Suicidal ideation symptoms and conditions

Has anyone been in contact with any doctors, hospitals, or researchers who are willing to recognize that Singulair targets a receptor CysLT1, with known genetic variations? As you know, I have been posting that I know of researchers who are doing work about how the genetic variations can determine the efficacy of Singulair. If genetic variations cause differences in efficacy, then, of course, these variations can also cause unpleasant to very serious side effects. These seems to be some kind of disconnect. How can the genetic component be recognized in the area of efficacy and ignored in the area of adverse drug reactions?

Researchers have been doing studies for many years regarding trying to determine the role of genetic factors in patients response to Singulair (Montelukast).

This study from Spain identified the following gene variations hypothesize to be related to leukotriene pathway response. Sixty one patients with asthma were studied. Three gene types were identified:

type 1. Thirty-two patients (52.5%) were homozygous for the five repeats allele;
type 2. 17 (27.9%) were heterozygous (4/5 repeats)
type 3. 12 (19.7%) were homozygous for 4/4 repeats.

The study showed that montelukast was effective for types 1 and 2 but not effective for type 3. Type 3 represented approximately 20% of the group study.

"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."

So it seems logical that if it can be identified that montelukast is not effective for certain gene type variations, then montelukast could cause adverse side effects in certain gene type variations.

It is interesting that 20% of this group does not respond positively to montelukast. That is the exact same number that even Merck says gets a headache from montelukast. Headache is the highest incidence of adverse side effects that has been reported. That comparison, however, is just a coincidence because it has not been studied and proven. Maybe.

Where are the studies that pertain to gene type variations and adverse side effects? You would think that somebody could do them.

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. ******

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

I was prescribed singulair for asthma 7 years ago in my late 30's. I experieinced mild side-effects first including vivid dreams/nightmares, insomnia mixd wiht bouts of over-sleeping for work, runny nose, etc.

Then I developed a series of kidney infections, increased irritability, lack of concentration and heart palpitations.

Depression set in, along with the obsession of shotting myself in the head, running away to far away places, and risk-taking behavior.

I became difficult to work with and left a good paying job/career and suffered increasing irrational teenage rebellious behavior that i chalked up to a mid life crisis, until the suicidal idealization and late night insomnia and cutting hateful things into my skin with razor blades set in.

Then I left another job and had no health care. In months my outlook improved and problem-solving reason returned. A year later, with new medical insurance, I renewed my prescription, only to find the bad thoughts and gloom returning.

Within weeks my doctor and pharmacist warned me about the suicidal side-effects of the drug.

Now that my life is a train wreck, who do I sue?

I cant imagine subjecting a child to this medication.

Please seek alternatives and protect your children.

Hi ladies! I started Yaz in June 08 after taking Ortho-Tricylcen-Lo for 6 years (It wasn't treating my cramps or mood swings anymore). The first month was bad. I had mood swings, breast tenderness, lower back pain, anxiety, weight loss, and no sex drive. I didn't attribute this to the pill, I associated it with a very, very emotional and difficult experience that was currently occurring in my life. By the second month, I put 2 and 2 together, and realized it was Yaz. I am a pharmacist, so I am well aware of the types, mechanisms, and incidence of these side effects. I knew that these side effects usually disappear with time after the body adjusts to a new/different form of progestin. By the third month, all of the side effects had subsided, except for the inability to gert aroused, which is very unusual for me! It wasn't so much the lack of interest, but the lack of physical arousal ("getting wet"). I almost got off the pill just because of that, but I decided to tough it out just to see what happens. By the fourth month everything is back to normal and I feel great. I lost a little weight, my breasts don't get swollen and tender during the third week (like a tricyclic pill), a don't have unusual mood swings, and my period is average in length and heaviness. It was a bumpy road, but that is to be expected when you mess with the body's natural balance. It takes time to recalibrate hormones, during which time you will not feel yourself! Weird stuff will happen! I think Yaz is a good drug and patients should stick with it for at least 5 months ( or at the digression of your physician of course), unless you experience a side effect that alerts you to a serious problem (severe leg cramps, difficulty breathing, or suicidal ideation). As for the fact of it being "new and unstudied", that's not completely true. Yasmin is a higher dose of the same drugs as Yaz and it has been around practically forever. This is an excellent forum, but don't be scared off or expect a cure-all from a low dose hormone. Good luck!

I am astounded that this study of old data is being used to reinforce the message that Singulair is not connected to depression / suicide. The study is disputed by the fact that those suffering from the life threatening and incurable "Mental Illness Side Effect" see a complete return to normalcy within 7-10 days off the drug.

