Singulair and allergy shots

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 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.

I am a loving mother of a 5 1/2 year old boy. He has been on Singulair for over 3 years. In this past 3 years my son has suffered in an unspeakable amount. He came down with Rota Virus and was hospitalized at 2. He then came in contact with Pneumonia in the hospital while he was there. They automatically put him on Singulair, Zyrtec, Prednisone, and antibiotics to treat the pneumonia. Since that day, my son has gone though more tests than I have in my entire life. He has had asthma, sinusitis, leg cramping ( to the point he cannot walk for 2 years), IBS, Acid reflux,(they gave him laxatives for a year that made things worse and addicted to them also), stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea back and forth. He also got Erythema Mulitforme TWICE, while on this drug. All of which the doctors said could NOT be caused by Singulair. He has had several Upper GI's and CT scans. Along with Barium enemas, several hundreds of blood tests, and many many pokes and prodded that were not necessary. All since he has been on Singulair. He now has frequent bathroom trips, depression, confusion, and anger outbursts. He also has to go to the restroom every 5 minutes. He has had genital swelling, and many other aches and pains. None of which his "doctor" ever said could be a result of Singulair. I am 100% sure it was!!!! He currently has anxiety and emotional sporadic issues causing problems in school The teachers and counselors say that it is so strange because there is no TRIGGER and the outbursts are completely inconsistent. His preschool teacher and director are sure he has ADHD. Well, we had him tested and he does not have any part of it. He has no learning disability what-so-ever. So that brought me back to square one. He is in a positive loving enviroment. How could he be depressed and want to hurt everyone around him? He cannot sit still. He cries and says he is 'stupid" and "can't think" like the other boys. He has nightmares and cannot sleep alone. He is scared of everyone and everything. So, as I sit here crying, I realized that this has all been a reaction of his "medicine" Singulair. He never should have gone through all of those painful tests, only to prove they couldn't find anything. So many treatments and sound full advice speeches from his doctors. How could they be so naive and selfish in the life of my son?

When I called my pediatrician of 5 years, she told me that " parents that have children with behavioral problems will LOOK for something to blame their problems on." She also said "drug companies only put side effects on their labels to PROTECT the drug companies. (as she laughed at me) They are not always valid". Then she said "if you take you child off of Singulair you will be playing Russian Roulette in his life." Then she said that all children around 5 or 6 go though this emotional time in their lives." She told me that if I take my child off of Singulair that she would no longer be a part of his health regimen for his asthma. She told me to see a Pulmonologist for further treatment.
Who is paying who? This is my son's life???????? I decided to go with my mother-gut instinct and get him off of this medicine. No matter what. He has been a different person since. He is currently going though a lot of side effects and withdrawals (leg pain, insomnia, hic-ups, emotional distress) but every day is getting better. How can the drug companies say that this is a "wonder drug?" There are more reported side effected patients then clinical studied patients! How can a "medication" that stimulates the brain not be connected to other problems? This "medication" interferes with the bio synthesis and action of LTs and has been marketed as NOVEL medication against asthma and allergic rhinitis. Who the hell is playing God here??? The pocket books of Merck or our over PAID "doctors?" Who pays the price? Our children? Or us. Thank god I found this before it was too late. I would not be able to withstand the pain of losing my son due to their lack of scientific evidence. They are lucky I am one of the smart ones. I will not settle for less than Justice for the drug companies and their paid "doctors?" You all end up in the same place. HELL

There are 18 million people on this drug. Most of them are children. Please save a life if not your own child's life. Thank You

I am an individual that started taking Singulair about a year ago. I've had allergies to weeds, grasses, and pollens since I was a little girl and have taken a variety of meds including Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Flonase, and allergy shots. Last summer, my usual Claritin just wasn't enough so my doc prescribed Singulair. It worked wonders for my allergies. Soon after, I began to feel "numb" -- that's the best word to describe what I felt. I was depressed. It just so happened that my mother had had surgery and I had moved to a different city about the same time as beginning the Singulair. When I began feeling depressed and disconnected from the world, my doc and I contributed it to depression from life transitions. It didn't go away though. For a year, I isolated myself. I didn't talk to friends and family. I missed over 10 days of work just because I didn't want to get out of bed. I slept almost 15 hours a day, gained 60 lbs, didn't clean my house. I didn't really do anything and I didn't care. I felt so disconnected from the world. I didn't cry. I didn't feel suicidal, but I knew that something was wrong with me. I thought I was having a breakdown or something. My doc checked several things but all test results were normal. It wasn't until my mother seen a CNN report on Singulair that I began to link my depression to when I started the drug. I immediately quit taking Singulair and felt better within 4-5 days. After 2 1/2 weeks, I was back to being my old self. It was so scary feeling so isolated, numb, and disconnected from the world. I never would've thought about it being a side effect from an allergy medicine.

