Singulair and anxiety

My son has been taking Singular for a few years for mild asthma and recently in the past few months all of the sudden he has been having a hard time falling asleep,anxiety at bedtime taking hours to get to sleep with me having to stay in the room. We took him to his pediatrician who ran blood tests and referred me to a sleep specialist who suggested he may have OCD or Anxiety. I just thought it was just something that would pass after 4 months it still has not passed. I am removing him from Singular TODAY. After all these visits with these doctors who knew he was on the medication and never said anything to me about possible side effects . I cant believe it took an article my husband saw in the paper for this to come to my attention.

I just read the article in question ,i am not sure what on earth they think mood changes and anxiety is,but i am not surprised as the doctors do not believe us,this has been a complete uphill battle,what would prove it to them,children have died, been poisoned tortured and imprisoned in there minds,and yet they say there is no evidence,the evidence is clear when your child improves when not taking this drug,what do they need.They agree this can happen in rats,but turn a blind eye to children.This article and findings of these so called specialists makes me want to vomit.The researchers should have to take the drug for 3 years and then tell us how they feel

My eight year old son, who has asthma and has been taking Singulair since he was three, has been off Singulair for four days and is becoming a completely different little boy! He has always been a "difficult child" with intense emotional reactions to things, anxiety, oppositional behavior, a short fuse and bad temper. He has also displayed obsessive/compulsive behavior. His father and I never thought that his behaviors and symptoms were caused by Singulair. His pediatrician never suggested it. With a family history of anxiety, we just assumed it was the way he was. At four, his preschool requested he be tested for ADHD. The testing revealed a short attention span but not a diagnosis of ADHD. As he got older his symptoms grew more intense. Last year we considered taking him to a psychiatrist but decided to "wait it out" one more year to see if maturity would bring an end to some of the behaviors. It didn't and in fact they grew worse. He became aggressive, explosive and depressed.

I recently began taking Singulair for another medical condition and had noticed that it made me a little moody. Last week, on the verge of making an appointment for my son with a psychiatrist, I started to wonder if maybe he was reacting in a similar, yet more intense way to the Singulair. I reviewed the patient information on line (I had read the patient info for Singulair when my son started taking it, but had not done so in years. I learned a tough lesson: check the information that accompanies prescriptions each and every time I get a refill.) When I read what the "less common side effects" were I was convinced that my son was reacting to his medicine. Then I found this website. We stopped his Singulair immediately and within two days began seeing a dramatic change in our son. He was less high strung, defiant, and explosive. Yesterday we had a cookout with some friends and he played with other kids all day without fighting for the first time in his life! He even cooperated when we asked him to help us get ready for company.

I strongly believe that this medicine should not be given to children and teens. I am so upset that when I asked my son's pediatricians about his behavior TWICE last year, they never mentioned that Singulair could be the problem. I called today to tell them he wasn't taking it anymore and the nurse said that she would note that he is "allergic" to it in his chart!

We are exploring alternate and natural ways to treat our son's asthma. I will NEVER give him Singulair again!

FYI: the labeling for his albuterol inhaler states that "safety and efficacy have not been established in patients under 12 years old". His pediatrician has been prescribing albuterol inhalers since he was three!

Does anyone have information about herbal inhalers and naturopathic treatment of asthma? If so I would like to hear.

I have been reading all of these posts and have another question. I hope that someone can help. My daughter, 8 years old, has been on Singulair since she was 4. She is normally a very happy girl with a wonderful disposition. For the last year or so, she has been having trouble getting herself to sleep at night. She says that she hears things in her head such as ringing or "noises". A few hours before she knows it's bedtime, she cries and when we ask her why she's crying, she can't give us a reason. We initially thought that she was crying for no reason because she didn't want to go to sleep. I remember reading about the side effects of Singulair causing mood swings, etc., but her's are not violent mood swings. Just very emotional and has a hard time coming down from the "episode". I'm at a loss...I have not talked to her doctor yet about it, but have told her that we will make an appointment this week to discuss it with him. My husband suggested that maybe it sounded like she was having a panic attack or anxiety attack. I hate to label her as that at such a young age. My mind now goes back to the side effects of Singulair and maybe this is to blame. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Concerned Mom