My own personal story, like many others, was a complete and total nightmare for my family over many years. In short, I went from a 10 year successful career as an art director with tremendous responsibility at a top international arts museum, to 2 years of full-time disability unable to leave my home with crippling anxiety/panic/depression. I was very lucky to have a loving wife and supportive doctors intervene before I took my own life.

The last few years is a blur of toxiPharmacological hell. A frustrating long string of tests, medications and treatments were attempted without any success... much to the consternation of my care givers. Not one of the dozens of doctors that I saw raised any question about the 10mg of Singuliar they knew I was taking daily.

Financial ruin, forced me off medical insurance. So I stopped all the psychoactive medications and came full circle back to suicidal ideation with more determination. A few months later, in March of 08' I could no longer pay out of pocket for may asthma medication Singulair and was surprised to find the mental illness begin to lift. A few days later the stories broke on the wire that this drug was perhaps connected with the unfortunate suicide of Cody and other teens. A week or so later, I felt myself again after many lost years.

Merck may have quietly updated the patient info several times over that period, but they made no attempt (still haven't) to reach out to prescribing doctors and pharmacists to let them know about potential issues. It seems that Montelukast interacts differently in individuals, and while it may be beneficial for many folks it is criminally dangerous not to increase the awareness of the side effects.

My General Practitioner pointed out that the original Montelukast study was quite large as these things go, but considering that it is prescribed to millions of people it is truly an irresponsibly small fraction sampled over a short period of time. Adding insult is the fact that these studies are conducted by the very company that seeks to benefit from positive findings.

The ALA has done a terrible disservice to the people the ought to represent. Downplaying the verifiable risks of suicide by recycling old data is completely and totally heartbreaking. I am ashamed to say that since I've been off the drug, I have been so preoccupied with trying to rebuild my life that I haven't been as forthcoming an advocate for the issues associated with Singlair. Misbelieving that others would take up the charge of spreading awareness and information so that new patients and their families would at least know the risks and be ever watchful.

Since that no longer seems the case, I offer myself and my well documented medical experiences with this drug, to anyone trying to get the message out. The media will pounce on the ALA study, giving many families a false sense of security.

Be well.

Just an update about the class action suit discussed previously, and Aamaya had provided us with the Florida attorney, Justin Wikin: I got a letter in the mail yesterday stating that they would not be pursuing suit against them. They said that they deal mainly with wrongful death cases and it does not mean that the case does not have merit, just that it is not their specialty. I will be doing some research here locally in Ohio to see if I can locate a practice to pursue this. If anyone comes up with something, please let us all know.

Chris555, what's your motivation here? Why do you keep coming back to tell us that all drugs have side effects? We know that. As someone else commented, we're not a bunch of idiots.

A significant number of us have children who have had MAJOR problems on Singulair. And we are absolutely certain that Singulair caused our children's problems. It is very likely that there are large numbers of children out there who are being erroneously medicated for problems stemming from Singulair. There may be children suffering from depression or suicidal ideation. Posting our stories about our children might actually help someone else's children.

I'd love to know why you feel that you need to convince us that Singulair may not be the cause of our children's problems. What's the point, exactly? What do you have to lose if Singulair gets proper labeling so other families don't have to go through what we've all been through?

I read that many of you blame Singulair for your side effects when you are also taking multiple drugs. As a public service, I put together a list of side effects from some of the other drugs mentioned on this site. These are by no means all the side effects listed for each drug. The first group is from allergy medications people have mentioned.
Zyrtec & Zyzol -
suicidal ideation, suicide, aggressive reaction, anaphylaxis, cholestasis, convulsions, glomerulonephritis, hallucinations, hemolytic anemia, hepatitis, orofacial dyskinesia, severe hypotension, stillbirth, thrombocytopenia.
abnormal thinking, agitation, amnesia, anxiety, decreased libido, depersonalization, depression, emotional liability, euphoria, impaired concentration, insomnia, nervousness, paroniria, sleep disorder.
accidental injury, asthenia, back pain, chest pain, enlarged abdomen, face edema, fever, generalized edema, hot flashes, increased weight, leg edema, malaise, nasal polyp, pain, pallor, periorbital edema, peripheral edema, rigors.

Benadryl-
Sedation, sleepiness, dizziness, disturbed coordination, fatigue, confusion, restlessness, excitation, nervousness, tremor, irritability, insomnia, euphoria, paresthesia, blurred vision, diplopia, vertigo, tinnitus, acute labyrinthitis, neuritis, convulsions. Epigastric distress, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, Urinary frequency, difficult urination, urinary retention, early menses

Allegra -
insomnia, nervousness, sleep disorders or paroniria, and hypersensitivity reactions (including anaphylaxis, urticaria, angioedema, chest tightness, dyspnea, flushing, pruritus, and rash). Back Pain, Stomach discomfort, Pan in extremity, Headache, Vomiting, Somnolence/Fatigue, diarrhea,

Claritin -
Hypotension; hypertension; palpitations; tachycardia; syncope, Headache; somnolence; fatigue, nervousness; hyperkinesia; paresthesia; dizziness; migraine; tremor; vertigo; impaired concentration; depression; agitation; anxiety;

Unfortunately my lawyer told me that they do not want to take our case because of the lack of evidence that Singulair has caused our daughters problems. :(

Does anyone out there have a pending class action lawsuit that We may be able to get in on? I have tons of proof that Singulair has caused our daughters problems and loss of almost 5 years of her elementary school career!

