Targeting Chemoreceptor Control of Breathing During Sleep to Mitigate Opioid-Associated Sleep Disordered Breathing

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to understand and find new treatments for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) linked to chronic prescription opioid use, especially among Veterans. Since SDB and opioid use together increase risks like central sleep apnea and related complications, the study investigates how opioid use affects breathing control and explores ways to improve breathing stability and sleep quality. The goal is to better understand the mechanisms causing sleep apnea in opioid users and identify potential therapies to improve health outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. One group will receive sustained hyperoxia (increased oxygen) overnight to study its effects on breathing control during sleep. The other group will take acetazolamide, a medication taken orally twice daily for six days, with various sleep and breathing tests done during and after treatment, including overnight sleep studies. These interventions aim to reduce unstable breathing and sleep apnea by targeting different physiological pathways. During the study, participants will undergo detailed tests of breathing and brain blood flow responsiveness to carbon dioxide during sleep and wakefulness. Assessments include polysomnography (sleep studies), measurement of ventilatory responses, apnea severity, and quality of life. The trial will monitor changes over days to weeks, with primary outcomes focusing on breathing stability measures. Participants will be followed for up to 30 days to evaluate the effects of treatments and their impact on sleep and breathing patterns.

Sleep Disordered Breathing With Opioid Use