Dark circles symptoms and conditions

My son was put onto 4mg Singulair when he was three years old. He is now six years old. For the past three years he has been a very quiet child, to the point that people commented on how shy and withdrawn he was. He never wanted to go anywhere or do anything. His favorite activity was lying on the couch watching tv. He was always thirsty, frequently went to the toilet,often complained of a sore stomach & had several bowel movements every day, did not sleep well at night, was often grumpy, could not concentrate for very long, was frequently ill with cold-like symptoms and did not really like you to touch/hug him. At the beginning of the year he was diagnosed by an occupational therapist as having low muscle tone. In March of this year, his pediatrician increased his singulair to 5mg. He began having terrible pains in his legs, to the point that he would cry and be unable to walk to the toilet at night. I took him to my GP who did every blood test under the sun and x rays of his pelvis and legs. He could find nothing wrong. The only thing that had changed was the increase in Singulair. I had a look on the internet and found this website. I immediately decreased his dose to 1/2 a tablet for a week and then 1/4 tablet for a week before taking him completely off it. Within a few days our whole family and his teacher and therapist noticed a huge change in his personality! He talks all the time now, he laughs a lot, he loves playing outside and has lots of energy. He teacher says he is much more receptive at school. His occupational therapist says his muscle tone has improved. He has not had one single leg pain since coming off the medication. He is sleeping well at night, his stomach is never sore and he has not been sick at all. Not even one little sniffle!! Best of all he is a normal, affectionate little boy. I feel very angry with the manufacturers of Singulair and with his pediatrician, it feels as though my son has lost three years of being a child. He felt terrible all the time and I had no idea! I have told everyone I know who has a child on singulair to look at the side effects.

Just finished reading the posts and I feel like it was written about my 8 year old. I never connected the two issues of anxiety, frustration doing schoolwork, quick to tears and leg pains. I kept telling them they were growing pains. Last night he called me from his father's and said he has suicidal thoughts... not that he wanted to kill himself, just couldn't stop thinking about it... good lord. After months of dealing with him not wanting to go to bed and not feeling safe we have an answer. I told my ex husband to stop the medication today, I will post back after a few weeks to update the progress. I usually never post randomly on the internet, but this site might have just saved my son from emotional turmoil!

I discovered my son's side effects from singulair a little over 2 years ago. He had used Singulair for approx 3 years. I did not recognize that he was suffering side effects until his ped increased his dosage to 5mg. At that point, it was loud and clear. I discontinued the Singulair in March 2007. The most significant improvements happen after approx 3 weeks. He was like a different child. Even after the 3 weeks, it seemed like he continued to improve a little every day.

I can tell you from our experience that my son suffered many, many side effects that i did not recognize. He had nightmares, anxiety, fear, frustration, leg pains, stomach pains, dark circles under his eyes, poor appetite, quick to tears and restlessness...just to name a few. On the higher dosage, he began to have a facial tic, dilated pupils and hallucinations.

I am thankful everyday for this website and some higher power that helped me realize what was going on and get him off Singulair. The first week off Singulair, he slept like an angel. No night terrors, no thrashing in his sleep. Week 2, he continued to improve in so many ways. It was nothing short of amazing. Week 3, he began to realize the changes in himself. Fears were a HUGE side effect for him. During week 3, the fears, ALL of them disappeared. He never spoke of them again. It was very strange and truly amazing.

I don't want to tell you to stop the use of Singulair. Only you know your child's health status. I will tell you that stopping Singulair changed our lives and saved my son. He suffered the assault of Singulair for 3 long years. Good luck to you all and your families. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Our daughter is now 5 1/2 and has been taking singulair since she was two, when she was diagnosed with asthma. She also has a slew of food and environmental allergies. It was not until she started taking Advair that her asthma became controlled. Her allergies still seem to bother her occasionally. I feel since her asthma is under control why take two meds? I did not refill her Rx and we are on day two of no Singulair. She's had headaches for two days and feels lousy. After reading the side effects of this drug I may now have answers to the headaches she'd get often and the moodiness and the sleepless nights and the deep dark circles under her eyes and the diarrhea. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, although I agree that dose of antihistamine now and then is much better than all this other nonsense!