My son, who just turned 14 this month, was on Singulair for over 2 years.
He was diagnosed with reactive airway disease and possibly Asthma--and prescribed this awful drug-even back in 2004. The doctor said how wonderful this med was and prevents any further attacks.. So, for 2 years-every night, he took this mood altering, destructive drug. He lost all interest in school, his athletics-soccer, skateboarding, biking..in fact became almost a vacant , very unhappy, child-had stomach aches, joint pains and reflux--why--I brought him to the doctor and Pediatric center so frequently--all they kept saying his --his asthma is better, much be other issues...Even after the March 2008 suicide--his doctor said-that is just an isolated incident-just monitor him--It is a good drug. Right, month by month his behavior escalated to wanting to die, no reason to go to school-he said he was stupid and a failure and why don't I understand there is no reason to his life. A usually happy fun-loving boy -my son- didn't want to live. Nothing made him happy-I started to believe what the doctors said--maybe something or someone at school (bully, pedophile??) caused this change. Terrible nightmares and vivid dreams...Until this past July, I asked him want to go to the library for some books or dvd's...he went ballistic-threw everything off his computer desk and tried to break his chair. He is not an aggressive boy but this behavior was becoming a daily issue. Along with everything flying off his table, was his bottle of Singulair pills. It then dawned on me..I have been poisoning my only son. The child I know and love and gave birth to returned within a few days--although I am worried sick about further asthma attacks --all the doctors can prescribe is a steroid drug-asthmex or Pulmicort.. I cannot understand nor comprehend why this drug is being prescribed for children and young adults. The guilt I live with is terrible as my son has lost 2 years of his life--
and thought there was something really wrong with him-At least we woke up---in time--how about some other parents..thinking it's just normal adolescent behavior for their child or their fault???

I'm a 45 yr old female, I've been on Singular for many years (originally for allergies and then asthma too) and have quit three times due to "possible" side effects and tried other asthma medicines. Inhalers make my GERD worse and I'm anxious all the time. I have to say Singular is the only thing that really works for my asthma and I keep going back to it because it does work. Also, I found that when I quit and expected my depression, headaches or fibromyalgia to go away they didn't... so I own these symptoms now regardless of Singular. I've always had mild depression and anxiety and all the prescription drugs for this I find are really too strong and are made worse then by Singular. For mild depression I find taking SAMe and St. John's Wort to really help me. Can't say if it would help others but you might look into it. I think it's important that doctors understand a link with depression and Singular but for some of us there's not another choice.

I have 2 sons with asthma that have both been taken singulair (the oldest for 3 years & his brother for 2). My younger son's asthma got alot better since he was diagnosed & he was recently taken off Singulair thanks also to my husband hearing a report about the moodiness caused. When he was on it he would cry for no reason, get very irrational & seemed to think the world was against him. In just 2 weeks he is happy & cheerful and has told me he thinks it is due to being off singulair. His older brother's asthma has gotten worse over the years & I'm concerned about taking him off but he too has crazy moods. Just tonight he started a new soccer team & got crazy & suddenly didn't even want to participate in something he loves (wanted me to let him quit right then) until we argued enough he reluctantly participated. He then came home complained of a headache (which is also way too frequent) and now has been asleep for hours. Are there any alternatives to this drug? I'm a stressed out mom that doesn't deal well with these mood swings. He is normally a social butterfly & a sweet kid but lately seems more withdrawn, more irritable (especially tonight) & complaining about leg cramps in addition to these frequent headaches. I can't deal with too many more of these evenings & wonder if all these things are possible side effects. I'm glad to see my other son doing well but miss his normally sweet brother! Even his siblings think he is acting crazy :(

I am a grandma to a 41/2 year old boy named Trevor. He has been on Singulair since he was 18mos. old. I am here to tell I am furious and heartsick to think that he has been subjected to a medication that can do the things it has done to him. I have NO DOUBT that Singulair is the problem. Our daughter and son-in-law have been at their wits end with
him and was one phone call away from taking him to a therapist (they needed one too!) The phone call to me on Monday, July 28th, was out of
sheer desperation. My daughter wanted me to look up the side effects for Zirtec. After looking that up and not finding anything I happened to remember that Trevor was also on Singulair. The actual side effects listed
didn't ring any warning bells with me. Somehow I happened onto this website and OH MY GOSH I flipped out and cried through every letter written by parents with the same side effects Trevor has. The compulsion, anxiety, anger and (heaven forbid) the threats of wanting himself, or someone he loves very much to die.This is absolutely unheard of for someone his age. I'm ever so thankful I found this website. Trevor was taken off Singulair that very day and within 3 days we had the sweetest,
most normal 4yr. old, on this earth. When I think what could have happened
had he stayed on it any longer...I can't!!!