Oh my gosh, I am just shocked after reading these posts. I am taking my son off of Singulair immediatedly!!!! I knew I wasn't crazy!! My son was on Singulair for over 2 years and it was awful. He was so hyper and uncontrollable. He couldn't control his temper. He had headaches everyday. He was put on it due to severe allergies and asthma. He is on other medications as well as allergy shots. I kept telling the doctor that I think the singulair was causing his bad behavior problems. He was just so hard to handle. He couldn't sit still for anything. The teacher couldn't get him to sit still in his chair. It just wasn't normal behavior for him. The teacher even thought he had ADD!! I didn't accept that however. The doctor just thought I was crazy and told me that Singulair wouldn't cause those symptoms. She said it actually would work opposit that and cause him to be sleepy. Well I took him off of it anyways and he did get pretty sick. His asthma acted up ect. But he eventually felt better and his behavior improved drastically. He wasn't so hyper and he could actually sleep at night and wasn't so scared at night. Just within the last week he has been pretty sick due to allergy season, his asthma has been bad and the doctor told me to put him back on the Singulair. So I did he has been on it for four days now and he is HORRIBLE.. It was an instant change. My husband and I can't control him and he can't sleep at night and has headaches every day. I am so glad I found this sight. I am taking him off immediately.
Thank you all so much for your comments. This medicine should be outlawed. I don't care what the doctors say. By the way my son is 9 years old. I certainly had no idea that it has caused suicide. I am so sorry to you all that have experienced such horrible things. Come to think of it my son used to say he hated himself all of the time when he was on this medicine.
God Bless You All

has anyone took their child off of singular for more than 2 weeks and has the child had any breathing issues since being off?

I just came back home from the dr. We made some tests and my 5 years old daughter is allergic to house dust mites and has beeing diagnosticated with athopic asthma. The dr. prescribed Singulair. Now, after reading all the posts, I freaked out and I have not idea what to do. I am really sorry I did't ask about side effect, but I considered, her beeing a dr, knows better than me. My thought now is: I'm not going to give my daughter Singulair.

My 6 year old son has been on Singulair for 2 years and I have noticed a big change in his behavior but it all started with leg cramps and falling down alot..I told my dr about what was going on but she told me that it was nothing to worry about that it is growing pains..Before he started the on the singulair he was always a happy go lucky kid never had problems with him back talking or ever really getting angry. Now that I read all these reports these are the problems I have with him now:
My child has never offered to hit, kick or slap me but in the past year he has gotten more aggressive not only toward me but others as well..
He is fearful of people now thinking that they are being mean to him or picking him out to pick on or make fun of.
He has problems of headaches on a regular basis but just thought it was due to his sinus infections...
I have also noticed that my child has started hurting himself like punching even slapping himself in the face when he gets really angery or fustrated about things..
Sometimes he has problems with nightmares but not that much..
He also has problems with stomach pain as well...
My concern is taking my son off Singulair with his asthma being under control right now and he just recently had sinus surgery but I think it will be the best thing for him just because I want my sweet child back not the aggressive and abusive child he is now.... That is why first thing in the morning he will be taking him to his dr to find another medication to put him on and take him off the Singulair....

