Adverse reaction symptoms and conditions

I took my very happy, sweet, polite four-year-old son to the doctor yesterday because he was coughing horribly during the night. Great during the day, hacking at night. He was put on Singulair. I didn't think twice about it, since I am on it and have had no problems (although I take it sporadically since I tend to forget!). I picked him up from pre-school today and was told that he was a completely different child. Rude, put in time-out multiple times, refused to listen. This is behavior that he has never had at school, and the only difference is the Singulair. I will not be giving that to him again!

I am 30 years old and have bad allergies. My doctor gave me a week worth of singulair as a sample. I took it last night. I woke up at 5 am thinking and worrying about the smallest things. I couldn't fall back to sleep. At the same time, my stomach is killing me... I feel like throwing up and have bad diarrhea... I will not take it anymore.

I was prescribed Bactrim DS for mild acne. I was told to take it once daily for two weeks and then twice daily thereafter if I didn't have an adverse reaction, as my dermatologist indicated that it sometimes takes a long time for side effects to become evident using this medication. I am still in the one pill a day phase of my treatment and I am going to stop taking this medicine.

When I first started taking it, my lymph nodes in my neck became swollen, yet I did not have a cold or anything else that could immediately explain this symptom. My right lymph node in particular became very, very swollen and tender and was rock-hard to the touch. You could literally see it bulging out of my neck. It hurt to move my neck the wrong way and I could hardly turn my head because of all the pressure and soreness of my lymph node.

I stopped taking it for a few days and the size of the lymph node decreased, but it remained very full feeling and firm / rock-hard to the touch.

In addition, I have experienced persistent headaches and joint pain during the time I have taken this medicine. (I'm 21 years old, so joint pain is a symptom almost definitely linked to the Bactrim.)

I took ONE PILL last night, foolishly thinking it would be okay, and not long after I showered and got in bed, I began to feel a prickly sensation primarily from my groin up. It was a prickling, itchy sensation on my face, scalp, neck, arms, back, and even in my groin area. It was absolutely maddening and I couldn't get to sleep. At the suggestion of my fiance, I tried a second shower and that temporarily soothed it very slightly.

It is the day after that and I haven't taken it again, but I am still prickly / tingly / itchy all over and I believe I am beginning to develop a rash. I have also had a headache since last night, which began about 40 minutes after taking the pill. My lymph nodes are also inflamed yet again, so I have isolated the problem to be a result of the Bactrim. I will not continue to use this medication and I intend to contact my physician to request another course of prescription therapy.

Keep in mind that everyone's reaction to any medication is unique and some of the stories people have written on this site are extreme and unusual cases. Don't rush yourself to the emergency room just because you're taking Bactrim and you read about someone else's serious side effects -- all medicines affect people differently and you might experience minor side effects, if any at all. Call your doctor with any questions and get a second opinion if needed.

About a week ago I was having a severe headache that had not subsided for about two days. I knew it wasn't a migraine because I had suffered with migraines before and the pain was not at all similar. The symptoms I was having were fatigue, severe weakness, and the two day headache. The doctors then ran the usual blood tests and ruled out my adrenals for the fatigue and weakness issues. Just as a side note, I also suffer from Depression and Anxiety so keep that in mind as I continue. The doctor decided to give me Reglan with Benadryl in my IV. Bad choice! About 20 minutes later I started to feel droggy and in an altered state of mind. I felt as if my body was heavy and my sense of tough was lessoned. Then the fun part came. Without my control my left arm would shot up straight in the air as if I was a 6 year old trying to get the attention of my teacher. It was horrible because I would feel a tingling sensation right before it would occur. So I started to time the sensation and hold my arm down, however, I almost hit my mother who was beside me. So just to recap, here I am sleepy, droggy, in another state of mind, and with my hand flinging in the air. I was not a happy camper. Did I mention this all toke place at 2-3 in the morning! The doctor just told me that the reaction was an adverse reaction that some patients get. Thanks Doc ;)! The only way to offset the Reglan is by administering more Benadryl. So if you are ever found in the position where you are having an adverse reaction to Reglan try some Benadryl. The next day when the rest of my panels came back I have hypothyroidism, which means that my body does not produce enough thyroid enzymes to support my thyroid function. Hypothyroidism causes depression, weight loss or gain, fatigue, weakness, and many more symptoms. Good Luck to everyone and stay off the Reglan not a fun trip to be on.....