I was so glad to find this website. I was feeling terrible after having the Mirena in for around a year. I started looking online when I woke up several days in a row feeling so bad and nauseous that I was worried I was pregnant!

I was very fatigued, achy, having trouble sleeping, having strange acne breakouts on weird parts of my body, terrible abdominal cramps - yet no period, bowel problems, VERY slow to heal my sports strains/sprains, nauseous, random headaches (and I have NEVER been prone to headaches), odor, crotch drop, hair loss, forgetfulness, BAD mood swings/depression, dehydration. I looked and felt like I had aged 10 years...All this time I was blaming it on having a two kids, getting older, stress, etc.

Well, thanks to this site, I had my Mirena removed last week. I had no ill side effects from the removal and had a normal period for the first time in about 6 months. I felt incredibly better in a few days! I have more energy, I have slept much more soundly - the dark circles around my eyes are diminishing and I look much better. My routine bumps and bruises from soccer and taekwondo are healing at a normal pace and I don't feel achy all the time. Basically I feel great, and I hadn't for a long time. I feel like myself again.

If you have ANY of these symptoms that everyone is talking about...don't write it off to anything else, and don't let your doctor tell you it's due to other things. You know your body and what is normal. If you are wondering at all why you feel bad - get the thing OUT and do it NOW! (My GYN was very understanding and compliant to my request, but still insisted that my symptoms were most likely due to stress than anything else). At least you will have peace-of-mind knowing that you eliminated the IUD as a cause of your symptoms. You can always have a new one put in if you find that not to be the case.

I hope this site is correct regarding the class action lawsuit, because I am seriously considering joining it. Mom's have it hard enough without this IUD complicating their lives further!

My daughter is 17, had her 3rd Gardasil shot July 2008. She is not one to take naps and is now taking daily nap and going to bed 1 - 2 hours earlier than she ever has before. She came to me a week ago and told me that she just does not feel good and wanted to know why....could she go to the doctor. Of course I scheduled an appt...the dr questioned her of her symptoms and sent her for blood work check for mono, anemia, thyroid. Talked with the dr today and ALL of her blood work came back Great! dr tells me that all of her levels could not be better. So I ask could this be a side effect of the Gardasil vaccine? Of course he tells me that no there should not be any side effects this long after having had her last shot in July of 2008. So I ask what to do next....long pause....well it might be a virus that is trying to surface....I replied with one that has taken 6 weeks to surface? Again long pause...So I ask the dr what else could be done....he simple said he did not know...this is unacceptable to me! I had a very vital young lady living at my house now have a lifeless young lady with dark circles under her eye living at my house....and to think I thought I was being a good mom having her get the vaccine to prevent cancer not knowing that I was going to take the life out of her....I am just sick for the choice I made for my daughter! Please do not subject your beautiful daughters to this vaccine!

