Singulair and allergy

I'm an adult, female, allergy patient. I have been prescribed Singulair 10 mg. over the last 10 yrs but noticed when I tried to take it my arthritis worsened so I never took it for more than a couple of days. I gave up trying to take it but recently my ENT suggested I give it another try. I took 1 10 mg once daily for 1 week & stomach pain began w/ persistent diarrhea on day 5. My main reason was to control swelling in my sinuses that result in headaches. My headaches disappeared on Singulair but I was not going to live w/ the diarrhea. Disappointing, I also developed a rash after 7 days so now I can add that to my list of meds I'm allergic to. Oh well....

Has anyone come off of Singulair and had their anxiety improve? I have been taking it on/off for 4 years. No problems. 3 weeks ago I was prescribed Patanase, Xyzal, and Alvesco for allergy/exercise induced asthma. I now constantly feel anxious all the time. Very jumpy, heart races, almost like too much adrenaline. I really don't want to take Singulair anymore after reading the posts but would like to hear of someone that it helped by not taking it. Anyone?

I am 50, post menopausal, with COPD, asthma...really lousy lungs. Have been on Singulair for a long time. But I have been experiencing bouts of severe depression, sweats, anxiety and very nasty, right-sided stomach pain, terrible sleep patterns (repeated waking at night), headaches, fatigue, problems with congition and focus, and just plain miserableness. Lots of tests...blah, blah, blah. However, missed a few doses of Singulair and stomach pain went away... depression got somewhat better... sleep improved. However, asthma is still pretty bad. Best drug I've found for that is Spiriva... in the morning, not at night (bad for sleep too). Don't know what to take to replace the singulair for the allergy-related asthma symptoms. Any suggestions? I have inhalers out the wazoo, but have been experiencing very bad asthma attacks lately. Thinking of just switching to weekly allergy shots...even tho I know it will take months for that to help. But have decided Singulair is not worth the side effects.

I started taking singulair about 10 days ago, because apparently i have an allergy on my throat, and i have never been asthmatic, but at the fourth day taking it, when i was doing strength training, I started experiencing shortness of breath, and i have never felt that before, I intermediately thought it was the singulair, and after talking with my doctor she said to stop taking it, but now about a week has passed and I still feel AWFUL! anxious, paranoid, depressed, not sleeping well, not hungry, bad memory and concentration, terrible bowel, a feeling im about to get a seizure any moment, a pressure in my chest, like i would prefer to die than to continue living this nightmare! Does anyone please knows if this thing is going to wear off anytime soon? Im desperate....

I have a 15-yr old. She's been taking singulair since she was 7. These are a few of the things that I have noticed over the last year but ignored because I too, as many of you have, thought it was because she a teenager.

1. Stomachache .. she complained all the time. Thought it was nerves because it was usually before she went to a training session or game.
2. Restlessness.
3. Headaches.
4. Moodiness.
5. Tired. Fatigue. Weak. Even after she gets hours and hours of sleep. Figured it was because her schedule is whacked. We've had fights over her not going to bed at a certain time.
6. Menstrual cycle changed last fall followed by acne when as before she was perfectly normal with clear skin. Recently put her on BC because of her hormonal change. Blood tests showed she was normal. We tried it anyway to regulate her periods. Took her off of it after she had her period for 3 weeks straight. Probably won't put her back on BC since taking Singulair might be the problem.
7. Tired all the time. Falls asleep in class.
8. Lost interest in her favorite sport which she rocks at. Thought it was because of a 2-month down time due to an injury.
9. Several times, have seen signs of depression but when confronted she says no she's fine. Depression is probably from being unhappy with her appearance. Being on the pill made this worse.
10. Doesn't want to go to school. Whereas before not a big deal. Most kids don't like school, but lately, she talks about how much she hates it. Usually excited to start the new school year, this year not so much, more like dreading it and her attitude hasn't change about it.
11. We argued last week and it was the first time she screamed at me and told me she hated me. She's never done this before. Her thoughts and moods have been horrible but they come in spurts.

After reading everyone's experiences, I am taking her off Singulair. I know it's not an overnight cure and will take some time, but I just want my little girl back. I find it strange that this all occurred within the last year even though she's been taking Singulair since 7. Do you suppose it's in teenagers and puberty?

I am 44 years old and have been taking singulair for about 4 years. 3 months ago I started experiencing crushing chest pain, tingling in my lower limbs, and felt very stressed out. I went to the ER last Thursday and was checked out for angina - the ER doctor told me I was suffering from chronic severe anxiety. I took Ativan for 4 days and felt better, but now the drigs are gone and I again having constant chest pain. In doing some research I found that anxiety can be caused by imbalance in adrenaline, and so started looking online to see if any of the allergy/asthma meds I am taking (adviar, singulair, allegra) can affect adrenaline. That';s when I found this website. Although i find the testimony compelling, I wish more folks would have poted about how their symptoms improved (or didn't) AFTER discontinuing singulair. Also I've noticed many of the stories are about children not adults; many people are taking more than one med for asthma, and most people's symptoms seem to come on right away whereas I have been taking sinulair for years and only recently have anxiety. I will stop singulair tonight and see what happens, but am wondering if anyone has come across further research that correlates singiulair with anxiety? My job life is really peaceful, I am otherwise happy, work can get hectic but that's true of any job, and I am out of ideas as to why suddenly at age 44, when I eat right and exercise - why get anxiety? Thanks for the posts, I'll try to remember to follow up after I am off Singulair for a few weeks.