I was taking Singulair for about a month. It seemed to work great. It relieved chest tightness and breathing related anxiety. HOWEVER, I got SEVERE muscle aches and pains that floated to different parts of my body, without warning rhyme or reason, from my head to my toes. The pain would last from a few seconds, to a few mins. and can return in the same spot, or appear somewhere totally different in a few seconds. I have been off of Singulair for about 2 weeks now. The pains have subsided from very severe (crying it hurt so bad) and now they are still there but achey rather than debilitating. Does anyone know how long this should last?

One month on the drug became aggressive and moody got very anxious about everything to the point of dibilatatingpanic issues. I am a 46 year old male, working full time and attending college at night.Singular has made me almost drop out in my senior year due to panic issues in class.I am now off the drug one complete week feeling better still having mild panic issues.
Does anyone know how long it takes to get out of your system?

Hi to all,
I wanted to take a minute to say Thanks to all who post and search for answers to this drugs confusing and serious side effects.To all who have taken the time to contact the FDA and file a report to help others.Dr.Sarah Sellers is no longer the person to contact at the FDA,she has moved on after concluding her end of the investigation on Singulair.If you have a serious side effect please still take the time to file on the official FDA site for adverse event reporting.In NY. state we are still searching for legislation to help with the notification process for these serious side effects.There are to many Doctors that still do not have a clear idea of the updated side effects,and are not reporting as they should.
Letting your doctor know that good medicine is all about follow up on complaints,such as researching the singulair website to rule out that it may be the drug or it may not.Just dismissing the patient and prescribing another drug is how these drugs go undetected for so long.We want this to stop and only the unfortunate recipients of the horrors of this drug can make this happen.Again thank you for your efforts to change the system with follow through and perserverance.Our horror story is one of many and we want to help those who have survived the ravages of this drug, OUR CHILD DID NOT. Kate and Dave M.

I have been taking Singulair for 5 weeks and stopped after developing high blood pressure, numbness and tingling all over my body, flushing, anxiety, memory loss/difficulty concentrating, skin burning sensations, fatigue, "heavy legs" feeling, heart palpitations. I have been off of this drug for 3 days. I still have the side effects and hope that they will go away ASAP. I am also a very well-controlled 28 year old diabetic and when I had neuropathy-like tingling sensations in my extremities (from Singulair) I became worried and angry. I am seeing a doctor tomorrow for a full exam. If this drug has caused me permanent nerve damage I intend on filing a lawsuit against the drug company.

In response to Wewe's post, I've been wondering the same thing. Since taking my daughter off Singular almost 2 months ago, I'm seeing a different almost typical kid. Four years ago about 2 months after starting Singular my daughter was diagnosed with anxiety. As her condition got worse she was diagnosed with depression. We started to see OCD and tics so they were added as a diagnosis It was determined that it was related to strep infections so she was diagnosed with PANDAS. She was started on Zoloft and klonidine. The Zoloft made her worse. Her fears of hurting herself got so intrusive she was hospitalized. Her cholesterol was high too. The Zoloft was discontinued and Prozac was started. She's had therapy all 4 years. She also neede physical therapy due to muscle and joint pain. Now she's doing better, off Singular. Does she really have PANDAS, OCD? I don't know. She's still on Prozac, we just did a slight decrease this week. Is this medication the trigger for underlying conditions. Learned behaviors can be unlearned, but are there lasting physical effects? If a gene has been turned on, can it be turned off? I wish we knew the answers to help all of our kids.

