Allergy asthma symptoms and conditions

I am 44 years old and have been taking singulair for about 4 years. 3 months ago I started experiencing crushing chest pain, tingling in my lower limbs, and felt very stressed out. I went to the ER last Thursday and was checked out for angina - the ER doctor told me I was suffering from chronic severe anxiety. I took Ativan for 4 days and felt better, but now the drigs are gone and I again having constant chest pain. In doing some research I found that anxiety can be caused by imbalance in adrenaline, and so started looking online to see if any of the allergy/asthma meds I am taking (adviar, singulair, allegra) can affect adrenaline. That';s when I found this website. Although i find the testimony compelling, I wish more folks would have poted about how their symptoms improved (or didn't) AFTER discontinuing singulair. Also I've noticed many of the stories are about children not adults; many people are taking more than one med for asthma, and most people's symptoms seem to come on right away whereas I have been taking sinulair for years and only recently have anxiety. I will stop singulair tonight and see what happens, but am wondering if anyone has come across further research that correlates singiulair with anxiety? My job life is really peaceful, I am otherwise happy, work can get hectic but that's true of any job, and I am out of ideas as to why suddenly at age 44, when I eat right and exercise - why get anxiety? Thanks for the posts, I'll try to remember to follow up after I am off Singulair for a few weeks.

I am so glad to have found this site. We are taking my 2 1/2 year old son off Singulair immediately. He has been experiencing a rash on and around his ears, around his hairline, back of his neck and shoulders, down his arms to his wrists and on his face and below his chin - almost everywhere above the neckline. At first we thought it was a reaction Singulair and took him off the medication. When it didn't subside, we took him to his pediatrician's and they told us it was a heat rash due to a reaction to sunscreen and sweat. Since I have had that reaction myself, we agreed with the doctor's diagnosis. We restarted him on Singulair and the rash only got worse. We've taken him off the Singulair and will be contacting his allergy/asthma doctor immediately about this reaction. We are not sure if he has experienced other side effects - we have seen an increase in him crying when he goes down for bed and wanting to snuggle, as well as not wanting to be touched on the legs (not sure if that's due to his scraped knees or not). Unfortunately, it's difficult to get a 2 1/2 year old to tell you exactly where it hurts.
Thanks for the information - we now know that we were correct in the beginning and that our son does not have to go through this any longer and can enjoy his summer.

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.

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

I would like to know who is NOT experiencing side effects from Singulair.
We are not.
My 7 years old started Singulair three months ago because of allergy issues. She had asthma attack every other week, running nose all the time, she was so miserable, she missed many days of school and she couldn't exercise .Since she started to take SIngulair her allergy improved, no more asthma, no more running nose. SIngulair did not change her way to be. She is doing very good in school (she is above the average..) she does piano, ice skating, she is purple belt Tae Know Doe, speak two languages, she is doing great in everything. Of course she has her "bad moments" but which child does not?
I tried homeopathy, but it did not work, she got worst and worst. I was supposed to give SIngulair to my daughter a year ago, I did not because I was afraid of the side effects. But I wished I had started before because I could have avoid so much steroids since she had asthma most of the time. The doctor convinced me to use this medicine when she said " You think SIngulair has side effects, yes sometime it does, but do you know the danger of using steroids so frequently in a little body?" Then I thought I had to give a try. I am glad I did. Of course I keep watching my daughter behavior closely and reading all the possible side effects of this medication. I forgot to say that beside singulair my daughter is also taking Pulmicort, two puffs once a day.

could anyone tell me if claritin is the same as singulair or what i could give my child that would help with the allergies/stuffy nose she was on singulair and was taken off

