Nervous system disease symptoms and conditions

Is there a potential explanation for the adverse psychiatric side effects of montelukast?

In my opinion, there are at least some very good clues based upon the work of the Chinese researchers.

A 2006 report indicated that they had localized (meaning found it was there) the CystLT1 receptor (same as the receptor that montelukast
Singulair blocks) in the neurons of the brain tissue of rats. In order to do that, they injected rat brain's with NMDA to cause a chemically induced state of excitotoxicity. Excitotoxicity is a common factor in Central Nervous System disease. They concluded that both 5-LOX and CystLT1 were upregulated by the excitotoxicity that they artificially created
with the NMDA. Therefore, there would be a potential link between neuron activity and CystLT1. Nerve cells are damaged by excitotoxicity. These researchers used NMDA to cause nerve damage which caused the CystLT1 to show up. NMDA was often used in human behavior studies to cause brain damage. They would then try to observe whether behavior was compromised to conclude what areas of the brain determined what behavioral response.

So I was thinking about the Chinese researchers as I was reading other posts. One post interested me particularly regarding the mother who described behavior that seemed like hypoglycemics when their snack doesn't arrive on time. So a light bulb went on. Glutamate, another excitotoxin, can build up in the brain to a level that is damaging if humans become excessively hypoglycemic. If glutamate concentration around the synaptic cleft reaches too high a level then neurons die. Clinically, it really does seem that many people experience things that sound like the effects of hypoglycemia. It could be only a coincidence. But then again, maybe not.

The Chinese researchers found the CystLT1 receptor in the rat brain neuron after brain damage. They found the CystLT1 receptor in the normal human brain in the microvascular endothelial cells and in neuron and glial-appearing cells in brain trauma or tumors.

What role does the CystLT1 play in brain function? If it exists in brain tissue, we can assume that it does have a function. If it plays a role in preventing or repairing neuron damage due to excitotoxins, then there would be a very direct link between Singulair and adverse psychiatric side effects.

http://www.chinaphar.com/1671-4083/27/1526.htm

The bottom line is that Merck owes people who take Singulair further research regarding it's effect on the brain.

I'm a 30 year-old female. I've been on Lisniprol for almost four years. And these four years have been the worst of my life. I've had test after test and seen dr. after dr. trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I have a terrible cough, my face gets hot and I get the chills (kinda like the flu), I'm very achy with pain in my legs and back, headaches, confusion, memory loss, sensitivity to heat/cold, swollen throat, very tired. Chest pain and trouble breathing (wore a heart monitor and had stress test, but everything was normal). Heart rate is rapid. Gained a lot of weight in the last three years. Everything test-wise always came back normal. Saw an OB/GYN to see if I was premenopausal; nope. Had an MRI and CT for the backpain; nothing; Labs done to rule out throid disease; nothing. Saw a neorosurgeon for possible nervous system disease from so much pain. Nothing he could do. Went to allergist for possible allergies; nothing. Oh....but wait..I go to the dr. today to tell him I'm still not feeling better and that I ran acrossed some information on the web about possible side effects of the bp pill Lisinopril and that I still recall that I started experiencing side effects about the time I started the medication of 10mg. Then when he increased it to 40mg, I really felt terrible. He looked back through my labs and saw that an allergan level had been very high in my CBC. He said, "bingo, you must have an allergic reaction, or maybe a perisite". He said this CBC is done on a normal blood test and will show elevation if the body is trying to fight off an infection or has an allergic reaction to something. So...went off the BP pills today. I'll keep everyone posted. My email is ****** if anyone wants to email me with similar situations.