I have been reading the posts at this site for two weeks, ever since the day I went to my GP for a check on blood pressure and general well being. As I was getting ready to leave the examining room, he asked how I had been since my last visit, and I responded that I'd been OK, except of course that I wasn't sleeping well. I didn't tell him that I'd had obsessive thoughts of death and dying, severe anxiety, morbid depression, horrible mood swings, and compulsive thoughts and actions. Yes, I've been taking Singulair since it was approved for seasonal rhinitis. It seemed to work well with Allegra, although when my allergies were extra severe, I also had to resort to Benadryl or one of the other "drowsy" antihistamines. When I mentioned sleep, he said "You have heard about Singulair, haven't you?" Guess how shocked I was when he told me about the latest information on the medicine I was taking every night for the last 5 years? Unfortunately, I had been under severe stress because of professional and families issues during the same general time frame, so it would never, ever have occurred to me that a prescribed medication could make me so miserable. My psychiatrist had recommending doubling my dose of Cymbalta, but after some trials of that, I became convinced that when I did so, I felt worse. About 6 months ago, my emotional state went from bad to worse. I began to feel a sense of panic when called upon to make the most innocuous decisions, and was always aggravated and nasty to the people I loved most. With my doctor's mention of Singulair, I stopped taking it. I slept better from the second day of not taking it. In the last 2 weeks, my emotional roller coaster has smoothed out, not perfectly, but enough so that I'm much more like my old self. The stresses are similar, but my reactions are different. Zyrtec (1/2 tablet) works much better for itchy eyes and nose than Singulair did in the first place. My husband and son both have continued to take Singulair with no apparent problems. I think that if one has developed unusual or unexpected emotional symptoms it is definitely worth a trial off Singulair. I wish I had been aware of even the smallest possibility of a reaction such as mine when I started taking it.

well Sunday afternoon here, and very very hot,everybody is napping in the air conditioning,As i watch my son nap on the couch,i cant help but wonder what these three years did,when i ask him how different he feels ,he explains it as not being trapped in his thoughts.He will be 15 by the time school is back in session,he is kinda nervous kinda scared about returning to school,he had been out of school and home tutored for 2 years due to his anxiety and panic,but that is getting better now although some days i see in his eyes that a touch may be hiding, but i push him and say ok to the mall we go or to putt putt, .I know i can push him now and he will be ok.That in its self is a wonderful thing,i knew before if i pushed he would break.I worry about his return to school and the stigma that might surround him, you know kids can be cruel, well he forever be known as the kid that was in the psych hospital.As i ponder i wonder when did it all go so wrong,when was it ever ok to murder and torture children in this way,and some how call it the cost of doing business.Somebody needs to man up,speak out and care what has happened .Merck is not knocking my door asking if they can help bring back some of the innocence lost.the doctors seem to want to ignore the fact it even happened,barly taking the time to even ask.Not surprising really as they properly don't even know his name.As the weeks go by and the healing continues,I ask can i ever forgive,the answer is no as it was not me victimized but my child ,your child,precious children,in the name of doing business.

WOW!!! I am glad I came across this website. I have twin boys that will be 7 this month. One has been on Singulair for about 3 years for allergy induced asthma and my other son has been on it for 9 months for allergies. I am taking them both off of it today. The son that is taking the medicine for 3 years has become increasingly angry and gets upset over small things. Over Memorial weekend, he lost a game he was playing on the wii and exploded. He was banging his head and then started to hit me. NEVER in my life have I seen him attack anyone. A few days later he threw rocks at his friend because he wanted the wagon. Over the past 3 years I have noticed some change in him and just took it as growing pains. He has always been a strong will child. However, over the past 3 years he has gotten worse and since he has physically attacked me and his friend, I have decided to send him to counseling. Now I firmly believe it is the Singulair.

My other son has been on it since August. He started to have anxiety within a month of taking it. His behavior has been stressed, depressed and not wanting to play with other kids. He was biting his nails to a nub, licking his hands, not talking to anyone at school and rubbing his head. I have also noticed he does like to look at the person he is talking too. Of course I thought the worse and thought he was being molested. I went to his Teacher and she has worked very hard with him, but he is still a loner. If you knew him before, he played with everyone and enjoyed life. I was told by his Ped. that he had anxiety and to have him see a shrink.

I am hoping that after taking them both off this medicine, I will see improvement.

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.

