Asthma medication symptoms and conditions

My 5 1/2 year old son began taking 4mg Singulair in the p.m. and an inhaler (asmanex) in the a.m. We were still having trouble controlling the asthma and his Sing dose was raised to 5mg. & within 1 week of the increase he began having terrible facial tics and aggravated behavior (defiant, poor listening, easily frustrated and angered) The tics were in the form of opening and closing his mouth, as if you were trying to clear your clogged ears after a plane flight. This caused him much pain in his jaws and facial muscles, so he would tic and then cry as he was in pain. This ramped up his anxiety and it made the ticking worse. He has been off of all asthma medication (cold turkey) for 5 full days. He has episodes where the tics happen for 10 min -1/2 hr, other times during the day it is one here and one there. He does not want to leave the house to do anything, even his favorite activities. Thank god I found this site (and others like it), as I got some answers and some hope. We went to see my cousin this week who is a neurologist and he never heard of the correlation of Singulair and neurologic side effects like these. He said that (hopefully) the medication side effects will cycle through and resolve the ticking and behavioral changes. If not we are probably looking at a Tic Disorder which is in the Tourettes Family.He put my son on a very low dose of Klonopin to mellow out his anxiety and help reduce the tics, but has only been on it for 1 1/2 days and it usually takes a wk or 2 for full absorption and results.I have since sent him and my pediatrician and allergist links to this site and others. I think that I see some improvement in my son, yesterday I thought he did better and my husband thought it was a worse day, I think we have totally lost our perspective and objectivity on this. If anyone out there has a time frame on when they saw significant recovery and positive changes I would love to hear from you. This is a total nightmare and if it is this drug, someone is going to pay. My prayers go out to all who are going thru this.

My 5 year old daughter's pediatrician prescribed her advair to help with inflammation due to her seasonal allergies. (She had never taken an asthma medication or been diagnosed with asthma) I was very hesitant to give it to her, but she was really miserable. I gave it to her. 30 min later she was acting like she was bi-polar, manic and jumping up and down one min and crying for no reason the next. This went on for about 30 min before she crashed. She was very suddenly lethargic, couldn't hold her head up. Her face was pale, it started getting puffy and splotchy and her skin around her eyes got very red and she complained that her eye hurt so bad, she actually held an ice-pack to it. (A 5 year old) She also was acting very rough, aggressive, banging her toys into things and grabbing things from her friend, which is very unlike her. It was like she was full of intense energy and had to get it out. It was very scary.

My daughter was on Advair, Singulair, and Zyrtec to control her severe asthma and allergies. We were so thankful that these medications kept her from having to be hospitalized 2-3 times a year for uncontrollable asthma attacks. About six months after she began taking these medications she began to have headaches, she had difficulty sleeping, she was irritable, she had stomach pains, leg cramps,and eventually depression and social withdrawal. She went from an outgoing and happy teenager to a bitter and angry person. In 2003 she committed suicide. Six months after her death reports started to surface about the link between singulair and depression and suicide. Perhaps for my daughter it was a combination of the three drugs. Whatever you do be cautious and do your research before taking any allergy or asthma medication. Go to the Singulair website and you will be astounded by what you read. Please try to get the word out about these medications.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with this medication. My 4 (almost 5) yo has been on Singulair for almost 2 years now for allergies. I've noticed over the past few months a slow change in his behavior/attitude, not positive changes. He's become an aggressive, angry child that can be set off in a split second over nothing. He's also getting worse with not wanting to go into other parts of our home alone. He won't even walk down a short hall to go to the bathroom alone - is afraid of I don't know what. Lately, he's also been obviously having bad dreams because he kicks and yells in his sleep. I've just chalked all of this up to his age. While taking a walk yesterday I ran into a neighbor that was telling me the doctors want to put her son on Singulair but because of the possible hyperactivity and other side effects she won't do it. I came home and found this site along with others describing similar side effects as my sons. As of last night, we took him off of Singulair. I'm curious to see if this is the problem. I'll keep you posted.

I am astounded that this study of old data is being used to reinforce the message that Singulair is not connected to depression / suicide. The study is disputed by the fact that those suffering from the life threatening and incurable "Mental Illness Side Effect" see a complete return to normalcy within 7-10 days off the drug.

My own personal story, like many others, was a complete and total nightmare for my family over many years. In short, I went from a 10 year successful career as an art director with tremendous responsibility at a top international arts museum, to 2 years of full-time disability unable to leave my home with crippling anxiety/panic/depression. I was very lucky to have a loving wife and supportive doctors intervene before I took my own life.