Our son was put on several medications 9/07 due to bad asthma and allergies. Since then we saw his behavior begin to go down hill. He would complain of stomaches, not want to go to school, became increasingly more irritable and has mood swings. He was a good student and we have never had a problem with him attending school. Since 9/07 we have taken him to a total of 10 different doctors. Pediatricians, therapist, allergy doctor and three licensed psychiatrists. Everyone said that we were crazy when we suggested that this behavior was linked to the medication. The psychiatrist diagnosed him with anxiety disorder along with school phobia. This has been a nightmare. I finally took him to an acupuncture doctor as a last resort because the doctors wanted us to put him on Prozac for the anxiety. Our family doctor has even suggested he is Bipolar! The acupuncture doctor has recommended a diet change and some treatments with her so that we can remove him from all his medications. I am so glad that I listened to my instincts and did not put him on the Prozac. I was so upset when this story aired about the Singulair. We have been trying to get the doctors to listen to us since 9/07 about the possible link. They still deny the connection and advised us to not remove him from the medicine. But for once I am going to handle things my way and we have already seen a difference in his behavior. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. My heart goes out to everyone that has had similiar experiences. These doctors should listen to the parents instead of assuming we are all trying to blame behavior problems on medication.

My son is 8 and has been on Singulair for 4+ years. When he was as young as 5 he said he should just throw himself off of our staircase and in first grade, age 7, he told a friend he wanted to kill himself with a knife or scissors. I have taken him to psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians and guidance counselors and none have linked it to Singulair. I spoke with our allergist and he said to take him off of it. He said their office was not notified when Merck changed the side effects last year. Obviously the fat cats at Merck are enjoying their big bucks with little regard for the people taking their drugs, look at the new evidence about Vytorin-it does not work yet they have made millions on it. They knew it did not work 2 years ago. I am so happy that I now know this drug is dangerous. We will stick with our Nasacort, Clarinex and allergy shots, which are helping tremendously. I am planning on getting off of Singulair for my asthma as well. It is not worth it. There are too many reliable drugs out there to waste my money on the suicide drug! I am on Asmanex and may add or change to symbicort. I am so sorry some have already committed suicide because of this drug.

I am a 29 year old female. I have been taking Singulair for approximately 5 years. I have indoor/outdoor/food allergies with allergy induced asthma. In addition to Singulair I take Zyrtec, Advair, Diflucan, Albuterol, and allergy shots (all of these are for my allergies). Due to the nature of my job - I do a lot of research on various drugs. I would be the first to tell everyone that when they're prescribed a new drug - it is worth it to go to the website and look at the potential side effects. I also tell everyone that when they do see a side effect, to consider how many (or few in most cases) people actually experienced these side effects. That said - I do these things regularly - for myself and for my family. I am also well aware that much of the time - I/my family, will never experience these side effects. That said, there is a pediatrician on here who has commented that other drugs are worse and has quoted, "once a stone is thrown into a well, thousands of smart people won't find it" - this may be fact - but it is not very helpful to people who have truly experienced problems. While I might tend to agree with his/her view to some extent, there is also the side of me that knows my own body. What I have to say about my experience with Singulair is this: In 5 years, I have several times felt not only depressed but many times severely depressed and very anxious. These symptoms have increased over the years. The last 3-4 months of my life have been terrible. Happiness comes infrequently and sadness and anger have become my prevailing emotions. I have been a very happy and optimistic person the majority of my life. This has been a huge struggle for me - so much so that I actually have conversations with myself when it comes on strong - I have to remind myself during these times that I am a normal, happy person, and that nothing is as bad as it seems. After 28 years - I know my body - and THIS person, is NOT me. I am not a follower - nor am I a whiner/complainer. I can say though that until there are more clinical trials done - I can't know all of the science behind it and whether or not it is the Singulair is causing these side effects. My thought is that there may be a possibility that my side effects are caused by the combination of drugs that I take - not strictly from the Singulair. In my case - and because of the other drugs that I take - I can probably, safely stop taking Singulair and judge for myself. The good thing about Singulair? It works for my allergies; it works very well as a matter of fact. Other side-effects though - I had an ongoing sinus infection for about the fisr 5 months I was taking it - and I have amazingly vivid dreams - some very scary and some very real. Additionally - I would never want to discount a pediatrician's opinion - nor would I want you to distrust your/your child's physicians - however, the sad truth of the pharmaceutical industry is that in order to sell their pharmaceuticals - they must convince physicians that they are effective and/or more effective than other drugs that treat the same disease state. Many of these physicians are paid to give lectures on new drugs or new drug indications. And some of them (not all) will always prescribe a certain drug because that's what they've 'promised' to do. The main thing I want to say here is this: if you are taking Singulair, and you have truly been experiencing these side effects - do the research; be objective; consider other medications you may be taking; express your concerns to your physician; if you are an adult and you take other medications that control your asthma/allergy symptoms then stop taking it and see if you notice a difference. If you have children that are taking it or you have severe symptoms that would be detrimental without taking the Singulair - talk with your/your child's physician about the possibility of changing the drug to something else and explain your concern. If you physician is unresponsive - get a second opinion. Many people who are on Singulair have both an allergist and a family doctor - talk to both. I have read that many of you have taken your child off of Singulair - let me just stress the importance of talking to your physician before removing your child from a drug. Not to scare anyone but perhaps the suicide side effect was caused by someone taking it then stopping it - or some similar cycle. Personally - I believe that I have a large benefit from taking Singulair - but because of the depressive/anxious feelings I've had the last few months - I am going to stop taking it and see if I feel any better. I would like to say that the benefits of taking this drug out weigh the risks - but for me - if my quality of life has become miserable (which it has) - I will try this option of taking myself off the drug before talking to my physician about taking an antidepressant or something similar. The side effects of those can be much worse. Hope I was helpful.

