Nih symptoms and conditions

My 4 year old Son has had diarrhea from about the last 4 weeks... we have started some tests for Celiac disease but today it only occurred to me today that he has been on Singulair for about that time frame... after all the worry and reading these other storied Im even more convinced that it maybe the Singulair..
Im just hoping that someone might read this sometime today or the next couple of days to tell me if when they come off the singulair how long did it take for the diarrhea to pass. My son had is last tablet 2 nights ago ( so he has only been off it so far for one night. But he still has the diarrhea.. should it have started to come out of his system already.

I am 51, when I was a child I had asthma and it went away in my twenties. Yesterday the doctor told me I have asthma and allergies. I took 10mg singulair last night, today I have a sore throat. Is this a temporary side effect that will eventually go away?

Daughter just turned 2, started Singulair on her birthday, so it has only been 9 days. Already it has had such a positive effect on her reactive airway disease (a.k.a. asthma). In January, she had maybe a one-week break from constant runny nose, bad coughing, and 2 a.m. Albuterol treatments. Right after starting Singulair, she got a sniffle--which has always led to bad coughs, etc. But this time she dodged it.

About the same time, she has become more resistant to naptime. She used to just lie down and go to sleep, but lately she stalls and complains--like a typical 2-year-old. Of course, she was probably exhausted from coughing all night! Lately she'd been sleeping 7 pm to 8 am and then napping noon to five!

If it makes her only slightly more intense, I'll take that over worrying whether she's going to suffocate in her sleep. But, having read these comments, I will definitely keep a close eye on her! Pediatrician suggested we try taking her off it for the summer, and back on for the fall/winter.

Hello,
have had partial gastrectomy for cancer nearly 5 years ago and was prescribed Omeprazole 30mg twice a day. I can say that I have not felt well since. I suffer nausea, pain eye problems and joint pains. Doctor says that Omeprazole cannot be the cause. I am going to stop taking it to see if symptoms improve.

I have a grandson who is on singulair since he would walk. He is now 5 years old. He has trouble in school, heat racing, out of control tantrums, biting and hiting in daycare. When he is not taking this medicine he is a different child. Parents are doing what ever the physicians order. Please stop prescribing medicines just for a runny nose, it is not worth the side effects.

I'm so happy that I decided to research this drug. My son, who will be 2 on 1/22/09 was prescribed Singulair today. He has been coughing/wheezing, etc since we moved to a different state, 6 months ago. We have tried all kinds of OTC drugs and nothing would work. We finally brought him to the Dr. today and he says he has allergies (which we kinda knew already). I was happy that the Dr. prescribed something that we could not get OTC..to me, that meant that it was going to be better. I went to pick up the prescription and the pharmacist tried to talk me into a different kind of allergy med for my son. I told her that I wanted to stick with the Singulair, since that is what the Dr. prescribed. She told me, in no uncertain terms, to research this drug! She kept asking, "He's only 2, right?" He's only 2, right?" Her behavior was strange, I thought....it turns out that she was my angel today. I gave my son 1 dosage tonight before bed and he WILL NOT get another. Thank you! On Monday, my first order of business is to go back to the pharmacy and thank my angel....

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 18 yr old daughter has been on singulair for several years and has complained this week of numbness in her feet and toes. I have told her to stop the drug. Is this a reversible side effect? Does anyone know if there is anything else to do?

Any time your or your child's physician wants to prescribe a new medication, ask that they check the DailyMed website for the most recent FDA approved drug labels to get information on ingredients and side effects. This website is maintained by the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health and has information on 4039 approved prescription drugs. Accurate information may also be found on the websites of medication manufacturers.

Other websites, as well as medication reference books physicians have in their offices, MAY NOT have the correct information.

Many medications, including some inhaled asthma medications, contain lactose, which may be contraindicated in individuals allergic to milk protein.

Don't take chances with your or your child's health. Ask doctors lots of questions and don't be afraid of offending anyone!!!

Read replies to this message.

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.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1769918

Any one explain this....

A smaller recent study from Spain showing a genetic component of montelukast efficacy.

1: Respir Med. 2008 Jun;102(6):857-61. Epub 2008 Mar 12. Links
ALOX5 promoter genotype and response to montelukast in moderate persistent asthma.Telleria JJ, Blanco-Quiros A, Varillas D, Armentia A, Fernandez-Carvajal I, Jesus Alonso M, Diez I.
Institute of Biology and Molecular Genetics (IBGM/CSIC), University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.

