Chronic asthma symptoms and conditions

I am 48 years old. I have been asthmatic since I was 10. Never in my history of having chronic asthma, have I had to take prednisone.I started with 10 mg for the first 8 days. After a trip to the emergency, my Dr. found it necessary to up my dose to 40mg. I took this dose for 17 days. My face is round, I have had the worse acid reflux in my life, I have had mood swings..was up all night for 2 weeks and I still can't breath that good. I am weaning myself off of this prednisone and I am looking for another doctor. I am down to 10mg and I plan never to have to take this awful medicine again. I guess It would be okay if I was breathing like a champ, but I'm not. So there is no use in having all these bad side effects if I am still having trouble breathing. It's just seems that even a Pulmonary Dr. would want to take the fast way out. There are other safer meds to use.

Wow!!! I can't believe it! I just found this site. I've actually been on Advair 500/50 for years now, about 7 years at least. Just as a bit of a background, I'm 24 years old, used to be extremely active, played water polo, was on the swim team, and was just overall very active in high school. I've had severe chronic asthma since I was 8 years old, so in order to help me stabilize my asthma, my critical care pulmonologist put me on Advair. It was a "miracle drug"! However, while my asthma was under control, I was experiencing all these other symptoms that everyone else has been talking about.
Anyway, to make things worse, I just talked to my (new) doctor and she told me that the Advair makes it so that some organ (I'm sorry, I don't remember the name) actually stops producing prednisone (or the same stuff that your body naturally produces itself to keep your lungs working correctly) if on it for long enough. It makes sense because for the first few years it was prescribed to me, I really only filled the prescription as I was getting sick as a backup, but other then that I was generally under control. For the last I'd say about a year, I've been consistent and used it regularly as the doctor actually prescribed, every day, twice a day, whether I was sick or not. Now, I can't go even a week without it, otherwise I'm in the hospital.
During the last year or so that I've been consistent with taking the medication, I've had major depression, gained 45 lbs, fatigue, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, heartburn, leg pains, sore throat, sinus infections (we just finally decided I was just allergic to our animals and I've been on decongestants for pretty much the whole year, doing sinus flushes, etc and I'm still all stuffy!), unexplained bruising, crazy mood swings, muscle pains, headaches, heartburn, etc. I thought I was just completely crazy, I kept believing it was all in my head!!!
I'm going to my doctor today and asking her to prescribe me something else. The funny thing was, I was just on my way to the hospital b/c my doctor's been treating me for the last 3 weeks for vertigo accompanied by the heart palpitations and the nausea, she finally is giving up and is sending me to the emergency room. I figured before I went that route, I'd look into it myself. Go figure!

I was started on Advair HFA about 35 days ago. A little background about me is that I'm 35 years old, in good physical shape. I'm a competitive cyclists doing road races anywhere from 45-100 miles, I work out 2-4 hours everyday. I've had lifelong chronic asthma, but have fought the disease with my healthy lifestyle. I also play the saxophone.

Since I've been on Advair I've developed a constant sore throat. Been coughing up stuff constantly when I'm out training on my bike. Can't seem to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. The worst side affect has been the leg cramps which are killing my training for up coming races. I have constant leg cramps that force me to get out of bed over and over to work them out. My energy levels have dropped to the point that I can't do even half a workout without being totally wiped out. This is coming from a guy that averages 60miles a day on the bike, the other day I couldn't even do 15 miles and had to stop from the constant cramps and tiredness. This stuff is a nightmare. I've gone back to using nothing but my albuterol inhaler. I'll continue to do lung exercises 4 times a day and completely clean up my diet and basically get this stuff out of my system. Let this be a warning that you can't get something positive without something negative as well.

Montelukast toxicity in two patients with inherited defects in liver enzymes.

CASE REPORT: MONTELUKAST-INDUCED ACUTE CHOLESTASIS

Ajay Jain1, Flavio Habal2

1Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton, Ontario; 2Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

INTRODUCTION: Drug-induced liver disease may occur as an unexpected idiosyncratic phenomenon to a normally non-hepatotoxic drug or be an expected consequence of the intrinsic hepatotoxicity of a drug consumed in sufficiently large doses to cause liver damage (eg. acetaminophen). We describe the first two cases ever reported of acute cholestasis as a result of the administration of montelukast (SingulairÒ, Merck Frosst), a potent and specific cysteinyl leukotriene (LTD4) receptor antagonist, for the treatment of chronic asthma.

CASES: Patient 1 was a 36-year-old female who developed a low- grade fever, fatigue, nausea and a diffuse urticarial rash after treatment with montelukast for chronic asthma. She had marked liver enzyme abnormality with a predominantly cholestatic pattern. Peripheral blood analysis revealed eosinophilia. Patient 2 was a 43-year-old female who developed fatigue after initiation of montelukast. Routine blood-work revealed mild elevation of transaminases and alkaline phosphatase, all of which were normal prior to taking the drug. In both patients, all signs, symptoms and biochemical parameters normalized upon discontinuation of montelukast.

