Saying things symptoms and conditions

As with most of you, my Gyn described this product as a "God send'. Saying things like I will have fewer periods with no cramping, side effects are minimal & only about 1% elect to have the IUD removed because of side effects . After reading all the posts here, I am rethinking my decision to have it inserted (scheduled for 3/17/09). I tried the Seasonique pills and I had similar side effects. I had my "period" for 7 weeks straight, I was very crampy & moody, i had acne and my hair begin to thin out. Once I stopped taking them I felt better. I don't want to go through that again with Mirena.

My 6 1/2 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 3 1/2 to 4 years now and we have had horrible experiences! She was having night terrors, mood swings, angry issues, self control issues, crying over small things, etc. We have been to psychiatrists and psychologists who have diagnosed her with mood disorder, sensory processing disorder and anxiety disorder! Well she has recently been having stomach problems so we have been going to a GI to figure that out. I got online to research and found numerous sites that told how Singulair causes all these things in children. We took my daughter off the meds and within 3 or 4 days seen a tremendous difference! She is a totally different child! It just really frustrates me and saddens me that all these children and their families are going through all this and the doctors do not seem to care. The allergist or psychiatrist didn't believe me. They say no study has ever proven such things. I don't care what they say we as parents know our children and we are the experts when it comes to seeing how they change when on this medicine, we are the ones that live with them and are with them everyday not the doctors! I think they just don't want to lose out on their money from prescribing this drug 90% of children with allergies and asthma!

My son is now 31/2 years old and has been on Singulair since he was about 1 Yr. old. His pediatrician recommended this due to his allergies and runny nose. He has had fluid on his ears since age 1, at least that we had confirmed, and she thought that the Singulair combined with another type of antihistamine could dry up the dripping nose and clear up the ears. It did not clear up the ears, but it does stop the drip. He had tubes placed in his ears a year ago in May of 2007 and is looking now at his second set coming up in Mid-October of 2008. He has been taking this medication all but one summer of his short life. My husband and I have both had children, he a boy and I a girl, both 14 years old now. In comparison to the other two, our little one has been so completely different to raise. I've always seen children of "other parents" that have discipline problems with their children and wondered what might cause that type of action in such a small child. Now we have this beautiful little boy, but all we've ever known is how difficult he is to handle and how is anger, temper tantrums and stubborness have always put a damper on outings and even casual days at home. Due to the fluid on his ears, his speach was delayed and he has now really began to speak like a normal 3 year old. I have noticed within the last 2 weeks how he has really started saying things that I have not approved of, but have fluffed it off thinking that he has heard other children in his pre-school say these things, or heard it on a superhero show. Something happened today that really made me stop and think. I picked him up at pre-school like normal after work and he would not come to me. He looked slightly glazed in the eyes, totally not like himself at all. He talked very little on our 30 minute commute home, which was not like him. He said, "I hate you and you don't like me". I told him I do love him and he said, "NO". He said, "I'm bad for you and I have a dangerous heart". He then told me, "I kill you". This was so disturbing that I told my mother what he had said. She told me that it sounds so much like what she had heard on the news that I should check it out. This is how I've come to find this site. We have stopped giving this medication to our son and I am curious to see if there will be any change in his personality. Tubes will probably be placed in his ears again despite whether his nose drips again, so that is a mute issue at this point. When we voiced our concerns to his pediatrician when the information first surfaced several months ago regarding adult behavior and side effects of Singulair, she fluffed it off and told us she has many young patients on this medication with no adverse side effects. He is taking Pediox every 12 hours. I am worried that we may need a substitute med, but we have tried so many that haven't worked. He has Albuterol Inhaler and Xopenex Inhaler when his Asthma symptoms kick in, when his allergies are at his worst. He has had pnumonia 2 times, or one like run of it I should say. It's important to keep his allergies under control so he doesn't get something like this again, but his overall mental health and stability cannot be jeopardized. Since his brain has been developing on this medication for 2 and a half years, does anyone know if this has lasting effects? He is very active and has a very short attention span. He can however sit through an entire movie if it is something that he likes and he has nothing better he wants to do at home. I do not believe he is hyperactive or ADHD in the sense that he needs medication for that symptom. He can be a very loving child and he is very polite and knows his manners. He comes from a very loving home with loving siblings. We have wondered for so long how he could possibly have turned out this way, and I am truly scared to think that this medication could be the cause of so much turmoil in our lives. I will be monitoring his results.