I am a loving mother of a 5 1/2 year old boy. He has been on Singulair for over 3 years. In this past 3 years my son has suffered in an unspeakable amount. He came down with Rota Virus and was hospitalized at 2. He then came in contact with Pneumonia in the hospital while he was there. They automatically put him on Singulair, Zyrtec, Prednisone, and antibiotics to treat the pneumonia. Since that day, my son has gone though more tests than I have in my entire life. He has had asthma, sinusitis, leg cramping ( to the point he cannot walk for 2 years), IBS, Acid reflux,(they gave him laxatives for a year that made things worse and addicted to them also), stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea back and forth. He also got Erythema Mulitforme TWICE, while on this drug. All of which the doctors said could NOT be caused by Singulair. He has had several Upper GI's and CT scans. Along with Barium enemas, several hundreds of blood tests, and many many pokes and prodded that were not necessary. All since he has been on Singulair. He now has frequent bathroom trips, depression, confusion, and anger outbursts. He also has to go to the restroom every 5 minutes. He has had genital swelling, and many other aches and pains. None of which his "doctor" ever said could be a result of Singulair. I am 100% sure it was!!!! He currently has anxiety and emotional sporadic issues causing problems in school The teachers and counselors say that it is so strange because there is no TRIGGER and the outbursts are completely inconsistent. His preschool teacher and director are sure he has ADHD. Well, we had him tested and he does not have any part of it. He has no learning disability what-so-ever. So that brought me back to square one. He is in a positive loving enviroment. How could he be depressed and want to hurt everyone around him? He cannot sit still. He cries and says he is 'stupid" and "can't think" like the other boys. He has nightmares and cannot sleep alone. He is scared of everyone and everything. So, as I sit here crying, I realized that this has all been a reaction of his "medicine" Singulair. He never should have gone through all of those painful tests, only to prove they couldn't find anything. So many treatments and sound full advice speeches from his doctors. How could they be so naive and selfish in the life of my son?

When I called my pediatrician of 5 years, she told me that " parents that have children with behavioral problems will LOOK for something to blame their problems on." She also said "drug companies only put side effects on their labels to PROTECT the drug companies. (as she laughed at me) They are not always valid". Then she said "if you take you child off of Singulair you will be playing Russian Roulette in his life." Then she said that all children around 5 or 6 go though this emotional time in their lives." She told me that if I take my child off of Singulair that she would no longer be a part of his health regimen for his asthma. She told me to see a Pulmonologist for further treatment.
Who is paying who? This is my son's life???????? I decided to go with my mother-gut instinct and get him off of this medicine. No matter what. He has been a different person since. He is currently going though a lot of side effects and withdrawals (leg pain, insomnia, hic-ups, emotional distress) but every day is getting better. How can the drug companies say that this is a "wonder drug?" There are more reported side effected patients then clinical studied patients! How can a "medication" that stimulates the brain not be connected to other problems? This "medication" interferes with the bio synthesis and action of LTs and has been marketed as NOVEL medication against asthma and allergic rhinitis. Who the hell is playing God here??? The pocket books of Merck or our over PAID "doctors?" Who pays the price? Our children? Or us. Thank god I found this before it was too late. I would not be able to withstand the pain of losing my son due to their lack of scientific evidence. They are lucky I am one of the smart ones. I will not settle for less than Justice for the drug companies and their paid "doctors?" You all end up in the same place. HELL

There are 18 million people on this drug. Most of them are children. Please save a life if not your own child's life. Thank You

This is my story. My daughter 14, the most precious child ever born. She has a wonderful disposition always happy, loving, and determined to succeed in whatever she does. She just brightens everyone’s world.
She suffers from severe seasonal allergies and mild asthma. She takes approximately seven allergy/asthma medicines a day during peak season. Over the past two years she has been taking Singular as one of her medicines. Being 14, sick of taking medicine she would not take the Singular on a regular basis. Approximately four months ago “MOM” says, if you take nothing else take your Singular it will work both for the seasonal allergies and your asthma. She has been taking this regularly four the past four months.
She became paranoid, she became a compulsive eater and bites the skin on her fingers. She would eat and chew on her fingers at the same time, until she choked. She had so much anger, she could not even go to the mall without temper tantrums.(As a child she never had any tantrums ) Always afraid. Severe depression set in. She would cry at a moments notice. She would say, I have a very sad life, sad very sad, nothing makes me like this, I’m just sad. She felt she should go live with the homeless people. I asked her why, she didn’t know, she felt maybe that’s where she belonged. Nightmares and sleepless nights.
She needs help quickly. Before calling the Doctor, I went on the internet and entered Singular and depression and I found 1900 entries, all people telling me what I was experiencing. Could this possibly be the answer for us? I called her Dr and told him what I thought, he said he has never had anyone that this has happened to. He hoped it was the answer, but really didn’t think is. He said if it wasn’t the answer she would need therapy, mood stabilizer and Prozac.

Its day four off Singular, she smiling, no tears today, no temper tantrums, looking forward to school next week, wants to play volleyball next year, singing in the car,
I hear that happy voice again.(Hi, Mommy!!!!!!) Every once in a while a glaze comes over her face. She isn’t a 100% back, but I know it is coming.

To all the people that don’t have the happy ending, I will pray for you and hold you in my heart forever.

June 2, 2008

In September of 2007 my then 13 year old daughter was put on Singular for mild asthma. At the time she was a straight A student, vice president of our school and a popular girl who's guidance counselor described as "the glue of her grade" because she was so well liked. In November she told me that she was struggling with advanced Latin and Science. She asked to drop down to on grade Latin so we did. In December her science teacher notified us that she had a C average. She told me that she thought she had ADD/ADHD and she couldn't keep up. At the same time she was having a lot of problems with friends at school and we just attributed it to being 14. 3 weeks ago we discovered that she is significantly behind in English and it was then that she told me that she is been having horrific night mares. She said that they usually involve someone killing her or her killing herself. She said that they were so graphic that she couldn't repeat it out loud. She also said that she would feel waves of anxiety that would come over her at school and she would act "witchy" to the kids in her class for no real reason. She said that sometimes when she is trying to do her homework she will read the same passage for 2 hours and still have no idea what it's about. She also said that the suicidal thoughts from her sleep happened during they day and that she had thoughts of her harming herself. Fortunately her pulminologist told us that this may be caused by singular and we immediately took her off of it which was 2 weeks ago. She has only had 1 "bad dream" not even a nightmare since. She had one anxiety attack 3 days after she was off it and she describes her moods as the "cloud lifting....slowly". Now, we have to pick up the pieces. Her grades have suffered, her friendships have suffered and most of all her self esteem is very low. I'm grateful that we found out the cause but I feel as if my daughter lost a year of her life and I worry that because Merck won't admit there are side effects we can't find out how long it remains in their system. Is anyone else concerned about the long term affect and has anyone pursued a class action suit to try to get this drug tested properly?

(A divorced father)
My son has been on Singulair now 5 years and I am in the middle of fighting to get him off. My son is now 7 years old and has been diagnosed with allergies (no test have been done which I find very odd), which leads to a case of mild asthma. This past weekend his mother forgot his Singular on Friday so I could not give him any till the next day, where we met at his soccer game. Saturday night I gave him his usual pill and thankfully due to his exhaustion from playing out side all day he went to sleep in 10 min. vs 3 hrs later which is the norm since Singulair seems to jack him up.
He also has red puffiness under his eyes - most likely allergies.
Seems depressed - just driving down the road and I look at him in the rear view mirror and he just sits and stares into space. When I ask what's wrong he either says nothing or I am tired.
He will try to tell a story or think for himself and just stops mid sentence and says " never mind I am just confused"
He will be having fun one moment and just starts crying or gets depressed.
He was throwing a ball in the house (yes I know) and accidentally knocked a glass over breaking it - he went running to his room, crawled under his bed and sobbed profusely for over 30 min.
He has a hard time doing / focusing on homework - becomes bored very easily.
Does not want to go outside. I will take him to allot of cultural events/ hands on or participation events - he will not try anything. He is unsure and will not come out of his box so to speak.
I spoke with his doctor who was reluctant to take him off, but then agreed that if it was OK with the ex, to take him off for a week to see what happens.
The fun part: My ex is convinced that since he has been on Singulair for 5 years he is fine and does not need to come off it.