This drug is absolute poison and should be banned from US markets. I have increased fever decreased urination rash on face and neck a cough. My doctor who prescribed me this poison examined me today an ruled out an adverse reaction. I guess as with most MDs his overwhelming arrogance wouldn't allow him to make an error by giving me this absolute poison in a pill. This poison should be evaluated by the FDA and some sort of screening should be done to see if you are allergic to this miserable drug. After reading all of these stories I am truly disgusted that the poison is so frivolously prescribed. We are test subjects ginnea pigs lab rats. Let's shoot from the hip and see if it works. I am pissed off!

Hi, my name is M. I just got up with my son Jo Jo as usual about 2:00 pm. Nightmares--severe. Leg and foot pain. In fact I thought he was having restless leg syndrome and the doctors had him tested for seizures. His moods are horrible. Tantrums have been out of this world. After two years of sleep deprivation for both of us, something said look at side effects of Singulair. Actually, I believe that something was God because as I massaged my son's legs I prayed. I came to the computer, found his website and saw my son's symptoms written out clear as day. We are done with Singulair. Forever. I just walked back to the room and apologized to my sleeping son. I can not tell how horrible I feel as a parent for my child to have suffered so. I also can not begin to describe the relief I feel right now. My son has enough problems without medication causing him to suffer. I have suffered as well. As a single parent I have to work but I am often sleepwalking through my days. Thank God for all of you who posted. You have saved my son's health and quality of life. And mine. Thank God!

i have been suffering from nightmares, irritability, moodiness, anger, hopelessness, agitation, hallucinations, fatigue, behavioral problems, withdrawal from my spouse, loss of interest in my everyday life.
i never put anything together about the weight gain until i read some of the responses on the web. I attributed to being 40 , loss of activity etc.

I was prescribed Singulair on a Tuesday & started taking it that evening & that night I began to have horrific dreams. My dreams are usually very vivid & crazy but once I started taking the Singulair they turned really dark & scary. I would wake up freaked out & didn't want to go back to bed. My day time events would roll into my dreams & become so warped and I would wake up confused if what I dream was real or not.

By the Friday after I started taking Singulair I was experiencing anxiety. I felt like I had been drinking coffee all day (I don't usually drink coffee so when I do I get very anxious). By Saturday I was depressed. I didn't want to go out & socialize & I didn't want to be around my husband. I just sat on the couch with my mind spinning out of control with sad thoughts - for example - wondering why husband loved me, whether my parents were healthy & imagining what I would do if they died.

On that Sunday night I was laying down trying to go to bed & my right side was tingling. Since it wasn't the left side I didn't think much of it & tired to ignore it. It took me a long while to fall asleep that night because of worrying about the tingling sensation as well dreading what I was going to dream of. Well, I had the most messed up dream that night that I can't even talk about it without crying. I woke up at 3am & finally came to the realization that it could be the Singulair causing all these problems. I got on my computer & found this website.

Needless to say I stopped using Singulair immediately after reading these testimonials. I met with my doctor that next Tuesday & told her what happened & what I had read. She told me how she had just read the FDA report about 2 weeks before I saw her but didn't think too much of it because she prescribes Singulair about once or twice a week & has never has a patient complain about a mental side effect. I told her to be careful b/c these people may not know what is going on with them & may not be able to put 2 & 2 together b/c who would think an asthma & allergy medication would mess with their mind.

My doctor then prescribed me the Symbicort inhaler and I haven't used my albuterol inhaler once since I started using Symbicort. Mind you I have very mild asthma symptoms.