BACKGROUND: It was hypothesized that asthmatic patients with mutant alleles in the leukotriene pathway should not respond to leukotriene receptor antagonists and the concept of a tailored treatment is increasingly supported. METHODS: Sixty-one patients (mean age 24.9 years, range 14-52) with moderate persistent asthma were clinical and immunological assess prior and after a 6-month treatment with montelukast. Tandem repeat polymorphisms were genotyped in the promoter (-147 to -176) of 5-lipoxygenase gene (ALOX5). RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (52.5%) were homozygous for the five repeats allele; 17 (27.9%) were heterozygous (4/5 repeats) and 12 (19.7%) were homozygous for 4/4 repeats. After the montelukast treatment decrease number of asthma exacerbations, improvement of FEV(1) and decreased use of beta(2) agonists was observed in patients with 5/5 or 4/5 repeats. Conversely, the patients with 4/4 repeats genotype did not modify these data after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that ALOX5 promoter polymorphisms have a clear influence in montelukast response in atopic moderate persistent asthma patients. The genetic study could identify those patients most likely to respond to montelukast.

PMID: 18339529

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18339529

Results: DNA was collected from 252 participants: 69% were white, 26% were African American. Twenty-eight SNPs in the ALOX5, LTA4H, LTC4S, MRP1, and cysLT1R genes, and an ALOX5 repeat polymorphism were successfully typed. There were racial disparities in allele frequencies in 17 SNPs and in the repeat polymorphism. Association analyses were performed in 61 whites. Associations were found between genotypes of SNPs in the ALOX5 (rs2115819) and MRP1 (rs119774) genes and changes in FEV1 (p < 0.05), and between two SNPs in LTC4S (rs730012) and in LTA4H (rs2660845) genes for exacerbation rates. Mutant ALOX5 repeat polymorphism was associated with decreased exacerbation rates. There was strong linkage disequilibrium between ALOX5 SNPs. Associations between ALOX5 haplotypes and risk of exacerbations were found.

Conclusions: Genetic variation in leukotriene pathway candidate genes contributes to variability in montelukast response.

http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/173/4/379

This is a total nightmare and i need advice! I was on Lamictal for a year and about six months into my health began to slowly deteriorate. It started with shortness of breath and heart palpitations and eventually attacked every system of my body. My symptoms are muscle pain, spasms and knots to the point that i can't turn my neck sometimes, joint pain (mostly knees), stabbing floating pain everywhere, headaches, frightening tingling in my extremities and a few times my entire body, sore throat, flu-like feelings, stomach cramps, bloating and heartburn. The list goes on. I have been off of it now for two weeks. My psychiatrist has never seen this type of reaction before and is not convinced it is the Lamictal. I have been to every single type of doctor and the ER twice, had extensive lab work, CT scan and two MRIs. I have been off Lamictal now for two weeks and am not feeling much relief. I am so scared and frustrated and please need advice. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it ever go away? I feel like I am literally living a nightmare with no-one to turn to for advice because no-one seems to know ANYTHING!!!!

Hi Everyone,

Doctor put me on Geodon about 3 months ago. I started out 60 mg in the sample package the Doctor gave me. After using the sample pack I was prescribed 2 60 mg tablets (120mg) at night. It worked well for awhile and all of a sudden it seemed to stop working for me. I read a lot about how this drug is a nasty one and decided to cut down to 1 tablet (60 mg at night) The very next day I was trembling and having hot and cold flashes along with "brain zaps" and heart palpitations. I was hoping the Lamictal would cushion the side effects of the Geodon. Well it sure didn't do that and I know as the day goes I will have the same symptoms as I did yesterday.
The Geodon website makes this drug sound like a miracle drug but does state that heart related issues are there especially for the elderly people. This is a nasty drug that I hope I can get off and maybe go back to Lexapro because I have ADHD and not Bi-Polar.

Hello EveryOne out there...OK OK....

Now Why have I been out of touch since Sept 14th.... 2007???

I have been VERY VERY ill.....

Y'See, I went to see this new Doctor (Quack) for continued pain in my chest (sternum) area....that I have been having trouble with all Summer. (Severe Costochondritis/Fibromyalgia) By Sept 14th, this Quack who claims to be a Doctor had given me this prescription for Prednisone pills (20 mg each)....with orders to take mega doses of this toxic poison in order to combat the pain I was suffering. I was so desperate to get out of pain that I went ahead and filled the prescription and started taking the pills that eventful Friday night. I made the fatal mistake of trusting this Doctor!!!

If I had any sense God gave green apples I would have researched this a little before taking this medicine!! I would have run like all heck in the opposite direction!

I had been taking these reccomended large doses for approx two weeks back then per Doctor 'Quack's' order.... I have been hooked after the first week....and now currently desperately trying to get off of it with only marginal success!!

