Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Mar 6;17(3):e80164.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.80164. eCollection 2025 Mar.

Exploring the Effects of Tirzepatide on Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Literature Review

Jimmy Wen  1 , Denise Nadora  2 , Alina Truong  2 , Ethan Bernstein  3 , Christiane How-Volkman  4 , Daniel I Razick  5 , Muzammil Akhtar  5 , Adam A Razick  6 , Eldo Frezza  5
Affiliations
Review

Exploring the Effects of Tirzepatide on Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Literature Review

Jimmy Wen et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder commonly secondary to obesity that has detrimental effects on health and quality of life. Thus, weight loss is one of the mainstays of OSA treatment. Tirzepatide, a novel glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) dual agonist, demonstrated significant glycemic control and weight loss. This literature review analyzes the current literature on tirzepatide's effects on OSA, mechanism of action, complications, and off-label uses/indications. Also, this review offers potential insights into how tirzepatide and other GLP-1 medications can be repurposed for other metabolic conditions and their associated sequelae.

Keywords: glp-1 agonist; obstructive sleep apnea; osa; tirzepatide; weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

References

    1. Farzam K, Patel P. StatPearls [Internet] Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; [ Aug; 2024 ]. 2025. Tirzepatide.
    1. Collin L, Costello RA. StatPearls [Internet] Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; [ Aug; 2024 ]. 2025. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.
    1. Slowik JM, Sankari A, Collen JF. StatPearls [Internet] Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; [ Aug; 2024 ]. 2025. Obstructive sleep apnea.
    1. Interactions between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: implications for treatment. Romero-Corral A, Caples SM, Lopez-Jimenez F, Somers VK. Chest. 2010;137:711–719. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Obstructive sleep apnea and obesity: implications for public health. Jehan S, Zizi F, Pandi-Perumal SR, et al. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29517065/ Sleep Med Disord. 2017;1:19. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources