Counselor symptoms and conditions

I am 51 and have been taking singulair for a few months. Recently, I have been having trouble concentrating and felt overwhelmed by stress at work and in my home life. I even started seeing a counselor to see what was going on and learn stress and relaxation techniques to help. She said from the sound of it I was mildly depressed. All sounds good, but was getting no better.

Last night, I was getting ready for bed and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a sticker on my singulair prescription that said may cause depression or suicidal thoughts.

May not be related, but the timing is pretty much the same for me - for switching allergy medications and my feelings of anxiety and depression. I will stop taking singulair and see if that does anything. Maybe the heartburn I have been having will get better too.

Seriously this is ridiculous. I have been dealing with all of these same issues and have been debating on whether to see a counselor because I feel like I am losing my mind! My boyfriend tells me I have mood swings and my mom says she cant even talk to me anymore. I had an acquaintance at work tell me that she hopes that I am okay because I look so down. I am anxious and depressed - have to self talk just to get out of bed. During the month if I am not cramping - my breast are almost to sore to move. I read someone on hear define a side effect of vibrating sensations throughout their body I get that for at least a week and a half every month. I would describe it as how you feel when you first are coming down with the flu....kinda achey. I was actually off for a week a few months ago due to extreme vertigo. I wondered if there was a correlation...from what I read I guess so. I have severe lower back pain -sometimes to much to stand straight and walk. I am so frustrated because I was told no side effects. I had Norplant back in 1991 and gained 70 pounds in 5 months. Well I am up to 19 pounds with Mirena - it hasn't been quite a year. I told the doctors that I had significant weight gain with Norplant and developed a blood clot while using the pill. I was assured no such side effects with Mirena. Mirena was a great choice for women who cant take anything else! I feel so misled!

My son was on singulair for most of his infancy (11 mos- 22 mos old) we took him off of it when I started staying home with him. He was in daycare and was having breathing issues. We would give him the singulair and Zyrtec every morning. He became a very despondent baby. He would spend the ENTIRE day in the rocking chair at the daycare. After months and months of the teachers telling me this we decided it was best I stay home with him. He came off of the singulair and things got so much better for a while, he began to interact with us and others, not fearful anymore, and slept through the night. However other things have grown to be worse, as he has been developing...every day he seems more difficult to deal with. Now, 5, he is angry, fits of tantrums and rage, can't cope with his emotions, he actually kicked me today during one of these fits. He has been peeing in his room when he is sent there because he has been punished for one of these outbursts. What are the long term after effects of Singlair? Has anyone had this experience? Could the singulair have been given to him too early and now caused some sort of permanent nero or psychiatric condition? PLEASE ADVISE!!!! This Mom is really frightened.

TO ALL

MY SON LOGAN IS SIX NOW AND JUST FINISHED KINDERGARTEN TODAY.
WHEN HE STARTED KINDERGARTEN HE WAS ON SINGULAIR FOR 4 YEARS. HE HAD ALL TH ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS. TUMMY ACHES, CONSTIPATED, DIARRHEA, LEG CRAMPS TO POINT OF NOT WANTING TO WALK, BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, HATED EVERYONE, NIGHTMARES, SEES GHOSTS, CRIED OFTEN.

ANYTHING SOUND FAMILIAR. HIS MOTHER THOUGHT HE HAD ADHD OR ASPERGERS AND PEDIATRICIAN AGREED WITH HER.

SOMEBODY THAT I THINK IS SPECIAL FOR ONE WAY OR ANOTHER KICKED ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO INVESTIGATE SINGULAIR IN EVERY ASPECT.

FIRST WEEK OF GARTEN I HAD TO HAVE A CONFERENCE WITH COUNSELOR AND THREE TEACHERS AND HIS MOTHER.
I LET THEM TALK AND EXPLAIN THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT LOGANS PROBLEMS. I THEN DROPPED A BIG PACKET OF PAPERS ON TABLE ABOUT SINGULAIR AND ZYRTEC. THEY WERE VERY VERY SURPRISED THAT I PRODUCED THIS INFO.

THAT DAY HIS MOTHER AGREED TO TAKE HIM OFF SINGULAIR. IT TOOK ABOUT 6 MONTHS FOR LOGANS ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS TO SUBSIDE. HE NOW ONLY TAKES ZYRTEC AND IS GROWING SO FAST.

SO PROUD OF THE LITTLE TURD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IM NO DOC BUT HOW DID KIDS AND ADULTS SURVIVE ALLERGIES IN THE OLD DAYS?

GIVE IT TIME LET THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS CATCH UP. KIDS DO GET SICK. DO YOUR KIDS A FAVOR AND INVESTIGATE THE DRUGS DOCTORS PRESCRIBE THEM. SOME HELP BUT SOME HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS ALL!!

I started taking Singulair 6 months ago. My allergies even with medication and immunotherapy were becoming unmanageable. My larynx would swell up and close my throat and make breathing difficult. I had trouble breathing at night laying down to sleep, my voice was hoarse most of the time. Within 2 days after starting Singulair, those symptoms totally disappeared. I thought it was the answer I had been looking for. I've had a lot real problems in the past few months with crying and sadness, but with my Mom in hospice with Alzheimer for 14 years, and my father breaking both hips last year, my mother-in-law with vascular dementia, and an insulin defendant diabetic, and losing my job due to outsourcing, and other stressors in my life, but II thought my sadness was all of this stress. Counseling wasn't really helping and I've got a new counselor now. In the past couple of months, my mental state has become more and more fragile; I have times that I wish I could go to sleep and wake up in a couple of months or just go somewhere and be left alone. I am angered easily; I have always been happy and easy-going. I cry daily and don't get out much, and I'm afraid of the unknown now. I feel like my self-esteem is in the toilet.

Tonight I have stopped the Singulair. I'm afraid because I know the allergy problems will return, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to manage them somehow. I have 'a lot on my plate' right now, but at least if I stop the Singulair and I feel better mentally I'll know it was the drug and not my life.

I am 19 years old and saw a gyno for the first time in October. He recommended NuvaRing to me, and I was very excited about using it to control my periods, during which I typically pass large clots, which makes them very painful. I started with the ring that day, and did not experience any noticeable side effects until I went home for Christmas. I began to become increasingly disillusioned with my life, which has absolutely nothing wrong with it. I have friends who love me, and a very intact and functional family, no man problems, and I am doing really well in school. When I went back to school in January, I immediately sank into a severe depression, probably paired with anxiety, in which I was afraid to leave my apartment and did not want contact with any other people in my life. The first morning of school, I called my mother and told her "I am not OK." I took the ring out, and the same day, my mom sent my father out to stay with me, and he did so for a week and a half without complaint. Eventually, though, he had to return to his life back home, and I was doing better and in the control of my friends, so he left. I struggled the first couple of days without him, then gradually got back to doing pretty well, but was not back to my previous self. I went home recently for Spring Break, and when I came back to school, I immediately had what I think was a panic attack (I've never had one before) and began to become depressed again. This time, however, its different. I hate being alone, and when I have down time, I start to think very profoundly about life and what it means...very philosophical and metaphysical thoughts. I only had the ring in for 2 and a half months, and I have had it out for about the same amount of time, but am still experiencing depression symptoms. I have never had problems with depression before, and am wondering if it has taken this long for anyone else's depression issues to work themselves out. Has anyone tried anti-depressants, or would you recommend them?

I've been taking Levaquin for 7 days for a bad sinus infection. Last night I took the last pill. It worked very well, within 1 day my sinus infection felt a lot better. However it gave me severe stomach cramps, and it caused constipation and insomnia. And then I began noticing that I was getting some anxiety and depression symptoms which I attributed to possible PMS. However, now I'm thinking it's attributed to the Levaquin. I noticed that after taking it for 3 days I was feeling like I had to force myself to smile at things that normally would be humorous or fun. And for the last 4-5 days my kids and husband have been asking me if I was "sad" why I was angry so much. Today I thought maybe I should go see a counselor because maybe I am depressed. Then I thought to check on the side effects of Levaquin (I did not know there were even such bad side effects until I read this website). Well now I'm thinking maybe it isn't ME after all, but the Levaquin! Does anyone have any idea how long it takes for this to get out of your system? Are there ways to speed the process up? I have got to get this out of my system, I can't stand feeling like this.