In September of 2007 my then 13 year old daughter was put on Singular for mild asthma. At the time she was a straight A student, vice president of our school and a popular girl who's guidance counselor described as "the glue of her grade" because she was so well liked. In November she told me that she was struggling with advanced Latin and Science. She asked to drop down to on grade Latin so we did. In December her science teacher notified us that she had a C average. She told me that she thought she had ADD/ADHD and she couldn't keep up. At the same time she was having a lot of problems with friends at school and we just attributed it to being 14. 3 weeks ago we discovered that she is significantly behind in English and it was then that she told me that she is been having horrific night mares. She said that they usually involve someone killing her or her killing herself. She said that they were so graphic that she couldn't repeat it out loud. She also said that she would feel waves of anxiety that would come over her at school and she would act "witchy" to the kids in her class for no real reason. She said that sometimes when she is trying to do her homework she will read the same passage for 2 hours and still have no idea what it's about. She also said that the suicidal thoughts from her sleep happened during they day and that she had thoughts of her harming herself. Fortunately her pulminologist told us that this may be caused by singular and we immediately took her off of it which was 2 weeks ago. She has only had 1 "bad dream" not even a nightmare since. She had one anxiety attack 3 days after she was off it and she describes her moods as the "cloud lifting....slowly". Now, we have to pick up the pieces. Her grades have suffered, her friendships have suffered and most of all her self esteem is very low. I'm grateful that we found out the cause but I feel as if my daughter lost a year of her life and I worry that because Merck won't admit there are side effects we can't find out how long it remains in their system. Is anyone else concerned about the long term affect and has anyone pursued a class action suit to try to get this drug tested properly?

This is also a follow up. My daughter 11 was put on Singular 4 years ago. The first symptom we noticed was the rubbing for her thumb abd fingers. We thought that it was anxiety because i had recently been hospitalized. For the past 4 years we have attributed most of her symptoms tp PANDAS. She also found out recently that she has high cholesterol. All of these kids having the same side effects can not be a coincidence. I will file a report with the FDA. We took her off of it about 1&1/2 weeks ago and have seen definite improvement. With everything she's been through I'm sure that she's continue to need support even after this medication gets out of her system.

Wow, I just found this site. The child that had strep especially caught my attention. My daughter, 11, has been diagnosed with PANDAS, which is also a controversial diagnosis. I'm not sure when she went on Singular, but it was a couple of years ago due to allergies. She had bad reactions to anti-histamines. For the past two years we have been dealing with just about every issue posted here. Physical pains, stomach, headaches, joints. urination issues, high cholesterol, but the worst have been the irritability , mood issues, OCD, fears of cutting herself, bad thoughts, suicidal ideation. She was on Zoloft which made things worse, She was hospitalized at her own request. She was placed on Prozac. She's had years of therapy. She would say life is just so hard and she wants to be a normal kid. About a month ago her pediatrician mentioned that there were some reports about Singular and it would be something to watch for and discuss with the psychiatrist, He didn't seem to know much about it. Last week after another suicidal ideation I decided to research the singular issue. I had been attributing everything to the PANDAs. I was so surprised to see the similarities. I took her off of it Friday and have seen some changes already. I hope we see that continued improvement. Thanks to all who have shared stories, it's so helpful. To have hope that you'll get your kid back is great.

My daughter has been off of Singulair for about 6 weeks now and is still having "explosive" reactions to minor issues. My daughter's personality is better - no more dark thoughts, etc, but the anxiety/aggressiveness is still hanging on. Anyone having similar issues? We are also still dealing with the OCD behaviors as well. She is 4 and I really think her brain chemistry is still altered. At what point should I recognize that this new child may be my new reality? I would really appreciate any thoughts from those of you that have been off for more than 6 weeks. Are you back to 100%?

Quinolinic acid and neurotoxicity:

Montelukast contains a quinoline radical. Quinolinic acid, a well known damaging neurotoxin that kills neurons, can be produced from a quinoline and hydrogen peroxide. The body produces hydrogen peroxide for a numbers of reasons. White blood cells produce hydrogen peroxide when activated by antigens such as bacteria, virus, fungus etc. It is also produced under conditions when the body is stressed. It is also produced in the gastrointestinal track.

If we knew how montelukast could break up to free the quinoline radical, then we might be able to define a number of different scenarios under which hydrogen peroxide could cause montelukast to generate the neurotoxin quinolinic acid.