The last few years is a blur of toxiPharmacological hell. A frustrating long string of tests, medications and treatments were attempted without any success... much to the consternation of my care givers. Not one of the dozens of doctors that I saw raised any question about the 10mg of Singuliar they knew I was taking daily.

Financial ruin, forced me off medical insurance. So I stopped all the psychoactive medications and came full circle back to suicidal ideation with more determination. A few months later, in March of 08' I could no longer pay out of pocket for may asthma medication Singulair and was surprised to find the mental illness begin to lift. A few days later the stories broke on the wire that this drug was perhaps connected with the unfortunate suicide of Cody and other teens. A week or so later, I felt myself again after many lost years.

Merck may have quietly updated the patient info several times over that period, but they made no attempt (still haven't) to reach out to prescribing doctors and pharmacists to let them know about potential issues. It seems that Montelukast interacts differently in individuals, and while it may be beneficial for many folks it is criminally dangerous not to increase the awareness of the side effects.

My General Practitioner pointed out that the original Montelukast study was quite large as these things go, but considering that it is prescribed to millions of people it is truly an irresponsibly small fraction sampled over a short period of time. Adding insult is the fact that these studies are conducted by the very company that seeks to benefit from positive findings.

The ALA has done a terrible disservice to the people the ought to represent. Downplaying the verifiable risks of suicide by recycling old data is completely and totally heartbreaking. I am ashamed to say that since I've been off the drug, I have been so preoccupied with trying to rebuild my life that I haven't been as forthcoming an advocate for the issues associated with Singlair. Misbelieving that others would take up the charge of spreading awareness and information so that new patients and their families would at least know the risks and be ever watchful.

Since that no longer seems the case, I offer myself and my well documented medical experiences with this drug, to anyone trying to get the message out. The media will pounce on the ALA study, giving many families a false sense of security.

Be well.

I have had EXTREME hair loss and I did not know what from. I never thought it was my advair. I checked all of my other medications and only one other one said there was a possibility of hair loss (PREVACID) so I went off of that but my hair was still falling out. I have been so desperate that I scheduled and appointment to see a dermatologist tomorrow. Today I happened to google "advair/hair loss" and I cannot believe all of the articles that came up with people expressing the correlation.
I have been so depressed from this hair loss. I had the thickest, shiniest hair and now I barely have a pony tail. I wear hats all of the time because I am embarrassed.It has been totally devastating.
What I need to know is which other asthma medication will NOT cause hair loss so I can switch? Too bad I just dropped $100 on a 3-month supply of Advair and now cannot use it.
Also, those of you who went off the Advair, how long did it take for you to experience hair growth or it not falling out?

My son started Singulair in the 7th grade and his personality changed but I never attributed it an asthma medication. He was on it and off of it for the next five years. On it again last year, he committed suicide on October 2nd, 2007. I consider his suicide a "side effect."

I am a 32 year old that suffers from allergy induced asthma. My doctors put me on Singulair and Zyrtec and my allergies and asthma have been in control and I can live and breath without sneezing and wheezing all day long. I have indoor and outdoor allergies and before Singulair I use to have to take over the counter Benadryl and then lay around groggy and miss out on things. I haven't experienced any side affects from Singulair as severe as what I have just read on these entries. I have no thoughts of suicide, I'm far from depressed and I'm a 32 year old mother of 2 kids, I work and I deal with the everyday life. Do I have mood swings, yes, but I cannot necessarily blame Singulair for that. As I read about it though, I wonder to myself, if I stop taking Singular with I be any more happier than I am already minus the mood swings? Do I do it as a trial and error type of thing. I mean if I miss my dose of Singular I end up having to use my albuterol inhaler and my chest hurts and I start to wheeze and cannot take a deep breath without feeling tightness in my chest. I guess at this point, the only thing I can do is talk to my doctors about switching me to a different asthma medication. I'm the type of person that actually second guesses doctors and am always up for a second and possibly a third opinion. I work for years in a medical malpractice law firm and I have no faith in the doctors that practice medicine. I usually read about things in detail before I try them to see certain side affects and what not. I'm not a medical professional, but I am a paralegal and I am an educated person. I go to the doctor but I'm not one to just run to the doctor with ever little ache and pain. I'm torn at this point because if I stop taking Singular I will suffer from Allergy induced asthma, and if I go to the doctor who's to say the next drug he puts me on for asthma might be worse or will cause problems. I can only speak from my experience, but ALL drugs carry a warning label of POSSIBLE side effects. I think I may be one of the few that do not suffer from the side affects of Singular, so I think I may just continue to take mine and breath easily. It also looks like most of these entries are about young children. Could it be that Singulair effects children differently than adults? Or could it be that everyone wants a hand in the money of a major drug company?? Whatever the case may be, everyone needs to educate themselves with any drug that is prescribed to them. I'm sorry for those that have suffered, I couldn't imagine going through that myself!

