Allergies asthma symptoms and conditions

Been on Zyrtec for 4+ years for allergies/asthma. Quit cold turkey ~3 weeks ago. Insane itching all over body. Feels like I want to crawl out of my skin. Scalp, torso, legs, shoulders and face itch all the time. If itch, then itching becomes more intense, red and hot.

Since HTML is not allowed...need you to find the links to the following:

"whether an oral contraceptive (OC) containing drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) + ethinyl estradiol (EE) (30 μg) (DRSP + EE) could modify psychological symptoms and whether it could modify steroids interfering with the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptors.

Conclusion(s): The results suggest beneficial effects of DRSP + EE on psychological symptoms by

decreasing DHEAS."

Beneficial to lower the levels of DHEAS?!

"Women With Higher Levels Of DHEAS Have Better Cognitive Function"

"dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), inhibit the production of TNF in vitro and in vivo."

Who is at greater risk?

Those who have the HLA-DR gene type and already have allergies/asthma.

Adrenergically blockaded conditions = AdBCs include the following: respiratory allergies, skin allergies, and asthma.

IgE will go thru the roof. Allergic reaction. Th2 pathway.

""It has also been shown that young women exposed to intensive stress situations,

with low plasma of dehydroepiandrosterone
sulfate (DHEA-S),

and a recent use of contraceptive pills are most at risk for

onset of autoimmune disease."

I have had this shot 4 times now for severe seasonal allergies and asthma (1 shot per year). I did have one side effect, heartburn. So I took zantac for the heartburn. Otherwise, I have had immense relief from the allergies/asthma from this shot. I am concerned about what I am reading on this website though, so I will think twice before getting the shot again. The nurse who gave me the shot seems quite experienced and she is the same nurse that has given the shot every year. I did have to sign some forms about the risks of taking the shot.

has anyone took their child off of singular for more than 2 weeks and has the child had any breathing issues since being off?

When I saw that researchers acknowledged the number of potential gene variants that are involved in determining the efficacy of montelukast and then I am reading the reports of the side effects, I am wondering why montelukast was ever approved for seasonal allergies. Asthma is potentially life threatening. But why take Singulair -montelukast for annoying allergies that won't kill you.

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" However, logically one might predict that it will be the combination of the polymorphisms in these different key regulatory enzymes and receptors that may ultimately determine treatment response. There have been some attempts to tease out the possible contribution of different genes important in this pathway for treatment response to a Cys leukotriene receptor 1 antagonist.18 However, because of the number of potential gene variants that may contribute to efficacy, large studies will be needed to fully evaluate the potential contribution of pharmacogenetic variability in this pathway to treatment response to Cys leukotriene receptor 1 antagonists. Work in the cardiovascular field has demonstrated the potential importance of genetic variants in this pathway to disease risk and also to treatment response,19 suggesting the potential for important effects to be defined in asthma."

(Chest. 2006;130:1873-1878.)
© 2006 American College of Chest Physicians

Pharmacogenetics of Asthma
Ian P. Hall, DM
* From the Division of Therapeutics and Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Correspondence to: Ian P. Hall, DM, Division of Therapeutics and Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; e-mail: Ian.Hall@nottingham.ac.uk

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/130/6/1873

.

Some of you who are following this site may remember that I posted that when I was following the pathways of the leukeotriene receptor antagonist Singulair that I got to a point where I concluded that there has to be a genetic component (meaning that there are different gene groups of people) and that the efficacy of Singulair (and possibly safety) can vary depending upon what gene group people are in. So I took a little time to see if anybody else was already studying that issue. And YES, they are -- including Merck.

quote:

" However, logically one might predict that it will be the combination of the polymorphisms in these different key regulatory enzymes and receptors that may ultimately determine treatment response. There have been some attempts to tease out the possible contribution of different genes important in this pathway for treatment response to a Cys leukotriene receptor 1 antagonist.18 However, because of the number of potential gene variants that may contribute to efficacy, large studies will be needed to fully evaluate the potential contribution of pharmacogenetic variability in this pathway to treatment response to Cys leukotriene receptor 1 antagonists. Work in the cardiovascular field has demonstrated the potential importance of genetic variants in this pathway to disease risk and also to treatment response,19 suggesting the potential for important effects to be defined in asthma."