1.) Son is diagnosed with mild asthma or allergy induced asthma.
He has never had an allergy test done and has not had a lung function test in over a year.

2.) It is documented that our son has four outbreaks a year. (sounds like the changing of the seasons) but is given Singulair all year round and the dosage has also been increased.

3.) Since the court order, ordered my ex to enroll our son in sports (she would not let him play anything) he does not wheeze or cough uncontrollably.

4.) Since I had to battle to get our son on my insurance I have cut her control issues off a little, but she is refusing to take him off Singular just for a week to see how he reacts. Although I do agree that he should have some form of allergies medicine.

5.) When I found out about the side effects of Singulair, I also found that his doctor was getting ready to add two other allergy medicines to his portfolio - totaling 3 different meds.

I see our sons behavior getting worse and I watch him turn into something he is not and with a controlling individual not believing anything about the side effects it looks like I will have to rely on the medical system to prove my point. I do believe he needs to be accurately tested for allergies and given a regularly lung function test but most of all since he is now on my insurance, a second opinion and a 3rd to narrow down what the situation is and an alternative medical procedure that is fit for the symptoms.

My son is 10 ½, and had been on Singulair for almost 6years to treat his well controlled asthma and allergies. We have had behavior problems with him for years, but it seems to have gotten worse this school year, when his grades (he is in the gifted program at school) went down the tubes. Our family has been to counseling, where it was suggested we put him on ADHD meds. We resisted, but things had reached the point that I was ready to give the NEW meds a try. ARGH!!!!! Then my sister sent me a link for a story about the teenage boy who committed suicide. This was several weeks before the Singulair/suicide stories were in the news. I did some research, and I started reading these posts. It was like I was reading descriptions of my son!! I talked to several pharmacists and none of them knew of any behavior problems attributed to taking Singulair. Talked to his pediatric pulmonary doc, he knew of no connection, but said to try taking him off. He thought the allergy/asthma would be OK since he also uses an inhaled steroid every day. Well........... I thought I could see a difference in 4 or 5 days, my husband thought I was wishful thinking! But, since then everyone in his life agrees, he is a different kid! No moodiness, no unexplained anger, more on task, sleeping better. I could go on and on. There is no doubt in my mind, the differences started when he stopped taking the Singulair.

i have taken Zyrtec for years during the fall during ragweed season - works great for me without any side effects. My husband can only take it every other day as it makes him feel flu -ish. 18 yr old takes as needed and it works great. 16- yr old has allergy asthma and has taken Zyrtec for years and now with Singulair. She now is experiencing all noted problems of sleeplessness, headache, anxiety, and grumpy. We are quitting the Singulair to monitor improvement and will do the same with Zyrtec if needed.

NOTE: Each person most be monitored with every drug for allergies and side effects. If you or your child cannot tolerate a drug, STOP taking it. You are your best daily diagnostician! Your DR. may not agree or understand, but pursue another course. REMEMBER though, that drug may be a lifesaver for millions of others that react favorably! Penicillin is a miracle drug unless you are allergic! Doctors should encourage close monitoring whenever your kids take a new drug - but when they don't - that's our job!

So after reading enough of these replies I've come to a few conclusions:

1) Apparently Singulair should not be prescribed to children.

2) We have some extremely over-reactive parents.

3) It sounds like many of you describing side-effects from your young children also mention that they are on other medication(s). Don't be so quick to blame Singulair for everything. Many medications share the same possible side effects. Unless Singulair is the only medication your child takes, hold your tongue until more definitive studies and investigations are done.

About me -- I'm a 30 year old man who developed asthma when I was 11, and has fairly nasty seasonal allergies (I live in Austin, TX). I started taking Singulair several years ago as I had literally tried every other prescription allergy medicine on the market available for my seasonal allergies. OH MY GOD! I CAN BREATHE AGAIN!