I am 16 and soon will be turning 17 years old. I have been on 10 mg. Singulair for about six weeks. I am already having side effects. I am on Prozac already, this med was to help calm me down, especially about my dad who will be having his fourth brain surgery. At first, I was really nervous and we thought it was because of my dad. After taking Singulair, things went downhill. It made me feel worse and I've had two sinus infections in these 6 weeks. After 2 weeks of starting this medication, I became really nervous and began to pull out my eyebrows. I haven't stopped and now I hardly have an eyebrow,I wear eyebrow pencil to cover it up, but it feels as if I can't control it, if I don't do it, I'll get really grouchy and irritated. I already have to go to a doctor for my stomach and Singulair has just made it worse. I don't care what my doctor says I WILL NEVER take Singulair again!

I have never, ever responded to any of these "side effects" websites before! As a healthy person who very rarely requires medication, I had to find something on the web that would "explain" my suspected side effects for the Levaquin I've been taking for the last three days. This was prescribed for a UTI. The "new" side effect (that I didn't see addressed anywhere here) was what I can only describe as "asthma-like," to include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Anyone else with this symptom? I was also overcome with a great sense of futility that just scared me. I am normally a positive, "the-sun'll-come-up-tomorrow" type person, but this just knocked me for a loop!

I have been taking Advair 500/50 for about two years ( I am now 60 years old,) to help control my allergy related asthma (that only presented itself when I had to take steroid eye drops for glaucoma.) While I had the hoarseness, dry mouth and occasional mouth sores, they seemed livable compared to uncontrolled asthma.

One morning about a month ago, when I was taking my normal AM puff, I suddenly felt as though a giant sledge hammer banged down on my head - pounding me into the floor - almost losing consciousness. Then, I experienced pounding, racing heart that felt as though it might jump out of my chest. I turned white and gray - my family and I thought I was having a heart attack.

I was terrified to take another puff - thinking it might be my last. Two days went by, when, I decided to experiment by taking a very light puff, barely taking any into my lungs. (I had been further scared by warning about suddenly going off steroids.) My doctor was out of the country and no one wanted the liability of advising me.

One hesitant puff of Advair caused the exact same pounding - heart jumping and racing reaction. I decided right then that I did not need further evidence to "pound into my head" that Advair was now toxic for me.

The odd thing is that my doctor seems to discount my experience by saying I am the only person this has ever happened to (implying there must be something wrong with me!) When I asked about the dangers and appropriate process for suddenly stopping steroids, she pooh-poohed my concern saying there are no side effects from inhalers with steroids. (Several nurses recently told me that was not necessarily true. Who knows what to believe!)

I have stopped Spiriva and Advair and have scheduled an appointment with a doctor and nurse practitioner who use diet, exercise and nutritional supplements to help treat asthma. A friend has gone to them for several years and is now off all asthma medication, has lost about 50 pounds, has improved health and looks 10 years younger! I can only hope this works for me!

I am also writing Advair manufacturer with my experience;copies to FDA. I can only wonder if there are others as 'rare' as me? If so, let it be known. thanks

I

I was first diagnosed with hypertension in the late 80's and have been on several different medications to treat it. I think that Lisinopril is the worst that I have been on. I have extreme fatigue and severe dry and burning mouth, sore tongue and difficulty breathing and flu like symptoms. I have anxiety and PTSD so my symptoms have been blamed on that. With all these symptoms,
I sometimes wonder if it would be better off to have the hypertension.
Sometimes my mouth and throat is so dry and sore, I can't eat and I have difficulty breathing which is not addressed with asthma medication. Daytime symptoms are bad at night but when night time comes, it is almost impossible to sleep.
I would be interested if anyone has these symptoms and would like to hear from you.
Jenny

I had my asthma re-evaluated just recently and was put on advair...that was about 10 DAYS ago, and since I began using it I have been waking up in the middle of the night, having nightmares and disturbing dreams, mood swings and swelling in my throat. Worst of all, I have been having MORE tightness in my chest and trouble breathing! I really felt ridiculous telling my family that I thought my sleep, mood and breathing problems were related to an asthma medication, but finding this site and hearing other stories not only comforts me but convinces me to stop taking advair regardless of what my doctor says!!