My allergies caused nearly constant painful sinus pressure, drippy nose (I should have bought stock in Kleenex to profit from my box-a-day use), asthma, getting gradually worse all the time--it was as though I'd had the flu for 10 years (I'm 54). I was taking Claritin in the morning and Zyrtec at night, which only toned down the most severe symptoms. I was on Prilosec as well, as one doctor though acid-reflux might exacerbate the asthma. My family and I are avid hikers, but I haven't been able to breathe well enough to join them for years, even with daily Ventolin and Flovent. I've only been taking Singulair for two weeks, but it has made all the difference. I feel "normal" instead of sick for the first time in a long time. So, for me, it does work. But my stomach's been killing me--like a bleeding ulcer (which I had 25 years ago). I'm hoping that will subside or going back on Prilosec (expensive!) will counteract it. I've also had the weirdest dreams--very vivid and disturbing. Because I did research online before taking Singulair (Doctor uttered not one syllable about side effects), I recognize the dreams are from the Singulair. Because I understand what is causing them, I can easily set them aside when I wake up. I think anyone who's had mental or emotion problems could be sent over the edge by the dreams unless they had a clear understanding and acceptance that the allergy drug caused them. I would be easy to think something was wrong with you to dream such bizarre, violent stuff. (I'd give examples, but I've truly trained myself to forget all about the dreams as soon as I wake us, so I don't remember the dream events now.) I'm quite concerned about children taking this drug. Maybe not everyone has this disturbing-dream side effect, but how could you explain them away to a four-year old? How would you even know if a younger child was having them? Even children old enough to comprehend shouldn't be subjected to horrific mental images, like the 16 year old above. A tip for people who Singulair helps, but they have the weird dreams--try Melatonin (over-the-counter supplement) at bedtime. I've used it to help me sleep in the past when life events kept my mind too active to sleep for several days at a time. Unlike sleeping pills, it doesn't make your tired the next day, you can wake up easily, and it's not habit-forming--it just lets you drift off on days you otherwise can't. Since I'm concerned about the long-term effects of anything taken frequently, I don't take Melatonin very often, but I did try it after the fourth day of Singulair dreams. I had no memory of weird dreams when I woke up, so it seemed to work, and I didn't remember dreaming the next night either. I only tried it that one day because, as I said, I've trained myself to not be bothered by the dreams.

Hi, I was on Singulair for two years and I had one additional side effect that I've not seen anyone else mention: allergy-like reactions to antibiotics. Prior to taking Singulair I had a bad reaction to only one antibiotic, doxycycline. I had elevated heart rate and blood pressure and ended up with what I was told is called intracranial hypertension or high blood pressure in the head which is the worst and most severe headache I've ever experienced.

While I was on Singulair I had the same reaction to every antibiotic that I was prescribed and they were all antibiotics that I had taken in the past without any problem. I stopped taking Singulair about a month ago and was able to take an antibiotic again without any problem. Every medical professional I've talked with about it said it was news to them and they've never heard of such a side effect.

This was, of course, in addition to many of the other mental and emotional side effects that other people have posted about: severe anxiety, suicidal thoughts, depression, inability to think coherently. The worst was just before periods. I figured it was wacky hormones after having my son but my periods since stopping stopping Singlulair have been WORLDS different. The first was within a few days of stopping and I had really heavy flow with lots of clots. (I know, TMI... sorry!) The most recent period came with mild PMS instead of the mental near-incapacitation accompanied by paralyzing anxiety and depression that I had been experiencing the past two years and the period has been relatively mild and manageable.

One more side effect I want to mention is intestinal cramping. I have been having increasingly frequent intestinal cramping and pain over the past year and had no idea what was causing it. I missed work and spent long periods of time in the bathroom expecting diarrhea that rarely came. Since stopping Singulair that has stopped as well.

All I can say is that Singulair was clearly not the drug for me. My entire life has been improved in just 3 - 4 weeks since I stopped taking Singulair. That's good considering my entire life was turned upside down over two years of taking it... at least the improvement has been faster than the degradation. Now if I can just get my asthma under control again (no, Singulair did not manage the asthma well to top it all off) I'll be doing beautifully!

I am 40 years old and recently went to my medical facility as I have had a "viral" ear infection for almost a year now, and it is concerning me. I do not take medication typically. My new primary care provider recommended I try Singulair. So far I have taken three doses over three nights. The first night was horrifying, the dreams I had were so scary, and they were tied into reality which was even stranger as the drug also makes you wake up often, then when you fall back asleep your awake time ties into your dreams. I woke up in a numb state. Since then, I also have been extremely agitated, dizzy, mouth sores, acne, fuzzy thinking, light headed and severe fatigue and body aches. Thank goodness I checked out this webpage, as I too will stop taking this drug. I find it very disappointing, how are we suppose to be able to trust our medical professionals to help us with one of our most prized possessions, our bodies, when we are given something to clear up an ear infection only to have it affect numerous other aspects of our lives to such a serious degree with no mention from our medical professionals. This is ridiculous. I guess I'll live with the viral ear infection.......

