Pupils symptoms and conditions

Our 2 yr old son was prescribed Singulair for allergies by his ENT. He did great for a month. then started waking up more often at night, talking in his sleep. Never a fussy child unless he was sick- suddenly whining, protesting, acting out of character. Screaming when he didn't get his way. I threw away the pills the night he woke with a blood-curdling scream climbing the walls in his room- hallucinating that there were bugs crawling in his room. His pupils were dilated, heart was pounding and he was scared to death. A friend warned me early on, told me of her daughters behavior problems from the drug and told me of this website. She is doing great on Allegra. My son was to go off the Singulair in a couple weeks of our stopping the drug anyway, hoping he wont need any further treatment.

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 For the past three years he has been a very quiet child, to the point that people commented on how shy and withdrawn he was.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.

I initially went to the doctor requesting my ADHD medication and within 10 minutes of talking to this guy he tells me I don't have ADHD and proceeds to tell me I'm bi-polar. I'm 30yrs old and was placed on 80mg/daily 40mg in the a.m. and another 40mg before bedtime. I was on this medication for 2 1/2 days and was taken off of it due to involuntary mouth movements followed by episodes of dystonia (neck, eyes, mouth and hands for hours at a time)...it was almost as if I was having a seizure without swallowing my tongue. I also experienced very blurred vision and now when I'm speaking to someone I feel like my brain went for a walk because sentences don't come out right and I find myself struggling to make rational decisions. I have now been off of it totally for 3 days and I'm still experiencing the blurred vision and I had 20/20 vision prior to taking this drug, The doctor wants me to try Abilify but the side effects of that drug are very similar to Geodon, I'm literally scared to even pick this up from the pharmacy and give it a try. My pupils are very dilated, I don't know how long this is going to last but it's affecting my job (meaning I haven't been to work in a week because I can't see straight. If anyone is experiencing the same issues after being off the medication for a while...can you tell me how long I am to expect this to go on.

nausea, mood swings, depression, dilated pupils, forgetfulness, headaches,
irritable, suicidal

My 13 year old son started taking singulair Nov 13, 2008 for seasonal allergies. Three weeks later teachers at school recognized a change in behavior that was not typical or noticed prior to the medication. The end of Dec. 2008 loss of appetite and increased mood changes and noticeable aggression toward others and unable to change his feeling even knowing his thoughts & feelings were awful and not typical or right. Jan 13, 2009 we realized it was the med and he stopped taking singulair. Not only is my son still trying to recover from physical effects, he currently is trying to recover emotionally. No longer able to attend school and in a home-bound education program. Would not recommend this drug to anyone. Was taken to the emergency room 3 times within the last month and a half for physical issues and choking sensations & loss of weight. Was admitted to the hospital twice and the hospital admitted him to a psychiatric treatment facility once and currently he is going to a psychologist weekly all within the last month and a half. Prior to taking singulair no major issues.

I had trouble breathing, shaking arms, paranoia, trouble yawning, consistent yawning, muscle and body spasms, dilated pupils. I thought I was going to die. I couldn't sleep. It felt like my lungs were giving out. Very scary experience.

Seroquel gave me the worst side effects I have ever experienced from any of the psychotropic meds I have been on. I walked like a zombie, my pupils were huge, I couldn't think...and I was arrested for driving under the influence. I was convicted too! No drinking or illegal drugs I assure you. Don't try this medication, and if you are on it be VERY CAREFUL.

