My 13 yr old daughter was put on Singulair along with Asmanex and...

It is stories like yours that really highlight the immediate need to get the word out about these dangerous side effects. I hope you will file a report to the FDA and have your daughter's doctor do so as well. I'm very glad you were able to identify Singulair as the culprit in time to save your daughter. I'm so sorry that she suffered like that. My son developed a severe anxiety disorder that changed his personality and took all the joy and happiness out of him. I stopped Singulair 15 months ago and he is like a new boy- thank God.

I hope that the asmanex will work for her. I have been on singulair and asmanex for about 2 years. I took myself and my 2 boys off and I continued the asmanex. I felt a little tight in my chest at first and thought I would not be able to stop the singuair. I used my albuterol for a few days to get me through and now I feel good. There are other inhaled steroids she could use if she ends up needing better asthma control. My sons were both very angry and my 8 year old had suicidal ideations over the smallest things. I am so glad your daughter is ok. My boys and I all feel better without the singulair. I did not realize what it was doing to me but when I stopped it I was much more laid back and felt like my old self. Be sure and file a report with the FDA about your daughter. Every story counts-we need to get this drug off of the market! Thanks for sharing your story.

I post under 58peppy. My daughter started taking singulair 11-17-03 and I stopped it 3-28-08. She went from a loving 12 year old with good grades to a depressed, withdrawn, dark young woman who was cutting her legs with razors, going to the emergency room with severe headaches, stomachaches, and anxiety attacks. Her Psychiatrist put her on Fluoxetine which did not help. She has been off for one month now and is eatting dinner with the family, sitting by me sometimes, smiles sometimes, I am hoping she will contunine to improve. You are in my thoughts. Sue

I'm very sorry about your daughter How Scary!! my story is also posted a few pages back I have no doubt my 11 yr old son would of tried to hurt himself or someone else if he would of stayed on it, I'm so glad u figured out what it was right away so many on here didnt know for yrs Like me b/c of other dx's or other meds at the same time
Glad she is ok Please file that complaint ASAP
(((((hugs)))))

I am so sorry what you went through with your daughter! My son has been on this HORRIBLE medication for years and this year started with all the anxiety and suicidal statements. His level of anxiety was so high and then is now being treated w/ an anti-depressant(which we are weaning him off of) We took him off the singulair 3/28 and he smiles more and does not seem so uptight and paranoid. I truly believe that Singulair ruined his life for years. I am so glad that you have a happy ending to your daughters stories. There are other stories that do not. I told our allergist about certain symptoms/behaviors for years, but the Drs did not know---they too thought it was a "safe Drug" I reported my story to the FDA medwatch. You should do the same. It makes me sick when I still see the commercials for Singulair and how they state'Side effects are mild' Makes me sick. Merck is still bringing in megga bucks off that drug. I think they made something like 4.5 billion in 2007. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY, not peoples lives!!! Take care !!

The very best proof of adverse side effects comes from the doctor who reports to the FDA. Those reports are first priority because the FDA assumes that the doctor has the correct information. Reports from patients have less credibility. I truly hope that doctors will start reporting these side effects.

I HAVE A 12 YEAR OLD SON WITH ASTHMA AND HAVE TRIED ASTHMANEX, ADVAIR AND SINGULAR. AT DIFFRENT TIMES DOE YOUR CHILD HAVE ALOT OF STOMACHE PROBLEMS LIKE GAS AND WEIGHT GAIN

Mast cells, when activated (usually by an allergen--pollen etc.) release preformed mediators--histamine chief among them. Anti histamines (Zyrtec. Claritin etc) block the histamine receptor in the body to decrease the nasty effects of the histamine. Mast cells also release leukotrienes which contribute to the symptoms of allergy. Leukotriene Modifiers (like Singulair) block the Leukotriene receptor in the nose and lungs to decrease the nasty effects from leukotrienes.
When exploring the possible side effects of any one medication a patient may be taking, it would be prudent to look at the possible side effects of all the medications that patient may be taking. Did you know that both Zyrtec, and Clarinex list psychological disorders including 'suicidal thinking' as possible side effects? Not to mention mood swings and aggressive behavior. As for the Inhaled steroids (another effective and relatively safe asthma/allergy tx) possible side effects include glaucoma, growth suppression, depression, agression, irritability, anxiety and psychosis.
With all of these drugs thes adverse incidents are minute, and a causal relationship has not been established. The vast majority of patients enjoy improved health and quality of life.
When it comes to asthma, pateints are much more at risk from the adverse effects of untreated asthma (over 4000 people a year die from asthma in the US) than the possible side effects of taking the medication.