My son and daughter have taken Singulair off and on several times now. My son is on it again because his allergies are acting up because of volcanic fog (vog). Neither of my children have experienced any noticeable side effects from this drug. My daughter, in fact, had no reaction since Singulair doesn't work on all people. I think the fact their pediatrician only placed them on this drug when they needed it and monitored it closely (1 month at a time) may be why they never had any side effects. My son has never been on it for longer than 3 months at a time. My son has done well on this drug and it has amazed me how well it works on his allergies and wheezing.

Just because some people have bad reactions doesn't mean the drug needs to be pulled from the market. I certainly don't doubt that people have had bad side effects from this medication though. I am very sensitive to all kinds of medications, even natural herbs and medications that have been around for longer than I have been alive. By just giving me a higher dose of something, I can get numerous side effects like dizziness, mood swings, nausea, stomach problems, and one drug, Ambien, even damaged my sense of smell. My doctors are always giving me the lowest possible doses of medications, and sometimes I am given half of the lowest possible dose. Why? Because I have a sensitive system, and this may be the case with your children or with your own experience. As with any medication, you have to weigh the risks and benefits. Singulair has made a positive difference in my son's life and as long as he is only on it for short periods of times (usually during allergy and/or cold season), I will continue to let him take it.

My daughter, who is eleven, now, was on singulair for about 5 years. She has been having a number of problems for a while now, but we never thought about it being the singulair until recently. She was having anxiety problems, tremors, being very argumentative, irritable, angry, depressed, pulling her hair out, (trichotillomania). I started doing research on her meds. (Zyrtec & Singulair) and was shocked to find so many other people were having these same symptoms, including several with the hair pulling. I took her to her allergy doctor and just told him I wanted to change her meds. and that I didn't care if they say these are "not" side effects. It was worth trying to see if things would get better. Well, she has been off the Singulair for about a month and half, and I am happy to report her hair is growing back, and she says she feels happy again. It breaks my heart to know that medicine that we had been giving her for so long was doing this to her. I also have decided a few days ago to take her off the Zyrtec after reading a lot of the same symptoms for it on this website.

April I started Singulair last Thursday night and felt tired and depressed
29th on Friday but thought it was something going on in my life. On
2009 Saturday, I had severe, throbbing headaches all day but took the
Singulair for the third night. Sunday, I again had throbbing head- aches so looked up this web site and thought, "Aha!" I stopped
the medicine but had dull headaches on Monday and felt tired. On
Tuesday, I woke up and had trouble breathing. I went to the doctor
who ended up putting me on a nebulizer, giving me a shot of
steroids and prescribing an inhaler that I'm to use 3 times a day as
needed until the Singular is out of my system. I was only put on
the Singular in the first place because my doctor thought my
hoarseness might be from an allergy. What a nightmare!
I also suffered from apprehensiveness, and also
sleeplessness, and a fever. Never again!

My doctor prescribed Singulair for my allergies and asthma last month. Immediately I began to have headaches from it - not terrible, but just there. After about 3 weeks on it, I began to have ringing in the ears also. Again, not bad, but just there. I decided to stop the Singulair (even though it was the first thing that really worked for me) on a Thursday night and the next morning I woke up with a horrible really loud noise in my left ear like a piece of heavy equipment and dizziness! I went to urgent care that Sunday and they put me on a round of prednisone - didn't work at all. I went back to my allergy doctor and she is VERY concerned, as I have "significant hearing loss" in my left ear. She referred me to a different doctor where I have to go today for a procedure to have my eardrum slit open and steroids injected behind it. I am beyond upset. This is ridiculous!

(I'm a 40yo male 140lbs and I take no other meds.) I've been taking singulair for an allergy for a couple months and suddenly started having strange dreams and nightmares. For me this was so unusual that I immediately suspected the new medication might have something to do with it. I entered 'Singulair and nightmares' into google and found myself here.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll stop taking it and see what happens.

I'm 43. Started taking Singular about 10 years ago. I think that's when it came out. Over time, I've developed panic attacks, mild depression, mood swings, panic disorder, muscle twitches and cramps, and agoraphobia. I finally slowly took myself off of all medications after doing The Allergy and Asthma Cure - a great book and it helps tremendously!

After being off of the Singular, my symptoms listed started going away. i stay have agoraphobia because that's a learned issue from fear of having a panic attack. All doctors and pharmacists say there's no link. I know lots of adults who have gone through this only to get put on Xanax and antidepressants. Try to go as natural as you can. All of these meds have fried my body. Diet is huge to! I've substituted goat's milk for cow, Try it!

My son is 11 years old. He has been on Singulair for about six years. Ihave taken him to see a psychologist twice because of his terrible mood swings. He was diagnosed with depression last year. I am very concerned about this drug now. He has also suffered from migraines for two years. I also pulled him out of school and started homeschooling him because of the stress of school was causing three migraines a month. I also have a 19 year old boy who is not on singulair now. He took it for 8 years and was diagnosed with ADHD. He also went through depression as a child. I am making a appointment for my son to go back to his allergy doc tomorrow. Also I am not blaming my sons illness on singulair, but I am terrible concerned that it could have harmed my sons.