My son was put onto 4mg Singulair when he was three years old. He is now six years old. For the past three years he has been a very quiet child, to the point that people commented on how shy and withdrawn he was. He never wanted to go anywhere or do anything. His favorite activity was lying on the couch watching tv. He was always thirsty, frequently went to the toilet,often complained of a sore stomach & had several bowel movements every day, did not sleep well at night, was often grumpy, could not concentrate for very long, was frequently ill with cold-like symptoms and did not really like you to touch/hug him. At the beginning of the year he was diagnosed by an occupational therapist as having low muscle tone. In March of this year, his pediatrician increased his singulair to 5mg. He began having terrible pains in his legs, to the point that he would cry and be unable to walk to the toilet at night. I took him to my GP who did every blood test under the sun and x rays of his pelvis and legs. He could find nothing wrong. The only thing that had changed was the increase in Singulair. I had a look on the internet and found this website. I immediately decreased his dose to 1/2 a tablet for a week and then 1/4 tablet for a week before taking him completely off it. Within a few days our whole family and his teacher and therapist noticed a huge change in his personality! He talks all the time now, he laughs a lot, he loves playing outside and has lots of energy. He teacher says he is much more receptive at school. His occupational therapist says his muscle tone has improved. He has not had one single leg pain since coming off the medication. He is sleeping well at night, his stomach is never sore and he has not been sick at all. Not even one little sniffle!! Best of all he is a normal, affectionate little boy. I feel very angry with the manufacturers of Singulair and with his pediatrician, it feels as though my son has lost three years of being a child. He felt terrible all the time and I had no idea! I have told everyone I know who has a child on singulair to look at the side effects.

I find it extremely annoying and offensive that people have the nerve to comment things like: You are all complaining or whining, read the side affects before you use it. why do any of you think that you are more educated or better than any of us? of course we all knew the side affects but people react to medicines (etc) differently. i find it very hard to believe that all of these symptoms are coincidence. 99% of us have given birth and raised children which is the hardest, most challenging, emotional roller coaster and im sure we are all able to deal with a headache now and then and mild cramps but that is not the case with us. its a problem when you wake up every morning with migraines and back pains. it is also a problem when women are so depressed and tired that they aren't able to take care of their children and husband. we all have one thing in common. We are suffering from these side affects. I appreciate everyone who has opened up and told their experience and i will not let someone comment about any of us and tell us we are making this up in our heads or that we are whining. if you feel any of those no one is making you read these stories.. so GET LOST!!!
for those of you that have had a great experience with Mirena why are you even on this site?? you are no help to those who actually need help and those that are suffering.
bottom line is no one is right or wrong but this forum is made for those who want help not someone adding their input to make us feel even worse.

My 4 year old Son has had diarrhea from about the last 4 weeks... we have started some tests for Celiac disease but today it only occurred to me today that he has been on Singulair for about that time frame... after all the worry and reading these other storied Im even more convinced that it maybe the Singulair..
Im just hoping that someone might read this sometime today or the next couple of days to tell me if when they come off the singulair how long did it take for the diarrhea to pass. My son had is last tablet 2 nights ago ( so he has only been off it so far for one night. But he still has the diarrhea.. should it have started to come out of his system already.

May 25th, 2009
11:20 A.M.

Started Singulair 5/14/09. Within last week or so started having extreme pain in shoulders, hands (especially thumbs), wrists and hips. Put ti down to arthritis. Pain has been getting worse every day. Thought it was a food allergy so stopped eating fruit and have cut out all sugar. Yesterday realized that pain has increased so it wasn't the food. It suddenly dawned on me that it could be the Singulair. Stopped taking it last night and am already much better. Still some pain but not so excruciating.

About a month before my Dr. gave me Advair. After a few days on it, I went to bed and thought I was having a heart attack. Pain across my back and down my arms, up my neck and across my chest. This happened 2 nights in a row and decided to stop taking it. Called my MD and he said to stop it immediately. However, he thought it really might be my heart so I had an echo cardiogram and stress test. They said my heart was perfect. After 2 days off the med had no more trouble..