(Chest. 2006;130:1873-1878.)
© 2006 American College of Chest Physicians

Pharmacogenetics of Asthma
Ian P. Hall, DM
* From the Division of Therapeutics and Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Correspondence to: Ian P. Hall, DM, Division of Therapeutics and Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; e-mail: Ian.Hall@nottingham.ac.uk

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/130/6/1873

And Merck sponsored a study on this which is now completed.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00116324?intr=%22Montelukast%22&rank=79

Of course, it was sponsored by Merck and paid for by Merck.

I don't know if the study discovered anything but I believe this is an indication that Merck acknowledges genetic differences in populations that may predict the success of montelukast.

I am not any where close to being an expert in this field. I have another background but I believe that there are experts who can tell you exactly why you had side effects from Singulair.

I am speechless at all the postings re: Singulair. Both of my sons-ages 12 and 10 - have been on Singulair for over 5years for Allergies/Asthma induced by allergies and after reading the possible side effects, I now realize that my oldest son has been affected. His behavior, sleeping habits and social interaction has changed and in the last couple years has increased out of control. I recently made an appt. for him w/a therapist re: anger issues and as of today, called his allergist re: taking him off Singulair cold turkey. He still takes Zyrtec every day and I'm hoping that will be enough for his seasonal allergies to get him through. I miss my sweet boy and will try to make up to him what I've done by allowing this drug to damage his inner self.
Justin/Jake's mom-Ohio
angelray9698@att.net.

Actually, I found this site looking for answers to why I have ED. I have had a little problem with it for years but now it's major. I am seeing a urologist about it on 04/18/08. I wanted to see if medications I am currently taken were the cause. My BP was going up into the high 130's and I was concerned about it. So my doc put me on 5 mg of Lisinopril daily to bring the BP down. It's now less about 116/86 which is great but I have the ED problem. I also take 10mg Aciphex for acid reflux and 10mg Singulair for allergies & asthma. I am happy with the blood pressure reduction but really unhappy with the ED. I really do not have any other side effects with Lisinopril that I know of. I am wondering if I should wean myself off it. I do not want to have this ED problem for so long that it develops into permanent problem which I read can and does happen. Any comments?

My 8 yr. old daughter has been on Singulair for the last year (only in the Spring and Fall when her allergies/asthma are triggered by environmental factors). She started having huge personality changes when we restarted the meds at the end of Feb. The changes continued to get worse to the point that I was beside myself with worry. Saw the news report on Singulair and took her off of it last week and went to the dr. on Monday. He says that it may take up to 3 weeks to have the effect of the drug out of her system, but I am already seeing huge changes...She is back to being the wonderful, happy go lucky girl she has always been. The anxiety has just left her...She was worried about things that have never happened like being left at school or karate and about my office catching fire and me not being able to get out...

Please if you have any doubt as to what is happening with your child, talk to the doctor about it...I can't believe the trauma my child has gone through and that fixing it was as simple as stopping her medications!

Here is some perspective for you all. I take Singulair and do well on it and in ACTUAL studies it has one of the safest safety records. Understand that post marketing reporting does not mean there is a correlation between the event and the product. Throughout the life of a drug the companies must disclose any report of side effects reported to them REGARDLESS of causality. A popular antihistamine that is OVER THE COUNTER also has suicidal thinking/behavior listed in its post marketing section. However, just because patients who had reported having these thoughts while taking the product doesn't mean it was a result of the product! Maybe they had a depressive personality and were also on multiple other medicines to treat that. You must look at the "Adverse Reactions, Warnings and Precautions" sections of package inserts to see the side effects that were actually seen in studies. You can die from ulcers derived from over use of aspirin or ibuprofen. Decongestants can throw off your blood pressure and these events are documented in actual studies! Listen to your bodies when taking any med. If you feel differently report it to your doctor.