I get very sick when I get my period, they are long and heavy, and I have digestion problems and intense stomach pains for at least 1-2 weeks before and the week of. These symptoms disappeared for a while when I was on Apri (desogen) but after a few months, they came back, and on top of it, I became severely depressed and had such bad stomach pains, I went to the emergency room (and you pretty much have to drag me to hospitals).

This last period was so bad though that I finally decided to take the sample pack of Loestrin that my doctor gave me a month or two ago. Just a day after I started taking it, my period ended and the pain and bloating was gone. This is day 6 and I'm fine so far. On Ortho Tri-Cyclen (my first pill) I had bad side effects the first few days and gained ten pounds in two weeks.

I'm glad these forums exist, because they helped me realize that all of the depression (including suicidal thoughts), stomach pain, hair loss, etc. etc. were side effects of desogen. All of those things that contributed to the worst summer of my life disappeared as soon as I stopped taking it.

On the other hand, I have to point out that there is no "good" pill or "bad" pill. The side effects will be different for everyone. Some women need more estrogen, some need less. Some need fluctuating amounts of hormones and some need the same dosage all month. Unfortunately the only way to figure out what is right for you is to try them, note your reactions, and research the differences between pills. I realized quickly that I needed a low, stable dose of estrogen, which led me to try Loestrin. Not saying things can't go wrong from here, but now I am aware that if I fall into some depression, anxiety, weight gain, or other weird side effects, it *may* be caused by the pill I'm taking.

Is the pill worth it? Again, answers will vary depending on your lifestyle. Are your periods manageable or do they cause you not to be able to get out of bed in the morning? Are they consistent or are you praying you're no pregnant every month? Are condoms working for you or aren't they, and is the 2% chance of still becoming pregnant worth the risk?

While I've had bad experiences with some pills, I'm just grateful for this BC option in general. Until they figure out how to make birth control pills for men (pshh.. that'll be the day) then it's up to us to research and maek the best decisions for ourselves.

My wife and I recently took my daughter to an asthma specialist and she was prescribed Flovent and Singulair as everyday suppressive treatment. Our daughter is only 4 and the first evening of taking SIngulair she was exhibiting exaggerated emotional behaviors such as sadness and excessive crying (sad/moping). The following day the same emotional state was there without anger, but with abnormal crying (for my daughter). She went to preschool and her teacher said she was saying things such as, "I don't care", "I don't need anyone", "I hate this", etc. These are not normal behaviors for our typically happy child. Her doctor said suicidal thoughts and depression were possible side effects in adults, but I am beginning to think they apply to children as well. After only 4 days of Singulair we have decided to stop the treatment. I hope these comments help some of you other parents experiencing the same thing. -Rob

I've only been on Doxycycline Hyclate for 2 weeks - I am supposed to take it for 2 months to clear up my acne. The first side effect I experienced was the nausea/vomiting. I HAVE to eat something before I take it or it makes me throw up. I was sensitive to the sun, but the thing that was the most bothersome was the tingling in my feet & hands. When water touched them, they would tingle as if they were asleep. It was a very weird feeling. The worst side effect for me, though, are my mood swings. I get so angry I feel almost like I'm going to explode. I can't just drop it like I usually do - I just keep fighting & yelling - which is not like me. I've been saying things I don't mean & lashing out over stupid small things. I feel almost as if I'm going crazy. This is just the first 2 weeks, after reading this board, I'm wondering if it's even worth continuing. Supposedly, when this is prescribed for acne, most cases come back after you stop taking the pill. If it's going to come back anyways, I'd rather not put myself through this for 2 months...

I am a mother of four children (21, 19, 15 and 15) who have varying degrees of asthma and allergy. All of them have some degree of ADHD as well. The oldest took Singulair from grades 7 to 12. It was great for his allergy, but he had a depression which was attributed to his ADHD.