My take is that these "air" drugs are not for me. My MD is on vacation and won't be back until Wed. I will speak with him then. Hopefully by then all paij will be gone. Will post again to report results of stopping Singulair. Reading all these posts also made me realize my depression, irritability and crying has probably been a result of this drug.

By: Fed Up

I find the above woman's comment very strange and out of the ordinary. I wonder if perhaps there is something in her diet that is causing such an adverse reaction. Vitamin B's, in high quantities, are exactly what women need. As a pregnant woman, it is B6 that reduces and even eliminates my morning sickness. The proper balance of vitamins and minerals in Optivite ensure the proper ingestion of the B6. Love these vitamins!

I've been on Singulair 10mg tablets for only 4 days to alleviate seasonal allergies and have been suffering from very bad cramping in my feet, legs, hands, arms and upper body. Additionally I have experienced what feels like bloating and a hardening of the stomach area. On top of all this I've had the craziest dreams!

The upside is my allergies have been relieved somewhat, but these side effects are certainly not worth this additional pain and anxiety I've been suffering. Further reading on Singulair, including this forum, Wikipedia, and other places has left me convinced that this is not a safe medication to be taking (look up churg-strauss syndrome for example) and I will be discontinuing it immediately.

I'm quite angry that doctors are prescribing such a thing when a simple antihistamine would suffice. This also cost me €60 for a 28 day supply.

I have been on Singulair about 3 weeks and have been having mood swings, irritability, depression and nightmares. My doctor prescribed Singular after I complained about weight gain from Advair. I was diagnosed with asthma after having a bout with pneumonia last December 08.

Although Singulair has helped with my asthma symptoms, I have decided to stop using it after reading some of these postings.

I have been taking Singulair since November 08. Over the six months I noticed that I was suffering from depression and increased anxiety, plus an irregular heart rhythm. I experienced nightmares on an almost nightly basis. I have since stopped the medication - the nightmares have gone, the depression and anxiety improve everyday. Hopefully, this will also resolve the heart irregularities.

Tremendous weight gain almost instantly from age 7 to now at age 8-1/2 . When my grandson started this medication we noticed the weight gain. The doctor assured us it had nothing to do with the Singular. We looked on line for information, but could find nothing about weight gain as a side effect. At last it has surfaced that children taking the Singular are also having a weight gain problem. We intend to stop this medication immediately. This is intended for the health and well being of children.

My husband was prescribed 500 MG of Levaquin for 10 days due to respiratory infection. When I got the medicine home, I read all of the warnings and possible side affects. He is 61 and has had tendon damage in his shoulder and his lower leg from taking Cipro two years ago. He had severe joint pain from Bactrim and hallucinations from Flagyl. From these previous antibiotics he still suffers pains and limitations of movement. What is worse is that they prescribed Prednisone with the Levaquin. It clearly states in the warnings that Levaquin taken with Prednisone increases the likelihood of tendon damage. The warnings state that people over 60 have increased risk of tendon damage. Why on earth did his doctor prescribe this? My husband is 61 and was too sick to research all of this on his own. It has obviously become more profitable to make people sicker.
I found this forum and called his doctor. I refused to give him this terrible Levaquin and asked for a prescription for something milder. The Doxycylene seems to be working just fine to clear his infection.
A word of warning to all to not drink the Kool Aid that they give you without asking questions. Any health care system that sustains itself by keeping people ill is a bad one. Think about it. If people are healthy, then where is the profit?
This Levaquin sounds like some kind of bad snake oil to me and I am thankful to have read the warnings and then found this helpful forum. I am so sorry for the pain that most of you have suffered and are suffering. We are living with damage from antibiotics and we understand your anger. Take good care of yourselves.