I wish I had found this site a year ago. My 9 year old son was prescribed Zyrtec for his nasal allergies. He took it each day for over 6 months. He began to have problems in school - withdrawing from class participation, moody behavior at home, depression, lethargy, anxiety, worry, feelings of despair, told me that he would be better off dead! I started to panic but never associated the Zyrtec with his mental state. Took him to a counselor who said that he seemed like a normal, well-adjusted little boy who was sensitive. Realized that the Zyrtec was not really fully controlling his nasal allergies so decided to stop taking it for a while. Not much change in the allergies but the emotional change was amazing! I had my little boy back in only a few days after stopping the Zyrtec. First thing I noticed was that he was no longer mopey and lethargic and wondered if the Zyrtec had been making him tired. Then when the rest of his emotional issues disappeared magically I began to suspect the Zyrtec but the ped. dismissed my fears. A few months later he began to have bad allergies again so again tried an anithistimine for him. Zombie-like state returned right away. For some reason he is hyper-sensitive to all anithistimines and we avoid them all with him. What I learned from this is that doctors are not open to admitting that these drugs they so casually prescribe have serious side-effects.

I had the Mirena placed Dec.22 2008. Yes it was extremely painful to have it placed. I do not have children but one miscarriage. I did do a lot of research before my husband & I decided this may be right for us. With much disappointment I had it removed last Wed. Jan 14th. I have dealt with depression & bipolar for years and I want to emphasize to anyone dealing with this as well to seriously reconsider. I was quite stable for awhile and as soon as the Mirena was placed I fell apart. I had 3 manic episodes in 3 weeks, no will to live and unbelievably sad. There was no way I could work or function even at home. I see my counselor weekly & my psychologist every other week. We were on top of it and as soon as I had the Mirena removed I started to bounce right back. I was so shocked how awful this made me feel.My gynecologist is going to speak to the drug rep not only to get my money back for the damn thing but to push to have this warning posted. Please take this seriously because if it were not for my support network I don't know if I would be alive to warn some of you of my experience.

My daughter is 10 and took Singulair for a little over two years. She struggled during that time with being anxious, irritable, sad, not wanting affection, crying often, and with easily taking offense at anything and everything. We were having difficulty with her being disrespectful. We even began taking her to a counselor. After about two weeks of being off of the singulair--all of the above symptoms have completely disappeared. I am so thankful that I took her off of the medication.

I had 2 lupron shots back in April and May and it was the worst decision of my life. I now have SEVERE panic attacks, depression and loss of appetite. I was a very healty 33 year old woman and very active and now all I want to do is stay in bed. I was NEVER informed by my doctor of any side effects other than I MIGHT get a little moodier (angry) easier. That never happened. For 2 months straight all I did was cry. I would wake up crying and go to bed crying. I have never had any past experience with depression and I have already seen a psychiatrist and 4 other doctors. I finally saw a new OBGYN and she informed me that the 2nd shot that I received went straight to my head and it messed with the chemicals in my brain. I am a wreck. I have no energy and it's all I can do to just get out of bed and go to work. Had I known about ANY of these side effects, I would have NEVER taken this drug. This drug needs to be banned completely and thrown in the trash can before any other woman goes thru this. I was on the verge of being suicidal. I am a Christian woman and would never harm myself but the thoughts were always there. I would wake up with a severe panic attack and they would come all during the day. The doctor that originally gave me the shots told me I had psychological issues and HE HIMSELF called and got me an appointment with a psychiatrist. Ladies, we are not crazy. These are real symptoms and it is all because of these shots. It messes with the chemicals in your brain. And had I know that, I would have said HECK NO to them. My endometriosis is much more tolerable than these stupid, insane shots. Please do not take them if at all possible. I do not want one more woman to go thru what I have been through and still going through. I now am on anti depressants to try to get the chemicals in my brain back to where they should be. I just hope and trust in the Lord that I will eventually get through this.

My 15year old daughter has just stopped taking Yasmin due to severe depression, anxiety attacks, uncontrollable crying, suicidal thoughts and chest pain with erratic heartbeat. I thank God that we figured out the connection to Yasmin. She has been spiraling down so quickly, I thought I was losing her. While she does not relish the return of heavy, long periods, she is so ready to have her sanity back. Her counselor and gyn confirm the strong likelihood of these being side effects of the Yasmin. I was ready to put her on Prozac and sleeping pills because the situation was so desperate! While I was on Yasmin for years with no adverse effects, there ARE people who are desperate because of this pill! The hundreds of posts are too numerous to ignore the REAL truth. Is is worth it to "just try it out" for a boob inflation? You are taking a serious risk, sweetheart!

