Impulse control symptoms and conditions

My son is almost 4 but has been on Singulair since he turned 3. We saw an immediate improvement in his allergies and asthma and thought it was a miracle drug. That is until we started to see our sweet, outgoing little boy change into something we barely recognized. We thought maybe it was just a stage he was going through or something and didn't connect it to the Singulair until his doctor accidentally wrote his refill prescription for 5 mg. instead of 4 mg. After about 2 weeks on the 5 mg. his mood swings increased substantially. He cried for hours everyday at school. He had previous trouble with his emotions at school on the 4 mg. as well. He continued to cry and throw fits at his preschool so often that he was ending up in the principals office. At home, he became clingy and so emotional that he would cry about everything. After doing some research on Singulair, I immediately took him off the drug. Within 1 1/2 weeks off of the drug, my little boy was a different child. I thought maybe I was the only one who had noticed until his teacher came to the car and ask what happened. She said that he didn't even resemble the same child that started school. He is sweet, and calm. He can take discipline without crying and gets praise every day instead of going to the principals office. His trouble sitting still and listening to the teacher are gone and her push for us to have him tested for ADHD has ended. He is now a star student. The only difference is the removal of Singulair from his little body.

I started taking Singulair several years ago and it did wonders for my asthma. I did not see the connection for a long time, but I had really bad rages and mood swings. It was terrible. I just thought I was being very hormonal or stressed out from work or something. I became pregnant with my daughter and I stopped taking the med. Unfortunately my asthma got really bad about 5 months into it and my oxygen stats were getting to the point where I had to get back on it. My doctor said it was safe. Maybe it's just coicidence but my baby was extremely active in the womb. She was born and I nursed her for 6 mos. She was very irritable and high needs and had a hard time getting settled. She is now 6 years old. She has always been very emotional, lacks some impulse control, and is still very high needs and defiant. It is getting better with age somewhat. I took her to a psychologist and my daughter was found to be very intelligent but had autistic like qualities at times. She does not have true autism. She also had sensory processing problems that are getting better with time. I also continued to have the spells of anger and sarcasm. I never took it out on my daughter but I did take it out on my husband. I was also depressed but not clinically depressed and suffered from back pain constantly.

I became pregnant with my second daughter and I went into preterm labor with her about halfway into the pregnancy. The medicine I was given to stop the labor contractions was an older asthma med, so I got off Singulair at that time. My mood lifted but I did not get the connection. I just figured it was bedrest and being more rested in general. When I had her I went back on the Singulair. I had more anger, mood swings, etc. Was just not a happy person even though I *wanted* to be happy. My daughter was born with severel food intolerances and ended up on a stomach feeding tube. She has eosinophilic esophagitis, a rare condition where the body recognizes all or most foods as allergens and there is inflammation of the esophagus. She cannot eat any foods now at all, just her special medical food. She is 3.

I stopped taking the Singulair about a year ago. I have felt myself lifted up and I feel like a new person. I decided to start a new career and am taking classes. I have more energy, sleep better, no back pain, and am a better wife and mother. I only fear that my children may have been harmed from me taking this during pregnancy. I am especially worried about my first daugher's mood swings and such. She is a very intense person. I wonder if her developing brain was affected somehow. She acts like I acted on Singulair but there is no easy cure for her of taking her off of it. My second daughter has the severe allergic condition. I wonder if somehow the Singulair affected her immune system response. The disease that she has is emergent and new and increasing in number all the time. I would love to see a study on what their moms took in pregnancy, because the disease seems to happen in families where there is a history of asthma/allergies.