I have been on Singulair longer than I can recall... at least 10 years, maybe longer. My 7 year old son has been on it since he was probably 12 months old. Neither one of us have had any problem reported here. No depression, no sleeplessness (until I weaned him from naps, he slept up to 13 hours a day), no leg cramps, nothing. We are two of the happiest, most well adjusted people you could know. And, best of all, we haven't had any asthma attacks. Bottom line, different drugs react differently in different people. Don't let the post here stop you from trying a medication that for some could mean the difference between life and death depending on how asthmatic they are. As with any drug recommended by your doctor, try it. If you experience adverse reactions, stop it ASAP. It's that simple.

i posted here in march 2008. i'd been taking singulair for about 8 years. at the time of my post i'd quit that and allegra and some other allergy/asthma meds. within weeks i noticed huge changes. one year later i can say i am far less depressed, i have been sleeping much better. i'd only been sleeping one or two hours at a time for all those years. my cholesterol went from 243 to 192 within months. i'm trying more natural ways of dealing with my asthma, and i'm willing to suffer with the allergies to some degree rather than use any more meds. i'd have to say that the best thing that's happened from quitting singulair has been sleep. i used to say sleep was overrated. now i'm thinking i love that i often sleep 4-6 hours at a time and if i wake up, i go right back to sleep. my sleepwalking has been so much less. i used to do it 4 to 6 times a week. now only maybe a dozen times in the past year.
anyway..just wanted to say i'm really glad i found this website and woke up to the dangers of singulair.

My son used a nebulizer 2 to 4 times a day every day from the time he was one and a half years old. When he had just turned three his doctor prescribed Singulair. It was like a wonder drug for us! It took care of his asthma and we didn't have to use the nebulizer any more. He's been on it ever since -- he's 10 now -- he also takes zyrtec and has a rescue inhaler that he uses maybe once a week. About every other year he requires a course of steroids and a week of regular nebulizer use. Also, for the past year he has also required a daily inhaled steroid.
Now, about his mood issues. My son has always been sensitive and intense, moody. The first time I became alarmed was when he was 7, and he told me he wanted to burn his hands on the stove to punish himself for forgetting his homework. I consulted a psychologist who evaluated him and said he was not clinically depressed. Since then he has had periodic "dark" episodes -- especially in the winter. He has said he wants to die. He has had crying jags over things that are upsetting (loss of a pet was the worst) but it seems excessive for him to be saying he "just wants it all to end." He has told me that he is always unhappy and that he hates himself. He has also had problems with moody acting-out with friends. He will brood about hurt feelings until he loses his temper and screams at the friend. I have worked very hard with him on learning to manage his emotions. He hit a friend at school who was teasing him. He accepted his consequences willingly and willingly wrote letters of apology -- he told me he thinks he has anger problems and doesn't want to be this way. And his character is that he is a sweet, caring boy who can't stand to see anyone hurt, but also can't stand to be hurt.
A couple of years ago I asked his allergist if any of the meds he's on are linked with depression. He said no. We have a family history of depression, and I thought my son had gotten the worst combo of all the genes.
Recently, this all got to the point that I decided he needed to see a psychiatrist and quite possibly take medication for depression. Before I made the appointment he had a check-up with his allergist. Going down his list of meds the dr. said, recently Singulair has been linked with depression, have you noticed any moodiness or sadness? My first thought was that I have, but that he's always been like this. My 2nd thought was that he has been on Singulair for most of his life. I said yes and that I'd like to try him off of it.
My son resisted going off of it. He has had enough negative experiences with asthma that he didn't want to risk it, but I insisted. I didn't expect to see any change, but I thought it was important, as I was going to take him to a psychiatrist to consider depression meds, to see how he did off of it for a couple of months.
Less than a week later, he had been in a wonderful mood -- to the point of being silly and giddy all evening -- for 3 days in a row. The kind of mood that I don't see him in often, and when I do I think to myself, "he should be like this more often." One evening he even realized he had forgotten to bring home a homework assignment. I thought, "oh no, here we go, his evening is ruined." But he talked through his options with me, looked a little uncertain, and said, well, okay, I guess I'll have to tell my teacher I don't have it. I'll tell her I'll make it up at lunch if she wants me to. That was it! He didn't mention it again. I didn't say anything about his mood, because I really don't think I can know anything after just a few days -- it could be coincidental. The next day, he said to me that he thinks being off the Singulair is "working." He has now told me that a couple of more times.
I am tentative, but amazed. Even if my son does have a predisposition to be depressed, maybe the Singulair was making everything worse, and things really can improve for him. I am afraid to be to hopeful. At the same time, I feel guilty for giving this medicine to him for 7 years without a second thought.
As an aside, my son has periodically complained of leg pains, that I always told him were growing pains.
I would love any feedback that anyone can give me. So far (these two weeks), his asthma has been controlled with pulmacort, zyrtec and albuterol, so that aspect is okay.

