Flonase symptoms and conditions

What you will not hear elsewhere: Though Singulair is likely safe, it is ridiculously over prescribed. Singulair is indicated for the treatment of allergies and asthma. For allergies, It has not been shown to be more effective than Claritin (which is now generic and over-the-counter). In fact, when Merck-Schering were trying to add Singulair to Claritin, they found it no more effective than Claritin alone (sound familiar?). In this case, they decided not to manufacture this new pill. The most effective agents for allergic rhinitis are inhaled nasal corticosteroids. Flonase is now available as generic fluticasone, and is much more effective then Singulair (which is not generic), Claritin or the combination of the two. Regarding asthma, the updated 2007 NIH guidelines recommend inhaled corticosteroids for asthmatics of all ages. The data is overwhelming, clear and convincing. Singulair, which has much less of an effect is considered alternative therapy by the NIH. Yet, Singulair remains one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for asthma.

I was on topamax for about 2 years. I took it for frequent migraines caused by my sinus's. I had all the normal side affects but got used to it after awhile. The only one i didn't get used to was the hair loss. During this time I started allergy injections and now i'm up to my maintenance level. So i decided to ween myself slowly off the topamax. I have been off for about 2 months now and I have been fine on the headache side, but i have started to get other symptoms (i think withdrawal symptoms). They have progressively gotten higher in number as the days go by. First my hair loss has not stopped. I gained about 10-15lbs, I am edgy and climbing the walls all day. I have a really hard time relaxing. I recently developed horrible insomnia, and about a week ago i started having digestive problems including water retention, bloating, gas, irregular bowl movements, and acid reflux. And I've recently had bouts of tightness in my chest and throat which make it difficult to breath (lasts about an hour). I didn't have any of these symptoms while i was on the topamax (except the hair loss), nor did I have them before it.
I am seeing an endocrinologist in a few weeks to make sure nothing on that front is causing any of this, but i really feel it's from taking and going off the topamax. If you can find other ways to deal with your migraines, DO!

Well after reading these posts...I am very sad that I didn't read this before I allowed my 3 year old son to start Singulair! The last month he has been complaining of lower back pain. Just recently, stomach pain as well. Says his head hurts, and at times is not himself. I pick him up from preschool awaiting a very energized little boy to talk nonstop about what he did and he doesn't:( He was put on this med for allergies with Flonase and Zyrtec as needed. I took him to the doctors for this lower back pain and they said it possibly was from playing too hard or growing pains. Trusting our pediatrician I took it as that. My son continued to complain and continued to, at times, seem depressed. I took him to the ER because the last week and a half he has had fevers of 100-102. They said its all viral. I came home, looked Singulair up trying to figure out what was wrong and found all of this. I am so sad I never researched this before and continued to give this to my little boy trusting it to be good for him. Needless to say, I am making another appointment for him tomorrow to discuss other options. Thank you all for the information!

I just started Singulair about a month ago. Before I started taking the tablets I remember hearing some negative information on the news about the medicine. I found this web site and read about all the side effects before taking my first tablet. Even though there was so much negative information I thought I would give the medicine a try anyway. I have always been in good health and only needed this medicine for seasonal allergies. Part of me said "I know the side effects wont affect me!" Well I was WRONG! I have had the worst nightmares!!!

The nightmares started the first night I started taking Singulair. I continued taking the medicine hoping the nightmares would pass. Well, they have only got worse. However, last night was horrible. Not only did I have my nightly nightmares I had a hallucination! It started when I heard my 2 year old son wake up. He first opened his bedroom door then drank some water that was on his night stand, then was on his way over to my room. I got up to put him back in bed just to find out his bedroom door was closed and he was sound asleep in his bed. I haven't had any other side effects, but I think this is a good enough reason to stop taking the medicine. Does anyone have any other suggestions for another allergy medicine I can take. I've already tried Nasonex and Flonase they don't work nearly as good as Singulair. Any suggestions would be great thanks!