Metabolism of montelukast occurs by cytochromes P-450 3A4, 2C9, and 2A6. Patients that have demonstrated idiosyncratic toxicity, as in these two cases with montelukast, have inherited defects in detoxification enzymes. We propose that the toxic metabolite, acyl glucoronide, is responsible for montelukast-induced liver injury. A genetic basis for deficiencies in various hepatic detoxification enzymes likely accounts for an individual’s susceptibility to drug-induced liver disease.

CONCLUSION: We suggest that montelukast and possibly other leukotriene receptor antagonists may result in idiosyncratic hepatic drug reactions.

I'm a 30 year old male, and I've been on Singulair for eight years now to treat chronic asthma. Shortly after I started, there was a noticeable change in my mood and behavior. What I noticed included sadness, thoughts of death, anxiety, and fatigue. I knew that there was something wrong, but just chalked it up to changing life experiences. I was always heavily involved in organized sports (little league through college), but abruptly stopped after college. I thought that the moodiness (or depression) came on because I wasn't as active anymore. Correlation maybe? I don't know. But I do suspect that Singulair is the culprit. I would like to get off for a while, but I literally cannot breathe without it. Does anyone know of any comparable alternatives to Singulair that won't bring on these type of side effects? Thanks all for sharing. Blessings!

My 30+ year run with Prednisone
My experience began back in the 1980s when I took 2 aspirin for a headache one day and landed in the hospital with difficulty breathing. I was diagnosed with Chronic Asthma Triad (Aspirin Sensitivity, Sinus Polyps, and Asthma). My doctors (Allergist & ENT) prescribed Prednisone to help with the asthma and control sinus swelling in does ranging from low 15mg up to 80mg per day with weening off periods lasting weeks to months. Over the next 9 years I underwent 12 sinus surgeries ultimately obliterating all of my sinus cavities. Chronic asthma continues today and I have now developed additional lung disease I was followed at UCSC Medical Center in San Francisco after being diagnosed with Bronchiolitis Oblitersans, at which time I was fully disabled, unable to work at all for almost 2 years. This was the most difficult period in my life.
Over the years dealing with chronic sinus disease and controlling my lung and airway diseases I have made many trips to the ER and experienced many hospitalizations. I have not been off of Prednisone since this all began. With so many doses of steroids both by IV and by mouth with tapers in doses ranging from 120md daily (by mouth) to a low maintenance dose of 5mg per day. Believe me when I say that I know the side effects of this dug all to well. Initially I experienced bloating in the face and body, a rash that still remains today. I have developed significant bone density loss and now experience joint pain full time. From a mental side effects stand point I am in a state of fluctuating brain fog, memory loss, and confusion. At times I get baffled easily. I continue to experience mild to severe mood swings.
I am currently working full time with great difficulty and at this time taking 40mg of Prednisone daily to control my difficulty breathing and severe shortness of breath.
Of all the side effects it is my memory loss that has been the biggest impact on my ability to work and communicate clearly, I am having difficulties performing at work and at home. I had no idea this medication could have such an impact on daily living.
The bottom line? Prednisone truly is a two edged sword, on one hand a wonder drug and on the other a destroyer of mind and body.

I was just asked by Dr. ???, if these European reports lead to change in product information in these countries. I did post that I thought that we should try to find that out. I don't have access to that information. But I do see that the Netherlands did require that depression be added to the product information. It doesn't say the date but Merck agreed.

Artie wanted to tell us about the blood brain barrier. Where are you Artie?

The report says:

In three of the cases a positive dechallenge was seen.The fact that the patients (except for one) did not suffer from depressive symptoms before they started montelukast, the short latency, and recovery after withdrawal of the drug all strengthen our hypothesis that depressive symptoms are an ADR related to the use of montelukast. According to the Marketing Authorisation Holder of montelukast, depression will be added to the product information.

Mechanism: The mechanism of montelukast-induced depressive symptoms is unknown. However, montelukast has earlier been associated with adverse drug reactions such as abnormal dreaming, nightmares, hallucinations, agitation with aggressive behavior, irritability and restlessness, which suggests that montelukast can penetrate the blood brain barrier and exert an effect in the brain .

From the Netherlands 2006.

This is the html version of the file http://www.lareb.nl/documents/kwb_2006_4_montel.pdf.

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Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum LarebMei 2007Montelukast and depressive symptomsIntroductionMontelukast (Singulair®)is a leukotriene receptor antagonist available on the Dutchmarket since 1998. It is indicated for the treatment ofasthma as combination therapy forpatients with light to moderate forms of chronic asthma which cannot be adequately controlledby inhalation corticosteroids and short-acting ß-agonists. For asthma patients for whommontelukast is indicated as asthma treatment it can also relieve symptoms of seasonal allergicrhinitis. Montelukast is also indicated in asthma prevention, if exercise-inducedbronchoconstriction is the main factor