Okay, I don't have any side effects, but I do want to know something important!
I'm 16 years old and i REAALLLY want someone (who knows about the Yasmin pill!) to help me out with this one. Tomorrow i am going to the doctor with my mom. I have irregular menstruation. Like 2 or one week before it's supposed to come. I also get cramps, which are just enough to hold out...But the thing is, i just want to get the Yasmin pill. I heard that it clears your skin (although i don't have acne or anything) and it can make your breast bigger.. I have like a A-cup and bigger breast are nicer.
But now I read these bad experiences and I'm just scared to start it.. But still i wanna try it, 'cause I can stop right after it starts to become bad, right??
Please give me a good and useful answer!

Thanx!
A confused girl

I am a person who had never experienced depression before going on NuvaRing. I'm 39 years old and had been on it for a year - gradually the crying jags, feelings of hopelessness, moodiness, ANGER and insecurity kicked in...I even lost control and yelled and hit my boyfriend on one occasion. The final straw was when I broke up with him in a fit of rage - completely unintentionally. The day after, when I got myself back together, I went into counseling and the counselor suggested hormonal causes. Fortunately there are many anecdotes, like these on this website, linking NuvaRing to depression and I did go off about a month ago. Gradually, as with the ramp-up onto NuvaRing, I feel myself getting back control of my emotions. If you've experienced something like this, don't wait for an emotional break: get off NuvaRing so you can evaluate what's happening to you with a clear head.

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2007. I had the surgery, and then started the shots. I suffered depression during my 6 months of the Lupron shots. Not too bad, but I didn't feel like myself. Kind of emotionless. I had no motivation to do anything. I have no history of depression. When I got off the shots, it got worse. I had terrible panic attacks to the point where I felt paralyzed. It was awful! My Doctor never told me that it was a possible side effect of the shots and the progesterone pills I was on. I found that out when I started researching myself. I am now seeing a counselor, because it was really scary to feel that way. I am doing much better, but I will never take Lupron again. I found out that going from no hormones at all (on Lupron) to all of a sudden having a period again can really screw with you. It can cause a chemical imbalance. While I was on Lupron, I also had headaches, terrible hot flashes, night sweats, achne, and gained about 18 pounds....not fun! Good luck to all of you taking this medication. Just keep a good relationship with your doctor. I went in to this with no information. If I would have been more informed, the outcome could have been different for me.

Well Hello everyone. I am glad I came across this site, because I thought I was going crazy...I am 35 and just had my first child March 2007. I have had the Mirena for a year now. I went to the Dr. a few weeks ago and told her I was feeling sharp pains once and a while, but other than that I felt fine. She ordered an ultra sound and they found some small cysts...so I go back for a recheck 6 weeks from that date to see if it's gone away?? That did not make sense to me....she said I also had a yeast infection (which I have never had), and pre-cancerous cells which she is biopsying next week. What I thought was completely unrelated was my back pain-sharp siatica pains and my numbness in legs, feet, arms, and hands...my friend told me I should see a neurologist...and I almost started down that road....until now...I think I will have the Mirena out first and see what happens. I also have some twitching in my fingers. I will let you know how I feel after it's out. Oh and Mood Swings....I always have this feeling that I don't know what to do....everything seems like too much!

Like everyone else, I am completely ecstatic I found this website. My son was born in Nov 2006, when I was 22, and I had Mirena put in January 2007. March 2007 I began to see a counselor because I was so severely depressed. I had terrible thoughts and was constantly crying/upset/anger/emotional. I had gained 50lbs with my son and still stand to lose 20 more that I can NOT get off. In February 2008 I enrolled in counseling again because my depression was so severe that I was at a point that I no longer wanted to be alive (but not suicidal). I have had times of depression throughout my teenage years but had NEVER felt like this. I kept telling my counselor that I didn't know why I felt the way I did but I just couldn't stop these feelings. I did counseling so I wouldn't have to take an antidepressant since I am not big on medicine but last week I scheduled an appointment with my doctor to get on an antidepressant. I just can't seem to get out of this horrible, angry, moody, emotional, depressive state for anything. I believed it was because I was a new mother and assumed my hormones have just been out of whack. Last night I realized that all my symptoms began a month after my Mirena was put in. I am calling my OB today to have him remove it. I'll check back and let you know if there are differences. I'm just afraid I've damaged my body and even more afraid what my son got from the IUD since he was breastfed for almost 18 months.

