[Sub7]

My Dad is 62 and has very severe sleep apnea. He has tried many solutions over the years but none worked. Finally 3 years ago he had a brain tumor and underwent surgery to have part of it removed. The sleep apnea then came to the brain surgeon's attnetion and he naturally suggested my father do everything possible to get rid of it because not getting enough O2 to the brain during sleep is not a good thing at all for somone in this condition. The brain condition has detoriorated a bit lately and the doc thinks the sleep issue is to blame.

His sleep apnea is very very severe and watching him sleep is quite an experience. He has already lost 25+ lbs and is now ~ at an ideal weight. He is also training himself to sleep on the side -a very hard thing to do after sleeping on your back for over 60 years- and just had a surgery on the nose last week (again to ease breathing). The upper airways, however, are just to narrow (specilist's diagnosis) and I am not sure if the surgery will solve the problem. Sleeping on his back will for sure (when I or my mom used to push him on his side he did breathe almost normally) but I am not sure if the guy, or anyone his age, can manage that.

How would clenbuterol or albuterol work? If he took them the way bodybuilders take it, he could not sleep perhaps and would put his health in jeopardy but if he took it with an inhaler wouldn't it just open up the airways and not really affect overall metabolism so much? Would it then be safe for a 62 year old man? If it works, can he take it for years on end?

Thanks a lot

[anabolicrhino]

The short answer is no, the risks absolutely outweigh the possibility of benefit.

It would not be wise to advocate beta 2 antagonist therapy as a means to treat sleep apnea. The most common side effect from these drug types are restless sleep patterns

There has been some recent discoveries by Japanese sleep disorder researchers that show some progress with air compressor type machines.-good luck!!!

Sleep apnea linked to silent brain damage: Japanese study - Yahoo! News

[Sub7]

I have used air compressors myself and found them very very hard to tolerate. However, my dad will be experimenting with such a machine as soon as he reecovers from the surgery.

Quick question: what do old asthma patients do? Are they not given Clen/Albuterol etc due to their age? If they are still given these drugs, are they advised not to take them late at night due to possible sleep issues?

Also, I was under the impression that inhaling these drugs would only cause the airways to receive a significant dose (serum concentrations wouldn't be high enough to cause effects elsewhere -or so I thought). If so how would they affect sleep?

Thanks for the answer

[anabolicrhino]

Originally Posted by Sub7

Quick question: what do old asthma patients do? Are they not given Clen/Albuterol etc due to their age? If they are still given these drugs, are they advised not to take them late at night due to possible sleep issues?

Beta 2 antagonist therapy for asthma patients is a generally accepted practice because of the priority of the asthma attack.
The patient must restore normal breathing or disrupted sleep patterns are a moot point. Some patients will take their medication through out the night if they have multiple attacks

Also, I was under the impression that inhaling these drugs would only cause the airways to receive a significant dose (serum concentrations wouldn't be high enough to cause effects elsewhere -or so I thought). If so how would they affect sleep?


Thanks for the answer

One of the drawbacks of Beta 2 drugs is that they are not local or even task specific. That is what makes them popular with fitness people. They help burn fat by the same mechanism that makes the body shiver when it is cold. Some people get cramping or headaches, both can effect sleep.