If we could prove that montelukast is capable of produce quinolinic acid under unusual circumstances (doesn't happen to everybody), then we would have a very good explanation for all of the psychiatric adverse drug reactions that are mentioned here which include hallucinations, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideations, night mares, etc. etc.

Anyone looking for answers should try to pursue the possibility that quinolinic acid is causing bad side effects. I wish that I was much better at chemistry. I am stuck here at the moment. I keep hoping that somebody else with more expertise will come here to tell us how it happens.

My son, Wilson, is a bright, easy-going, athletic 12 year old who has a history of asthma and allergies. After several asthmatic episodes from age one year to about four, he was prescribed Singulair. The asthma triggers seemed to be change of season or congestion from a cold, but not from exercise or physical exertion. As I recall, his asthmatic episodes seemed to decrease after he was on 5-10 mg of Singulair, and even more so with each passing year. Over the years, of my three sons, Wilson was the one to catch any virus that came around and missed more school time than both of his brothers combined. Often, he was the only one to get sick from a virus, which never passed to anyone else in the family.
About five years ago, Wilson started complaining of stomach aches. He was tested and was prescribed Prevacid on and off since then with varying success. In the last couple of years, headaches would come and go. He was re-tested for allergies and blood work with no conclusive results. About 2-3 years ago he would complain that he “felt funny…like he needed to do something.” Further conversations revealed that he was expressing anxiety. He’s a good student, has lots of friends at school, and is popular among his sports team mates. Occasionally, a teacher here and there over the last couple of years would note that he did not participate enough in class, or did not appear to be attentive. We thought perhaps he is shy. Still his good behavior, agreeable personality and diligence otherwise earned him good grades overall. He loves school and was very unhappy having to stay home when he was sick.
This past winter, he seemed to catch a virus about once every month and a half which caused him to miss 2-3 days of school. Headaches and stomach aches were common with each illness (sometimes nausea), and sometimes these same symptoms when he was not ill. He would only complain when they were prolonged or significant. Trips to the doctor did not result in anything conclusive. Again, Wilson was only too happy once he returned to school.
He claims that sometimes in school he feels like he’s in a fog and has difficulty concentrating. He gets plenty of sleep and sometimes sleeps up to ten hours during the weekend. We attributed it to adolescence and a busy schedule. He claims that this year is the easiest for him at school, and his social life with his friends is very active. His friends’ parents like him and find him to be an agreeable child. Other adults mistake his sometime mumbling answers and lack of eye contact rude. We concluded that he is just shy. He is the most hyper of his brothers, and has difficulty sitting still and constantly exclaims that he’s bored. We chalked it up to being an active boy. His grades are good in school and we never get complaints about bad behavior.
The last illness started a week ago, and he’s still out of school. The doctor said he had no significant allergy symptoms, other bacterial infections, and his blood work all returned with normal results for white blood counts, liver and kidney functioning and anemia. He can’t return to school because of his constant headaches (which cause pain in different parts of his head), nausea, constant stomach aches, no matter what he eats, and feelings of anxiety, mostly in the evening hours. He’s also complaining of dizziness, leg cramps and other muscle soreness. The notable difference in this illness is the anxiety. My husband and I take turns staying home with him, but if we left him alone for a half an hour at a time while the other was in route picking up a sibling, he became very anxious. In the past, he seemed to enjoy some alone time at home so he could play his computer games. He also becomes easily dizzy with shooting pains in his muscles. The doctor said that viruses can manifest themselves in later stages in the form of sore muscles. However, he was concerned about Wilson’s feelings of anxiety. The anxiety had not been as prevalent in prior illnesses. I finally signed onto the internet reading all the stories about other parent’s observations of their children on Singulair. My husband cautioned me about “internet diagnosing” with symptoms and stories that can be easily taken out of context in hope of self-diagnosis. I’ve always thought that Wilson’s doctors have had good judgment. Both my primary physician and allergist don’t think that Singulair has caused these symptoms, but agreed to take him off as long as we monitored any effect on his asthma.
I don’t know what to think. I want the cause of these problems to be the Singulair, because it’s an easy answer. Today will be the first day he’s off the medication. He probably won’t go to school again tomorrow. We’ll wait and see what happens…