I was given Reglan in an IV early in my pregnancy for constant vomiting and dehydration. I was told it was the safest anti-nausea drug during pregnancy. As soon as the IV went in my arm I experienced anxiety and panic. By day three on this drug, I was in a severe panic attack with severe depression and thoughts of suicide. I have no history of mental illness. I went to the ER for help to talk with a counselor or psychiatrist. I can remember crying violently and saying that I was going to die. The ER doctor had me committed to a locked ward for the suicidal. I was kept there for 12 hours and released once the doctor at this facility was told by myself that I had no history of these feelings. She said that it was a side effect from the Reglan. This drug has caused me to still have a low grade depression. I have two kids and one on the way. I blame this drug for altering the quality of my life and my family's lives. If anyone knows a lawyer that deals with Reglan cases, let me know. I'd like to fight this. I can't believe this drug is still on the market.

B. Knight ******

My son, Wilson, is a bright, easy-going, athletic 12 year old who has a history of asthma and allergies. After several asthmatic episodes from age one year to about four, he was prescribed Singulair. The asthma triggers seemed to be change of season or congestion from a cold, but not from exercise or physical exertion. As I recall, his asthmatic episodes seemed to decrease after he was on 5-10 mg of Singulair, and even more so with each passing year. Over the years, of my three sons, Wilson was the one to catch any virus that came around and missed more school time than both of his brothers combined. Often, he was the only one to get sick from a virus, which never passed to anyone else in the family.
About five years ago, Wilson started complaining of stomach aches. He was tested and was prescribed Prevacid on and off since then with varying success. In the last couple of years, headaches would come and go. He was re-tested for allergies and blood work with no conclusive results. About 2-3 years ago he would complain that he “felt funny…like he needed to do something.” Further conversations revealed that he was expressing anxiety. He’s a good student, has lots of friends at school, and is popular among his sports team mates. Occasionally, a teacher here and there over the last couple of years would note that he did not participate enough in class, or did not appear to be attentive. We thought perhaps he is shy. Still his good behavior, agreeable personality and diligence otherwise earned him good grades overall. He loves school and was very unhappy having to stay home when he was sick.
This past winter, he seemed to catch a virus about once every month and a half which caused him to miss 2-3 days of school. Headaches and stomach aches were common with each illness (sometimes nausea), and sometimes these same symptoms when he was not ill. He would only complain when they were prolonged or significant. Trips to the doctor did not result in anything conclusive. Again, Wilson was only too happy once he returned to school.
He claims that sometimes in school he feels like he’s in a fog and has difficulty concentrating. He gets plenty of sleep and sometimes sleeps up to ten hours during the weekend. We attributed it to adolescence and a busy schedule. He claims that this year is the easiest for him at school, and his social life with his friends is very active. His friends’ parents like him and find him to be an agreeable child. Other adults mistake his sometime mumbling answers and lack of eye contact rude. We concluded that he is just shy. He is the most hyper of his brothers, and has difficulty sitting still and constantly exclaims that he’s bored. We chalked it up to being an active boy. His grades are good in school and we never get complaints about bad behavior.
The last illness started a week ago, and he’s still out of school. The doctor said he had no significant allergy symptoms, other bacterial infections, and his blood work all returned with normal results for white blood counts, liver and kidney functioning and anemia. He can’t return to school because of his constant headaches (which cause pain in different parts of his head), nausea, constant stomach aches, no matter what he eats, and feelings of anxiety, mostly in the evening hours. He’s also complaining of dizziness, leg cramps and other muscle soreness. The notable difference in this illness is the anxiety. My husband and I take turns staying home with him, but if we left him alone for a half an hour at a time while the other was in route picking up a sibling, he became very anxious. In the past, he seemed to enjoy some alone time at home so he could play his computer games. He also becomes easily dizzy with shooting pains in his muscles. The doctor said that viruses can manifest themselves in later stages in the form of sore muscles. However, he was concerned about Wilson’s feelings of anxiety. The anxiety had not been as prevalent in prior illnesses. I finally signed onto the internet reading all the stories about other parent’s observations of their children on Singulair. My husband cautioned me about “internet diagnosing” with symptoms and stories that can be easily taken out of context in hope of self-diagnosis. I’ve always thought that Wilson’s doctors have had good judgment. Both my primary physician and allergist don’t think that Singulair has caused these symptoms, but agreed to take him off as long as we monitored any effect on his asthma.
I don’t know what to think. I want the cause of these problems to be the Singulair, because it’s an easy answer. Today will be the first day he’s off the medication. He probably won’t go to school again tomorrow. We’ll wait and see what happens…