My six year old son has been taking Singulair for almost three years for asthma and allergies. We have had such a hard time with him and it all started around the time he was prescribed this drug. He became very irritable, angry, hard to satisfy and generally unhappy. Now that he is six, the last two years have been the absolute worst with him saying he hates himself and just wants to die. He has stomach pain all the time and has had alternating daily diarrhea for over a year. Our pediatrician has done all sorts of tests and has referred us to a specialist. He has bad dreams every night and also complains of leg pain. He has been so depressed lately that he does not even want to go out and play after school and on weekends (not like him at all) and the teacher calls me several times a week to pick him up early because of stomach pain. I am so upset to think all this has been caused by this drug and he has suffered because of it! He also takes Zyrtec, as do all three of my sons, but the older two do not have asthma, just allergies. I gave him his last dose night before last because I just found out about the Singulair investigation. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

As a pediatrician I write for Singulair every day.
The medication is for allergies.
Allergies cause a cascade of event that I will describe:
adenoidal swelling, leads to snoring + sleep disturbances. Poor sleep makes the child tired the next day leading to less attentiveness, hyperactivity and eventually acting out.
Almost 4 out of five kids with allergies have those subsequent symptoms, and more.
Over the years the child poor behavior his parents, teachers and peers respond of criticism/ ridicule, and punishments, cause the child to feel inadequate, embarrassed, frustrated and eventually depressed and suicidal.

Yes, Singulair does cause behavioral change but they appear within the first couple of pills, the rest is due to allergies and lack of medical care, i.e. sleep, Singulair, and Zyrtec deficiency.
Allergy shots cause 4 times the incidence of suicidally than Singulair, and Ritalin 10 times more.
Check it, it's true.

As a pediatrician I write for singulair every day.
The medication is for allergies.
Allergies cause adenoidal swelling, which cause sleep disturbances which makes the child tired the next day with makes him over weight, less attentive, hyper and eventually act out.
This in turn makes the child experience parental, peers and teachers criticism/ abuse, with leads to the child feel inadequate, embarrassed, frustrated and eventually depressed and suicidal.

Yes, singulair does cause behavioral change but they appear within the first couple of peels, the rest is due to allergies, lack of medical care, i.e. sleep, singulair, and zyrtec deficiency.
Allergy shots cause 4 times the incidence of suicidally than singulair, and Ritalin 10 times more.
They say in hebrew "once a stone is thrown into a well, thousands of smart people won't find it".
Check it, it's true.

