There’s already a fair amount of excitement about new diet pill Qnexa after clinical trials showed it could be a very effective aid to weight loss. However it has now been suggested that not only could it help users shed the pounds, but also bring relief to gritted-teeth partners by curing snoring.
A six-month study in the U.S which involved 45 snoring patients has indicated that the medication can combat the desperately irritating condition.
Not only is snoring frustrating for any bedfellows, it can also increase the risks of high blood pressure and heart disease, which are associated with obstructive sleep apnoea – a condition that causes snoring.
Snoring is caused by a narrowing of the airways, which relax as someone falls asleep. Most people just carry on sleeping through this, but for those with sleep apnoea the airways totally collapse, shutting breathing off for at least 10 seconds. This leads sufferers to awake with a jolt and a snore, though most do not remember this as they immediately return to sleep.
The condition is strongly associated with weight problems, as excess fat around the neck increases pressure on the upper airways. Weight loss can significantly help the problem.
It is therefore still unclear whether the drug, made from a combination of low doses of phentermine and topiramate, an epilepsy medication, helps due to the patients' weight loss experience, or whether there is another action that improves sleep. More research would need to be carried out involving patients who are not overweight but do suffer from sleep apnoea.