Please add me to the list of people with an extremely adverse reaction to Singulair. I had been taking 10 mg Singulair since 2005 after sinus surgery In June 2008 after returning from vacation I didn't get my prescription refilled in a timely manner and went without it for ~one week. In July I got a new prescription filled for Singulair and also began taking Advair Diskus 250/50 and AllegraD after an increase in asthma symptoms. I first thought the anxiety attacks were from the AllegraD as the "D" is for decongestant and contains psuedo-epinipherine. But the anxiousness continued and got worse after stopping the AllegraD. I then stopped taking the Advair (and also a nasal spray that I use called Flonase also since 2005) but was still in a major depressive episode with daily thoughts of suicide. It wasn't until I stopped taking the Singulair on August 23 that I started to return to normal. My normal does include a history of depression for which I take 10mg Paxil daily. Like the post from the psychiatrists wife noted, I am not sure if there is a direct scientific connection between these events. I do know that I never want to go back to that place I was in. I am shocked at the speed with witch I started to feel good after stopping the Singulair. I still have low grade sad feelings but I have stopped planning my own death. I always took my dose of Singulair in the morning and ~one hour later would begin to feel anxious. My evenings were tolerable with emotions slightly better. I simply stopped taking the medication without tapering and I am beginning to deal with what happened to me. Thank you all for sharing. Thank you.

My son has been taking Singular as well as Advair and Zyrtec and Nasonix for the past 6 months. He is doing so well. He has not had to go to emergency, he has not been sick, and he has not had mood swings. If you look at the prescription information that comes with Singular, you can see what the side effects can be. My recommendation is to take your child off of them if they have a side effect. I contacted my Dr. and Merck is studying only 1 case with a child that had side effects, but they did not say if this child was on other Psych medicine at the same time. The 2 psych meds that have shown a bad interaction with Singular are Phenobarbital and Rifanpin (spelling may be wrong). With all the posts I have read, very few people indicate if they are taking other medications at the same time as Singular. My suggestion is that you consult your Dr. and then send your case to Merck for more studies. If all you are doing is posting on the web, you are not solving this issue with the makers of the medication.

I have experienced several episodes of nasal congestion, post nasal drip and shortness of breath since beginning this medication, which are becoming more frequent. When I don't take it, this does not occur. I asked my doctor to change me to a different BP med but was told it was not possible to have that side effect after taking it for 1 1/2 years. She wanted me to use Flonase which is a steroid that will only give me more side effects. I hate this and am considering seeing another doctor.

I had my Mirena removed 4 1/2 weeks ago and I am still experiencing dizziness. I had posted previously that it was gone 2 days after the Mirena was removed but the dizziness has come back. Just thought I would let everyone know.

Yes,
I slowly developed oral thrush over the course of the last 6 months since starting Nasonex. I blamed it on my Flovent, so I stopped the Flovent about 2 months ago, and the oral thrush just kept getting worse even after treatment with anti-fungals. So I stopped the Nasonex (the only other drug I take) 3 days ago, and now my oral thrush and burning in my mouth and hard palate is totally gone away, I feel tons better. I also, since taking Nasonex, have gained quite a bit of weight in my lower belly and I am suspicious of Cushings. I will not take Nasonex ever again. I did not have this problem with Flonase, just I developed a resistance to Flonase.

I started taking Singulair and the first two days I felt better, but by the 3rd day I started feeling like I was trying to get sick. By day 8 I was in the Emergency Room with a very rapid heartbeat (166 beats per minute), and a severe Upper Respiratory Infection. They did blood and urine work, chest x-rays, CAT Scan, etc. and found nothing wrong with me. I kept telling them that I was having a reaction to the Singulair, and even though they never actually admitted it, they did say it was possible. I KNOW it was Singulair. I will NEVER take it again. They need to take it off the market. I was in the hospital for 3 days because of this dangerous drug!

I have a three year old son who has severe allergies. He's been taking singulair for 2 years on & off just in the allergy season. He started taking, singulair again in the beginning of April. One morning he woke up and both eyes were really swollen and red, I called his doctor's office and told them i thought he had pink eye, after 2 different drops and no change I brought him into the doctor's to see if it could be his allergies, and they agreed and started him on Zyrtec. I still was not impressed with the results so i brought him back yet again to see if we could see a specialist. Instead they put him on nasonex to try.
In the beginning of March I started to see a change in my usual happy fun loving son. He was scared to sleep in his bed, waking up in the middle of the night from bad dreams, uncontrollable screaming fits that would last up to an hour, saying he wants a Boo Boo. At first we thought it could be jealously over his new brother, or maybe something at his school.
Then i found this website and everything clicked, how scary it must be for a child to have these horrible thoughts and not be able to understand or stop them. What are the people at merck thinking??
Can any one tell me when the symptoms stop. He's been off for a week and we see some improvements. But he still has these fits with almost an OCD tendency to them (mainly when he's overtired), stomach pains, lack of appetite.