My GP put me on Advair in the summer of 2006 because I was having trouble with so much phlegm in my throat and losing my voice by using Combivent. I also have a weakened voice as a result of asthma medication. For the first three weeks the Advair was great. Then one weekend at our cabin, I had a severe asthma attack -- to the point that my husband wanted to pack up and drive an hour to an hospital emergency ward. I thought it was from something in the cabin or in the air. As a result of some research on Advair, I truly believe that it was from taking this medication. Not realizing this, I have continued to take Advair at the advice of my GP. I then noticed that my skin was very itchy, mostly on my legs at that time. My GP said it was excema. It started spreading to my hands, wrists, elbows. I started reading about the side effects of Advair -- from the insert that comes with the discus -- itchy skin is one of the side effects listed. In December 2006, I went to the lung specialist that has been treating me for asthma for several years. I asked him about the itching and mess on my wrists, etc. He indicated that it was excema and not a reaction to the Advair -- and proceeded to write me a presription for more Advair. In January 2007, I went back to my GP because I couldn't stand the itching and red blotches anymore. She wouldn't give me anything to relieve it, but sent me to an allergist. I asked him about the mess my skin was in and he told me that it was very rare that someone would react to Advair in this manner and he didn't think that was the cause. He decided that I was allergic to dog and cat dander. Just the other day I was finally sent to a dermatologist. She was appalled at the condition of my skin, as the ithing and redness had now started to spread to my upper arms, under arms, breasts and stomach area. I took some research about Advair with me to this appointment. She has now taken me off the Advair for a two week trial and given me an ointment help with the healing. Finally, a specialist that really might think the Advair is the cause of this itching all over my body. I sure hope that these doctors will realize that I really have an adverse reaction to Advair and will find another medicaiton that will be suitable, but not cause the problems I am having now. my voice is still strained, but I am sure as the Advair leaves my system, this will improve too.

I am 35 yrs. old and have been using inhaled steroids(albuterol,asmacort,vanceril, and Avair) for the past 16 years. I had noticed my eye vision deteriorating over the last 11 years. I was diagnost with and eye disease called kerataconis. i suspect a connection to my asthma medication use. I can only see effectivly with aid of special lense glasses, or hard contacts. I have since ceased use of Advair, and all inhalers , hoping to halt further progression, and the need for corneal trans plants. Too bad for me that Advair and the drug companies didnt fully do a better job warning the public 11 years ago when it could have made a difference.

I am 32 years old. I have had asthma since age 8.
I was prescribed Advair by my obgyn 1 1/2 yrs ago when pregnant. It helped my asthma tremendously. I had been using my albuterol inhaler up to 5 times a day prior to starting the Advair. However, my side effects have been consistent weight gain since having the baby - I weigh almost as much as when I was 9 months pregnant. And it's all in my mid section like many other people. I have always had a slim waist. My hair is also thinning on the top.
I have tried unsuccessfully to quit the Advair. I currently take the 100/50 and have cut back to once a day.
Is there any other long term asthma medication out there without the steroids?

I have horrific side effects from Advair but HAVE to take it or I am on my rescue inhaler 24/7. The worst being the side cramps/muscle cramps in my stomach side back etc. Then of course there is the fact that nothing tastes good. But again the cramps are the worst. Reminds me of my first asthma medication, brethine that also gave me muscle cramps. Complete nightmare.

I have been using Seritide 250/50 everyday for 3 years now. I startet gettinng these throat infections that left me with a hoarse voice for a week at a time. ENT said it was nothing. But recently, I have had a shoulder operation and have been taking some pain killers, and a much needed shot of cortisone due to swelling at the operation site, and noticed that my heart seems to be skipping a beat. I thought it was the pain killers but after researching their side effects, I came up empty handed. I have been an asthma sufferer for 5 years now and it does seem to help, but I am not sure I like this side effect. Can it be deadly??

I was given advair for asthma and it helped my breathing. I was experiencing alot of joint and hip pain, which I did not know at the time was caused by the advair.the pain was so bad I droped out of college and saw a orthopedic surgeon. I was convinced I would need surgery on my knee. I was diagnosed with chrondomylagia( spelling?) and was told to begin physical therapy. I never did the physical therapy, I did not really have the time and to be honest I was in so much pain I just did not want to go.I was also very irritable which I chalked up to be from being in so much pain and frequent headaches. My husband switched jobs so we had no health insurance for a couple of months. I ran out of the Advair during this time. all of my symptoms went away within that time period, still not realizing it was the advair. When we got our new insurance I began the Advair again within three days of taking 250/50 my knees were really hurting that same feeling of such pressure behind the knee cap and such pain bending and walking up stairs, etc. My hip started aching it was as though I had severe arthritis over night. my moodiness and headaches were back. Thats when it hit me its the Advair and I started to research it and found this site. I have not taken it today. I will call my DR. to see if there is something else I can take and hope for less side effects. well good luck to all of you. I hope this was helpful. Also, if anyone has a recommendation on a asthma medication that has been a success Please let me know so I can discuss that option with my physician. thank you.
Lois