I want to post this because this site has given me good perspective on this Rx and side effects experienced by others; its good to know I am not alone. As far as an agenda, I have none, in fact I was all for the Singulair initially, because it seemed to be a good alternative to inhaled steriods which I had read could interfere with normal growth. My son, 4 yrs. old, with a diagnosis of Asthma, started Singulair about 2 weeks ago. Asthma seems to have been improved by Singulair. Within a couple days of starting it, though, he reported vivid (but not nightmare-ish) dreams, a week later he dropped his afternoon nap, which we were expecting to happen eventually, so didn't think much of it. He is a wild child generally, but we also noticed an uptick in bad and aggressive behavior within a day or two of starting the Singulair; we really clamped down on him though, so that effect has been somewhat muted. He has always occasionally complained of indigestion stomach aches, but these complaints have increased to several times a day in the last week, also complain of lower abdominal pain which he says is "different" than his earlier indigestion stomach aches. Last week or so he's been up late at night, had trouble going to sleep, looks a little pale with dark circles under his eyes ("he's becoming a Goth" I joked with my wife). Last night he got out of bed late, appeared disoriented and seemed to be half awake, half asleep. He was talking, but not making sense and seemed to be upset and/or confused, but when pressed he assurred me nothing was wrong and nothing hurt--put him back to bed and this morning he remembers getting up, but also keeps telling me he had a "weird" (not scarry) dream and that he keeps seeing it while he's awake. Luckily this weird dream was not scarry for him, but he was clearly a little freaked out by seeing it again this morning. He seemed o.k. heading off to preschool, but we are taking him off the Singulair as a precaution. My advice to anyone else out there seeing similar symptoms in their kids is to go with your gut -- I always tell people that a Doctor's job is to tell you the odds, like only 1 in 500 or 1 in 1000 kids will have a certain reaction, or condition, or illness, it is the parents' job to be sure that their kid is not that 1. So I'm taking my kid off the Singulair because I think he may be that 1 kid who experiences these unusual side-effects. How wide spread they are, I have no idea. I will get on my soapbox and say I think it's time for the FDA to require drug companies to conduct long and short term clinical studies on kids for any drug that will be prescribed to kids--entrusting our childrens' health and well being to a drug company's own short term study conducted on fully developed adults is foolish and insane.

I have an 8y.o. daughter that has been on Singulair for about 3 years now. Since she started taking singulair she has been absolutely miserable! She cries at everything, is very moody, has leg pains, wont leave my side and is tired ALL the time. She has circle under her eyes, she looks like she hasn't slept a wink in days! She has been off her Singulair for about 5 days now and she is a totally different person. She has been "happy-go-lucky" and full of herself, she has even woke up happy (which hasn't happened in I dont know how long). She was put on Singulair by our Doctor b/c she had Pnemonia two times in a row. She has Allergies and Asthma and for the past 3 years has been on: Singulair (4mg), albuterol, flovent, Zyrtec, and Flonase. That is just too much for a little girl to be on. She hardly eats at all, gets headaches. I just see such a difference when she is not on it but, what will she take in place of this? My husband also takes Singulair (he is miserable all the time), he doesnt sleep at night and is always tired. Anyone have alternative to this drug?

My son, who just turned 14 this month, was on Singulair for over 2 years.
He was diagnosed with reactive airway disease and possibly Asthma--and prescribed this awful drug-even back in 2004. The doctor said how wonderful this med was and prevents any further attacks.. So, for 2 years-every night, he took this mood altering, destructive drug. He lost all interest in school, his athletics-soccer, skateboarding, biking..in fact became almost a vacant , very unhappy, child-had stomach aches, joint pains and reflux--why--I brought him to the doctor and Pediatric center so frequently--all they kept saying his --his asthma is better, much be other issues...Even after the March 2008 suicide--his doctor said-that is just an isolated incident-just monitor him--It is a good drug. Right, month by month his behavior escalated to wanting to die, no reason to go to school-he said he was stupid and a failure and why don't I understand there is no reason to his life. A usually happy fun-loving boy -my son- didn't want to live. Nothing made him happy-I started to believe what the doctors said--maybe something or someone at school (bully, pedophile??) caused this change. Terrible nightmares and vivid dreams...Until this past July, I asked him want to go to the library for some books or dvd's...he went ballistic-threw everything off his computer desk and tried to break his chair. He is not an aggressive boy but this behavior was becoming a daily issue. Along with everything flying off his table, was his bottle of Singulair pills. It then dawned on me..I have been poisoning my only son. The child I know and love and gave birth to returned within a few days--although I am worried sick about further asthma attacks --all the doctors can prescribe is a steroid drug-asthmex or Pulmicort.. I cannot understand nor comprehend why this drug is being prescribed for children and young adults. The guilt I live with is terrible as my son has lost 2 years of his life--
and thought there was something really wrong with him-At least we woke up---in time--how about some other parents..thinking it's just normal adolescent behavior for their child or their fault???