Nice pro-pharma argument you've enlightened us with #7663. My daughter was on Singulair only - no other meds. And it was Singulair only that CAUSED her many "side effects" which the doctors (with their dangerously limited and pharma-fed) knowledge said could NOT be from that drug. Luckily, many doctors are no longer certain. In our case, and in many people's cases, Singulair CAUSED the symptoms. Do you have information about Singulair's effect on the brain, or just about the obvious, Merck-stated, effect on the "nose and lungs"?

The Singulair leukotriene receptor cstLT1 exists in the following known locations as proven by research:

lungs including airway
brain
spleen
intestinal mucosa

maybe:

the vasculature
heart

The marketing information just targets the airways. That's all that Merck wants us to know about so that it's easier to sell us this drug.

Mast cells have pattern recognition receptors that are involved in regulating the activities of the mast cell. So what happens if one receptor is blocked? It could be something like what happens if one traffic light is broken in a city traffic system.

Im so sorry for all your daughter has had to endure! There is a support board created for members here if you would like to join it is
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Singulair_side_effects_friends/

Joe,

There is a whole lot more going on concerning the immune system that Merck is not disclosing. It seems that only the Europeans are interesting in knowing how Singulair really effects the entire body. Blocking leukotrienes can be very helpful to some people who have types of unusual inflammatory response. We can see from these messages that Singulair is being prescribed to children and adults for reasons other than extreme inflammatory response. And, the doctors are not informing about how Singulair works and what the risks of taking Singulair will be.

This Italian study just shows that as of 2004, 5 years after Singulair was being used on humans, researchers did not know how it worked. Singulair changes t-cell patterns--how they act, and when they die, whether they will be replaced. If a patient is normal, this is not good.

Biological effects of montelukast, a cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor-antagonist, on T lymphocytes.Spinozzi F, Russano AM, Piattoni S, Agea E, Bistoni O, de Benedictis D, de Benedictis FM.
Laboratory of Experimental Immunology and Allergy, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, I-06122 Perugia, Italy. spinozzi@unipg.it

BACKGROUND: Montelukast (MNT), a cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor (Cys-LTR) antagonist, has anti-inflammatory activity in the treatment of allergic diseases. If this effect is due only to blocking leukotrienes or also owing to inhibiting proliferation and survival of inflammatory cells, is actually unknown. OBJECTIVE: Testing the hypothesis that MNT could influence T lymphocyte functional behaviour in vitro. METHODS: Normal T lymphocytes were analysed for surface expression of Cys-LTR(1) and Cys-LTR(2) by means of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), in the resting state and after activation with T helper type 2 cytokine or T cell receptor (TcR) stimulation. Proliferative activity, as well as IL-4 andIFN-gamma production, were simultaneously determined in samples exposed to molar concentrations of MNT from 10(-8) to 10(-5). Programmed cell death in cultured samples was evaluated by means of propidium iodide and fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-Annexin V mAb staining. The complementary DNA microarray technique was adopted to identify gene products involved in apoptosis induction. RESULTS: Resting T cells expressed low levels of Cys-LTR. Upon anti-CD3 mAb activation, a progressive increase in Cys-LTR(1) and -LTR(2) expression was observed. Exposure to MNT reduced proliferative response to TcR engagement, increased IFN-gamma production and led to apoptosis at minimal concentrations of 10(-6) M. A progressive loss in BAD and B cell lymphoma/leukaemia-2 activities, and an increase in the expression of CD27, TRAF3, TRAIL, p53 and Fas genes were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Biological effects of MNT delineate a complex picture of gene activation and repression, probably induced by Cys-LTR blockade. The induction of apoptosis in allergen-specific T cell population, as a final result, appears fundamental in the treatment of asthma.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15663562