These are all drugs people, there are potential side effects. There are also side effects to those "natural" over the counter remedies that are not nearly as regulated by the FDA or studies by the drug companies.

To anyone out there who has experienced side effects to singulair timed to when you started it, talk to your doctor, stop taking it and see if it goes away. Same advice for any product prescription or over the counter medicine. Side effects can be a combination of many factors (what other meds are you taking?) But understand for many people this product is the safest and most effective treatment for them. The FDA and Merck are reviewing all information to see if there is any correlation to the reporting. But singulair been around for about 10 years and prescibed to billions of people and is known to be one of the safer medicines out there overall.

In between the legitimate posts on this site I get the sense there is a lot of ambulance chasing going on. People looking to cash in on this big drug companies. We want drugs, we want them cheap and with no side effects which is not a reality. Keep stepping up the regulation and make the companies hire more lawers to protect themselves and jump through even more hoops and see what happens to the price and access to new meds. Even better, see how regulation has impacted the development of new medicines around the world (here's a tip, it will dramatically decrease). Drug companies certainly aren't perfect but which industry is?

Please, when taking any medicine over the counter, prescription or herbal supplement listen to your bodies to see if the potential benefits of the product outway the risks or side effects. Report any changes to your doctor.

I cannot believe that there is so much of ignorance in such an educated society. Let me first start by saying I am on no medication absolutely I do have bronchitis I don't take cough medications or allergy medications or inhalers etc etc. I read at the bottom in a post that this 28 year old cries every time she sees te Save the children advertisement. I can tell you I listen to music, I watch tv and every touching or heart rendering story or lyric makes me cry!!! I wonder if i was on Singulair I would certainly be committed to some mental asylum.
I think all you educated people should consider that you do not need to be on a drug or any medication to suffer from depression symptoms or any such other emotional trauma. Why blame one thing alone, blame the governments for putting its citizens under stress , blame your economies for bringing down your county into a recession where your earnings don't meet the cost of living, What we should be fighting for is irrelevant, so some strategy comes into light where all these years, read all the posts, 2 , 5, 7 10 years of using Singulair and NOW you want to complain. Why didn't they complain all these years ago and get the drug recalled.. Don't blame one thing alone. Maybe if people lived cleaner, healthier lifestyles you wont be taking medications.

I'm 19, and I've been taking it for four years to help with my allergies/asthma. I've suffered from depression, thoughts of suicide and have seen a therapist. My parents couldn't understand how I had gone from such a happy person to someone so miserable. I'm in college and in the beginning of the semester I was running low on the medication. I decided to stop taking it, because I had been feeling fine and when my mom called me to tell me about the medication I told her, "Mom, I stopped taking it and I've been feeling great." I will never take it again, I'm going home to see my doctor to get something new prescribed. I was miserable, short tempered, and emotional for four years; no one could figure out what was wrong because I didn't know myself. I'm more motivated and willing to help people and be a part of my family, for so long I shut others out and wanted to be alone. I've been off the medication for a couple of months and I'm starting to feel better. It's hard now that my allergies are acting up and I'm tempted to take the medication, but I'm chucking it in the trash. I can deal with the wheezing, scratchy throat, and runny nose for a while; it seems such a small price to pay.

My 21 mo. old son has been on Singulair along with Zyrtec & Pulmicort daily for a year for severe allergies & asthma. The Singulair has done wonders for his asthma, but his mood swings are completely intolerable! He can go from my sweet little angel to devil child in no time! I was thinking that it was from the Pulmicort (being an inhaled steroid). It's almost like a "steroid rage" that he goes through. The little things make him mad. He punches, slaps, throws himself in the floor, all while kicking and screaming! I just happened to do some research this morning on Pulmicort side effects when I stumbled across all of these experiences that are being linked to Singulair instead. I am so thankful that I may have found our problem!!! Pray for us!!! My patience & his treatment!!!