I go by the ID Miserable Knees. I posted last spring on medications.com about my adverse reaction to Levaquin. I was given a 10 day prescription for a respiratory infection. 3 days after I finished taking Levaquin, BOTH KNEES were swollen, painful and I could barely walk. I spent a month throwing myself backwards into chairs due to the inflammation in my knees. My knees were on fire, I was in pain every day. After seeing an orthopedic doctor an MRI showed cartilage damage. A year later, I'm living with permanently altered legs. I was an avid walker, loved to hike, would spend hours walking for recreation. Levaquin changed all of that. I had a career requiring me to be on my feet for 12 or more hours a day. Levaquin changed all of that. I decided, if this could happen to me, it could happen to anyone. Now, there is a documentary about the dangers of fluoroquinolne antibiotics. When I was harmed by Levaquin, I was flabbergasted that something like this could happen to me in the prime of my life. I made this 52 minute film for all of the people like me who trusted the system, (government, doctor, medicine) to guarantee my safety. "Certain Adverse Events" is the name of the documentary and it is now available online. You can reach the documentary site by going online to the .com of "Certain Adverse Events"

Miserable Knees Productions

I was on keflex 500 mg every 8 hours. After four doses, I experienced dizziness, difficulty breathing and syncope. I also had palpitations, high blood pressure, ice cold hands & feet and continued to have dizzy spells while lying flat on my back. None of the labs done in the ER could explain this. It's the keflex. I have taken penicillin before without any adverse reaction. I will never take Keflex again.

I have had two sons on Singular. My three-year old had drastic behavioral changes about a month after starting to take Singulair. He suddenly had severe separation anxiety, was crying and whining all the time, did not want to be alone at all. Normally he is very happy go lucky and we did not see his bright cheerful smile for weeks. I took him to his pediatric doctor and described the behavior and she immediately said to take him off the Singulair. After two weeks, he was back to his normal, happy self. My older son is 5 and has been on Singulair for over a year. I consulted with his allergist right away after my 3-year-old was having trouble. I wanted to take him off the Singulair and he advised against it, because my 5 year old has more serious asthma and allergies. When he first started he had nightmares, and when I mentioned it to a friend whose son is also on Singulair, she said, oh, give it to him in the morning instead of night and that will help with the nightmares. That did help. Yesterday, I decided to take him off of it. It seems like he's always coughing and congested, he complains often of growing pains in his legs that will make him scream and cry and beg for medicine to make the pain go away. He becomes emotionally uncontrollable - i.e. he will have crying jags and when I try to console him or ask him to stop crying he'll say he can't help it and he'll say, "You don't understand, I can't control it." He has also complained of headaches and I wondered how would a 5-year-old even know what a headache is? I feel very naive and am thankful for sites like this because you will not always get this information from your health care providers and also the drug companies. If you are like me, and you've ended up in the emergency room and also calling 911 because your child is having and asthma attack, you be be so afraid you'll give your kids whatever the doctor prescribes and you'll look at it as the lesser of two evils - do you want to be in the emergency room or can you live with the side effects. It has taken me a while to get smart about this. There has to be a better solution out there.

I am 49 yrs old and was prescribed Singulair for allergy and asthma symptoms. I began taking it 2 weeks ago. I find it extremely effective for both asthma and allergy symptoms. Last week I experienced nausea - this has stopped, so it may or may not have been a 24 hr bug. However, I often have a headache and am generally lethargic and starting to feel depressed. After reading the posts here, I realize these symptoms are most likely associated with Singulair so I am planning to discontinue this drug today.