Not only could I breathe through my nose, but the Singulair helped me fight off seasonal allergens (namely mountain cedar tree pollen and Texas oak tree pollen) so much that I was no longer waking up having asthma attacks from my sinuses draining. No longer was I missing days and days of work from "cedar fever" and "oak fever." At long last I finally found an allergy/asthma medicine that works for me.

Now, I also take use Advair (250/50) every day as well. Without a doubt, my life is 100 fold better now than it was before I used the combination of Singulair and Advair on a daily basis. If I miss a day or two of my Singulair, which I have done before, my allergies are noticeably worse and magically get better when I get back on Singulair.

I can honestly say that I have never experienced any depression or suicidal thoughts/tendencies since I have been on Singulair. Undoubtedly there are many others like myself who thank God every day for this medicine. I honestly feel very bad for those of you who have issues with Singulair because it has been a life-saver for me.

I'm in the same boat with so many of you parents. After MY parents sent me a link to the news story, I broke down in tears. My 8 1/2 yo daughter has been taking Singulair (5mg) daily for 5 years.

She is the oldest of 3 and has some emotional issues we've always attributed to her personality: mood swings, rage that will last anywhere from 2 minutes to an hour, over-emotional, and yes, even at age 5 she said she wished she was dead. We were shocked, wondering where in the world that idea had come from. I can't say it was caused by Singulair, but it very well could be a factor. Our other two children just don't have the same issues she has with emotions. As a side note, over the years (and just yesterday as a matter of fact, she has complained of severe leg pain. Again, I never thought that would be a side effect of this medication.)

Lately, her allergy/asthma doc has been prescribing more and more meds for her and we have chosen to not give them to her. We will certainly remove Singulair from her regimen. As a parent, who can we trust? My child can't breathe if she's not on some sort of medication.

I would like to know, as another parent asked, if these side affects will subside once Singulair is discontinued.

I must say that Singulair works to control her allergy-induced asthma, but after seeing the story, reading comments here, and seeing my own daughter's behavior, I don't believe it's worth the risk. She's off this medication as of today!

I'm praying for each of you and your kids!

I'm glad I found this site. From the moment the Mirena was inserted, something was different about my body. It was inserted in October 2006 - 12 weeks after the birth of my twins. I thought it was a good idea until the side effects started. In November 2006, during a staff meeting, I felt an INCREDIBLE pain on the left side of my lower abdomen. I thought it was a one time occurrence, until I felt it again every month before my period was due. Then, during a routine check up with my primary care physician, he noticed that my blood pressure was extremely high (150/100). After monthly check-ups and blood pressure medication, it still hasn't resumed a normal range. I would have been able to manage these two side effects, but things got worse. In July 2007, I started to experience shortness of breath. To be honest, I have allergy asthma, but it didn't feel like a regular attack. So, I went to my pulmonologist for a check-up. He conducted the following test: breather-lizer (to check my breathing pattern), blood oxygen level (stationary & running up stairs), EKG, x-ray of my lungs, blood test and a CT scan of my lungs to see if I had blood clots. All the test came back negative!!!!! He answer - it's your birth control. Went back to my PCP to get my blood pressure checked, and it was still high. So, recommended that I get an Eco-cardiogram of my heart. Of course, it came back negative! Actually, my PCP said that I'm extremely healthy. However, the hormones in my birth control could be causing an adverse reaction to my system. Keep in mind ladies, I've gone to my OB to get the Mirena removed and her only concern is that I can't get pregnany any time soone because my twins are 12 months old and I had a c-section. So, my uterus won't completely healed until Januar 2008 (18 months post-partum). To finish briefly, I also have been having extruciating headaches; teenage acne; neck, shoulder & back pain; fatigue; and to top off the list - I have gained 25 pounds since the birth of the twins. In summary, I would not recommend this product to anyone - not even my worst enemy!!!! I'm going to call my OB again tomorrow to schedule an appointment to get it removed. If she refuses, my PCP said to call him and he'll strongly suggest that she take it out. If she refuses him, then he's going to send me to another physician at his affliate hospital that will handle this situation.