I'm so happy that I decided to research this drug. My son, who will be 2 on 1/22/09 was prescribed Singulair today. He has been coughing/wheezing, etc since we moved to a different state, 6 months ago. We have tried all kinds of OTC drugs and nothing would work. We finally brought him to the Dr. today and he says he has allergies (which we kinda knew already). I was happy that the Dr. prescribed something that we could not get OTC..to me, that meant that it was going to be better. I went to pick up the prescription and the pharmacist tried to talk me into a different kind of allergy med for my son. I told her that I wanted to stick with the Singulair, since that is what the Dr. prescribed. She told me, in no uncertain terms, to research this drug! She kept asking, "He's only 2, right?" He's only 2, right?" Her behavior was strange, I thought....it turns out that she was my angel today. I gave my son 1 dosage tonight before bed and he WILL NOT get another. Thank you! On Monday, my first order of business is to go back to the pharmacy and thank my angel....

My 3 year old daughter was put on Singulair for her asthma and supposed allergies. I did not notice any behavior issues, but when I read the very very fine print saying that it could cause stunted growth AND had had no clinical trials in children, I took her off. I have cured her asthma with herbal supplements (a combo that fights bronchial inflammation ans desensitizes the liver to minimize/eliminate allergic reactions - from GAIA labs, look up asthma/bronchitis / allergy). She is now 11 and has not needed any treatment of any kind for at least 6 years now.

My 7-1/2-year-old son was on Singulair for 5 months for asthma and possible allergies. He had been on medication for ADHD for almost a year at that point and had been doing well with it. Singulair made him into a monster. He could not be reasoned with and was constantly overreacting to everything. Just asking him to put on his shoes caused explosive reactions, even to the point of threatening us (his parents) with bodily harm if he did not get his way. We unexpectedly stayed the night out of town and did not give him his Singulair for a few days and started noticing that he was much more rational, calm, and more like his old self. I had heard of the depression risk with Singulair and googled about it this morning and was floored by the amount of children with these type reactions. It is now listed as an allergy for my son and I will never give it to him again.

My 3 year old is on 5mg of singular daily for her constant allergy issues and has had NO trouble at all with it. Her personality has not changed.. she's happy, outgoing, friendly and MUCH better than she was before she started the medication. Prior to starting she was constantly dripping from her nose, she had both ears filled with fluid, had bags under her eyes and was tired and grumpy all the time, due to allergies we could not get under control with other over the counter or prescription meds. Since being on Singulair she's been 100% better than she was. I'm sad to hear that others are having so much trouble with it, but I can say that I am happy my little girl is feeling better.

On the fda;s cder web site is a calender of meetings,there is also a calender for tentative meetings,tentively scheduled on dec 10 and 11 is a meeting of asthma allergy,risk management and drug safety,we know they hired public relations so we wonder if maybe they will be there,as this investigation comes to an end,i wonder is there more we could have done,i don't think so,i am perturbed that we were not contacted after we filed our reports,as i wonder how they will get the rest of the story.It is my understanding that these meetings are open to the public,unless otherwise specified,there is no specification on this one yet,i hope if any one is in the Dc area and they have a chance to go they will tell us what is said.I hope they look into the chances of some having maybe perm issues and give us guidance,they have been silent for so long as we have battled this in the dark.If by scheduling this meeting the investigation is over and they have a conclusion and our not going public yet ,well shame on them,if there is one thing we are disparate for is information as to what to do next,heres hoping every one,keep fighting

Singular has been recommended to my 3 1/2 year old son. I didn't feel good about it, so I declined and decided to look up possible side effects. Wow! I will NOT be giving it to him!
I have always been cautious on giving him antihistamines because prior bad side effects (which I never heard anyone else complain about).
When he was a few months old, he had cold like symptoms (runny nose, congestion, etc.) and was really suffering. I gave him the over-counter Pediacare and he could breathe better but he became something out of a horror film. He screamed constantly for over 48 hours and did NOT sleep a wink! Like a "crack baby" or something. (I assure you I am not exaggerating). I too became sleep deprived and crazed by his constant screaming, it took me some time to realize it was the meds. When I quit giving it to him, he became normal again. I decided I had to deal with the symptoms and not give him meds.
A year later, different medicine, I tried again. Same results.
When he was 2 1/2 we took a road trip from KY to KS. I thought I would try Benedryl, he had 2 older syblings that it benefited. NOT for him. He became "crazy" and screamed to the top of his lungs for the entire 12 hour drive. I vowed never again (for him or his family).
I have had success with Claritin in less than normal dosing. With no side effects. I have been assured, however, that Singular would work better for the symptoms. No thanks.
I feel really bad everyone this has effected negatively. I understand the side effects first hand.
I too have heard of the "antihistamine blocker" but don't know if it works.
I plan on trying a "nettie pot" (natural alternative) and have heard great allergy success stories. You can get them for about $5 at Walmart.
Hang in there parents! Do what you have to do for your child. Trust your instinks even over the Peditrician. I love Docs but YOU know your child. :)

My son requires two forms of medications to stop the running nose, singulair and pediox. The two together were a very good combination and it did work. By eliminating the signulair on Oct. 6th, his nose is already running and he is coughing. We have tried Zyrtek and a few others I can't even remember, but none work as well. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I will be calling his pediatrician for other suggestions, but I know she will be against us taking him off of the singulair, especially since he has had pneumonia in the past.

Wow- this floors me. My daughter is 20 now- we had her on Singulair for years for her asthma. She suffered from horrible leg pain, but she was a 4-sport varsity athlete and we attributed the pain to over training.