My phone number is *** and my email is ****** if You email me please put "Singulair" in Your subject line so I know it pertains to this posting.

Thank You in advance,
Chuck & Brenda
Jamestown New York

My daughter, a happy, stable 13 year old had been taking Singulair for many years for her allergies. Last summer she suffered deep depression with symptoms including self-mutilation ans suicidal ideation. She had to be hospitalized and is now on anti-depressants and in outpatient treatment. I stopped her Singulair as soon as I read the stories at the end of March.

Previously posted 8 year old son w/ suicidal ideation and depression...I'm seeing comments about "inattentive." I've been saying my son is ADD for years....How many of you saw this possible side effect? Off of Singulair for 14 days now....behavior unbelievably improved.

1st post 4/3: 8 year old boy with suicidal ideation...now 7 days off Singulair. His teacher reported to me today that my son is not the same child that he was 5 days ago. She stated that she hasn't seen him this happy or enthusiastic since the beginning of the school year. This was UNSOLICITED.
I told her that I took him off of Singulair last weekend. Unbelievable. My husband and I are still in shock.

extreme hip/leg pain
chest tightness
shortness of breath
limb tingling
depression/anxiety/suicidal ideation

I am interested to learn more about the emotional or psychological side effects of prednisone. I have read or heard about the following: depression, anxiety, mood swings, hallucinations, moral or ethical misjudgment (e.g., proneness to disregard good judgment regarding alcohol, drug use, sexual behavior, etc.), suicidal ideation. Has anyone any anecdotal information regarding these side effects and at what dosage did they manifest themselves?

I am glad I found this web site. I stand with others who took lisinopril and had side effects. I did not realize they were related to the drug until the medication was stopped. I had chronic cough, GERD and depression with suicidal ideation. I had no reason to be depressed and knew something was very wrong. Fortunately my husband was supportive and arranged for care from another physician. All of these side effects subsided in 2 weeks after the drug was stopped.

I've just been through two weeks of inexorable synthetic-hormone hell (the surreptitious diuretic notwithstanding.)

Now, my life was no walk in the park prior to my two week consumption of Yasmin, but thanks to the extremely painful cystic acne break-out and yeast infection with subsequent smarting vulva, alongside exacerbation of my depression and increase in suicidal ideation/social phobia, plus vaginal spotting nearly everyday since my period stopped, I can safely claim all notions of the aforementioned 'park' (and any nearby verdure) have been concreted over with planning permission granted to a pharmaceutical drugs monopoly peddling this toxin to unsuspecting women.

I should have known something was awry when the pill's inaugural admittance to my body was met with a severe bout of vomiting and I have been feeling intermittently nauseous all throughout my course.

I truly believe just this short spell has marred my mental discernment and judgement, I'm sure my partner would concur also, the culmination of this shift in mood being my decision to split with him! I have been feeling so detached and downcast with ever-decreasing interest in sex, and this is some volte-face for a 23 year-old with a former intractable hankering for online pornographic password cracking!

Doctors should not be prescribing this symptomatological timebomb as a 'safe', 'symptom-free', 'good fit' to swathes of the female population undeserving of their first ever panic attack, or to put a slightly less reactionary spin on it: their first ever foray into the searing world of vaginal thrush with an irascible helping of labial discomfort.

When I awoke two days ago with a shooting pain in my buttock, I realised I'd reached the point of no-return! My oestrogen/progesterone limen was reached and I hastily discontinued use. I'm not even sure if the buttock was just waging a sublimated protest or if it's also a pandemic side-effect but when one's gluteus maximus undergoes a paraleptic surge you know it's time to abjure this hormonal cartel.

I must also add, in common with many people who've written here my breasts are also extremely tender and sizeable.

I have promptly stopped taking Yasmin and would implore others to do the same before things escalate. It is regrettable that so many women ply their bodies with these pharmaceutical drugs on a long-term basis solely for the purpose of contraception. I don't think it is a healthy lifestyle choice not least because when you loose your own physical homeostasis and sex drive, vicariously subjecting your body to an unnatural regulatory system it is not a good situation for any relationship. Therefore, the very modus operandi of the pill becomes obsolete anyway.