Hi guys,
I came to this forum after a client at our firm told me to check out whats happening with singular. I am not a lawyer, but I am a secretary for a med mal firm and I can tell you that we have already started taking these cases. I saw a few questions posted about whether you had to wait 9 months for the investigation to finish, but that doesn't stop you from filing suit. If it were my baby boy, I would switch meds, but if you can't--make sure you journal EVERYTHING. Take videos of outbursts, etc. We have one client who's son is self mutilating after using singular. If thats happening to you, try to document the episodes. Like I said, im not a lawyer, but I work for some so I can answer a lot of questions and I would be more than willing to help. I am so disgusted by what I have read. Please email me if you have any legal questions, etc. If i can't answer them, my boss will and if its a medical question, we have a staff nurse so I will give her a call. Again, I am so sorry for what everyone is going through. I pray to god I can help in some way.

I am posting an update on my granddaughterwho has been off for 2 weeks since the story broke in the news. There certainly has been a difference, she's more 'present' when I'm speaking with her, not angry, calmer and she slept through the night the other day when she came over to visit. There were actually no 'scenes' or carrying on. However, in light of the last posting I do not know how she will be affected in the long term, None of us can know that, none of us know how this drug actually works on the brain to create such side effects. I just saw a Singulair commercial on TV and almost got sick. Cody Miller's mom in her post stated that he had no behavioral problems before his death. I imagine that is true for the majority of us. My granddaughter never had the need to go see a counselor before this drug. She was a happy, normal 9-year old. That all changed in only 2 months as her mother took her to a psychologist to find out why she was acting so bizarrely. I am convinced this drug has caused untold misery and should be at least restricted to adults or at most taken off the market. This website is only the beginning at some point those who feel strongly will have to come together and organize against this giant company Merck.

I posted this on Mar 15th regarding my experience with Topamax...

I took Topamax for only 4 days. I ended up in the ER on Feb 22nd because I felt like I was going to pass out, getting dizzy, couldn't concentrate or think, numbness, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath and this was intensified by anxiety from all this stuff going on. I stopped taking it immediately. I have had episodes of these same side effects since then. I had these side effects last week and missed 3.5 days of work. I have been doing pretty good this week but today I had to leave work because the same side effects came back. I had to have someone come pick me up form the side of the interstate half way on my way home because it got so intense I could not drive. My doctors have done blood work and I am waiting for the results.

Since then, here is an updated on my side effects and what has been found by my doctors. I really hope this helps someone since this was very devastating for me. It got so bad I had to go on Medical Leave from work due to the side effects.

I had 10 tests run on my blood and tests and pictures done on my heart and everything checked out to be normal. Apparently since this medicine messes with the chemicals in your brain, it also has the capability of turning on anxiety, depression, panic attacks, etc. My primary care doctor, my neurologist, my cardiologist and a stated licensed counselor/therapist all have diagnosed me with anxiety leading up to panic attacks. Basically what I was told by my counselor was that my level of anxiety in my brain was turned on so high, it didn't know to come back down after I stopped the medicine. Now anything can set it off and it's quickly escalates into a panic attack without control. I was so bad that I was having anxiety/panic attacks about merging into traffic, going to work, going through the drive thru at McDonald's, going to WalMart and just anything in general. I started a medicine that controls anxiety and I have been on it for a week. Although I still get anxiety, I am able to control it and it's not escalating into the panic attacks. The best thing is with this type of medicine is that it can take "a couple of weeks" before it's built up into my system, so this should take care of it. I was advised with some counseling to learn how to control my anxiety and some medicine, this can be taken care of. I just have to allow my brain to get the levels of anxiety back down to normal levels and then I can eventually stop taking the medicine.