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

I am just wondering how long does it take for this drug to get out of their system. My daughter is better-she is sleeping and her energy is better, but some of the other side effects she is still experiencing. She has been off the drug for about one week.

This is a follow-up. I have posted about our experience before, but to summarize: 6 year old boy on Singulair for over three years for Asthma. Drug worked wonders, but side effects developed so slowly that we thought those were "phases" that would go away. Side effects were just as everyone else reported: nightmares, fears, depression/sadness (we even went to a child psychologist since we thought this behavior was all due to father's deployment), aggressiveness, crying at the drop off a hat (like a 2 year old, not age appropriate), attention deficit, school performance dropped, and also, at the very end, obsessive compulsive behavior.
We stopped Singulair as soon as we heard about the FDA investigation (on NPR, about 6 to 7 weeks ago). Asthma has not worsened, thank goodness, so we make due with the Flovent for now. Most of the side effects were less prominent after some time, however the obsessive compulsive behavior stopped only a few days ago. We have better days, we have worse days, but slowly the better days outnumber the bad, aggressive, and negative ways.
What I read again and again in the postings is that we all assumed our children entered a bad "phase." A phase that just got worse and never ended!
Reading about the very same side effects in our children, over and over again, alarmed me. Taking my son off the Singulair and seeing the improvements, some faster some slower, totally convinced me. I will never ever have Singulair in my house again.

My son is almost 6 yrs old. He has been taking Singular for approx 3 years, in addition to Claritin and Nasonex. This is all for his allergy to mold. His doctor started him on these meds after a 6 month episode with sinus infections leading to asthma-like symptoms. We have not noticed anything unusual about his behavior until approx 3 months ago. He started waking up every night (2-3 hours after going to bed) with bad dreams. At first he would not fully awaken and fall back asleep immediately. After a month or so of this happening most nights, he had two nights in a row where he woke up screaming and was inconsolable for about 30 minutes. We initially thought it was night terrors, but he was not scared or fearful, he was just upset/angry. He would hit the bed repeatedly and yell. He didn't know what he was upset about but would talk about how he thought we hated him, he was dumb, etc. After about 30 min he would 'snap out of it' and return to his normal self and go back to sleep easily.
At first we thought these were night terror brought on by a recent fever, but he had another episode last night. He has also been falling apart at the littlest things and getting quite violent (for a 6 yr old). He was sent to his room yesterday evening because he was complaining about the dinner his mom made (lots of complaining these days..). He had a total melt down an started throwing things and hitting the door so hard he put a hole in it.
Some of this behavior I would chalk up to normal kid stuff, new baby brother, etc. But I am suspicious about the negative thoughts, bad dreams, and instant melt downs... I stopped giving him Singular today and we will see what happens. God bless you all as we figure these things out...

I am an individual that started taking Singulair about a year ago. I've had allergies to weeds, grasses, and pollens since I was a little girl and have taken a variety of meds including Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Flonase, and allergy shots. Last summer, my usual Claritin just wasn't enough so my doc prescribed Singulair. It worked wonders for my allergies. Soon after, I began to feel "numb" -- that's the best word to describe what I felt. I was depressed. It just so happened that my mother had had surgery and I had moved to a different city about the same time as beginning the Singulair. When I began feeling depressed and disconnected from the world, my doc and I contributed it to depression from life transitions. It didn't go away though. For a year, I isolated myself. I didn't talk to friends and family. I missed over 10 days of work just because I didn't want to get out of bed. I slept almost 15 hours a day, gained 60 lbs, didn't clean my house. I didn't really do anything and I didn't care. I felt so disconnected from the world. I didn't cry. I didn't feel suicidal, but I knew that something was wrong with me. I thought I was having a breakdown or something. My doc checked several things but all test results were normal. It wasn't until my mother seen a CNN report on Singulair that I began to link my depression to when I started the drug. I immediately quit taking Singulair and felt better within 4-5 days. After 2 1/2 weeks, I was back to being my old self. It was so scary feeling so isolated, numb, and disconnected from the world. I never would've thought about it being a side effect from an allergy medicine.