when my son (now five) first started treatment for allergies at almost 3, he went on zyrtec and singulair. he was moody, grumy, and needy. i just assumed he was 3. after about 10 months the allergist switched him to pcm chewables with his singulair and he turned evil. for example, he wasn't quite 4 and attacked me one night because he didn't want a bath. it took several minutes to pry his hands of of my neck. it scared me to death. since he was already on singulair i assumed it was the pcm and finally found a pharmacist who said that it "might" can have those side effects. the allergist wouldn't accept that it could do that and wouldn't change his prescription. finally went to new allergist who changed him back to zyrtec but wanted to stay on singulair due to new asthma diagnosis. his behavior got better, but still very moody - many ppl said "spoil" because of huge meltdowns over nothing. he is now 5 and has been on allergy shots for a year. about 6 months ago the doctor said could take him off zyrtec but keep on singulair. i thought yay! mood will get better. it didn't. he was still getting notes from kindergarten teacher for talking too much, fighting, moodiness, meltdowns, etc. we took him off singulair to see how asthma would do since allergies doing better. he started getting greenlights! we still have some meltdowns and moodiness. but, it is slowly getting better. i wonder how long it takes to clear out of their system?
in the last six months we have periodilly put him back on zyrtec and singulair when allergies acting up. his teacher tends to send home notes that week asking if he is on medicine. it never occurred to me that it could be the singulair! what scares me is that 3 weeks ago he said he wanted to get a knife and cut his head off so he could "go to Jesus". i talked to him and finally decided he was just talking, don't think he truly meant it. but now, i look back and realize he was on singulair at the time!
the scary thing is that my one-year old is also on it for asthma. i got put on it recently for chronic sinus problems and my husband has been on it for years! i think I will not be giving it to any one until we talk to the doctor!

as a side note i have a friend with a 22 mo old that drs have tried to put on singulair off and on since she was 12 mo or so. every time it makes her unable to sleep. mother agreed to try it again recently because child's asthma was so bad and they ended up at the ER because the baby couldn't quit crying!

I have a 10 year old daughter who took Singulair from age 3 until this past November. She has severe asthma/allergies. When she was 6 the night terrors started I informed the pediatrician of this, but they said she probably had sleep apnea. Her concentration level kept her in trouble in school. I never considered that it might be the Singulair. She developed a speech problem and the school speech teacher referred us to a speech pathologist because they thought she might have vocal fold dysfunction. Several specialists later, we wound up at an allergist's office who IMMEDIATELY took her off of Singulair stating that it was a dangerous drug and should have never been prescribed to her.

Her health has IMPROVED off of the singulair and we are doing allergy shots and symbacort with allegra. I wish I could have saved her the emotional roller coaster ride - all because of this drug.

Behavioral changes started when my son was 3 years old and on Singulair, 4mg chewables. He became more angry, irritable, and even stated a few times that he wished he were dead. He has had trouble concentrating and has frequent nightmares.

my daughter has been on Singulair for 4 days now. She is 2 years old and has bad food allergies that cause very bad eczema. She also has been diagnosed with the start of asthma. After going to an allergist, we were told that she should try Singulair and Allegra for a couple of months to treat her seasonal allergies which have been causing coughing at night and skin break-outs, etc. A day or so after she took the medicine ( Singulair chewable tablets- I haven't started the Allegra yet, it seemed like too much for her to be on ) she has been having very loose stools, and quite a few throughout the day. Also she has hive- like bumps on her back. I stopped giving it to her the day before yesterday because the medicine was the only new thing she had been introduced too. The stools seemed to slow down and the hives seemed to be going away, but she was coughing bad last night, so I gave it to her again thinking maybe all she had was a stomach bug. But this morning we made countless potty stops and her back is bumpy again. Does anyone else have this problem?

Hi all,
I've been taking it for a month now and for the last 2 weeks I,ve been having nightmares every single night, severe musle pain in my legs, my arms feel weak and shaky, my mouth and nose are extremely dry. I have itchy skin - the itchiness attacks are so bad - I can't control them, and also I have very strange headaches -at the back of my head and neck - not just a muscle tension, migrating all over the scalp.
I don't have an asthma, but I had a very bad sinus and ear infection, and was feeling dizzy, so my doctor advised me to give it a try. Singulair has eliminated those symptoms in 2 days, but the side effects are even worser.