I am starting a new post in the hopes that others will see what I am trying to say about the delayed reaction in those that took Singulair for allergies.

If it is consistent that Singulair does not stop allergy symptoms immediately, then the pathways that eventually stop allergy symptoms involve a change in the mast cell function, development and migration (or some combination).

I asked this question for a reason. Are allergy symptoms stopped immediatedly. My question below:

I have a question that will help me continuing looking for information. I can understand that in the case of asthma that Singulair would provide immediate relief. If it is used for seasonal allergies or other allergies without asthma, does it work right away or does it take a period of days or weeks to be effective? If it takes time, could you tell me how long it took in your situation?

My thinking was going in the right direction if the answer below is consistent of everyone or most.

about 2 hours ago on Apr 11, 2008 by catherineevans, #7045
My granddaughter was put on Singulair for allergy symptoms without asthma. Itching, red eyes, terrible congestion, etc. dark circles under her eyes all the time. When we first put her on this, we didn't see any consistent results for 2-3 weeks, then it seemed to 'kick in.' I don't know if this helps. By the way, she was 9, now she's almost 12 and was immediately taken off when this story came out 2 weeks ago.

Then after seeing one response, I gave my reason for asking.

I asked this question because I have a theory of how montelukast really works for allergies as compared to how it works for asthma.

Asthma is a hyper-sensitive state that gets going because the mast cell has a receptor (the leukotriene receptor that Singulair blocks) that sends a signal along a pathway that causes lung tissue to have that extreme response - the wheezing, the airway constriction.

On the mast cell is another receptor the histamine receptor that causes the secretions that make our noses runs and and stuff up. This is not the same immune response as the asthma response. When I saw a post that somebody's doctor said that Singulair is an anti-histamine, NO it is NOT.

So if Singulair does not block histamine immediately and your child's allergies did not go away immediately, then maybe Singulair is working through some other means such as changing normal mast cell homeostasis.
I know that this seems like "what does this mean?" I am really writing this hoping to God that there are people reading this site that know what I am talking about.

Thank you so much for responding. Your answer actually told me what I wanted to know and confirmed my hypothesis. More answers will help. I hope others respond.

PLEASE respond about the length of time that allergies disappeared if you took Singulair for allergies.

I have a question that will help me continuing looking for information. I can understand that in the case of asthma that Singulair would provide immediate relief. If it is used for seasonal allergies or other allergies without asthma, does it work right away or does it take a period of days or weeks to be effective? If it takes time, could you tell me how long it took in your situation.

Thank God for googling. I'm not alone. It's great if Lisinopril is working for you, but as I can read by the posts I'm not nuts. The cough, oh the cough. Worse is when it comes and I'm at church. My wife and I are cantors and nothings worse when I would get that dry "got a feather in my throat" cough. Like everyone else my BP was riding above normal 150/90-95 and the Lisinopril brought it down to 115/70, but I quit a week ago and feel like normalcy is coming back into my life. BTW I was on 10mg dose for a little over a year and was just dumb to think that a BP med could cause all the side effects that I was experiencing: cough, mucus, numb extremities (mostly sleeping at night but enough to wake me up hence poor sleep), fatigue. Has anyone felt moody? I think this drug has made me very moody but that can probably be attributed to the lack of sleep. I hope the dark circles around my eyes disipate now that I'm sleeping better. Good luck to all!