Her first year at college she started suffering from severe depression and lost a lot- I mean a LOT of weight. She went about a year and a half with no period due to low body weight. We wanted to check her into an inpatient treatment center for eating disorders but couldn't because she was over 18 and didn't want to go.

In June we sent her to a new allergy doc who retested her and switched her from Singulair to Symbicort as the Singulair was not managing the asthma well. It was like we flipped a switch- she stopped having vision problems, stomach pain, and insomnia almost overnight. She has gained back at least 10 pounds and is looking like her old self again.

I'm so glad we stopped the Singulair, even though it was accidental. A year ago, we thought we might lose our bright and beautiful daughter. We had no idea it could be as simple as the asthma med. I'm telling everyone I know about possible side effects of Singulair.

I have been on Singulair for about one month and am experiencing extremely painful cramps/charlie horses in my legs. I am taking Singulair for adult onset asthma. Have a horrid cough, been told over the past 20 years, yes, 20 years, it is caused by allergies but no medication stops the coughing. Then they figured it had to be caused by acid reflux. So prilosec is prescribed. Still have the cough. Now this specialist deems it to be adult onset asthma. The Singulair does not stop the coughing - so what is next? Major leg cramps/charlie horses.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with this medication. My 4 (almost 5) yo has been on Singulair for almost 2 years now for allergies. I've noticed over the past few months a slow change in his behavior/attitude, not positive changes. He's become an aggressive, angry child that can be set off in a split second over nothing. He's also getting worse with not wanting to go into other parts of our home alone. He won't even walk down a short hall to go to the bathroom alone - is afraid of I don't know what. Lately, he's also been obviously having bad dreams because he kicks and yells in his sleep. I've just chalked all of this up to his age. While taking a walk yesterday I ran into a neighbor that was telling me the doctors want to put her son on Singulair but because of the possible hyperactivity and other side effects she won't do it. I came home and found this site along with others describing similar side effects as my sons. As of last night, we took him off of Singulair. I'm curious to see if this is the problem. I'll keep you posted.

I am happy I found this website to express my concerns about singulair. My husband and I are still shellshocked about how singulair turned our lives upside down. My son was on singulair for 5 years. During that time he had extreme anxiety, nightmares, stomach aches, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, difficulty in school, aggressive behavior. We were at our wits end when we sought therapy at an anxiety clinic a year ago. He never went on any antidepressants or anti anxiety pills, just behavioral therapy. He went to therapy for approximately 5 months once a week. At the time he started therapy, I happened to switch doctors for his asthma due to an asthma flare up. He went to a pulmonology specialist at CHOP. He was taken off of singulair and put on other inhaler medications. Slowly, we began to see improvement in his behavior. I was holding my breath, thinking I was imagining his improvements and hoping his symptoms would not return. My son is now 9 years old and has been off singulair for one year. His horrific symptoms are gone and he no longer needs therapy. He is a happy, active nine year old. He had a successful year in second grade last year. I never realized it could have been singulair that caused his symptoms until I heard it on the news. His symptoms were always related to "behavioral problems". It was such a heart wrenching, frustrating experience because we could not figure out why he was behaving this way. My heart goes out to all the families who have experienced devastating symptoms. I contacted merck and the FDA. I want to contact my state representative. I am looking forward to seeing the results of the FDA study. I am curious how they are obtaining their data because I was never questioned about the details of my experience.

5 months Singulair free,yesterday was Matts first day of high school,his first day of regular school in 2 years as he could not leave the house or cope with out panic and fear.7am he awoke by himself and got ready for school,the only thing i saw in his eyes was excitement,he left the house smiling.While he was gone i passed and worried waiting for the phone to ring in case he needed me ,watching the clock and wondering how his day was. he arrived home at 2 thirty still smiling,i asked him how his day was he said fine, i asked him what they did he said nothing ,lol all is good ,thank you thank you thank you

negative -aches all over, joint pain, lack of energy and motivation, positive -nil asthma, greatly improved sinuses, less head congestion, was told this was the best drug for asthma, polyps-sinus, aspirin allergy. Have been taking singulair for two months, concerned have also noticed feelings of anger/mild depression. Am female 50yrs, breast ca 3 years ago taking femera for 8 months. Am worried whether to continue singulair aches are killing me but could be side effects of femera to scared to go off it. Want to live and have quality of live, have 13 year old, I need to be fit for parental duties/work.

My son has been taking Singular as well as Advair and Zyrtec and Nasonix for the past 6 months. He is doing so well. He has not had to go to emergency, he has not been sick, and he has not had mood swings. If you look at the prescription information that comes with Singular, you can see what the side effects can be. My recommendation is to take your child off of them if they have a side effect. I contacted my Dr. and Merck is studying only 1 case with a child that had side effects, but they did not say if this child was on other Psych medicine at the same time. The 2 psych meds that have shown a bad interaction with Singular are Phenobarbital and Rifanpin (spelling may be wrong). With all the posts I have read, very few people indicate if they are taking other medications at the same time as Singular. My suggestion is that you consult your Dr. and then send your case to Merck for more studies. If all you are doing is posting on the web, you are not solving this issue with the makers of the medication.