The second is still taking Singulair. She is highly asthmatic and it has been beneficial for her. The severity of her asthma went down to the controllable range, and her migraines (suffered since second grade) significantly decreased (documented side effect).

The last two, identical twins, began taking Singulair four years ago when they developed asthma as they entered puberty. They became oppositional, defiant, prone to rages, and curiously not hustling hard enough at their sports. Prior to this, they were solid, dependable students, with moments of inspiration - and aggressive athletes, leaders at their sports. We always thought the problems were related to puberty and the ADHD. More and more ADHD meds were applied. No more weekends off the meds - because our house would be destroyed.

As 2008 began, my own allergies flared. When the doc offered Singulair, I looked forward to feeling better. Within 48 hours, I could breathe at night, and the tightness in my chest went away. Even my allergic dermatitis improved.

Then a weird thing happened. I got lazy. I heard myself saying things like, "I don't care if I'm fat." I stopped doing my evening chores. I stopped pursuing my hobbies. I almost stopped making dinner. I was wondering why I didn't care, but I didn't care enough to pursue that, either.

Then it got worse. I couldn't handle the least criticism. I was in tears over almost anything. Within a few days, I was trying to find a way to leave my family. I just didn't care about anything any more.

The water-cooler crowd at work was chatting about the news reports about Singulair and suicide. I started to wonder: gee, doesn't depression preceed suicide? Maybe this hopeless feeling I had was related to the Singulair.

So I stopped taking it. 48 hours later, I started to laugh at jokes again. Five days later, I cleaned my kitchen. Now it's been three weeks and I'm back at my hobbies and loving life.

Two weeks ago, I realized that the never-ending laziness and argumentation we've been getting from our twins might be related to Singulair. I checked with the ADHD doc, and their general doc, and got the go-ahead to discontinue the medicine (although not both of them at once). I did this without telling anyone: not the twins, not my husband, no one.

Forty-eight hours after the first kid had stopped taking the Singulair, I came home to a grinning, hugging, 15 year old, who sat me down at the kitchen table to explain the strategy he'd designed to study for his upcoming exams. I was speechless and numb. I didn't tell anyone that he was no longer taking the Singulair (he takes a variety of vitamins and ADHD meds every day). The next day, my husband called me excitedly: the kid was cooperating with him! He didn't know what to make of it. I kept him in the dark for a few more days.

The other twin had been on a lower dose (5mg rather than 10 mg). I stopped his medication as well. The change in him has been more gradual.

Neither of them takes ADHD medicine now on non-school days. They are happy and cooperative. We ask ONCE for chores. There are still a few arguments and stormy moods - but I no longer wonder what's going to get broken next. And they seem to love working as hard as possible at their sports.

The good news is, we all feel better. The bad news is -- how did this happen? How can it be that such an obvious side effect was missed?

It's not like the effect of montelukast on the brain is unexplored. Try searching on "montelukast brain ischemia" - there are many studies that show that montelukast (Singulair) dramatically reduces brain swelling. What does it do for an uninjured brain? Does it dehydrate it? Deprive it of nutrition? If I had to characterize the behavior I saw in my twins, it's this: they acted the way hypoglycemic patients do, when they're late for their next snack. REALLY GRUMPY.

Or do some research on migraines and Singulair. There's an effect there, too. Many asthma patients on Singulair report that their migraines improve.

So the drug clearly affects the brain, and Merck's position that Singulair doesn't cause suicidal ideation is almost irrelevant. The fact is, montelukast has a significant, often-studied effect in the brain. That effect is not fully understood.

In our house, the effect of montelukast on the brain has been significant. We have dragged two kids to many psychiatric evaluations. We've spent hours and hours with teachers and principals and counselors, trying to understand why they just won't get their work done. We've used every performance-management trick in the books to get them to work - without much benefit. The kids have swallowed an awful lot of stimulant medication because it was the only thing that controlled their rages. Who knows what their teachers think of them - are they forever branded as the lazy kids? And we are lucky. From this forum, I've learned that it could have been a lot worse.

