Sprintec and Sleep apnea syndrome - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Sleep apnea syndrome is reported as a side effect among people who take Sprintec (ethinyl estradiol; norgestimate), especially for people who are female, 20-29 old, have been taking the drug for 1 - 2 years also take Xyrem, and have Narcolepsy.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Sleep apnea syndrome when taking Sprintec. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 3,556 people who have side effects when taking Sprintec from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Sprintec?

Sprintec has active ingredients of ethinyl estradiol; norgestimate. It is often used in birth control. eHealthMe is studying from 4,397 Sprintec users. Check the latest studies of Sprintec.

What is Sleep apnea syndrome?

Sleep apnea syndrome is found to be associated with 1,541 drugs and 1,366 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Sleep apnea syndrome.

On Jun, 13, 2026

3,556 people reported to have side effects when taking Sprintec.
Among them, 22 people (0.62%) have Sleep apnea syndrome.

Could Sprintec cause Sleep apnea syndrome?

Among these 22 people:

How long have people been on Sprintec when they have Sleep apnea syndrome? *

What is the gender of people who have Sleep apnea syndrome when taking Sprintec? *

female: 100 %
male: 0.0 %

What is the age of people who have Sleep apnea syndrome when taking Sprintec? *

What are other drugs people take besides Sprintec? *

What are other side effects people have besides Sleep apnea syndrome? *

Ankylosing Spondylitis (type of arthritis affecting the spine): 5 people, 22.73%
Drug Ineffective: 3 people, 13.64%
Osteomalacia (softening of the bones due to a lack of vitamin d): 3 people, 13.64%
Urinary Tract Infection: 2 people, 9.09%
Suicidal Ideation: 2 people, 9.09%
Sinus Disorder (disease of sinus): 2 people, 9.09%
Rickets (softening of bones): 2 people, 9.09%
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (a chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness): 2 people, 9.09%
Back Pain: 2 people, 9.09%
Mitral Valve Prolapse (heart's mitral valve doesn't work well): 2 people, 9.09%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Narcolepsy (brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally): 21 people, 95.45%
Cataplexy (loss of muscle tone accompanied by full conscious awareness): 10 people, 45.45%
Drowsiness: 4 people, 18.18%
Nausea (feeling of having an urge to vomit): 2 people, 9.09%
Blood Testosterone Increased: 2 people, 9.09%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Sprintec and have Sleep apnea syndrome?

- Check whether Sleep apnea syndrome is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Sprintec:

Sprintec (4,397 reports)

Sleep apnea syndrome treatments and more:

Sleep apnea syndrome (31,666 reports)

How severe was Sleep apnea syndrome and when was it recovered:

Sleep apnea syndrome in Sprintec

Expand to all the drugs that have ingredients of ethinyl estradiol; norgestimate:

Sleep apnea syndrome and drugs with ingredients of ethinyl estradiol; norgestimate (57 reports)

Sub-studies by gender and age:

Female: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Male: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Browse all side effects of Sprintec:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Sleep apnea syndrome:

Sleep apnea syndrome (1,541 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Sleep apnea syndrome:

Sleep apnea syndrome (1,366 conditions)

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on ethinyl estradiol; norgestimate (the active ingredients of Sprintec) and Sprintec (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.