i'm glad that i found this site...thank you.
I have a seven year old boy and a four year old girl that have both been on singulair for a couple of years. The first year their allergies weren't that bad, so i didn't really make sure that they took it daily...the past year, allergies have been worse, so i was making sure that they took it daily and that they didn't miss a dose. My son was in 1st grade last year and by the end of fall, he was going to the nurses office daily for headaches and stomachs. Where his drawings used to be of flowers and all of us as a family, they started being of monsters. We also noticed that his pupils were dilated more than normal (you could barely see any of the colored part of his eyes) and took him to an eye doctor just to find out that his eyes were fine and there was no medical reason for the dilation. I also asked the doctor and the school to test for ADD/ADHD, with them saying that he didn't have it..At night, both my son and daughter started waking up for no apparent reason (they had both slept through the night since they were about 1) and being very scared for no reason. The mood changes have been more noticeable in my son, but like most, i chalked it up to "a phase" and just part of being a boy....my daughter got clingier and moodier, but i know how it is to be a girl, so i just took it with a grain of salt. My kids have not been on Singulair for approx. a week now, and my son is back to the boy i knew....skipping through the house and yard, catching bugs to just look at them and not pull them apart and kill them, sleeping through the night, no trips to the nurses, and eyes that seem to be normal again...my daughter is actually a pleasant little girl that can't wait til she see's her brother instead of pinching, hitting, and trying to hurt her brother........Long story short, since they've been off of singulair, i have my kids back. my son had circles under his eyes at times and a runny nose at times and we have to find something to help my daughters allergies (she gets eczema and is borderline asthmatic) but we will deal with that and find something that works without harming them.....
Thanks again.

I was taking 40mg of geodon twice a day. The doctor is weaning me off.
So, he said to stop taking my evening dose. Well, I did for two nights and couldn't sleep. I was really jumpy, leg spasms, couldn't sleep, hot and cold flashes, trembling,nausea. It was like having the flu really bad. I also had a couple brain zaps. I wish I never would have started geodon. It's awful.

I have been on Effexor 75mg and at first experienced extreme drowsiness and extremely dilated pupils. However, after the third week these side effects subsided, and I switched from AM dosing to PM dosing which helps with the drowsiness. The one thing I did notice though is that, though my anxiety and depression are gone, I have seemed to develop a new habit, or not new, but whenever I go shopping, I end up spending a lot of money and I don't really worry about it or care. The first month I burned through my credit and still, although I know it's a problem, don't feel any anxiety over it. Before the anxiety would stop me from doing ridiculous spur of the moment spending or other silly decisions, but since I have been on effexor I seem to not care anymore. I do love this medication however, and have learned over the past few months that I need to monitor my decision making more closely, and not based solely on my emotions, since I am always happy and carefree. Has anyone else experienced this?

I was first diagnosed with depression when i was 18 years old. For 9 years i was on all different types of medication but for a majority of the time i was on Effexor xr. I remember when i missed a dose, just feeling so bad i would just want to go to bed but when i took the next dose it wouldn't take long to get back to normal. My memory has been shocking. So bad that i have trouble remembering what happened when my children were babies. I don't know if this is because of the meds or the depression. My father committed suicide during the time i was on effexor and i just could not grieve. I felt that when i cried i was just forcing it. I just didn't feel many emotions at all. My life took a turn after that and i had so much going on that i either didn't have any trouble coming off it or i just don't remember what it was like.
At the start of this year my life was very full and happy and i was so busy until one day i just felt as though i was going to die. For a week i sat in the emergency department at the hospital certain i was going to die and leave my three children without a mother. I was finally diagnosed with a panic disorder. I didn't care what they did i just wanted them to make it stop.(the way i was feeling) I was put lexapro but had a bad reaction to that so they put me back on effexor xr. I can only say thank god! I have been on it now for almost six months and i have decided to come off it again as i feel my life is back in control. The main side effects i have had this time on this medication have been, a definite decrease in sexual function, deep sleep, vivid dreams and my pupils are dilating differently. I have over the last week decreased my dose from 75mls a day to 37.5. I really don't remember going through all these side effects last time. I was on a much higher dose before too. I have had the worst migraines, i am so tired, my eyes sting, i have what i guess others have described as shocks. When i move my head or blink my eyes it feels like i get a shock in my head. I feel like i am looking through a tunnel sometimes too. Although i had this same feeling when i was first put back on the meds. Yes it is tough coming off it this time but i still don't regret taking it in the first place. Without it i may still be feeling the worst feelings i have ever felt in my life and i wouldn't wish it on anyone. The effects i am getting now are not even a glimpse of what i went through before i started.