My daughter is 5 years old and has been on singulair for 1 week. i have already noticed a dramatic change in her behavior. she has become irritable, mean, nasty, and emotional. she has had me in tears on a daily basis. she has turned into a monster. we will be calling the doctor in the morning!

wow i was starting to think that i had something wrong with me cuz of the depression! i have been on the nuva ring for 6 months, every month i get worse...im soooo irriatable i cry over everything...my sex drive has not decreased but i have absoultly noooo confidence...i feel fat...i get bloated for no reason...im so tired so i have dark circles under my eyes everyday, all of that makes me not want to have sex...i have convinced myself that im ugly and hes only touching me because he feels he has too! my boyfriend and i have 2 kids together, and he has recently told me that he doesnt know who i am and he doesnt want to be with me anymore cuz he cant take my mood swings. i have no sense of humor, i snap at everyone. i also always have a discharge! its sooo annoying. and i spot almost everyday during the month, and i still have a full blown period that to me has become more painful then ever, my doc said all this would stop but it hasnt!
im to the point where i have thought about sucide and i dont want to take care of my kids, i barely eat anything and when i do, i get bloated and i work out (with 2 babies under 3 im pretty active!) and i have only lost 35 pounds since i gave birth in oct. i only gained 27 my whole pregnancy! my pants are tight today, but in 2 days they might be loose and then a few days after that they are really tight again...i hate the niva ring!

i recieved 3 kenalog epidural injections for herniated disc, 2 weeks apart, followed by a decompression nucleoplasty, also with Kenalog injection. after the first epidual. i began having extreme irritablity which i reported to the pain management doc. he said he couldn't prescribe anything but could refer me to a psychologist, which i declined , realizing i was having a reaction to something. after the 3rd epidural, my irritabilty had increased to the point where i was shouting and screaming, and had completely lost my patience. my face had blown up, and cheeks were hard to the touch, and my neck skin was swollen and hanging down. i described my appearance as "looking like a blowfish".

on the day of the nucleoplasty, i agreed that the doc should go ahead and use it again, since it was important for the procedure, and it was not a "true (anaphalctic) type reaction.

after this last injection of Kenalog, i had a terrible terrible reaction. my face became even larger, with big dark circles under my eyes, and my eyes partially closed, appeared like slits. i was frightened by my reflection in the mirror.

my feet, ankles and legs swelled up to the point where it was painful and difficult to walk.

i also i developed insomnia.

at the same time i was "off the wall" with irritability, anger, impatience, and could not stop crying.

during the day i had a general ill and sleepy feeling, and fell asleep driving, without notice.

throughout this period of Kenalog adminstration, i also had flu like symptoms every morning. sore throat, laryngitis, loose cough, muscle pains. i noticed black and blue marks on my extremities as well.

now i have a full blown flu and full blown bronchitis, and i feel so very very ill.

my feet and calves, hands and fingers are experiencing very painful cramping, intermittantly throughout the day and night. it's happening right now in my left hand, so i have to stop typing. i wait for one minute and try to continue typing, but that causes the painful spasm to return. i try again 2 more times, waiting a minute in between spasms. finally it stops and i can continue typing.

there are probably more symptoms, like the irregular heart beat, and these little bumps on the skin of my right cheek, but i need to rest now.

generally, i feel sicker probably than i can ever recall feeling in my life.

would appreciate hearing from anyone with similar symptoms, and especially how long before my face returns to normal. i live with the fear of what will i do if it does not?

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!!!!

My 2.5 year old son just started taking singulair a week ago. He has had problems with allergies since he was about 6 months old. He has been on Zyrtec since then. This spring the Zyrtec just didn't seem to be doing a very good job supressing his allergies plus with a higher dose of Zyerc it made him very tired and irratable. So I brought him in and was perscribed Singulair for him. First couple of days everything was fine. By the third day he started throwing up in the A.M. He hasen't had an appitite since then. It's been five days. Also, after giving him the medicine at night he coughs and coughs while falling asleep. Also, his sleep pattern is very random. He has started falling asleep at odd times of the day. He then can't sleep until 12-1 A.M. He sleeps until very late hours in the morning then. He also has appeared very pale with dark circles under his eyes. Finally last night while I was at work I got a phone call from his daycare. He had broken out in a rash and was very itchy. The rash covered his face, behind his ears, accross his shoulders, and down is neck and chest. This was a very simulair rash to what had happened when he was given sulfa meds. I immediatly said to not give him the singulair that night and to give him Benadryl. This morning the rash has subsided and after reading this page I have called our doctor and have got a referance to an Allery specialist. I do know that he will not be taking Singulair anymore.