Reports On September 20, 2006 the database of the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb contained four reports of depressive reactions associated with theuse of montelukast.Patient A is a female aged 55 who used montelukast 10 mg once daily for asthma associated with COPD. Concomitant medication included ipratropiumbromideinhalation, salmeterol inhalation, fluticasone inhalation, acetylcysteine, budesonide nose spray and desloratadine. Two weeks after montelukast therapy was initiated the patient experienced nightmares, a depressive symptoms, fatigue and increased dyspnoea. When montelukast was withdrawn, the first three symptoms resolved. It is not known if the dyspnoea resolved. The reporting pneumonologist stated that the increased dyspnoea also could be a sign of progressing COPD. Patient B, reported by a pneumonologist, is a female aged 39 who used montelukast 10 mg once daily for asthma. Concomitant medication included salmeterol/fluticasone inhalation, mebeverine and psyllium seed. One week afterstarting montelukast treatment the patient experienced chest discomfort, malaise,depressive symptoms and dizziness. Montelukast was withdrawn, patient outcomeis unknown. Patient C, reported by a pharmacist, is a male aged 46 who used montelukast 10mg once daily for asthma. Concomitant medication included omeprazole,salbutamol inhalation and budesonide/formoterol inhalation. Six days after starting montelukast treatment the patient got in a depressed state. The patient continued to use montelukast for four weeks but the depression did not resolve. When montelukast was withdrawn, the patient recovered. Patient D, reported by a pharmacist, is a female aged 59 who used montelukast 10mg once daily for mild to moderate asthma. Concomitant medication included mometasone nose spray, salmeterol/fluticason inhalation, oxazepam and paroxetine. Three days after starting treatment with montelukast the patient experienced insomnia and aggravation of her depression. When montelukast was withdrawn the symptoms resolved.

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Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum LarebMei 2007 Other sources of information drugs are known to cause depressive symptoms. However montelukasthas not been associated with depressive symptoms earlier . A Medline searchbased on the MeSH terms montelukast, leukotriens, depressive disorder and mood disorders did not yield any relevant publication. DatabasesOn September 20, 2006 the database of the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb contained four reports of depression associated with the use ofmontelukast (ROR 2.1 95% CI 0.8 - 5.7). The same day the database of the WHO contained 3466 reports on montelukast, 43 of these concerned depression (ROR1.2 95% CI 0.9 – 1.6)MechanismThe mechanism of montelukast-induced depressive symptoms is unknown.However montelukast has earlier been associated with adverse drug reactions such as abnormal dreaming, nightmares, hallucinations, agitation with aggressive behavior, irritability and restlessness, which suggests that montelukast can penetrate the blood brain barrier and exert an effect in the brain .Discussion and conclusionLareb received four reports of depressive symptoms in patients using montelukast.Possible confounding includes that asthma itself has been associated with the development of depression . Inhalated corticosteroids can also exert effects onthe central nervous system. Fluticason in combination with salmeterol which isused by patients A, B and D, is associated with hyperactivity and irritability where as budesonide, which is used by patient C also has been associated with depression . The latency of montelukast-induced depressive symptoms variesfrom 3-14 days. In three of the cases a positive dechallenge was seen.The fact that the patients (except for one) did not suffer from depressive symptomsbefore they started montelukast, the short latency, and recovery after withdrawal ofthe drug all strengthen our hypothesis that depressive symptoms are an ADRrelated to the use of montelukast. According to the Marketing Authorisation Holderof montelukast, depression will be added to the product information.

From 1998 in the US:

Out of 336 children age 6- 14 years old.

"The most common adverse experiences were headache, asthma, and upper respiratory tract infection. Eleven patients were discontinued from the study because of adverse effects."

INDICATION EFFECTIVE IN TREATING ASTHMA IN CHILDREN
Leukotriene blocker offers therapeutic benefit with few adverse effects
CHICAGO—The orally administered drug montelukast, taken once a day, is effective therapy for 6- to 14-year-old children with chronic asthma, according to an article in the April 15 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Barbara Knorr, M.D., of Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, N.J., and colleagues studied 336 children at 47 outpatient centers in the United States and Canada to determine the effectiveness of montelukast on 6- to 14-year- old children. Montelukast is one of a new class of asthma medications known as leukotriene inhibitors, which block leukotrienes that are produced and released from inflammatory cells. The inhibitors cause narrowing of the airways in the lungs, mucous secretion and increased vascular permeability. Other studies have found that compounds which block leukotrienes can improve asthma control for adults and adolescents.

The children in this study had a history of intermittent or persistent asthma symptoms. Each had a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) between 50 percent to 85 percent. All the children used short-acting inhaled beta-agonists, as needed, to treat their asthma. After a two-week placebo run-in period, 201 children received montelukast in a five-milligram chewable tablet, taken at bedtime. The other 135 children were given a placebo.

Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood, affecting approximately ten percent of children. Each year, approximately 2.2 million doctor visits are make by children seeking treatment for asthma.

The researchers found that montelukast significantly improved FEV1. Several secondary outcomes also improved. They write: "Patients treated with either as-needed beta-agonist alone or inhaled corticosteroids had significant improvement in their asthma control when they received montelukast. ... Though the magnitude of the changes observed appeared modest, they were consistent with those reported in other pediatric trials using currently available therapies."