I have been on this Prednisone crap for some 49 days, currently and desperately trying to get off of it....with terrible side effects!! I have experienced every side effect known to the Devil himself and even discovered some new ones that I never knew was possible!? Case in point! I can't sleep night after night without terrible withdrawals all night long!!! I am forced to contend with them every night here. Not to mention I fight the withdrawals all days long too. I have this inept doctor and I am sorry I even went to him in the first place...!

The withdrawals I am now getting are harder to deal with than the original chest pain itself!!! Not to mention even eating the so-called 'wrong' foods sets off even more withdrawals almost immediately. I am now extremely sensitive to light and the sun~ not to mention.....noise....and stress....

I am much sicker from this Quack Doctor's so-called "HELP" than I ever was before....

I don't mind saying his name and trying to steer everyone away from this jerk Doctor here in Las Vegas who takes advantage of people in pain when they are desperate by feeding them toxic poisons and passing the poison off as something harmless thats gonna help them??? Just ask me who he is and I will tell you. I have no qualms about it....

Bottom line is I have spent this last month trying to get off this crap and I just found out that the withdrawals may bother me up to a YEAR after I take my last dose of this crap poison!! I have been going thru H***!!! A nightmare I would LOVE to pass onto this Quack who pretends to be a doctor!

I am down to about 7.5 mg per day now from about 180 mg that he gave me originally Sept 14 2007. Believe me this was not easy thing for me to do. I went "Toxic" on this drug weeks ago and it has affected my ability to process, think and reason properly. I feel like part of my mind is now missing or went on permanent vacation!! Dizziness,feeling like I'm gonna pass out, Brain Fog and Mass Confusion is the order for the day~depending on the time of day???

"The side effects of prednisone include adrenal suppression, which can occur with periods of prednisone use to surpass seven days. Adrenal suppression refers to the body’s inability to synthesize natural corticosteroids, resulting in a dependency on the prednisone taken by the patient. This is why doctors do not recommend the cessation of prednisone when the patient has taken it for longer than seven days. They reduce the dose gradually over a few days in the case of short-term prednisone use, and over weeks or months in the case of long-term treatment. Stopping prednisone treatment abruptly can cause the life-threatening Addison’s disease, in which in the body no longer produces sufficient amounts of adrenal steroid hormones"

I want to SUE this Doctor for making me this sick!!!!!

SDR

GRRRRRRRRRrrrrr!!!!!!!

May want to consider contacting Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, because he oversees FDA, CDC, and NIH. FDA approved the drug Kenalog, so not sure if there will be a problem filing a class action suit against Bristol-Meyers, but still may be able to sue. Definitely check into individual suits against the doctors because they should be liable for not informing patients of the serious side effects of this and any drug before writing prescriptions or (especially) administering drugs in their offices. I don't think most people ask about or research side effects--we put too much trust and faith in the medical establishment.

ALL, if you are taking TOPAMAX for migraines you need to read the article in last year's Science News where doctors have linked the migraines to a heart defect that is common in women and once corrected the migraines go away completely. Long term use of TOPAMAX may be detrimental to your health. I recently posted: My wife is experiencing massive hair loss. She had a metabolic panel ran on her to ensure it is not thyroid and is scheduled to see a specialist on hair loss next week. I just came off the National Institute of Health website at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a697012.html where they list hair loss as one of the problems with the drug. They recommend that you see a physician immediately. My Wife's hair was literally coming out by the roots and since her hair is naturally thin it won't be long before she is bald unless she can get it stopped.

My wife is experiencing massive hair loss. She had a metabolic panel ran on her to ensure it is not thyroid and is scheduled to see a specialist on hair loss next week. I just came off the National Institute of Health website at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a697012.html where they list hair loss as one of the problems with the drug. They recommend that you see a physician immediately. My Wife's hair was literally coming out by the roots and since her hair is naturaly thin it won't be long before she is bold unless she can get it stopped.

Apparently, I am allergic to the 20 mg. of Lisonipril the doctors gave me to take once per day to regulate my blood pressure, which shot up unexpectedly 6 days ago and landed me in the local cardio unit.

I have never had high blood pressure, but I had a dangerously high spike that the ER staff had trouble lowering.

Within 24 hours of beginning to Lisinopril on Friday, I started getting a deep ache in the center of my hip joint in both legs. I thought it was just stiffness from being in bed for over two days, and maybe a reaction to all of the drugs they used on me when I was in the hospital.

Nope. It got worse, and by Sunday night, I was taking aspirin every 4 hours just to cut the pain enough to sleep.

I took my next pill on Monday morning, and the joint pain started getting worse, and were traveling down my leg as muscle pain.