No side effect that I've noted. For me, works probably twice as well as any of the others, including Singular, Pulmicort, etc. (that bronchodilator in addition to the steroid is brilliant!) I have some tiredness, stuffiness, etc. off and on, but attribute that much more to the underlying allergies, asthma, etc. rather than the medication - certainly better on the meds than without. Does wonders for my actual breathing.

I am on day 10 of 12 of Prednisone for allergies/asthma. My tongue has felt "big" or swollens since taken this drug - I have taken it before without this side effect. Has anyone ever experienced this? I also have the sweats, irritable and increased appetite. I know the Prednisone has helped my asthma tremendously this past week and a half, but the side effects are hard...

My 4 year old son has been taking Singulair for 2 1/2 years. It really helped with his seasonal allergies, asthma and a chronic cough he had. HOWEVER, he too became more aggresive, unfortunately, my sweet angel's personality change was not enough of a red flag for me. Over the past couple of months he's been opening and closing his mouth (tic like), eye blinking, teeth grinding, making sounds with his throat and nose. The more my husband and I talked about it we realized he had been doing some of these things longer, but they were subtle. Now they all came out at once. I have been crying my eyes out, feeling like a horrible mother - thinking my child is possibly developing tourette syndrome. We are do to see a neurologist in 3 weeks, but I just know that it was the Singulair.

I was on Advair for a few years. Everytime I would use the diskus I would start to cough and choke. Finally, I just stopped using it. I know I should have weaned myself off but I got tired of feeling bad.

During the course of my asthma development, I have been diagnosed with allergies, asthma, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and accelerating arthritis.

I wish I'd checked this site before giving my 5 year old son Singulair. Our lives have been turned upside down for the past four months, with the last month and a half being truly hellish. I am an RN and finally figured out that the only change that could have prompted such a significant mood/behavior change was his allergy/asthma medication, Singulair. It is like a switch turns on, his eyes flash with anger, he is very aggressive, physically tests us and reacts with violence, destroys his room when placed on anykind of restriction or time out, pushes way past set boundaries, has insomnia, restlessness, bad dreams, and finally he choked a nine year old out of frustration at a BBQ last night...He has been off the Singulair for two days and I know now that I am just going to have to treat him with kid gloves until this poison is out of his system. His allergies/asthma have never been better controlled, but at what cost? This medication is dangerous and I wouldn't be surprised if children started getting really hurt or hurt others while on it...it is a relief to know that my husband and I are not going crazy, but I feel horrible for putting my son through this.

I have been praying for God to reveal to me what exactly is wrong with my son. He has been on Singulair every day for about a year and a half. He used to be a happy, energetic boy with a great sense of humor. For about a year, he has been lethargic, depressed, unmotivated, and grumpy. He doesn't want friends over, doesn't want to go anywhere, has no energy for anything. I thought it may be his sinuses or his ears, since he has had severe allergies, asthma, and ear infections in the past. I even had his sinuses cat-scanned. Nothing. He has commented that he has really weird dreams, and I had NO idea that may correlate to Singulair. He has also indicated pain in his upper right side, as some others have. My son has never been a behavior problem, even on singulair, but I thought maybe his personality was changing for the worse, or that maybe he just needs more sleep than other kids. After a process of elimination, I thought, let's try eliminating Singulair. Within 2 days, my son was joking, playing basketball with his dad, and back to his normal silly self. I am SOO relieved. Even though I just refilled Singulair, it's going in the garbage. Weird how a "harmless" drug could cause so many problems.

Took Singulair for approx. two weeks due to ears "popping" and feeling full of fluid, even though ENT could detect nothing. First week seemed like miracle drug, ears cleared up and allergies greatly abated. Second week, developed constant pain in hip joints and lower back, and tingling in feet, and terrible acid reflux. Since it was the only new med I'd been taking, I took myself off to see if that was the cause. Within 24 hours, all hip joint pain, tingling in feet and reflux was gone. My son is 3 and has been on Singulair for a year for allergies/asthma and it has helped him tremendously, esp. since he uses a nebulizer in winter months. This past winter the nebulizer use was way down. He is a sweet layed back kid but has started becoming hyper and agressive and a lot of disobedience, which could be just his age. In any case, I've taken him off as well to see if Singulair has caused any adverse effects on his health or behavior.