My daughter has been off Singulair since March 29th. In my previous posting I explained that she had taken it for 2 years and last December started to experience stomach pain, and she became very anxious, agitated, and obsessive compulsive. We had every test possible and her anxiety only grew worse as the weeks went on. In February she was admitted for panic attacks and was given Paxil and Risperdal. When we stopped Singulair we noticed definite changes with her mood swings, personality, and affection. We saw a side of her that over time we forgot existed. She is so much better, but still on the medicines from her hospitalization. We have an appointment to discuss reducing these meds. But has SINGULAIR been out of her system long enough? She endured so much emotional stress that I know just stopping the Singulair will not be the cure all. Any input from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

I spent the weekend reading about the development of Singulair. The early studies recognized that the first phase of the acute asthma response bronco-constriction was probably not caused by leukotrienes. They identified histamines and prostaglandins as the probable sources. I don't think that changed because the Singulair literature states that it should not be considered as a treatment for that. Leukotrienes were a source of inflammation caused by eosinophils and mast cells present in greater numbers (than normal) in airway tissue. So, it was beneficial to find a way to decrease that.

The cysLT1 receptor was identified as source of the signals that tell the cells to produce leukotriene. The receptor, a gene, consist of 337 (they think) amino acids. They modified a compound that would bind to that receptor thus blocking the cells ability to produce leukotrienes. This compound is very specific. It was formulated to bind to the "model" receptor. This compound will not even bind to cysLT receptor sub-types. (That is the good thing.) There is an enormous amount of research that discusses the genetic variability of the chemical reactions that occur in the leukotriene (calling it this for simplicity) pathway. We are also seeing that a number of researchers would like to use gene profiles to predict whether patients will respond favorably to different asthma/allergy drugs. ALL PATIENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW IF IT IS INHERENT THAT SOME PEOPLE WILL NOT RESPOND TO SINGULAIR OR RESPOND ADVERSELY.

There are many studies from the 1998 era that conclude that montelukast is not effective for everyone. Those researchers stated that it can be predicted that those people who are going to respond favorably will do that within the first 14 days or so. That conclusion would be consistent with a genetic component for efficacy and safety of Singulair. Those doctors concluded that those who did not respond within that time frame should not take Singulair for fear of harming them. That makes good sense.

The Italian researchers wanted to know if there was more going on than blocking leukotrienes in the action of montelukast. They set up a "test tube" study regarding montelukast, the cysLT1 receptor, and some t-cells that they selected. Why? Researchers always have something on their minds. They observed the death of these particular t-cells.

Montelukast is a quinoline. We basically know of quinilines and quinolones as compounds that were invented as broad spectrum antibiotics. They work because they interference with bacterial DNA so they cannot replicate themselves. Montelukast is a quinoline modified to bind with the cysLT1 receptor (a gene) and prevent that gene from activating. That's consistent with what a quinoline/quinolone does.

So what does montelukast do in blood plasma if it does not bind to the receptor because of genetic mis-match? (If montelukast does bind, then a chemical reaction has occurred and the liver will break down the by-products. Montelukast metabolized in 10-12 hours.) What happens if it doesn't bind? How long before it breaks down? Does it produce toxic by-products?

I want to know what happens to lymphocytes such as t-cells just because montelukast is a quinoline. Maybe nothing but what's up with the Italians researchers? I want to know if montelukast has the capability to interfere with lymphocytes who can clone themselves. That could be a good thing under circumstances when these lymphocytes are causing inflammation. But it could be a bad thing in the case of normal individuals with no problems.

I want to know if the bad side effects are due to the fact that the body has to break down and metabolize a quinoline that did not bind to the receptor for which it was created. The side effects of Singulair are strangely similar to what is observed in the quinolones such as levaquin. I have not as yet been able to compare montelukast as a quinoline to levaquin as a quinolone. I am hoping to find something on these categories. There may be no reason to worry that they cause similar damage. But frankly, I think that there is. There is some terrible chit happening to some people. The scariest is the neurological damage.