I've been taking Singulair for about a week now. I have been having headaches every day and dizziness upon waking. My sinuses feel irritated and I am experiencing sinus drainage. The only change in medication has been the addition of the Singulair. I started getting allergy shots a little over a month ago, and had noticed a considerable improvement in my allergies and asthma. My doctor just added the Singulair, and I feel as though all my progress has gone out the window. I want to stress that I was feeling MUCH BETTER just getting allergy shots each week, but once I started taking Singulair, I started feeling ill again. The headaches are most problematic, causing particular impairment. I plan to stick it out for a while in an attempt to rule out any other potential confounding variables (weather, hormonal fluctuation, pollen hot spots, etc), but I fear that this may not be the medication for me.

While it is true that all these comments are "anecdotal", the potential side effects listed in the Singulair booklet include headaches, stomach ache, aggression, anxiety, etc. Individuals with allergies tend to be hypersensitive to chemicals, which may explain a higher incidence of sensitivities to medications. No one posting on this site is a hypochondriac, contrary to the uneducated and caustic comment posted on August 19th. This is merely a forum for the free exchange of information, enabling all of us to be more educated consumers and patients. I am curious as to why “Foxmulder” was even perusing this web site - if he or she has not been experiencing any side effects, then why bother reading the rest of our struggles with the drug? I’m guessing that our friend is a tad more damaged than he cares to admit.

Furthermore, the accounts of young children and adolescents reporting problems and then finding relief once being removed from Singulair proves to me a need for more research into this medication. Surely these young children are not reading the website postings and then mysteriously manifesting symptoms after the fact, as cynics like Foxmulder would have us believe. Having studied psychology and having worked with bipolar children, I know all too well the dangers that medication can have on young, developing bodies and minds.

All medications should be approached with caution, and a good doctor will be willing to listen to his or her patient’s feedback and adjust dose or prescription accordingly to find the right balance for each individual.

I was diagnosed with asthma 2 years ago when I was 47. I take Allegra, Foradil, Asmanex, Singulair and receive two allergy shots a week. I also take a tiny dose of Buspar for anxiety. I have been on Singulair for somewhere from a year and a half to two years. Two weeks ago I started having what for me are very disturbing side effects that I felt sure were drug related. Twitching leg muscles, a terrible restlessness upon waking which causes sleepliness, heavy feeling in my chest, some headaches ( I never had them before). I have had tingling in my left hand for while and I thought that was because of something else, but now I am wondering....everything is definetly new since I started this drug, but most of it recent. I went off the Allegra, Buspar, Asmanex. I had no reduction in symptoms. At the end of the week I stopped taking the Singular for two days and started to feel better, but then decided that the symptoms were was caused by something else (hormones) and resumed all meds. The symptoms came rushing back. I now have ceased the Singular, but only for a day. I am narrowing the cause of the symptoms (which elsewhere in the literature seem to be very much attributed to a medication induced situation) and I am thinking it is the Singular, particularly after both reading all of your postings and talking to friends who either have had similar effects or have family members who have and after having no reduction in symptoms after going off my other meds. I will post again after a week to let you know if Singulair appears to be the culprit. Some people I talked to whose family members have had the same reaction said that there are plenty of other things available to help the asthma symptoms and quite frankly, as far as I can tell, the inhalers are what are working the best and this drug is not worth it if you are having side effects of this nature. Fortuna, I had the same idea as you, to get my heart tested and thought maybe I was heading for a stroke or something, but now I am convinced that this is medication related. Please post again and let me know how going off this drug is working out for you. I will do the same. The best to all of you.

