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My daughter is a 4 year old child started on Singulair after she ...

Posted at 9: 2 PM on Jun 27, 2009 by wittynursentn, #42618
My daughter is a 4 year old child started on Singulair after she was unable to tolerate Zyrtec. For the first few days her allergies seemed better and we were encouraged by her improved allergy symptoms (allergies to poplar trees, grass, and lambs weed manifest as headaches, itching (usually of the extremities), and stomach aches). However, after 2 days her behavior became increasingly erratic. She was emotional, tantrum prone, irritable, anxious, and had difficulty sleeping although she appeared and said she was exhausted/tired. After several weeks on Singulair, we stopped the medication to determine if it was causing the behavioral and sleep problems. The symptoms stopped after discontinuing Singulair and she went back to her usual happy, well behaved self. After being off of it for several weeks we decided to try it again due to her allergies flaring up and wanting to be sure it was the Singulair causing the behavioral problems (because for all of its negatives, the greatest positive about Singulair is that it definitely helps her allergy symptoms). Unfortunately, the irritability, anxiousness, tiredness, tantrums and insomnia returned. We tried giving it to her at different times during the day but the symptoms were still present (although she slept a little better when we gave it to her in the morning). We also tried cutting the dose in half and giving it to her around noon. Decreasing the dose did help with the symptoms to some degree, but they were still bad enough to outweigh the benefits of taking the drug. As a nurse, I love Singulair for the relief it provides allergy sufferers...unfortunately for my daughter, the side effects outweigh the benefits. Given the rates of ADD, ADHD, and other behavioral problems diagnosed in children nowadays, I thought it pertinent to report these symptoms present in my daughter that are solely caused taking this medication.
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Reply 4 months ago on Jun 28, 2009 by zsmom, #21008

Please join us at www.parentsforsafety.org and help raise awareness of Singulair's side effects.

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Reply 4 months ago on Jul 17, 2009 by txcheme, #21620

What was her reaction to Zyrtec that she wasn't able to tolerate it? We found earlier this year that our then 12 month old son could not take it as it made him extremely irritable. Now we have found that Singulair makes him very aggressive.

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Reply 4 months ago on Jul 17, 2009 by wittynursentn, #21627

Zyrtec made her irritable, cranky, and sometimes hyper. We tried it at different times during the day as well as cutting the dose in half with little change. Although the side effects may sound similar to what she experienced with Singulair, I can say with certainty that the adverse behavioral effects associated with Singulair went far deeper than those experienced with Zyrtec. With Zyrtec, it seemed that her central nervous system had been hyper-stimulated, almost like drinking too much caffeine. With Singulair, it was as if her brain chemicals were being affected...it's hard to explain but those parents who've experienced it will know what I mean. I wish you the best and hope your son finds symptom and side effect free allergy relief.

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Reply 4 months ago on Jul 17, 2009 by massmomof3, #21632

Please report your daughter's symptoms to the FDA. As a nurse, your feedback is especially valuable. Please consider joining Parents For Safety (see website above). There is still a lot of misinformation out there about these side effects. Many doctors are dismissive and parents can be
intimidated. We need to keep getting the word out to ensure that children (and adults) are not suffering.

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Reply 4 months ago on Jul 17, 2009 by wittynursentn, #21633

I have reported her symptoms to the FDA and completed a Medwatch adverse events reporting form. I will check out Parents For Safety's web site. Thank you for the recommendation and your concern.

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