Wow. I can't even express how blown away I am by all of this.My son is 7 and has been on singulair since he was 2. He was moved to the 5 mg last year in March. The only difference between my son and all of your stories is that when he was in kindergarten we discovered a rather large arachnoid cyst in his brain that had to be drained. It was easy to blame some if not all of his behavioral problems on the location of the cyst. It is in the left temperol lobe. Having something in that region of the brain can cause behavior problems. His cyst was also big enough to push on his pituitary gland making him think he needed to use the bathroom all the time. He had a slight case of diabetes insipidus. During all of this he was complaining of headaches, fatigue, leg pain, the boy could not walk from one end of the mall to the other, he would melt down at the slightest provocation and turn into an angry little monster at around diner time. We attributed it to low sodium levels messing with his head, but his blood work never reflected someone who was THAT bad. After his surgery he had some normal depression, but in March, four months after, he became a different person. He was full of rage and anger and almost got kicked out of school. He broke things at home and lashed out at people, he said awful things. He was put on Tegretol, (that made him very sick) and Wellbutrin. Since he couldn't tolerate the tegretol they switched him to abilify. He still takes this. The one time we tried to take him off he went completely nuts again. Same kind of aggressive behavior, lashing out, no self control, crying all the time, very moody, saying things like "nobody loves me." My son is the sweetest person you will ever know. Before all of this, he would melt your heart with his kind words. Now he has been diagnosed with ADD, Aspergers, and has all of one friend at school. I go every day to eat lunch with him so he doesn't have to sit alone. I completely understand that my son will continue to have problems once this medicine is out of his system, because he does have other issues, but this morning the first thing he said to me was, "Mom it's weird, I don't know why but I feel so happy."
He has been off the Singulair for 6 days now. I called his allergist and he was VERY interested in all of this and wants to meet with me. He has always been so heartbroken by how my son has struggled. Don't think all doctors are bad. This one isn't. He is going to help me report all of this. He is really upset too. Of course he is older, been around for ever. I don't know. He cares about his patients. His receptionist said she thought they would be getting a ton of calls about this and I was the only one. Hang in there everyone. Alone we are quite together we are LOUD.

My 5yr old daughter was prescribed Singulair in Early March of 2008. The first week she was on it she was marching around her humidifier completely oblivious to our presence in her room. Other evenings she would wake up crying saying she had really bad dreams or we would hear bizzare talking in her room! Talk about creepy! We have never had these issues EVER! The doctor told us that the medicine can cause bizzare dreams so we started to take it in the morning after breakfast. A few more weeks on the drug we noticed an angry, impatient and then sad child. She started saying things like I feel sad inside but could not tell us what was bothering her. She would just say I feel sad. My husband and I got really concerned and the only medication she was on was Singulair. My husband went online to look up information and saw postings. We immediately took her off and she has been off of it for about 2 1/2 weeks and is a brand new child! She sleeps at night, she has fun at school with her friends and all seems normal again. Just wanted to share our story!

Hi again. I posted January, 25th, 2008, and am posting again to update anyone concerned.

MY EXPERIENCE SUMMARISED:
MY DAUGHTER TOOK 3 DAYS TO WITHDRAW FROM SINGULAIR AND AFTER THAT IS BACK TO NORMAL.

I took my 6 yo daughter off Singulair, and she experienced severe withdrawal symptoms for 3 days. Her anger and mood swings were worse than ever, although they did occur less often than when on the medication.

I was concerned that there may be long term effects, but on day 4 she awoke singing (something she hasn't done for ages). She came through to our room and her whole energy was different...we had our little angel back!

She gave me a cuddle and she sounded a little wheezy (for the first time in ages also). I never thought I'd be glad to hear her wheezy! I gave her an antihistamine (polaramine...this is the only one that doesn't affect her mood) and this cleared her "asthma" which is actually a symptom of allergy for her.

She instantly stopped shouting, screaming and growling. Her concentration is back to normal. She is happy and says she knows who she is again. Her star chart incentive system is working again. She has more energy, no complaints of tummy pain, no complaints of numbness and she is responsive and reasonable as she always was.

I am SO angry with the manufacturers of this drug, and I believe anger is often the driving force behind positive action.

IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN PURSUING A CLASS ACTION AGAINST THE MANUFACTURERS OF SINGULAIR, PLEASE EMAIL ME PRIVATELY.