There are no words to explain how I feel after reading just one page of the posts here. I have a 9 year old wonderful son. About 1 1/2 years ago he was put on Singulair (along with Advair, Xoponex, Nasacort, and Zyrtec - also he got allergy shots once a week). He had severe asthma. Well, not too long after he was on the Singulair he started having HORRIBLE thoughts. Just to name a FEW: He thought he was going to stab me or his younger sister and could not go near a knife or anything sharp, he had thoughts of aliens coming into his room at night and skinning him alive and taking out his heart, he had the most horrific thoughts of violence and as he started getting a little older his thoughts were becoming what seemed to be sexually violent. I immediately went through seeing if anybody at school was hurting him or touching him. Nobody was. Since he lives with just me and my daughter (no visitations with absent father) I knew he was safe at home. He is exposed to practically nothing. I asked my children's doctor what could this be and he told me to just tell him to "stop thinking those things". My own doctor wanted me to put him on anti-psychotics. I took him immediately to a child psychologist that specialized in OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) - after researching I came to the conclusion that this is what he had. I was told that the correct name for his condition is called "Morbid OCD" or "Bad Thoughts OCD". He was in therapy from the beginning of the symptoms. I refused to believe that an emotionally healthy child could develop this condition almost over night. I changed our lifestyle - eating organic, very little processed foods, (you name it) etc... I was able to get him off of all his medications except his inhaler as needed. To my wonder and amazement his OCD had gone away. Well, about a month ago his asthma started to show up again. (Since he was doing so well I started to let him have a little dairy in his diet again and other things I had cut out before). His doctor told me that he was going to get scar tissue if I didn't treat it now and that I had to put him on something or he was going to have complicated respiratory issues as an adult. I agreed to put him back on Singular. Well, to my sadness and horror about a month ago my son started having mild OCD and it has gotten worse by the day. Last night, I was sitting at the edge of my bed and it was like a light bulb went off. I kept asking myself, what changed a few weeks ago. Then bingo, it hit me, I had put him back on Singular. Last night I didn't give it to him. I obviously am taking him off of it and will post again and let you know how he develops. I'm sorry for the long post but after reading "worriedmom" I felt I needed to tell my son's story just in case there is anyone else out there with a similar situation. Thank you all so much. I have hope again. I am going to see how he does with his OCD and post again in about a week.

Please be careful when using this drug!!!!! My daughter is 4 years old and was on Singulair for a 1 1/2 years to control allergies and Asthma. She was also on 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Zyrtec. She lost the last year and 1/2 of social and emotional growth. She became angry, aggressive, hyperactive, disconnected from reality, uncommunicative. She was deliberately hitting, scratching, etc. unprovoked. She retreated into a fantasy world where there was alot of "killing" and other scary things. The other kids were scared of her. Her teacher, who has over twenty years of teaching in a University Laboratory school (she knows what she is doing) said that her behavior was the most extreme she had ever seen. I took her to the Pediatrician, to a child Psychologist, and to a Physiciatrist. They were thinking ADHD and maybe Bi-Polar or ODD or worse...we were very scared. The Pediatrician said, no the drug could not be causing this. This site helped me to realize that maybe it was the Singulair. Psychologist, physiciatrist and allergist all said, yes it could be the drugs. We got her allergy tested and she was extremely allergic and started allergy shots. We took her off the Singulair and Zrytec and starting seeing changes in her behavior within a week. It has now been 5 weeks and our little girl is back...she is smiling again, happy!! and communicating! We can have a conversation with her now! It is amazing. Everyone has noticed the difference..her teachers, Dr.'s, etc. She has had a few outbursts and some hyperactivity since but they are diminishing as time goes by. I just wonder how long it will take for all the effects to be gone and how much work we have to do to teach her all the things she missed developmentally over the last year and 1/2 while her mind my blocked by this drug. They should take it off the market. It is frightening. Please beware!!!!!!!!

I took my 1st dose at bedtime 3 days ago. I woke up at 3:30 and was unable to really get back to sleep the rest of the night. The next day I took it at about 7:00pm to see if the "twitchies" were better. I still felt a litttle jacked up, but slept ok. However, I experienced some strange and severe itching on my legs and arms during the day after the 2nd dose. I actually had a bruise on my leg where I had 1 scratching attack(I have NEVER had anything like that before). I took my 3rd dose last night and slept ok, but I also took a single benedryl tab just in case for the itching. I had taken Zyrtec for years prior to this(without ANY problem except some initial fatigue the 1st week or 2). I have been dealing with allergies for years and am pretty tuned in to my system. I get allergy shots also. Years ago I tried 2 different "new" medications, Seldane and Hismanal(sp?), and had some strange side effects with those. I stopped taking both after a short time and several years later both were pulled from the market due to dangerous side effects. I am going to stop the Singular today and go back to Zyrtec until I get back to the allergist. After reading all the postings I am concerned about my 15 yr. old daughter who has been on it for about 6 weeks. I am going to reevalute her treatment.