I am not sure if my side effect is from using Singulair or not. I just started taking the Singulair 10mg last Thursday only in the evenings. After 3 days my face was swollen to the point that I couldn't see. I went back to the doctor and he didn't think the Singulair had anything to do with it since he was treating me for a contact dermatitis chemical burn so I still continue to take the Singulair but the swelling hasn't gone away yet and it has been 3 more days. If anyone can shed some light on if this is a side effect from using Singulair it would be appreciated. I also am taking Xyzal in the mornings so therefore I am not sure if this is what caused my face to swell. Any replies would be appreciated.

Just an update. Went to FDA.gov and submitted a complaint and then called Merck and told them as well. The rep I spoke with sent me to the prescribing information, how am I supposed to know about any of this? I am not the Doctor, I can't prescribe meds! She pointed out that this the mood changes is in the info...that I don't get b/c I am not the doctor, duh! Anyway I just wanted to vent and tell about our experience. Will give an update tomorrow after I talk to the ENT. I have also decided to take him off of any and all allergy meds for a good long time. I would rather wipe a runny nose all day and have my happy baby boy back then to have to battle a monster...

Last week, I had a PhD psychologist tell me that she is seeing a lot of patients come forward with Singulair stories, much like these. She's had at least 8 patients so far, and she has now added questions about allergy and Singulair to her patient intake procedures. Basically, they've all suffered from some sort of depression and personality change.

My baby (1 yr) was just prescribed Singulair from a CHOP doctor. I am so thankful that I found this website. I certainly will not fill the prescription. I was hesitant at first anyway because he only had one fluke "asthmatic" insident that sent him to the ER (but has many food allergies and dog allergy). Anyone have any advice on where I should go from here? Honestly, I am afraid to go back to that doctor and they told me it would be very difficult to switch doctors at CHOP. Everyone knows CHOP is one of the best. It is so hard to get honest advice. Every doctor thinks you will sue. Or they're out to use you for their research. He thinks this was the beginning of asthma and it will get worse. It was a scary episode...first time I ever called 911 for one of my children. Breathing is obviously very important, but he never has any problems breathing otherwise (running, laughing, playing) Just got a cold that turned bad quickly. Should I prevent with meds.? My thought is to just keep the neb. and Albuterol handy. I hate giving daily meds. to a developing baby. My gut says to let God develops his immune system naturally. (Not against periodic meds. - So thankful for Benadryl!) Please help! Mommy of 4

HI,

As with many others I found singulair to be a miracle with asthma. No more rescue inhalers. I am not sure which of my current meds is causing the very vivid, often gruesome dreaming I have been having as THREE of them show this as a side effect. I am referring to Cymbalta, Xanax and Singulair. It may be that the combination of the three is just too much and is causing brain toxicity of some sort. I started cutting down the cymbalta, and also the Xanax days ago. I found myself still waking up remembering vivid dreams that I would rather forget. I remember them all like they just happened in living color and detail, days and weeks later. At first I thought it was interesting, but now I just want to FORGET THEM, anyone have ideas???? Help!!! ( I also developed depression and anxiety after being on singulair for several years which is how I ended up with the two additional meds.

I have a three year old son who has severe allergies. He's been taking singulair for 2 years on & off just in the allergy season. He started taking, singulair again in the beginning of April. One morning he woke up and both eyes were really swollen and red, I called his doctor's office and told them i thought he had pink eye, after 2 different drops and no change I brought him into the doctor's to see if it could be his allergies, and they agreed and started him on Zyrtec. I still was not impressed with the results so i brought him back yet again to see if we could see a specialist. Instead they put him on nasonex to try.
In the beginning of March I started to see a change in my usual happy fun loving son. He was scared to sleep in his bed, waking up in the middle of the night from bad dreams, uncontrollable screaming fits that would last up to an hour, saying he wants a Boo Boo. At first we thought it could be jealously over his new brother, or maybe something at his school.
Then i found this website and everything clicked, how scary it must be for a child to have these horrible thoughts and not be able to understand or stop them. What are the people at merck thinking??
Can any one tell me when the symptoms stop. He's been off for a week and we see some improvements. But he still has these fits with almost an OCD tendency to them (mainly when he's overtired), stomach pains, lack of appetite.

My nephew is 7 and has been on Singulair for probably 4 years. His symptoms developed over time but recently have exploded. He has epilepsy so most of the things that he has experienced has been blamed on that. However, today his doctor took him off singulair and said he believes his symptoms are caused from the drug. He started having head drop seizures, fell out of his desk and cut his face one day. He has also been depressed, had severe anxiety attacks for the past 8 months. Several months ago, he started having such severe nightmares that it is almost impossible to get him to go to bed and go to sleep. Recently he began "seeing dead people" and "monsters" that we trying to kill him even when he was awake. He has also cried many nights with leg cramps and severe stomach pain. I will update this page in two - three weeks to let you know if these problems go away now that we have stopped the singulair.

I am just wondering how long does it take for this drug to get out of their system. My daughter is better-she is sleeping and her energy is better, but some of the other side effects she is still experiencing. She has been off the drug for about one week.