I am SHOCKED this stuff is still on the market!
My dear, sweet, loving (& normally a little tempermental) 3yo daughter turned into a stark-raving lunatic on this! she was on it for 3wks along with Flovent for allergies/asthma. At first we noticed a little difference in her sleep patterns but thought it might have been the sudden good weather & loads of activity outside. Suddenly, during week 3, she developed stomach pain & fever. Vomiting began that night & intermittently through the next day. Her pain increased greatly in her stomach & back. She had no control of her emotions and she was filled with RAGE! All the while she kept pleading "Help me!, I can't do this!!". She was not eating & barely sleeping. After a few calls to the Doc, they agreed to meet us at the office on a Sunday but declared her to have a "tummy virus" & that it would pass. I knew there was something else wrong, but what? The vomiting & fever did subside by the next day but her behavior was COMPLETELY out of control! I had never seen such bad behavior out of any kid. She couldn't behave(or stop screaming) even when she wanted to. I prayed God would give me the answer & it just popped in my head...singulair. Sure enough, checking the trusty web, I was able to find tons of info which confirmed this. As I called the Doc the next day they said stop the singulair & let her recover from the "tummy bug" & restart singulair in 2 wks. They weren't convinced it was totally to blame & wanted to give it another try. OVER MY DEAD BODY will my little girl take that stuff again. Parents you know your kids, trust your instincts & just tell the docs NO!
We are now 4 days from her last dose & already we see a huge change in her. She is sweet & loving again with no more pain, no out of control behavior,and she is sleeping soundly again.
Mark my words, this will be one of those drugs we read about in the news along with all those others rushed to the market that end up destoying lives. Thanks for the encouragement & knowing we are not alone in this. Bless you M&S

I am a 45 yr old Triple A+ female (allergies, asthma, arthritis and GERD). Meds that I am already taking are Allegra, Flonase, Prevacid and Lodine.

I went to my clinic on July 2 and after many tests and an overnight stay in the hospital in was discovered that I had pneumonia. I was being released from the hospital with a prescrition for Tequin. My released instructions were not to take my Lodine while on Tequin.
When I talked with my pharmacist my insurance would not cover Tequin but did cover Levaquin. I asked the pharmacist on duty if I could take my Lodine with Levaquin because with Tequin the doctor said not to and she knows of no drug reaction but I should not since the Dr said not to and it is from the same family.
I received a sheet called Human Link from my pharmacy with every prescription that lists:
common uses
how to use
cautions
possible side effects
contact your Dr. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if.......IMMEDIATELY if you experience........
of the drug being prescribed.
I always read these papers.
I have been on Levaquin 500mg since July 3 and have a 10 day prescription.
I am happy to report that I have had no side affects at all.
I did call the doctor and asked about taking the Lodine and was told that taking any anti-inflammatory drug even Advil or Motrin causes severe nerous system problems.
I always research medications I take online and that is how I came to this website.
All the symptoms I have read on this site were listed on the sheet I received from the pharmacy.

See the following.

SIDE EFFECTS: nausea, trouble sleeping, diarrhea, vomiting, change in taste, headache, or dizziness if bothersome contact your Dr.

CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if:
experience tendon, joint, or muscle pain or swelling, "sunburn" ( sun sensitivity), vaginal discomfort, abdominal pain, or vision changes.

CONTACT DR. IMMEDIATELY if:
seizures, mental/mood changes, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, restlessness, confusion, change in the amount of urine, or yellowing of the eyes or skin.

This is not intented to cover all precautions, drug interactions or adverse effects.

You should always contact your doctor if you are concerned about any reaction or symptom to any medication you may be taking.

I hope this will help.