The researchers found that treatment effects usually occurred within one day after the first dose of montelukast. They write: "Montelukast not only demonstrated a rapid onset of action, but its treatment effects were maintained consistently over time. There was no evidence of tolerance in this or a prior adult study, suggesting that montelukast continues to be effective in the long-term treatment of asthma."

Among other findings of the study:

· Montelukast demonstrated a significant improvement in daily as-needed beta-agonist use, and in the percentage of days and percentage of patients with asthma exacerbation.

The effects of montelukast were similar across age, sex, race and other subgroups.
Patients receiving montelukast reported significant improvements in the physical and emotional aspects of their lives.

The most common adverse experiences were headache, asthma, and upper respiratory tract infection. Eleven patients were discontinued from the study because of adverse effects.

The researchers conclude: "Overall, the results of this study suggest that montelukast would be a well-tolerated and effective therapeutic option to current asthma therapies in 6- to 14-year-old patients."
(JAMA. 1998;279:1181-1186)

Note: This research was funded by Merck & Co., Inc.

From the Netherlands 2006.

This is the html version of the file http://www.lareb.nl/documents/kwb_2006_4_montel.pdf.

Page 1
Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum LarebMei 2007Montelukast and depressive symptomsIntroductionMontelukast (Singulair®)is a leukotriene receptor antagonist available on the Dutchmarket since 1998. It is indicated for the treatment ofasthma as combination therapy forpatients with light to moderate forms of chronic asthma which cannot be adequately controlledby inhalation corticosteroids and short-acting ß-agonists. For asthma patients for whommontelukast is indicated as asthma treatment it can also relieve symptoms of seasonal allergicrhinitis. Montelukast is also indicated in asthma prevention, if exercise-inducedbronchoconstriction is the main factor

.ReportsOn September 20, 2006 the database of the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb contained four reports of depressive reactions associated with theuse of montelukast.Patient A is a female aged 55 who used montelukast 10 mg once daily for asthmaassociated with COPD. Concomitant medication included ipratropiumbromideinhalation, salmeterol inhalation, fluticasone inhalation, acetylcysteine, budesonide nose spray and desloratadine. Two weeks after montelukast therapy was initiated the patient experienced nightmares, a depressive symptoms, fatigue and increaseddyspnoea. When montelukast was withdrawn, the first three symptoms resolved. Itis not known if the dyspnoea resolved. The reporting pneumonologist stated thatthe increased dyspnoea also could be a sign of progressing COPD.Patient B, reported by a pneumonologist, is a female aged 39 who used montelukast 10 mg once daily for asthma. Concomitant medication included salmeterol/fluticasone inhalation, mebeverine and psyllium seed. One week afterstarting montelukast treatment the patient experienced chest discomfort, malaise,depressive symptoms and dizziness. Montelukast was withdrawn, patient outcomeis unknown.Patient C, reported by a pharmacist, is a male aged 46 who used montelukast 10mg once daily for asthma. Concomitant medication included omeprazole,salbutamol inhalation and budesonide/formoterol inhalation. Six days after startingmontelukast treatment the patient got in a depressed state. The patient continued to use montelukast for four weeks but the depression did not resolve. Whenmontelukast was withdrawn, the patient recovered.Patient D, reported by a pharmacist, is a female aged 59 who used montelukast 10mg once daily for mild to moderate asthma. Concomitant medication included mometasone nose spray, salmeterol/fluticason inhalation, oxazepam and paroxetine. Three days after starting treatment with montelukast the patientexperienced insomnia and aggravation of her depression. When montelukast waswithdrawn the symptoms resolved.
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Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum LarebMei 2007Other sources of informationLiteratureSeveral drugs are known to cause depressive symptoms. However montelukasthas not been associated with depressive symptoms earlier . A Medline searchbased on the MeSH terms montelukast, leukotriens, depressive disorder and mooddisorders did not yield any relevant publication.DatabasesOn September 20, 2006 the database of the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb contained four reports of depression associated with the use ofmontelukast (ROR 2.1 95% CI 0.8 - 5.7). The same day the database of the WHOcontained 3466 reports on montelukast, 43 of these concerned depression (ROR1.2 95% CI 0.9 – 1.6)MechanismThe mechanism of montelukast-induced depressive symptoms is unknown.However montelukast has earlier been associated with adverse drug reactionssuch as abnormal dreaming, nightmares, hallucinations, agitation with aggressive behavior, irritability and restlessness, which suggests that montelukast can penetrate the blood brain barrier and exert an effect in the brain .Discussion and conclusionLareb received four reports of depressive symptoms in patients using montelukast.Possible confounding includes that asthma itself has been associated with the development of depression . Inhalated corticosteroids can also exert effects onthe central nervous system. Fluticason in combination with salmeterol which isused by patients A, B and D, is associated with hyperactivity and irritability where as budesonide, which is used by patient C also has been associated with depression . The latency of montelukast-induced depressive symptoms variesfrom 3-14 days. In three of the cases a positive dechallenge was seen.The fact that the patients (except for one) did not suffer from depressive symptomsbefore they started montelukast, the short latency, and recovery after withdrawal ofthe drug all strengthen our hypothesis that depressive symptoms are an ADRrelated to the use of montelukast. According to the Marketing Authorisation Holderof montelukast, depression will be added to the product information.References1. Dutch SPC Singulair®. (version date 11-7-2005) http://www.cbg-meb.nl/IB-teksten/23164.pdf.2. M.N.G Dukes and J.K Aronson, editors. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 14 ed. Elsevier; 2000.3. Price D. Tolerability of montelukast. Drugs 2000;59 Suppl 1:35-42.4. Goldney RD, Ruffin R, Fisher LJ, Wilson DH. Asthma symptoms associated with depression and lower qualityof life: a population survey. Med J Aust. 2003;178(9):437-41.5. Dutch SPC Seretide®. (version date 12-8-2005) http://www.cbg-meb.nl/IB-teksten/23529-23530-23531.pdf.6. Dutch SPC Pulmicort®. (version date 20-10-2003) http://www.cbg-meb.nl.
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Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum LarebMei 2007