My daughter was recently put on singulair in october. She has always taken asthma medication since she was two years old.She currently takes advair(500 mg), zyrtec, nasonex.,ventolin . She had a rough fall with her asthma and the allergist put her on singulair and zantac. She is a tennis player who travels around the country playing tournaments and ever since starting the Singulair she has been sick and unable to compete.She has been on four rounds of antibiotics, and she has had a catscan, and all of the numerous bllod tests. We have had her to the DR.S eight times since October. She has also been on prednisone 3 times this fall.Last year she never went on prednisone or had any antibiotics.Her complaints are stuffy nose, sore throat,chronic cough , andno energy. She has symptons for about 12-14 days , then she has about 4 good days and then the cycle starts all over again.If anyone else has suffered from any of the same complaints i would love to know.

In response to suetim1031, #13070, my 9 year old had been on singulair for 4 1/2 years. He was also on multiple medications for acid reflux. For the past two years, I have been talking to his doctors about his EXPLOSIVE behavior and the possibility of it being caused by any medications or combinations of medications that he was taking. Both his PCP and his Allergist assured me that none of his asthma medication would cause such issues. My son has, on way too many occasions, said he wished he was dead, he hated himself, has kicked walls, and put his hand through the first pane of a glass window!!! That was the end. I am embarrassed to say that I never checked online for side effects to his medications, because I checked with his doctors....which I thought was the right thing. I could not believed what I read on this website. So many people were describing my son and I finally felt there was an end to the terror that was happening to our family!! He has been of of singulair for 2 1/2 months now, and though he still has explosive moments, they are much shorter in duration and much less often. I hope this behavior continues to improve over time, but I do have concerns that his prolonged use of this drug have caused permanent damage. Needless to say, his asthma and allergies are beginning to appear again (they were completely under control for the past two years) but I can handle some treatments and inhalers over the jekyll and hyde child my son had become. I am told there are some holistic alternatives for asthma and allergies, I am going to look into them. Best of Luck to you and anyone else who has experienced the extremely scarey side effects of this drug!!

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.

Just came from the pediatrician with my nine-month old. He was diagnosed with a bronchiolitis. he had one 6 weeks ago alredy. the doctor prescriped singulair. 4mg once a day for ten days. Checked it out online, found your site and am shocked.I am not going to it to my baby. Can anybody tell me why the doctor would prescribe for a bronchiolitis if it is an asthma medication.

I was taking Zantac alongside an asthma medication... Advair. I started feeling constantly fatigued, couldn't sleep, and in general very very off. If you'll check the Advair reactions part of this site, you'll see alot of people report similar side effects to it.

My stomach started acting up again so i decided to take the Zantac 150 again. First 2 days i was constantly fatigued; dizzy, trembling, nauseous. 3rd day I could not sleep for the life of me. I'm writing this in an insomniac haze, but all things considered I'm not going back on the Zantac again. It's possible taking it again brought up the reactions I'd had to the Advair... but now I wonder which drug it was that I reacted to.

Out of desparation I went on the internet today to see if anyone else besides myself was having adverse reactions. I went to the Dr. yesterday and neither one of us could figure out why I was hoarse,throat full of phlem, felt like I had a lump in my throat and it felt tight. Kept feeling like I had to swallow. The roof of my mouth is sore and my toungue is sore. Funny taste in my mouth. Acid reflux. Prilosec no longer working. Running a fever last week of 102 degrees. Yesterday when I took my morning dose of advair it fellt like my mouth was on fire. Constant non stop post nasal drip, which made me feel like I constantly had to swallow. Felt paniky. Desided to take myself off Advair today. I'm already feeling better. My voice is coming back to normal. The thick phlem is subsiding and the swelling and tightness in my neck is almost gone. Weight gain of 20 lbs in the last year. The advair was actually triggering bronchitis and was also causing acid reflux. The medication prilosec, nexium,protonix etc. can increase your chance of getting pneumonia and upper respritory problems. I was not diagnosed with asthma, yet the Nurse Practioner was treating me with aggressive asthma medication, which over time was worse than the original symptoms. By the way Flovent and advair are the same thing so I also took myself off flovent. I went to the health food store and bought allergy 10 and echinacea. Echinacea boosts the immune system and acts like an antibiotic, but should not be taken for more than 6 to 8 weeks at a time. Allergy 10 can be take indefinately.