Just found this site and am so relieved to know that I'm not going crazy! I took Advair for only two weeks after a poor spirometry reading at my doctor's office and had such horrible anxiousness and panic attacks that I thought I was losing my mind. Needless to say I stopped taking it. I later was told by an Allergy/Asthma specialist that there's some kind of stimulant in Advair (much like caffeine) that most likely caused the adverse reaction. I'm highly sensitive to caffeine and other stimulants. I warn anyone with this same sensitivity to discuss it with their doctor before taking Advair. I will never take it again.

I have been on ADVAIR for approx. 1/2 a year. At 1st it seemed to help & still is with the asthma. But now I seem to have a real low resistance to viral infections or at least sinus related stuffiness. I have had a nasal problem with stuffiness/post nasal drip/ears popping & ringing and loss of taste for almost 2 months now. I went to my allergist's P.A. 10 days ago & got a script for amoxicillin 875 mg & I still am having issues. They thought I may have a sinus infection. Is anyone else experiencing nasal congestion & rhinitis while on ADVAIR?

My son is 3 and has had a cough all of his life. Everytime we would take him to the doctor they said his chest sounded clear and they couldn't pin point the problem. I took him to an allergy/asthma doctor where he was allergy tested. Tests showed very minimal allergies. We have no pets, no smoke, and no carpet in our home. The doctor said he didn't have asthma but prescribed him Singulair. After about 6 weeks he was very agitated, to the point I could hardly deal with him. Very aggressive with everyone in the family, could not sleep at night, and had severe hallucinations of bears in his room and he would see sharks in the bathtub to the point where he was crying and begging to get out of the bathtub. When I read the small print on the side effects I knew that it was the medication.

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.

It started as a cough... thought I had a cold but just cough continued until I lost my voice. I coughed so hard I thought it was something much more serious since my mother died of lung cancer. I have never smoked but got plenty of second-hand smoke. Doctor said it was allergy/asthma and prescribed Prednisone (7 day) and Advair. Prednisone is now gone but still have trouble with voice breaking up, some cough, and not leg cramps, stomach cramps and dizziness. I am on 250/50 and also prescribed and using Albuterol and Flonase. Thanks for this site and information. I will discontinue Advair and see the reaction. I am now not so worried. -Pamela-

60 YEAR OLD FEMALE: IN 01-05 I STARTED TAKING SINGULAIR 10MG AND ADVAIR 100/50 FOR ALLERGY ASTHMA SYMPTOMS. BY FEB. I WAS HAVING FOOT AND LEG CRAMPS. BY MARCH I STARTED COMPLAINING TO MY PULMOMARY DR.(WHO PERSCRIBED THESE), MY ENDO DR., MY ALLERGIST AND GYNO. MY ENDO REFERRED ME TO A NEUROGOLIST. I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE SINGULAIR AND ADVAIR SIDE EFFECTS WHICH MY PHARMACY CONFIRMED FOR ME. WELL I GET TO GO THROUGH A NERVE TEST AND AN EMG. NOW I AM TOLD THAT I HAVE A NEUROPATHY IN MY FOOT AND THAT I NEED A NERVE BIOSPY TO FIND OUT WHY. HE HAS NOT EVEN MENTIONED THE LEG CRAMPS THAT I CAME TO HIM FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEN HE GIVES ME A PERSCRIPTION FOR NEUROTIN FOR PAIN. I TOLD HIM BEFORE THE EMG THAT WHEN I STOPPED USING ADVAIR THAT MY CRAMPS STOPPED. THEY DO NOT LISTEN. I STILL TAKE SINGULAIR BUT MY LEGS STILL FEEL FUNNY LIKE RESTLESS LEG SYNDROM. I DO INTEND TO STOP SINGULAIR. I AM NOW CONVINCED SINCE I TOO FOUND THIS WEB SITE THAT IMY PROBLEM IS DUE TO MEDICATION. I DO NOT INTEND TO GO GET CUT ON SO THEY CAN THEN TELL ME ITS MY MEDICATION. I TAKE UNITHROID, ZETIA, SINGULAIR, ADVAIR. THE LAST THREE ALL HAVE JOINT/ MUSCLE PAIN/CRAMPS AS SIDE EFFECTS. I REALLY THOUGHT THAT I HAD SOME SORT OF MUSCLE DISEASE.