I have a daughter who is 3 years old and has had many hospitalizations due to Chronic Asthma/Allergies. She has only been taking the Singulair for about 4 months, but, it's strange to think about how much she has changed since she's been on it. I just chalked her bad behavior and restlessness up to changes in both my husband and I's work schedules. She is mean to other children that she is around, she has gotten into many arguments at school, she even attacked a child! She also will not sleep by herself any longer. When I seen the report this morning, I came to the realization that her behavior has not been the normal "terrible toddler" behavior, but much more exaggerated, by far....

I have three children who were all taking Singulair and also Zyrtec. My oldest, 11 year old son has been on these medications since he was diagnosed with chronic Asthma at age 3. The aggressive behavior, bad dreams, leg cramps (growing pains, we were told),head aches and stomach aches were all explained as age appropriate for a 3 year old boy. As he grew older, he would say he wished he or one of his siblings were dead. Yes, the Singulair
along with a Flovent inhaler controlled his Asthma wonderfully. We have never had to take him to the ER. However, after hearing in the News about the Singulair, I have done a lot of research. I have not given him either of these meds for a month now. He does still use the Flovent. After not having any Asthma attacks for about a year now, we were hoping he was out growing it. So, I guess it was good timing. And then the trees started blooming and the pollen is everywhere. Son gets congested, coughing up lots of thick, green mucus. I treated him with Children's Mucinex mini-melts, benadryl, and sudafed. It helped that it was Spring break and I could treat ever 4 hours. He needed the nebulizer a total of about 6 times for the entire week. Today, he was mucus free. As for his behavior, he still acts like a typical 11 year old boy, but has been less aggressive and mean towards his siblings.
My daughter age 10 has been on Singulair and Zyrtec for unknown allergies off and on for about 5 years now. They did seem to help, but once again we had unexplained behavior. At age 5 she told me she wanted to kill herself. The school counselor said she must have heard it on TV.Bad dreams, headaches,mean to brothers (above the normal sibling rivalry thing), mean to me, leg cramps, stomach pains,itching all over. Many times, too many to count, she would be moody and go into fits of rage. When asked what was wrong, she would cry and cry that she didn't know. Been off for a month, and less rage. Actually playing nicely with younger brother. Recently, the pediatrician ran a lot of blood tests. Daughter complained that she hurt all over and she ran a low grade temp for 3 weeks. (less that 99.7) All tests came back fine. Last Monday, the fever went away and the aches are gone.
Now for the last, my 7 year old son has been off and on these two meds for about 5 years for severe allergies. Again, they did help. He did not react as badly as my other two children did. Leg cramps( which he still has nightly, just might be growing pains),headaches, and bad dreams are the only three I can think of right now. Anyhow, after hearing about the boy on the news, I got scared. Plain and Simple. My husband thinks this is a bunch of nonsense and everything can be explained. The Singulair was costing us a hundred dollars a bottle for a month supply for one child.
I am still watching my children very closely,especially my asthmatic. I still haven't told the pediatrician that I've taken them off the meds.

My daughter is 2 months shy of her 8th birthday. She has always been a very tiny girl compared to her entire class. She has had chronic asthma since she was an infant. Honestly, I thought we would not see her 4th birthday due to her asthma. Singulair causes many of these reported side effects as Hailey has experienced many.

However, due to the fact that she can't breath without it I tried to self medicate her by lowering her dose. Since she is smaller than most we tried cutting the 4mg tablets in half and started her off at one half every other day in the morning with breakfast. Then as she got used to it slowly ....we started to increase her dose. Now at almost 8 years old she weighs 45 lbs. and is 3 foot 8 inches tall, still the shortest in her second grade class. We now give her 1/2 of a 5mg chewable every morning and she does great with little to no side effects and the best part is her asthma is manageable. Hailey does complain sometimes of side effects (headaches, stomach aches, arms tingling) but without the Singulair she needs her treatments 2 times per day along with her inhaler and suffers to just make it through the day.