This is a follow-up. I have posted about our experience before, but to summarize: 6 year old boy on Singulair for over three years for Asthma. Drug worked wonders, but side effects developed so slowly that we thought those were "phases" that would go away. Side effects were just as everyone else reported: nightmares, fears, depression/sadness (we even went to a child psychologist since we thought this behavior was all due to father's deployment), aggressiveness, crying at the drop off a hat (like a 2 year old, not age appropriate), attention deficit, school performance dropped, and also, at the very end, obsessive compulsive behavior.
We stopped Singulair as soon as we heard about the FDA investigation (on NPR, about 6 to 7 weeks ago). Asthma has not worsened, thank goodness, so we make due with the Flovent for now. Most of the side effects were less prominent after some time, however the obsessive compulsive behavior stopped only a few days ago. We have better days, we have worse days, but slowly the better days outnumber the bad, aggressive, and negative ways.
What I read again and again in the postings is that we all assumed our children entered a bad "phase." A phase that just got worse and never ended!
Reading about the very same side effects in our children, over and over again, alarmed me. Taking my son off the Singulair and seeing the improvements, some faster some slower, totally convinced me. I will never ever have Singulair in my house again.

My son is almost 6 yrs old. He has been taking Singular for approx 3 years, in addition to Claritin and Nasonex. This is all for his allergy to mold. His doctor started him on these meds after a 6 month episode with sinus infections leading to asthma-like symptoms. We have not noticed anything unusual about his behavior until approx 3 months ago. He started waking up every night (2-3 hours after going to bed) with bad dreams. At first he would not fully awaken and fall back asleep immediately. After a month or so of this happening most nights, he had two nights in a row where he woke up screaming and was inconsolable for about 30 minutes. We initially thought it was night terrors, but he was not scared or fearful, he was just upset/angry. He would hit the bed repeatedly and yell. He didn't know what he was upset about but would talk about how he thought we hated him, he was dumb, etc. After about 30 min he would 'snap out of it' and return to his normal self and go back to sleep easily.
At first we thought these were night terror brought on by a recent fever, but he had another episode last night. He has also been falling apart at the littlest things and getting quite violent (for a 6 yr old). He was sent to his room yesterday evening because he was complaining about the dinner his mom made (lots of complaining these days..). He had a total melt down an started throwing things and hitting the door so hard he put a hole in it.
Some of this behavior I would chalk up to normal kid stuff, new baby brother, etc. But I am suspicious about the negative thoughts, bad dreams, and instant melt downs... I stopped giving him Singular today and we will see what happens. God bless you all as we figure these things out...

I forgot to add my son was also on zyrtec & claritin b4 singulair & they caused similar side effects as singulair but not nearly as severe & I didn't realize all this till after I stopped the singulair & started looking up all the old meds. he was on

I am a 47 year old male who took 3 days of 10mg singulair ending April the 16th. On the 4th day, I was walking around in a national chain store and started getting severe numbness and tingling in my arms and legs.
According to the info. pamphlet that comes with the drug, this can be a serious adverse reaction.
About 13 days later, I still get episodes of tingling and numbness in different areas of my arms and legs, and now, some areas on my face. My family doctor says there is nothing to be done about it, and my allergist says I may need to see a neurologist. I think the doctors need to go see a neurologist and have their heads examined for giving us this garbage to take in the first place!
Never had any of these problems until a took singulair! Hope these side effects aren't permanent!
Good Luck to you all, and may all of us get healthy again real soon!

I usually have allergy headaches in the morning which would go away after taking 1 Benadryl w/ Tylenol. About a week ago my doctor started me on Singulair because she was concerned about me taking Tylenol daily. The last few days I've had terrible headaches that linger most of the day. (I've continued to take the Benadryl w/ Tylenol to try to help the headaches, but it's just not working.) Today is day 7 with the Singulair, and the headaches seem to be getting worse. Are headaches common with Singulair?

Hi.

I was put on Singulair toward the end of February. At the beginning of March I started getting hives all over my body and becoming very itchy for no reason at all. The allergist said it couldn't have been from the medicine. The frequency of the hives/itchiness have slowed, but I still get them. I was also getting a little dizzy when I'd put my hed back or lay down, but I knew that was one of the side effect. But, the past several days, I've been getting very dizzy when I walk. I'm worried this is from the Singulair -- nothing else has changed. Could these effects show up after a month? My allergist doesn't seem too concerned, but I am.

Singulair does interact with the astrocyte in the brain.

The role of the cysLT1 receptor (Singulair blocks this receptor) and the astrocyte in the brain has been studied. For anyone from Merck to say that there are no mechanisms by which Singulair can affect the
brain is ludicrous. If the Chinese researchers are correct, then Singulair very clearly affects the brain. Certainly, we don't know exactly how or when the effect would be good or bad. Under what circumstances would it be beneficial and under what circumstances would it be harmful.

For quite a while, researchers have been hypothesizing about the role of the astrocyte in brain function. If we go to look for theories, we will find them. Here is the theory of Dr. Dale Antanitus. I am no here to promote anyone's theory in particular but just to point out that they exist.

http://www.antanitus.com/hypothesis

We can see that the Chinese researchers have gone forward to look at potential links between the cysLT1 receptor (Singulair receptor) and inflammatory response in the brain. The 2008 study showed a link between the astrocyte and the cysLT1 receptor (Singulair receptor)

1: Glia. 2008 Jan 1;56(1):27-37. Links
Activation of CysLT receptors induces astrocyte proliferation and death after oxygen-glucose deprivation.

Huang XJ, Zhang WP, Li CT, Shi WZ, Fang SH, Lu YB, Chen Z, Wei EQ.
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.