I have a 9 year old son who's been treated for allergy-induced asthma for several years. About 2 years ago he was put on Singulair and it seemed to help quite a bit. I eventually weaned him from it and he did really well until about 2 months ago, when he had a bout of allergy/asthma. His ped put him back on Singulair and started albuterol, along with the Flonase he was already taking. Just over the past 2-3 weeks we've noticed a complete change in his demeanor.

He normally is a bright, loving, sweet kid who excells in much of what he does. Lately that has all changed. The first big red flag was seeing him hit himself when asked to do something more than once (ie make his bed). He'd hit himself and call himself stupid. He went from that to saying he just "needs to go away". And finally admitted that he wants to kill himself sometimes. Has a "plan" and everything.

I read some of the reports similar to the ones here and took him off both the Flonase and Singulair. His moodiness increased and even went toward mania in the two days that followed removing the med. 5 days after stopping the meds, he leveled out considerably and also had an asthmatic attack that night. Sounds to me like the "levels" of meds dropped at that point.

We are now 1 1/2 weeks past stopping the meds and things are returning to normal, though he is still struggling somewhat.

He also has exhibited physical "tics" - throat clearning, sniffing, rubbing his chin on his chest, head shakes, shoulder shakes, etc. on and off since first being put on Singulair. Those have escalated with the other symptoms. And he's also complained of achy legs.

I wonder if there is any way to report these issues and have them taken seriously.

Wow... stumbling on this site is a breath of relief so far. I've only been on Advair a little less than a month but my anxiety and mood swings seem to have shot through the roof and I've been waking up from less and less sleep every day with no explanation for my sudden bout with insomnia. I'm a 29 year old smoker that quit and started taking 100/50 Advair for an allergy asthma compounded with chronic bronchitis but I think this morning's dose will have been my last. Too bad I relapsed on the cigs before I found this site :/

I've been using Advair 100/50, prescribed by my allergy/asthma dr., for about four years and love it! I have experienced some muscle ache, but I believe this is caused by my cholesterol med. Also, about two years ago, my ankles began swelling. When I went to my internist, she did the automatic BP check for the office visit and it was low. We started cutting back on the BP med and eventually discontinued it. My ankles stopped swelling and the BP has stabilized to normal. As I stated, I believe the aching is caused by my cholesterol med, but it's not debillitating and is something I can live with. If it is caused by the Advair, it's still not a big deal because I don't have the attacks I used to have. I can visit in a house with burning candles or a cat, which used to bring on an almost immediate attack. I used to avoid those situations. I couldn't enjoy a Christmas party or visit for more than 30 minutes or so. I love my Advair!!!

My 5 year old has been on Singulair for about a year now. I too thought it was a wonder drug as it has really kept her asthma under control. She only has seasonal allergy/asthma problems so she isn't on the meds during the summer. While on Singulair she has horrible nightmares. She wakes up 3-4 times a night sometimes she is climbing up the wall screaming. She slept great all summer long only waking up in the night on rare occasions. Now she wakes up constantly. I called & spoke to the nurse she told me she would discuss it with the doctor but didn't feel after looking Singulair up in her drug book it would cause that kind of problem. It has to be a very bizzare coinsidence or the Singulair. We had problems with her sleeping right from the beginning but we didn't connect it to the drug until now.