She still needs treatments if she is exposed to allergens like cats, dogs, outdoor pollens, to many milk products in one day, etc. Sometimes I take her off the Singulair for a day or two just to give her body a break. I sympathize with many parents but never got my asthma doctor to bring up the idea to lower her dose. My regular pediatrician said it couldn't hurt when I suggested we lower her dose, and it worked for our daughter!

I'm glad I found this site .. I too have been on Advair for many, many years due to chronic asthma. While the drug has helped me control my asthma, for the past two years every time I get a cold, I get pneumonia. I also have chronic thrush I cannot get rid of and one poster had mentioned her feet cramping and I've had some of that too. My doctor doesn't really listen to my complaints, but getting pneumonia really scares me - I have two small children to take care of. Hope all the posters are doing better now.

My then 8 yr old daughter was prescribed ADVAIR when her doc diagnosed her with mild asthma. 2 puffs twice a day.She had developed a wheeze during a 5 day rainy spell in our area. I notice the change in her early on. A gifted student, she began to display symptoms of ADHD. Lack of concentration, unable to focus. She became emotional frequently. Gained wieght in a short period of time. Nosebleeds, some so severe she choked on the clots. My daughter chronicled her levels daily, gradually losing lung capacity..she began at 300 on her flow meter and within 6-8wks she was below 200. She began to complain of leg aches, loss breath during ordinary gym activiites, climbing stairs, walking at the mall.

I began to search online for forums such as this. I found that ADVAIR was intially to be used in chronic asthma..not like my daughter's mild case. Also, that ADVAIR was known to increase asthma symptoms in some cases,so severely that it was actually almost pulled of the shelves but "saved" when the FDA , instead, allowed for a black box to be printed on the label, stating a warning.
I also read that ADVAIR should not be prescribed to children under 12.

Many advair users made claims of exact symptoms my daughter was experiencing. Many said that when they went to their doctors with these claims, they were "blown off" or told " you can't prove it". Why would so many doctors take this stance?
After 80 pages of comments from users who were athletes, vegetarians, parents, nurses, etc stating their negative effects and prolonged symptoms even after getting off ADVAIR, I called my mother.

My mother is 63 and a more severe asthmatic. She had in the last 12 months been to the ER, 5 times. No oxygen, unable to breath, heart palputations, symptoms of heart attack, chronic bronchitis...twice having to stay for 2-3 days. When I told her I was going to wean my daughter off ADVAIR (NEVER QUIT ADVAIR COLD TURKEY. WEAN IT OFF) She told me that she had been on ADVAIR, for the past 16 months....

It has now been almost 2 yrs since my daughter and mother have been off ADVAIR. My daughter regained her lung capacity and actually improved it within 4 weeks of getting off. It took her about a year to lose the wt.Her concentration/focus returned to normal in about 6 months, but I had to meet with teachers to help her adjust. No wheezing, no joint pain, no severe nosebleeds. My daughter has only used her emergency inhaler 2 times last year, once during a field day in high humidity heat and once during flu season.
My mother has not been to the hospital since getting off ADVAIR. She did notify her doc about getting herself off and he just looked at her with eyebrows raised and said "what have you been reading?"...He did put her on SINGULAR bec she has to be on medication....I do not know of any side effects she has form that.

In my research, I did come across a few ADVAIR users who truly benefited from it. Also some who preferred the pros to the cons they experienced so they were content. I say, if you are lucky enough to have ADVAIR do what it's supposed to , good for you. BUT, if you are seeing an increase in severity of your symptoms please notify your doc, or get a new doctor if they won't listen. Asthma deaths related to ADVAIR have ocurred. The term "RARE" occurence of increase severity of symptoms or death is a misnomer. There are too many users citing this. Please be careful. Listen to your body and GOOD LUCK TO ALL.

i have suffered from Chronic ASthma and Allergies since I was two weeks old and have been on and off Prednisone ever since. The first 6 years of life were in and out of the hospital, recieving ventolin, intal, beclifort, and prednisone treatments. at times I would be on up to 10 meds 5 times a day. My doctor who is still my Doctor today (Im 22) said that they didnt know how i survived. Im assuming it was the above list of meds, my wicked parents and faith. I remember as a kid , my mom would have to crush the prednisone up and put it in jam and i would cry becasue it is honestly the tiniest and wort tasting pill I have ever ingested! I shoul dhave known i was in for trouble.
the thing of it is that by grade 1 I was moonfaced and gained excessive weight in my stomach and back. my brothers were thin and active adn parents the same. but i was a real case, couldnt swim or skate or stay outside too long or go on sleepovers without my "machine" as i called my nebulizer. Frankly it sucked, bu i only say that now, becasue i realize that not everyone had to live this way. up until like teo years ago i just assumed that most people dealt with the same stuff.
anyway, im 22, my legs and arms are ridiculously strong, like we are talking hard. but since im 5'2 on the best of days , my rather large leg muscles make me look even stouter. I have had most fo the symptoms, my hair is a lot thinner, swelling etc, but the worst is the weight in my middle. I CANNOT get rid of it. I feeel like im clogged full of cortisone and steroid byproduct and that it is making weightloss in my middle , nonexistent. this really has affected my emotionally because og course i grew up in a country town and was fat and it scared me for life and now i have trouble being touch by men becasue i feel like they are just feeling my fat. which isnt my damn fault. I wish i had at least had the pleaseure of eating all my favourite foods in order ot become more than 60 pounds overweight. it scares me too because of course fat around the middle is the worse place to have ti and leads to all sorts of lovely things.. and my parents feel so bad becasue i had to go through the mental torture from kids and adults alike but like they say , it was either prednisone or death. i am also now a narcoleptic, and take effexor and alertec for that whcih has its own set of side effects, but none as severe as prednisone. I suppose we all have our crosses to bear though.