I tried walking up and down stairs, walking around campus, and sitting in my work chair--nothing helped, and the pain just kept getting worse.

I looked up possible side effects for this drug, and the one I found from the National Institure of Health (NIH) site on Lisinopril stated that muscle pain and cramps were a dangerous side effect and that I should see my doctor immediately.

The pain was coming off and on in waves that I could practically time with a watch.

So, I called the office of the cardiologist who took care of me in the hospital, so I could get this medication changed, and see him if necessary.

No dice. His secretary wouldn't even take a phone message for the doctor, because I had not been in to see him before in his office, and all my records were at the hospital (which I found out later, she could have had FAX'ed to her immediately, doggonit).

She said I had to go back to the ER to be seen in order to determine what was going on, etc.

I called my military primary care center, and told them my tale as my cramps grew worse by the minute.

They said I had to go back to the ER, and that Tricare would approve it.

By the time I arrived, I could barely walk, and I stumbled into an ER gone mad. Seems that the entire county got messed up at the same time, and everybody's case was different, but severe.

The only other hospital in the region was in the same shape, and was calling the hospital I was in to see if they could take some of their patients (they couldn't). We even had guys lying on gurneys who had been medevac'd in from other places who were waiting in line to get into ICU.

What a madhouse. The staff took an EKG on me as soon as I arrived and it was OK, so they sent me for a chest X-ray (the results of which I was never told), then left me alone in the hall.

The pain in my hips, back and legs was absolutley agonizing, and grew worse whenever I sat or walked. The pain made my head hurt like hell, too, and made me nauseous, and my vision was becoming very blurred.

I was left unattended for nearly three hours, until I finally fell apart, hobbled into the ER nurses station and keeled over--I woke up vomiting in a securty guard's arms.

They left me on the floor for a while until they could round up a wheelchair, then sort of folded me into it until they could find a free gurney. I lay around for another hour until someone came and started looking me over.

The ER doc said that he "had checked the literature, and that there was nothing about anyone having muscle cramps or joint pain from taking Lisinopril unless they were also on a water pill". I asked him to read the information sheet I had brought from the NIH, but he didn't bother.

I was not on any diuretic, but I was convinced that he didn't know enough about the drug to know for sure what it could or couldn't do.

The info I found on the government medical web sites definitely DID indicate that severe muscle weakness or cramps could occur, and it mentioned nothing about water pills having anything to to with these symptoms.

Anyway, they took blood work (came back normal), and gave me a shot of Xanax, which did nothing to help the pain at all.

Six hours after I arrived in the ER, the doctor finally got around to calling the cardiologist who had cared for me when I was a patient there a few days before.

After another hour of rolling around in tearful agony, and contemplating the beautiful freedom that death could bring, the nurse came back in and gave me a big ol' shot of Demerol. That worked, thank the Maker. My pain subsided to a bearable level, and I passed out.

In the end, the cardiologist's diagnosis was to take me off of Lisinopril, give me a shot of Demerol right away, and then send me home with Darvocet and Flexeril to keep my muscles relaxed and joints relatively pain-free until the drug clears my system (it's one of those that is supposed to "build up", so it takes a few days to clear).

They did this and sent me home--nine hours after I arrived. I will be put on something else by my primary physician when I see him on Friday.

I definitely think my problem was related to the new drug, and I will know for sure in a few days. Thank everyone for your posts; they have provided me with lots of useful information and confirmation. I will be very careful when taking any new BP lowering drug, and will gather plenty of information if I have any problems, so that I can convince any ignorant physician who needs to know what he or she does not.

I'm 62. I started using Lipitor April 2004.

About a month ago ... it felt like I was losing my ability to walk and climb stairs. Left leg was worse than right. Muscle and joint pain in lower back, arms and legs. Even my toes and fingers ached! Sounds strange, but the skin on my thighs became loose and flabby. My fingernails became very dry and brittle. It even was uncomfortable for me to sit for any length of time unless my feet were up.

I saw a Lipitor ad on TV last week that warned of unusual weakness. I searched the internet for more info, found the NIH site, and I stopped the Lipitor on Dec. 20. I started doing some leg exercises and feel improvement.

I'll notify my doctor of my decision to stop at my next checkup in early January.

Let's Be Heard!!!!!!!

It saddens me to read & learn of the terrible damage being wrought by the use of these most dangerous STATIN drugs. Too many innocent people's lives have been ruined by the drug's debilitating side effects. Fight back...The NIH (National Institute of Health) is running a study on these dangerous side effects, which will be completed in 2004, and if you will try this website you can register your complaint. statinstudy@ucsd.edu

Do it