My 5yo son is one week removed from Singulair, and we are starting to see a gradual improvement. When I first started reading these posts, I just sat and cried. My son started the meds last fall for allergy induced asthma and his behavoir has gotten progressively worse this January and February, so much so that I contacted the pediatrician to start the process of having him see a counselor. He was fine before last August. I blamed his problems in the fall to his adjustment to kindergarten, then my grandmother got sick and passed away February, so I thought this time his obsession with death and bad behavior at school was related to her. I never once even thought it was the Singulair. Looking back I realized the behavoir coincided with his Singulair use (I took him off it in December because there was nothing in the air to cause him to cough and he was fine). In January we started back up full steam ahead and the doctor increased dose...Hello!! He was so angry sometimes and had a multitude of the symptoms listed on this site. He would constantly say he hated school. He chewed his shirts repeatedly, actually chewing holes in the neck and sleeves, he would blink his eyes weirdly which I have equate to the "tick" other people described. He would say he was stupid, that no one loved him, that no kids wanted to play with him and that he was an idiot. He said he wished he was in heaven and wanted to leave this world. My mom found him wrapped in blankets over spring break and when she asked what he was doing he said he was trying to suffocate himself. His crying wasn't even a normal cry, it was in a word: soulful. It would make me cry just hearing it because it was such a mournful sound. At his aftercare program he would try and leave and say he wanted to get hit by a car, they actually had to restrain him. He had instances of aggression with other kids in school, which resulted in phone calls from the teacher and principal. Again I thought it was related to the death in the family and him having no other way of expressing his anger. I even blamed the other parent thinking they were overreacting - embarrassed about that now to say the least. I started getting names of dr's to get grief counseling to determine if it was the loss or if he was in the throes of depression. Then I see the news about Singulair and looked it up on the web since he was on it. Talk about taking your breath away. Then his stomach cramps made sense too. I would have to massage his stomach to make it feel better, thinking it was the milk causing it. People can say we are all making this up, or the posts are fake...even his allergist said they feel the benefits outweight the risks, but until you live it you really just don't get it. I took him off it that night. Each day is getting better. Today was a great day and I am cautiously optimistic for tomorrow. He was happy. Even his sister remarked about what a good mood he was in and that he wasn't whining or crying. Putting him to bed tonight he told me he loved me more than tomato pie...and in his world that's at the top of everything The sad thing is that the medicine works for the asthma and controlled his coughing. The cough is now back in force so it is a double edged sword. It's amazing how similiar the symptoms are with other kids. I guess hindsight truly is 20/20 huh?

My son, who is now 12, has been taking singulair since he was in the first grade. He has always been emotional and we just figured that was his personality. A few years ago, I stopped his medication because his personality changed. He was extremely irritable and not happy. Once I stopped the medication he returned to his happy go lucky self. In November of 2007 I started him on the medication again after the doctor telling me it could not be Singulair that was causing his change in behavior. My son is an honor student, very active and has always liked school. In December he described having feelings in the morning at school and in speaking with his counselor, we thought he was having some type of social anxiety. He refused to go to school and he was grumpy and was crying very easily -something we had not experienced for several years. He was not himself and we blamed it on his maturing and the change from elementary to middle school. When I read the article about singular last week, I immediately took him off of Singulair without telling him anything. He went back to school on Monday and when he came home I asked him about the feelings he usually had every single day. He told me he did not have them that day. The next day I checked again and he did not have them again. He is also very calm and very much like his old self. There is a connection with Singulair and his problems. Singulair is probably a beneficial drug for many patients and many patients probably do not experience side effects, but it apparently can effect others severely. When prescribed, doctors should monitor children to make sure it is not having a negative effect and parents should be well informed by the doctor upon receiving a prescription of Singulair.

my son is 9 and has been on SINGULAIR since he was about 5 for bad asthma and allergies. he has had trouble in school since he started, we thought it was ADD. he started having constant stomach aches and headaches. we started seeing a counselor because he would say things like "I hate my life" and "I don't want to live anymore" thats when he was 6. he had many other issues like hallucinations, night terrors, bed wetting, anger problems, depression, trouble focusing at school, mood swings, emotional ups and downs, just to name a few. we have been to pediatricians and psychiatrists and no one mentioned ever that it could possibly be the singular. we have added other medications like most parents, for ADD which made him worse. about 1 year ago he was diagnosed with bi-polar and was prescribed Abilify, an anti-psychotic. he has since gotten somewhat better but I never connected the Singulair side effects to his symptoms. (note: bi-polar symptoms in children are strikingly similar to bad side effects of Singulair) maybe he doesn't even have bi-polar! maybe he was more subject to having these side effects because of underlying problems. I have stopped giving him the the Singulair a few days ago but i don't see a significant change, yet. Its a very sad thing that parents like myself have so much trust in our doctors that we give our children these medications before we know anything about them. I myself will never make that mistake again and my prayers go out to all those who have made the same mistakes.