I can't tell you what it means to find this site. My son is 5 years old and has been on Singulair for 3 1/2 years. He started out on 4mg when he was 2. He was put on 5mg when he was 3 .He was diagnosed with chronic asthma at the age of 18 months. He has started Kindergarden this year with many behavior problems. I've been thinking he has ADHD. He's had problems with listening, being moody, over sensitive, obsessive behavior, nightmares, pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, bruises easy. He started on this medicine so young so we just thought his behavior was because he is a little boy. Now i see this might not be the case.

I had to have a conference with his teacher already this year. I've been praying for God to reveal to me what is wrong with my son, and today all the sudden it dawned on me that I needed to research Singulair, and I found this site. Praise God. Today is his first day without that Poison.

I'm glad to realize what the problem is but however to think what that little boy has been through for the last 3 years. This stuff should be taken of the market immediately!!!!

This is a follow up post to June 2nd by foureyes. We consulted his Dr. and was advised to try 10mg tabs split in half and he either swallows the half, it can be crushed and put in apple sauce or something like it. The "adult" singulair does not contain red dye or aspartame like the "children's" . He can not be with out it, (we found out) the air quaility where we live is horrible right now and he started weezing. He also had a bit of a cold, which in his case is a trigger, as he is not a chronic asthma pt.................so our adventure continues, I will post with his tolerence of the split 10m .

I've been taking singulair for 3 years now. I find that my chronic Asthma has been getting worse over the years instead of better. I'm now on singular plus two steroid inhalers and a steriod inhaler for my nasal passages. I've been getting more chronic problems over the last few months including severe rashes, itching. I was told to check my detergent or anything new in my enviroment so i did all that. Nothing changed...I'm trying to take myself off singular for a few days to see if that might be it and so far two days no rash or very slight not bothersome. I'm worried about my asthma but i sure would like to get off all these drugs and try something natural. I'm afraid of all these drugs in my body at the same time. Anyone else have severe rashes and itching? Thanks chris

My doctor prescribed Advair last week and I am supposed to take one puff twice a day. I have done it for the past 3 days. Now I am afraid to continue because of the side effects you all mention. How long until you began to notice the weight gain/sleeplessness, etc.? I just lost 40lbs and it took a lot of hard work. I will not let this drug ruin that for me. (I don't
have chronic asthma, I am just having trouble getting over a bout of bronchitis.) Thanks for any information you can offer.

I have been on predinsone for 14 1/2 years. I have had weight gain on and off and now I am up to 270. I have chronic asthma, MS and bad allergies. I had seen a specialist years ago and they said I would never go off prednisone. I am dependent on it. Two different times in these past years I had gone down to two 1/2 mg. I was able to lose weight and I felt pretty good. I went down 85 pounds. I promised myself never to let it happen again. haha. I have 6 children and 3 grandchildren. I am 44 and have been married 23 years. My husband loves me the way I am (so he sayes) but I am very depressed and unhappy about the way I look and feel. I have moon face, I am obese, I have the lump on my back, I am taking numerous other medications for my asthma and MS. My nurologist has given me some anti depressants and I guess it helps but sometimes I just feel like asking if it is all worth the trouble. I can't take it sometimes, I just want to run off the side of the bridge. Then I think about my family and my mom who lost two sons, one to asthma when he was 17 and one who was shot when he was 21 and I know she couldn't take losing me. I recently had a dose of solumedrol in the emergency room and the next day my doctor took a CBC and dif. It came up that my wbc was 20,000. He said that was very high and I just wanted to know if anyone else has had a high white blood count after a dose of solumedrol.

I'm a 38 y/o male with a somewhat different outlook on taking my Singulair and my chronic asthma. I've been on it for about 8 months and had the strange dreams, have the horrible aches and put on a good 10 pounds. I have the mild depression too and yes, I attribute the side effects to Singulair. Prior to this, I took allegra nightly w/ albuterol everythime I had an attack. The allegra had it's own side effects: max of 4-6 hours sleep nightly, irritable, couldn't concentrate at work, loss of appetite. Most people before going on singulair are using a pill like Allegra that inhibits appetite so when they go on Singulair, they drop the speedy drug and boom, here comes the appetite. Anyway, for me I prefer the Singulair, aches and all. I take a couple Advil on the achy days and no pain. I don't wake up with the life threatening asthma attacks and I don't have the life threatening asthma attacks when I least expect them like when I'm hiking 30 miles from the nearest hospital. I agree that Singulair is probably not a good answer to seasonal allergies especially in children that are experiencing severe sdie effects, but for everyone screaming lawsuit here do what most people do when a medication doesn't work for them or their child and TRY SOMETHING NEW! TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! DIRECT YOUR DOCTOR TO THIS DISCUSSION BOARD!