I forgot to add my son was also on zyrtec & claritin b4 singulair & they caused similar side effects as singulair but not nearly as severe & I didn't realize all this till after I stopped the singulair & started looking up all the old meds. he was on

I usually have allergy headaches in the morning which would go away after taking 1 Benadryl w/ Tylenol. About a week ago my doctor started me on Singulair because she was concerned about me taking Tylenol daily. The last few days I've had terrible headaches that linger most of the day. (I've continued to take the Benadryl w/ Tylenol to try to help the headaches, but it's just not working.) Today is day 7 with the Singulair, and the headaches seem to be getting worse. Are headaches common with Singulair?

has anyone took their child off of singular for more than 2 weeks and has the child had any breathing issues since being off?

I am one of many that has decided to stop giving my child Singulair. And like many others, I have noticed a great improvement in her behavior.

My question is for those who have done the same. What medication have you replaced the Singulair with and have you noticed any of the same side effects that Singulair was causing? What are your thoughts on Flovent inhaler?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

my son is almost 4 and has been taking singulair since right before he turned 2! I am just blown away by all these things i've heard and now read about this med. I NEVER would have thought about this making him act the way he does! I thought it was just his terrible 2's and 3's! He has major anger issues, he screams out of nowhere for no apparent reason, when he gets in trouble he hits me or makes these horrible faces! he scares me sometimes! he has trouble falling asleep but once he is asleep he is out for like 11 hours sometimes! Here in the past yr when he plays with other kids he is very very mean to them... hitting them, beating them up, yelling at them.. i've NEVER seen my son act like that! It really sucks when other people just don't even wanna be around anymore b/c your kid is so mean! Which he has never been a mean kid! everyone loves him to death but can't understand why is so mean and has these outbursts sometimes! B/C that just isn't my Brayden!! sometimes i just think he is flat out crazy... like maybe i need to get him tested for some kinds of disorders! i just don't know what to do! the doc will tell me its normal 3 yr old behavior I'm afraid... and now if i take him he will think i am some crazy mother who is hearing all these stories and believing everything! Well hell ya I'm reading all this and believing everything cuz I'm sitting here experiencing the exact same thing other moms are who's children are on the same medications! I've even thought maybe its me i just had a baby 3 months ago so maybe its postpartum... so went to the doc and she has me on Zoloft which i DON'T need... I'm not a depressed person at all! But i have days where i just don't know what to do with my 3yr old i just cry i cant handle it it is entirely to much for me! it just blows me away to think that it may all be caused by a med that I give my child every night to help him! But is it really doing more goood than bad? I don't even wanna know whats gonna happen next... what is he gonna do?! I don't wanna even think about the possibilities... To know i may have an answer to his anger and everything else is kinda relieving, yet this whole thing scares me!! The med has seemed to help his breathing problem since hes been on it though! But if it makes him angry I'm sure the zyrtec and breathing treatments will do just fine!!

I have been on this disgusting drug for three weeks and today I ended up in the ER. I was prescribed Flonase and Singulair for allergies. I didn't have actual allergy symptoms but I kept getting sinus infections. Like many others posting I did not look at the side effects until right now. I have blurred vision, red itchy eyes (I constantly look stoned), pasty puffy eyes, cannot wear contact lenses anymore, body aches, ringing in my ears, and disorientation. I had a terrible reaction at work today. I started feeling like I couldn't breathe, then like I might pass out, and then started shaking uncontrollably. I'm disgusted that this drug is even on the market b/c it is ruining my quality of life and that of so many other people. I'm 27 years old and I have never felt so lethargic and unmotivated. I struggle to keep up at work (I'm a social worker) and the doctors at the ER asked me if I have anxiety attacks. I never have had one in my life and am normally energetic. I feel so weak right now that I am barely able to hold a bowl of soup and eat. Thanks for posting and spread the word about this awful drug!