I am my husbands caregiver. He is on many medications the last 26 years due to chemical poisoning thanks to our government not protecting their civilian painters at the Army Depot where he worked.
He has permanent brain damage, CRS damage, memory loss and short term memory, CHF and Bollis Emphysema. Now he also has Type II diabetes a severe case as he was not diagnosed for 7+ years of testing.
To make this short. He has been on many drugs for pain, diabetes, blood pressure, the brain damage, ( he is a recovering, not drinking alcoholic)
Recently the doctor took him off the Codeine # 3 that he had been taking for almost 15 years, 8 per day. and gave him time release Morphine Sulfate.15 MG. They also gave him Gabapentin for the neuropathy which is severe in his feet and starting to go up his legs. He is over weight, above the waist, and has not had a problem with High Blood Pressure, for many years since taking 60 mg daily of Inderal. His Blood Sugars have been between 98-140 without medication. When he was first diagnosed he was put on glyberide and it worked so good he was off it in 6 months and totally diet controlled since then but about every 3 years he would go on it for about 6 months and then he was ok again.
He has not needed it for the last 7 years. Since starting the gabapentin he went from 300 to 600 to 900 and slowly increased the dose to 1600 mg. The 300's are caps, the 600's are tablets.
All the sudden he has pounding headaches, I took his BP which we had not been watching and it was 198/115 with a 98 pulse. The only change was the gabapentin and Morphine. The morphine does not seem to be causing any side effects, once he was used to getting sleepy.. but once the gabapentin was added, all he does is sleep. The blood sugars also went up with the blood pressure. His were 358 higher than they have ever been except when he was first diagnosed. I was able to get the glyberide and that is bring down the sugar levels only taking 1/4 tab 2 x a day, and the blood pressure is also coming down, it was 139/85 with a pluse of 76 which is still too fast. I talked to some pharmancy friends and they said " Its the gabapentin " so I told the doc I wanted to stop it and he said to start leveling off, one 300 mg cap every 4 days. We were down to 2 a day till Friday and saw the doctor. Due to his taking Cymbalta they did not want to give him any of the other anti depressants so they want him to back on the gabapentin up to 1200 a day instead of the 1600 a day.
Taking into consideration his medical issues and meds, I don't believe this is a safe or sound decision, but I know how much pain he was in before the gabapentin.
I wish they would be more forthright about the side effects of this medication. They said it only causes blood sugar issues in 1 % and they did not even address the high blood pressure etc.
His pupils are also different, he has the kidney pain, but his biggest problem is sleepy.. hopefully it's not his kidneys or his heart. They did blood tests on Friday and I am asking for a EKG.. in the mean time we are monitoring both blood pressure and blood sugar 6 or more times a day. Thank you so much for sharing. It really helps to know we are not alone.

It scares me, I am currently on it and I have had extremely bad mood swings, I cry for no reason and it scares the S*it out of my boyfriend because it sometimes looks like i am on E or some other kind of drug because my pupils become really dilated and I just start balling for no reason! Idk what to do or if there is another antibiotic I can go on???

Very interesting read, I started taking Lisinopril last year to help my borderline high blood pressure. After taking it, it seems that my sexual sensation has decreased dramatically. I thought I would wait to see if it would come back & it has not. I went to my HMO & the Doctor could not find anything wrong, he checked my PSA's & testosterone levels & they were normal but albeit at the near bottom of the normal range. So he prescribed Viagra. This has not helped, in fact I now have headaches, stuffiness, pupils constricted so much that it is hard to look out doors because it is so bright. The Doctor also told me that he has never read anything about what I am experiencing in any medical journal & just by looking at him & reading in-between-the-lines he thinks that it is all psychological. Maybe it is but I feel as if something is wrong. I do the treadmill at least two times a week up to 3 miles at a time & on a 5% incline & walk at a 4 MPH up to 38 minutes at a time.

i am so happy to hear all of these stories of recovery. i discovered my son's singulair side effects in march 2007, after 3 years of use. i can tell you from our experience that the most significant recovery comes within 3 weeks. after the 3 weeks, the more subtle improvements continued to occur for months and months after. without the effects of singulair, they experience life in a whole new way. my son's experiened 3 years of undetected side effects which included: irritability, FEAR, stomach / leg pains, poor appetite, difficulty with focusing / comprehension, restlessness and nightmares. the last 2 months on the 5mg dosage, he also experienced a facial tic, dilated pupils and hallucinations along with an increased in intensity of all the above. i thank god everyday for finding this website and removing my child from singulair.

