when CPAP isn't working]

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[Text on screen: Meena Khan, MD
Sleep medicine specialist
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center]

Meena Khan, MD: If someone's having issues using their CPAP, it's important that they get help from their sleep medicine provider so they can try different masks. There can be different pressure settings that can be tried if you're feeling that you're having trouble exhaling against the pressure, or there's too much pressure. There's different ways to alleviate symptoms of dryness and that type of thing. 

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If you have tried these all and you've trouble shot all of these with your sleep medicine provider and still can't tolerate CPAP, there are other alternative treatments that you can discuss with your sleep medicine provider to see if they're appropriate to treat your obstructive sleep apnea.

Alternate treatments for obstructive sleep apnea beyond CPAP include a mandibular advancement device, so that's an oral appliance that moves your lower jaw forward. This is made by a dentist. You want a dentist who's certified or who knows how to make these devices for obstructive sleep apnea.

Another alternate treatment is hypoglossal nerve stimulation. So this is an implantable device that is turned on with a remote at night. It stimulates your tongue muscle to move forward when you're inhaling at night when you're sleeping, and when your tongue moves forward, your airway opens. This is also an alternate treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

There are also other sleep surgeries where they open the airway by cutting soft tissue to try to make the airway bigger, better done by an otolaryngologist or an ENT physician. There is a recent FDA approval for tirzepatide, which is a weight loss medication in the GLP-I category that has been approved to treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, and that works to treat obstructive sleep apnea through weight loss.

Ohio State University offers CPAP treatment. We can refer for oral appliance therapy through the Ohio State University Dentistry. 

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They make oral appliances. We offer hypoglossal nerve stimulation as a treatment, and we have a weight management center here that can help patients with losing weight, including using GLP-I medications such as tirzepatide.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
For more information, visit: wexnermedical.osu.edu/sleepapneaCPAP]

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