Adolescents symptoms and conditions

My 11 year old son started singular in March of 2009 for exercise induced asthma. Within weeks he started having symptoms of heartburn - which he had never had before. I brought him back into the dr. mid June- they said wasn't related to singulair and actually increased his does from 5 mg to 10 mg. Since increasing his does, he started experiencing, daily headaches, stomach pain, leg cramps, night sweats w/ shaking & overall FEAR. Last night he was in tears - he kept saying there is something seriously wrong with me - I can't stand feeling this way he was afraid he was going to die and didn't want to go to sleep.

Last night I did my own research and found this board. THANK GOD!
He didn't take his singulair last night & he never will again.

I called his dr. this morning to tell them I think he is having negative side effects from singulair. They actually told he it was "HIGHLY UNLIKELY" his symptoms were related to singulair and NOT TO STOP USING IT. They instead said I should start giving him pepcid. I told them he had stopped it - for good and that we need a plan B for is exercise induced asthma. Looks like my plan B is finding a new Dr. that isn't in bed with Merck.

Has anyone had any experience with a NATURAL approch to controlling exercise induced asthma?

After taking a "leave of Absence" from this site, I see that Singulair is still up and thriving. I still see ads for it on TV, over and over again. They haven't been altered at all. Makes me sick. I wish there was away to get to other people whose children have died by suicide and investigate as to whether or not they were ever on singulair. Keep fighting. We'll get there! Kate K

5 months Singulair free,yesterday was Matts first day of high school,his first day of regular school in 2 years as he could not leave the house or cope with out panic and fear.7am he awoke by himself and got ready for school,the only thing i saw in his eyes was excitement,he left the house smiling.While he was gone i passed and worried waiting for the phone to ring in case he needed me ,watching the clock and wondering how his day was. he arrived home at 2 thirty still smiling,i asked him how his day was he said fine, i asked him what they did he said nothing ,lol all is good ,thank you thank you thank you

My 54-year-old fit, social, successful husband was put on Singulair in January for newly diagnosed asthma. He developed a depression with anxiety, irrational fears, avoidance, mood swings and even one episode of suicidal thoughts out of nowhere. He saw a psychiatrist and a therapist, tried medications, yoga, a vacation, meditation, breathing exercises - everything! But he kept getting worse.

The day he was throwing patio furniture then sobbing uncontrollably was the day he realized he couldn't work in his condition. He negotiated a 60-day leave without pay. Even that didn't help. It was crazy. How could a man who managed hundreds of employees and a major health service system for 20 years suddenly be so paralyzed with fear that he couldn't walk down a beach or go into a Walgreen’s?

We found this site May 26th. He stopped the Singulair immediately. It has been 10 days and he is already 80-90% back to normal. Thank God.

Partly I am writing because it is so hard to read of parents' guilt that they "should have known" etc. Look, unlike a child, my husband is mature and very verbal; he is also a psychiatrist (!) with a capacity for self-examination and a language to describe his inner experience. And me, I'm a psychologist (!) trained in understanding people and I know him very well. And yet with all that training and skill and consultation and treatment, WE STILL COULDN’T FIGURE THIS OUT! So please, don't make yourself feel any worse with guilt. This is awful and tragic enough already.

I would add that the onset of mood and behavioral problems is so insidious that it is hard to connect the problems to the Singulair. Also, I suspect that children and adolescents are at greater risk because of their immature emotional developmental level. An adult l suspect may need some genetic or personal predisposition to mood disturbance, or stress, or both, to trigger these side effects. My husband had a depression episode 30 years ago and had recent traumas that certainly could have triggered the depression. But how treatment resistant that depression was, and those strange paralyzing fears and extreme anxiety – all that I blame squarely on the Singulair.

I have made a report to the FDA. I urge you to do the same.

My son is 9 years old and been on Adderall XR for about 3 weeks and says he hears voices and they tell him they are going to hurt someone... He also has become very aggressive with his siblings... Has anyone else ever had this happen.. Please Help

I am not one to post my opinion on the web, but it is imperative that others taking ambien are aware of its potential risks. Ambien is extremely addictive. If taken properly (go straight to bed and don't take more than prescribed) it can work for a short period of time (just like the commercials say, 7 - 10 days). However, it appears that many dr's are prescribing it for years at a time. I have had a script for this drug for over 10 years. Ambien put me into a state of euphoria -- I'd take it and life suddenly appeared altered, for the better. I felt more confident and motivated while intoxicated on this drug. Although it makes you "high," it also wipes out your short-term memory, while you're on it and otherwise. You will not remember what you did after taking it -- whether it's raiding the refrigerator, drinking alcohol, having sex, manically cleaning/organizing your house, or calling friends. I could go on about the dizziness, lack of STM during the day (the hangover effect), or how difficult it can be to stop taking it. Ambien is now one of the drugs of choice by adolescents -- it's powerful high is appealing, but the "blacking out" is no different than a date rape drug. I have actually known adolescents that have been raped while using their drug of choice, ambien. If you have an addictive personality, ambien can be fatal and can effect your relationships -- especially with those that you interact with while on the drug (spouses, roommates, etc.). Your tolerance for ambien will also increase. Over the years, I went from taking 5 mg to 20 mg (always prescribed by my dr) -- in short, it stops working. Recently I switched to 25 mg of seroquel. It works like a charm. I was apprehensive to take it, as it's an antipsychotic drug (I just have dysthymia), but at such a lose dose, it puts my worries aside and I am able to fall asleep w/o getting high. I am certain that ambien is the next "oxycotin" due to it's addictive components, as well as the fact that it's so readily accessible. For all of you that rely on this drug to help you sleep to function, please find a new drug that won't enable you to make poor choices (most of which you won't remember). Perhaps you think you aren't addicted, but I insist that you will be. Because of abusing ambien, I have come close to divorce and have definitley lost or shall we say, "effected" many of my close relationships. I implore anyone that's investigating, taking or abusing ambien to explore alternative sleep aids. If you think you have control over this drug, you're wrong. It'll control you before you know it.