began advair 100/50 twice a day for asthma approx 1 year ago. dose
increased to 250/50 after 6 months. has REALLY helped my asthma but after stumbling upon this website i am left wondering about it's side effects. i have experienced:
unexplained calf and feet cramps
pimply rash over stomach and back
moodiness/irritability
feels like i have a ball of mucous in the back of my throat
high blood pressure (for the first time in my life)
high blood sugar (diabetes does not run in my family and i'm 5'8" and only weigh 115 lbs.)
dark circles under my eyes
SEVERE dryness on the sides of my mouth
easy bruising
increased heartburn
stomach pain
hip pain, making walking difficult at times
overall increased joint/bone pain (prior diagnosis of osteoarthritis with
recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia)
frequent sore throat
blurred vision
inability to stay focused at times
i am unsure if my advair use has caused any or all of the above symtoms but after reading the similar side effects experienced by other
advair users, i am SERIOUSLY considering stopping my advair. i will be
back in touch once i reach my final decision and let you know if any of these conditions improve

I have been taking doxycycline 100mg once a day for 5 weeks, now i am suffring from headache tingly hands ,DROWSINESS AND DIZZINESS,spasmodic contractions in stomach and esophagus ,as i feel it,and cardiac arrhythmia as well as palpitation feelings and Dark circles under or around the eyes .by the way ,i was taking nystatin as candida prevention.

I've been using Advair non-stop for about three years. At first, with the exception of a slight sore throat and raspy voice by mid-afternoon, I felt great, to the point where I forgot I was asthmatic. I developed several other symptoms very gradually, so gradually that I didn't associate them with the medicine. I've experienced the following symptoms, some worse than others:

Sore throat, loss of voice, fungal infections of the mouth (this is really getting out of hand!) and vagina, slight headaches, painful joints and feet (soles), muscle stiffness; muscle cramping(neck, abdominal, leg and feet), dental discomfort, red eyes, blurry vision and "floaters", dark circles; difficulty sleeping; weight gain, especially around the middle. Slight facial hair; sallow, dry skin, and poor healing (slow healing of wounds and scars). The latest :sudden bouts of weakness and sleepiness.

I think it's time to take a break and cleanse the system.

I recently posted severe bloating in my stomach which I was very worried it was something else, but suspected Advair. Well I received all of the results back from blood tests and my pelvic ultrasound and they were all fine. I have discontinued using Advair and my stomach has gone down A LOT, it is nice and flat again although (of course) I am having trouble breathing again. My face is clearing up too, it gave me horrible rashes and breakouts and the dark circles under my eyes are gone too.
I did research on some natural alternatives to help asthma and some simple changes in diet and supplements can help as well as breathing exercises and yoga. I am going to try that for now and keep my albuterol handy for emergencies. I have had it with traditional medicine and inconsiderate doctors who are just too busy to really care about the root of the problem, they just give you a quick fix that can hurt you long term. this medicine has actually made my asthma WORSE since I stopped taking it.
A book I recommend is "Reversing Asthma" by Richard N. Firshein, D.O. he is an osteopathic doctor.
take care everyone.

I am hoping it is just Advair but I have a gyno appointment tomorrow. I have severe bloating in my adomen without any significant pain. It started a month after starting this Advair and never goes away. It is wrose after eating and I noticed belching which I never had a problem with before unless I have soda. I have dark circles under my eyes which even my husband noticed and a lot of swelling in many areas of my body.
I feel more anxious and have sore throats every morning.
I am going to seek an alternative. Pulmicort gave me a horrible rash on my legs and puffiness so hopefully there is something else I can try. If anyone has any suggestions please help. I used to have a very flat stomach.

I have experienced dark circles on my cheeks. I have been on other pills, but this is the only one that brought on this symptom. I am going off the pill, but will the brown circles fade?