We recently found that 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) is activated to produce cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs), and CysLTs may cause neuronal injury and astrocytosis through activation of CysLT(1) and CysLT(2) receptors in the brain after focal cerebral ischemia. However, the property of astrocyte responses to in vitro ischemic injury is not clear; whether 5-LOX, CysLTs, and their receptors are also involved in the responses of ischemic astrocytes remains unknown. In the present study, we performed oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by recovery to induce ischemic-like injury in the cultured rat astrocytes. We found that 1-h OGD did not injure astrocytes (sub-lethal OGD) but induced astrocyte proliferation 48 and 72 h after recovery; whereas 4-h OGD moderately injured the cells (moderate OGD) and led to death 24-72 h after recovery. Inhibition of phospholipase A(2) and 5-LOX attenuated both the proliferation and death. Sub-lethal and moderate OGD enhanced the production of CysLTs that was inhibited by 5-LOX inhibitors. Sub-lethal OGD increased the expressions of CysLT(1) receptor mRNA and protein, while moderate OGD induced the expression of CysLT(2) receptor mRNA. Exogenously applied leukotriene D(4) (LTD(4)) induced astrocyte proliferation at 1-10 nM and astrocyte death at 100-1,000 nM. The CysLT(1) receptor antagonist montelukast attenuated astrocyte proliferation, the CysLT(2) receptor antagonist BAY cysLT2 reversed astrocyte death, and the dual CysLT receptor antagonist BAY u9773 exhibited both effects. In addition, LTD(4) (100 nM) increased the expression of CysLT(2) receptor mRNA. Thus, in vitro ischemia activates astrocyte 5-LOX to produce CysLTs, and CysLTs result in CysLT(1) receptor-mediated proliferation and CysLT(2) receptor-mediated death. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 17910051

The astrocyte has been studied to see how it functions in the brain. The astrocyte:

1. may perform a role in the physical structuring of the brain
2. may perform a role in providing neurons with nutrients
3. may perform a minor role in the maintenance of the blood brain barrier
4. may perform a role in neurotransmitters
5. may perform a role in the regulation of ion concentration in the extracellular spaces
6. may perform a role in neuronal regulation of blood flood
7. may perform a role in the protection and repair of neurons

TO LIE TO PEOPLE REGARDING THEIR HEALTH IS CRIMINAL AND SHOULD BE PROSECUTED. PEOPLE OUT THERE ARE GETTING SICKER IF THEY ARE EXPERIENCING SIDE EFFECTS BECAUSE MERCK IS LYING. SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT EXPERIENCE SIDE EFFECTS BUT WHY NOT TELL THE TRUTH AND SAY THAT THERE COULD BE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE PSYCHIATRIC SIDE EFFECTS BECAUSE THERE IS A PATHWAY FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

My M.D had prescribed Singulair approximately 3 months ago. I was extremely hesitant to take it and did research online before i made my final decision. I am/was fortunate not to have many of the side effects as stated in the other postings. Upon filing the second refill, I noticed I was putting on weight. My eating habits and daily routine has not changed prior to taking Singular or during taking the course of taking the pill. I started to become very concerned and I too found this site. I can tell you for a fact, that there is a very definite side effect of weight gain. I have gained weight all over my body, not only limited to the stomach area. As a result, I too, will NOT continue taking this pill, not only because of the weight gain, but in addition to the fact that my allergies are still bothering me. I am going to try Zyrtec, which is now an over- the -counter allergy pill. Zyrtec, until last year, was by prescription only. In final, to all those that are complaining of weight gain and various serious side effects, you are not crazy, The symptoms you are experiencing are real. Good luck to all of you.

While I do agree that research and public awareness of the possible side-effects should be done, there are some of us that take Singulair without negative side-effects. I have been taking it for eight years, since I was 16 and have never had any of these side-effects. There was a couple of months that I did not take it because of financial issues, and the only thing that I noticed was that my asthma and allergies were horribly worse. These were both relieved dramatically when I resumed taking it. Without it, I would spend my days in an allergy/anti-histamine fog not being able to breathe while still taking my inhaler 4+ times a day and several during the night. That is just the beauty and flawed nature of medicine: they work perfectly for some but for others the negative side effects outweigh the benefits. I am sorry that so many have had negative experiences with it themselves or in their family, but please have an objective attitude toward it. Some people need it to live normal lives.

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.

Well I just got back from my psy. appt. for anxiety for myself my 11 yr old son was the one on the monster drug anyways I made sure I told her about all this (she treats only adults But still thought I'd mention it) & even mentioned this w/s I dont know if she'll check it out but at least I feel like I'm holding to my promise about spreading the word about this I have posted it on a birth community with hundreds of parents on it, I have told the allergy doc, reported the S/E's to the FDA, I told my therapist & also my son's therapist Both were in shock!! & also I will be tellling my son's psy. next week when he sees him, I want all the docs to know what is happening to hundreds of ppl on this drug maybe some will actually look at the other meds someone takes & think hmmmm maybe try stopping the singulair to see if they improve?

I hope I'm helping I feel as though I am, too bad I have no idea if the docs will even care or listen But At least I feel good for telling them our story :)

My 9 year old daughter has been on singulair for about 5 months now and she is moody and not a very nice person sometimes. Now she in complaining of headaches and even cry's with the pain I want to take her off but I am a bit scared that if I take her off to quick this might be harmful can anyone let me know if they had any problems when they stopped their childs singulair.
Worried Mum
Australia