I'm surprised to be doing this because I'm very against litigation generally. However, on this occasion, I not only feel strongly that it's necessary, I feel morally compelled to take action.

These people MUST be stopped. This medication must be either black-listed OR have it's potential side effects BOLDLY DISPLAYED on the packaging (just like cigarettes) because this medication can be a threat to people's lives (as we know if we read the testimonials on this site).

No more children should die, or suffer a severe and possibly permanent identity crisis in the name of MONEY. Not one more family should drown in misery at the hands of this medication without knowing why.

Imagine all the people who have put their poor children on psychiatric medication to counteract the side-effects of this drug unknowingly! If there are so many of us telling the same story on this site, imagine how many more are living the nightmare without a clue.

IF THERE ARE ENOUGH OF US INTERESTED IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE, I WILL TAKE THE ACTION NECESSARY TO RESEARCH A CLASS ACTION.

My daughter has asthma/allergies and takes Flonase, Flovent, and Albuterol as needed. Recently she started on Singulair, and she's been behaving horribly, saying mean things, yelling at us. And now she's started saying things like she wants to hurt herself, that she's stupid, that she doesn't like herself. Tonight I was giving her her dose of Singulair and my husband asked if maybe the medicine was causing her symptoms. I immediately wished I had not given her that dose, but it was too late. I came right to the computer and found this site. I'm so distressed reading about other people who are irritable and can't sleep, she hasn't been able to fall asleep easily the past several days, now I think I'm understanding why! I'm immediately stopping this medication. I just wish I knew how long it would take to get out of her system.

My daughter began taking Singulair at age 3. At that time her dose was 4mg. She seemed to do fine with this dose. She was always a pleasant, smart, well-behaved child. Shortly after she turned 6, her doctor increased her dose to 5 mg as recommended by the manufacturer. Within a short time she began having temper tantrums, becoming increasingly argumentative, not listening, saying things like no one likes her, increased sleep problems, and difficulty paying attention at school. I just found this web site and I am now convinced that it is the Singulair that has caused this. I plan to stop the medication and will let you know if she improves.

I got a blood clot that almost killed me if anyone wants to talk about it. It also double the size of a uterine fibroid tumor
This drug is used off label by ob /gyns and they are using it because one of the side effects is to cease or decrease your periods saying things like" it is great, you will love it" one thing they forget to say...it can kill you.

Well I have MPGN Type 1(type of nephrotic (kidney) syndrome) and I've been on 60mg of Prednisone since October 21st. I really hate this drug, but it seems to be working. I have all the side affects minus the eye problems (thank God) My hands cramp up, they are always shaking, and I can barely write properly. I have the moon face, I aslo have the weight gain, I get sad a lot, just because I have this rare disease, I have the acne, I have the knee pains, it hurts so bad I can't walk properly, I can't even sleep because of it. I've never been to the hospital in my life, but now I find myself in there atleast twice a week. Predisone is an amazing drug. To me I think it is a bad drug, But who knows, it might save my life. I have had the increase in appetite, but I'm trying to minimize how much I eat. It really sucks for me. I'm only 15, it's hard to go to school...I just want to stay home because I feel everyone notices how much I have changed! But I have a good support system, My family, always saying things will be alright. My doctors just decided to slowly wean me off the predisone, hopefully it doesn't affect how it is helping my kidneys. I wish you all get better, it is hard, but if I had to chose with the side affects and living my life and getting my health back, and between my kidneys failing and possilbly death. I think I would go with the side affects.

If anyone wants to talk I'm up for it, I could always use a friend, not everyone understands when you tell them your on steriods and thats why you look and act this certain way!

Best wishes to you all, Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Years, and always stay positive and keep your head up, yeah its hard, but you know try atleast ;)

I just started taking amibid today and I will stop taking it tonight. It has had very uncomfortable side effects on me. I have felt dizzy and very spacy. Also, it had some similar effects to a drug ectasy in as much as colors were vibrant, peoples' voices were very loud and seemed to come at me all at once. None of the other effects of ectasy like the feeling soooo happy but I did find myself thinking and saying things that you might say thinking things seemed very surreal at times and how much my friends meant to me. Some very strange things. Hopefully stopping it tonight won't be harmful but I just can't function like this.