I began 50 mg Toprol XL 2 years ago then reduced to 25 mg when palps and blood pressure normalized. Had trouble sleeping. Back in August, I began taking the generic version Metoprolol. One day I couldn't feel my index finger and thumb on right hand and immediate began to worry. I also began feeling depressed and was having terrible panic attacks. Sleeping was non-existent. Also, my chest felt as if it was on fire. Throat closed up and had difficulty breathing. Went to Walgreens nurse and she looked at me funny and said it was allergies to try Claritin and Flonase. DID NOT HELP! Went to the Dr. and he too chalked that up to allergies and gave me a shot. That relieved the breathing symptoms but nothing else. He told me numbness was tendonitis and gave me a "pretty brace." Numbness and tingling did not improve in fact went into other arm which caused me alarm. I went to chiropractor for help...nice massages but still numbness! Then my hands and feet started going cold...I'd had it. Went back to Dr and he put me on Xanax for panic attacks, told me I was depressed and need to see a psychiatrist for mood altering meds. I was ready to slug him! The numbness and tingling are insane! The Dr. to appease me switched me back to Toprol XL...no relief then tried Atenolol. The thing is for a few days while the insurance was figuring out what to pay for, I didn't take meds and began improving. Tried Atenolol and symptoms came right back. Called Dr and was told to just stop altogether...no weaning. Terrible tightness in chest could not breathe...miserable and scary. The next day I got a little better. Sleep improved somewhat but still having trouble with muscles tingling in feet up to knees and muscle cramping in right calve and for arms. Wondering how long this stuff stays in system. Seems to me I should be done...I have been off 17 days and am looking for relief for muscles symptoms...also looking for new Dr...anyone out there know how long this stuff hangs out in your muscles and stuff?????

I am reading this stuff and find I am very angry with the doctors who don't do the research to see what they are putting into us! I know some who say this is all just overactive parents but I think there is much more to it than that. My 8 year old child has been put on Singulair twice now and I have taken him off both times for what I thought were side effects of this med. After reading all this I know I WAS RIGHT! The first time he broke out in hives and complained of pain on several ocassions. This second time around they told me it couldn't have been the Singulair that caused the reaction and so I tried it again. He took it for 3 weeks before I connected it to constant loose to at worst water stools. He also acted differently and complained of headaches. I will say though his allergies were well in check from this medication and I wish it didn't have the nasty side effects. He finally after almost a month of being off it has normal stools again. The doctor admitted it could take this long to get out of his system. He wanted me to start it again because my child is experiencing the same allergic symptoms that Zyrtec and Flonase don't keep fully under control. Does anyone know how I can stop the stuffy / runny allergy nose with out meds?

I was prescribed augmentin for an infected cut on my ankle. I took it for 5 days before I started getting some seasonal rhinitis pain. Doctor said I had a sinus infection and switched me from augmentin to bactrim, and also prescribed me flonase for the non-allergic rhinitis. I took 2 bactrim before I noticed drug allergy symptoms. I developed a very itchy rash on hands and feet (worst on wrists and back of ankles). The rash appeared on itching, puffed up for a bit and dissipated to pink/red marks (slightly less itchy).
I also noticed welts (skin bumps) in the soft tissue of the web of each hand and on the inside of each foot above the arch. These are slightly tender. I called the a consulting nurse as soon as the rash started and she said to immediately take a benedryl to keep things from getting worse. It helped a little that night. Went to the doctor and was prescibed hydroxyzine which is like benedryl but stronger and helps with itching. Rash lasted almost 3 days, was worst second day, then dissipated. Welts on hands and feet have persisted for the last few days. Having general aches and phantom prickles in hands and feet, must be healing from the rash.

Doctor thinks this was all delayed reaction to augmentin. I think this was immediate reaction to bactrim. Pharmacists seem to think bactrim too.

Whichever caused it, I have stopped both and only continue on the flonase which seems to help with the sinus issues.

I haven't heard of anyone having the same kind of soft tissue welting/swelling between the thumb and forefinger. Has anyone experienced this with a rash caused by allegic reaction to antibiotics?