Since I have begun Sinulair, I have noticed improvement of my chronic nasal allergy symptoms. For the first time in YEARS, the congestion is finally lessening. However, I have noticed that I'm hyper all the time now. Where I have had sleep issues in the past, they have only been excacerbated by this medication. Has anyone else noticed this effect? I have tried to research it further, but I don't have access to a Physician's Desk Reference. The web isn't giving me the entire list of known side effects. I have only seen the vomiting, diarrhea or headache listed, but have yet to see something regarding insomnia and hyperactivity.

I'm 67 years young. I'm allergic to almost anything and everything. I just hate to be on meds --- so I tried holistic treatments -- which helps to a point. I also received allergy shots for 4 years --- and I don't the a difference.
Now I am on Singulair --- I just started about 3 weeks ago.
I'm very nauseated -- and my stomach feels very tender.
---and I don't feel like eating at all at times.
Anyone with these symptoms? Please share.
- Geesa

My son is 6. He started Singulair when he was 3 because of a very serious caugh that wouldn't go away and after several doctors - it was diagnosed that he had allergies. He was on Singulair for a little over a year. I didn't pay attention to the signs of the side effects as I thought he was a typical boy acting out. Once we started allergy shots the dr. took him off the Singulair. I noticed his behavior being much better, but figured he was getting older and more mature. About 8 months ago we stopped the shots. He was fine (no caughing) up until July then he started caughing very badly again so in the time before we could start the allergy shots again, we put him back on Singulair. OMG!!! My sweet little boy vanished and the devil took his place. After 2 days of horrible behavior, yelling, running through the house like a crazy man, hitting his sister, and breaking things, I stopped the Singulair. Within 24 hours he was back to normal. He also had a severe stomach ache on the 2nd day. Because of these side effects I am not comfortable putting him back on the medication. I can't imagine him trying to function during school on this stuff and certainly wouldn't want him to be labled as a "bad kid".

Does anyone know of any possible alternate medications that would control caughing as quickly and as well as Singulair did, but without the nasty side effects?

I have been on singulair for about 4 months now. I was feeling sick and found out I have anxiety issues and with deaths in my family, I turned into a hypo. Although real things were happening. I found out I am allergic to a lot of things, dogs, cats, molds, dust, etc. and this all started with moving into this house. Anways I am 20 years old and take the chewable singulair because I have a problem swallowing pills (I take 2 a night). I have found myself having more trouble breating, pain in the chest and a heavy feeling. I feel like my heart beats irregularly. I have throat problems and constant ear aches. Of course I have nose problems with the allergies. I am getting the allergy shots but that takes a while to work. Now reading what all of you have said I am wondering if singulair has made everything worse. I too have also had my hair shedding. I thought it was from the stress. Although I am afraid of everything at the moment I wonder if Singulair is making everything much worse. If anyone has any side affects they would like to share with me or any thoughts email me at ******
~Nina~

I feel relieved to know that I am not going crazy, that many others are having unpleasant side effects to Singulair. I am 28 years old and started taking this medication about a month and a half ago for allergy induced asthma. Things were great for about a week, I was breathing great, never short winded, I could sleep at night breathing through my nose for once even.

Then came the second week on the drug. I realized I was getting restless at night, having horribly vivid dreams. I'm constantly nauseous and just starting to get more irritable, aggressive, depressed, tired. I bruise really easlily now, get terrible muscle spasms and cramps in my legs and feet. I've been waiting this out to see if it gets any better for I know these can be side effects, but I have just had enough. I'm thankful for this website, and the people who are telling their complaints. I will be stopping the medication tonight, and will have to consider other alternatives like allergy shots etc.

My 6 yr old son started taking singulair three weeks ago to help control severe allergies and asthma. Within a few days he started exhibiting extreme agression. He would hit my husband and I every time we disciplined him, It got to a point where I was going to put him in some sort of therapy because nothing I did was working, but then my mom came upon this website. I feel relieved that others are going through this to. He went to the allergist on Wed. and he took him off the singulair. We can already see a difference in him.He continues to take Zyrtec, Nasonex and Advair, but he responds ok to these meds and he gets to start allergy shots on the 27th as long as his asthma remains under control. He will have 2 shots a week for the next 2-5 years. I will never put him on the singulair again, the allergist said there is one med. we can try in place of singulair if we had to use it.