UPDATE:It is now a week since my 6 yr old son stopped taking singulair. My happy boy is back! He has now had a second day in a row with positive reports from school. These are the first 2 positive days of the entire school year!!! Its no mystery anymore! I am 100% positive it was the Singulair he was on. It may work for some people with no side effects and thats great for them. But for those parents out there that had the slightest doubt I am telling you from experience to go with your gut! Speak to your Dr for alternatives and get back your happy children!

I've been on Zoloft for about 6 months now. I started at 50mg a day and I am now at 100 mg a day for anxiety. I think it really helps me a lot. I haven't had a panic attack since I started taking the 100 mg dosage. For the first few days of both dosages I felt jittery and my pupils dilated. After that, though, nothing really has happened. I weigh 122 lbs and I am 5'4, so I don't know what it is. My doctor told me that the higher dosages are usually perscribed to people who have anxiety, while the lower dosages are given for depression. I haven't gained any weight, and in fact I am loosing weight. All in all, I think it is a very helpful drug.

14 yr old son just began 18mg of Concerta, not sure if I like the effects I see...seems draggy, moody, dilated pupils, c/o headache
any advise?

14 yr old son just began 18mg of Concerta,
not sure if I like what I am seeing,,seems draggy and moody and dilated pupils...
any advice?

My psychiatrist says I have Major depression disorder with Gad and Panic disorder, What a nightmare! I am starting out on 50 mg and then in ten days 75 mg and by the end of the month I should be up to 100 mg. My jaw wont stop shaking, my pupils look bigger. I feel loopy. Kinda drugged. I had very vivid dreams last night. Today was the first day I could actually get out of bed early in the morning. It was great I find the Xanax helped with the shaking but it makes me super sleepy ( only .5 mg) I was on Zoloft before and the same thing happened but I had a loss of sex drive and I couldnt climax...so my doctor gave me this new drug they are trying out. She says you take it an hour before you plan on having sex but other patients say it works. All in all the side effects are worth it to be happy and sane again. My doctor said I wont gain weight like other drugs ( Paxil) so I'm hoping I don't because that would be depressing itself. Good luck to all of you : )

My daughter was recently changed to Adderall XR 10mg. She takes one pill in the morning. Her pupils are staying dilated, she is emotional at times, very clingy to me (to the point I'm having to sleep in bed with her), and weight loss. We switched her to this due to lack of appetite, but she is still losing weight. I'm giving it another week and if I don't see some positive changes then she's coming off of it. She only needs help focusing. It breaks my heart to see her this way!

I am 24 year old male. The doctor said I have fluid in my ears. About on day 4 of taking the Avelox pill, I had a horrible attack. My pupils dilated and my heart began to race. My parents convinced me I was just having a panic attack or anxiety attack WHICH I HAVE NEVER HAD IN MY LIFE. I cannot sleep I wake up feeling like I am in a nightmare. I am short of breath, I feel so absolutely horrible, I wish I stopped taking it sooner! I just finished my last pill, day 10. I find myself asking god to help me and I am not even religious. I pray that my heart and body start feeling normal again in a few days. I know tomorrow I will not feel better, I have been taking the pill at 7 pm every night for the past 10 days. So I know I am in for a few more hellish days and nights. Email me if you have any advice or if we can sue anyone for this.

My first side effects included agititated moods and feeling very angry most of the time. The smallest thing could set me offf. That went on for a few weeks now I feel good on the meds. My pupils dialiate for some reason right after I take the pills. I am on 80mgx2 taken at night.

I also had a horrible experience when trying to stop taking the pills. I have been taking them for about 5 weeks now and felt the need to stop taking them. I cut my dose in half. Huge mistake.

Within 5 days I started experiencing major hot flashes inside my body was cold on the outside. Lightheaded, sluggish, nassaua you name it. I gave up after two days and now I am taking the 80mg x 2 again. I will taper much more slowly this time. Anyway would love to hear other stories. The best part is no one is alone out there. Seems everyone has similuar effects.