For children with severe asthma, my guess is that Singulair can be a good drug and I think because it is so new, we need to make our doctors aware of all the side effects we feel so they can tell new patients what to look for or so they know what to listen for.

I'd rather breathe!!!

My son, who is now 10 started taking Singulair about a year ago for his chronic asthma. I started investigating this drug to see if i can change when i give it to him. He has horrible sleep patterns now and I thought If I started giving him his dose in the morning, it would help his nightmares. I come to find out that other people were experiencing nightmares as well. My son is also been extremely aggressive over this last year, but just thought it was behavioural. He's complained of stamach pains, but thought it was gas,, and has complained of leg cramps, but thought they were growing pains. I never thought these symtoms were linked at all the the meds and his asthmas has been wonderful. I now have an appointment for my child to test his liver enzymes because of what i've read on here. I'm horrified that i've subjected my little guy to all of this and unknowingly dismissed everything he was feeling. I'm angry because I specifically asked my doctor if there were any side effects, he said "NO!" Parents, please be aware,, I wish I had been.

I have had severe chronic asthma for over 20 years. Started Advair 500/50 4 years ago and my asthma is completely under control--almost never need to use my abuterol. But I have gained 50lbs, and I exercise 5x a week and eat a 1200 calorie diet, and I still gain 1-2 pounds a month. I have several cushing's like symptoms. Excessive weight gain in abdomen and breasts while my arms/legs are thin. Hair loss. Severe stretch marks on abdomen and thighs. Blurry vision, headaches, severe cramping in my calves and strange rash-like bumps on the backs of my arms. Not to mention chronic tachycardia and constant thrush in my mouth. Also my thyroid quit working a year ago and I am on synthroid now. Now it appears I may have an adrenal gland problem. I never had these problems before the Advair. When I mentioned my concerns to my pulmonologist he actually laughed at me. I wonder if Glaxo gives kickbacks to Dr.'s who prescribe their drug.

hello
i am 37 and have had severe chronic asthma all my life. as a child,teen, and young adult i was in the emrgency room at least twice a year for cold related asthma problems. i started taking theophylline at the age of 16, used over the counter inhalers til my mid-twenties when was given albuterol, and have gone on prednisone treatments numerous times. about 2 years ago my condition started deterioating, none of my previous medications were working well. by this time last year i was so bad that i went through an albuterol inhaler every two weeks, and i was constantly sick with lung infections. thats when my pulmonary dr (same one for almost 20 yrs) put me on advair and singulair. i noticed a MAJOR, near miraculous change for the positive almost right away, i could breathe again! i haven't been this clear for years. a few months after i started treatment i gained 10 lbs in less than a month. i thought it was because i changed birth control pills but changing back didn;t seem to help. i have started having attacks of diarrhea at least once a week, gas, bloating, swelling (of feet, hands, middle). lately i've been feeling nauseous, my lifleong insomnia has gotten MUCH worse, i've had blurry vision and the feeling like my head is going to explode. not to mention dizzines, lightheadedness, pressure in my head, dry mouth, hoarseness, back & feet pain, severe anxiety, tremors, rapid heartbeat- what seem to be all the classic symptoms! i had no idea it was the medication. i was so ill the other day i almost had my boyfriend take me to the emrgency room. i had been hearing on the news about serevent being unsafe so i started looking up the side effects and realized that's what it was (i now also see singulair can have similar effects) i stopped taking the advair for 2 days but my severe asthma started returning almost imeediately so i had to use it this morning- and i feel like CRAP right now. i know i need to see my dr ASAP but i am worried about controlling my asthma- i can't deal with these side effects but i also can't return to the state i was in last year- i could NOT BREATHE and was using my albuterol so much it was causing it's own problems (jittery, rapid heartbeat). PLEASE email me (******)if anyone has had any luck with alternatives! (does flovent cause the same long term problems?)

My daughter is 13 years old. In October 2003 she had her right middle lobe of her lung removed. She has chronic asthma and other respiratory problems. She has also has 2 sinus surgeries and 5 sets of ear tubes. After her lobectomy she was on several different antibiotics and we had a terrible time clearing her lungs. Finally in December her Drs. put her on Levaquin. She took her levaquin at night due to some of the side effects listed. I didn't want her in school if there had been a problem. It was like a miracle drug for her. For the first time in months I did not hear her say she was not feeling well, no low grade temps and most important of all...she stopped coughing up phlegm. The Drs now have her on another antibiotic...its working well but some of her problems have slowly returned. She is much wheezier, she has started to cough again and she says she doesn't feel as well now as she did on Levaquin. As a matter of fact she has a Dr. appointment in a week and I am going to ask about using Levaquin again.