All of these questions would be in the everybody pharma knows to ask category. I don't know where the answers are. I haven't found them as of yet. Maybe there are no answers. We have to remember that Singulair and Vioxx were released in the same year. They have continued to be drugs under the current executive management of Merck. If the Vioxx marketing promoters had their ghost writers, why not the Singulair marketing promoters. The genetic component appears to be widely accepted but we haven't heard one thing about even that.

I think that it is sad that maybe the marketing of Singulair as one stop shopping for asthma/allergies may have destroyed the original concept. I really think from reading the original work that they knew that they couldn't engineer a drug for one size fits all. Everybody gets harmed when information is withheld.

Shame on the allergist who yelled at the mother who wanted to discuss issues. Does he know exactly who is allergic to Singulair and who isn't? Get him a dunce hat. Just because Singulair is marketed for allergies does not mean that you cannot be allergic to it. See the power of Madison Avenue? The ad agencies focus group these drugs to death. The ad agencies cleverly craft the product information. A good piece of legislation would be to prohibit consumer drugs ads.

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

Does montelukast affect growth in children? Remember the report of identical twins, one took Singulair and one didn't. If I remember correctly, the one who took Singulair was at least two inches shorter in a short period of time.

If anyone would like a reason to look into that, then I refer you to this study. It could suggest that leukotrienes act on the pituitary to release pituitary hormones. We don't know what happens when the production of leukotrienes are blocked by montelukast.

"Finally, leukotrienes have also been found to act on the pituitary to modulate the release of the pituitary hormones."

"The distribution data of HPN321 suggests major role(s) for this receptor in endocrine and cardiovascular systems. CysLTs are well known for their modulatory effects in cardiovascular functions, where they reduce myocardial contractility and coronary blood flow (Letts and Piper, 1982) and have vasoactive effects (Drazen et al., 1980). They are thus considered to be important players in cardiovascular diseases (for review, see Folco et al., 2000). The strong expression of HPN321 in adrenal gland points at a new tissue where to study the influence of CysLTs on endocrine circuits. Finally, leukotrienes have also been found to act on the pituitary to modulate the release of the pituitary hormones (Hulting et al., 1984; Saadi et al., 1990). Our discovery of the existence of the HPN321 message in pituitary adds a molecular credence to this concept. The HPN321 receptor may thus modulate a variety of different physiological functions, which can now be tested using BAY u9773."

Vol. 58, Issue 6, 1601-1608, December 2000

ACCELERATED COMMUNICATION

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a Second Human Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor: Discovery of a Subtype Selective Agonist
Hans-Peter Nothacker, Zhiwei Wang, Yuhong Zhu, Rainer K. Reinscheid, Steven H. S. Lin, and Olivier Civelli

Departments of Pharmacology (H.P.N., Z.W., Y.Z., R.K.R., S.H.S.L., O.C.) and Developmental and Cell Biology (O.C.), University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California; and NeoGene Technologies, Inc., Irvine, CA (H.P.N., Z.W., R.K.R., O.C.)

http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/58/6/1601

I am posting an email address for people that have stopped dispensing this drug and see the symptoms of the side effects disappear.Please tell all who have seen a change in their child or loved one to email this woman.I met with Dr.Sarah Sellers and other members from the FDA in Washington DC she is in charge of Safety Review in the office of Surveillance and Epidemiology.This is critical in the investigation into SINGULAIR .Everyone wants to help and this is how to begin.The email is sarah.sellers@fda.hhs.gov Our Congresswoman has requested the TV advertisement for SINGULAIR to be changed,they are stating mild side effects and that is not known to be true at this time.I am reaching out to all of you who have posted and that know anyone who has ,to please do this along with filing on ******.We have to work within the guidelines of the system,this will certainly help the investigation to be more accurate.My husband and I are in this to help all the families that have suffered so greatly,take this opportunity to help also.Thank You in advance Kate and David M.

I'm an 18 year old male and I've been taking Singulair for years; I don't even remember when I started taking it. I've had chronic sinusitis my whole life, and use a Singulair 10mg/ Allegra 180mg combo to control it. I never gave it a second thought. From my adolescent years on, I've been able to sleep (if undisturbed) for 15, 16+ hours a night, and have always felt like I was in a fog during everyday life. Getting out of bed has always been a terrible problem for me.

Throughout high school, I became progressively more depressed and apathetic toward school work, to the point where I dropped a number of classes my junior year. Got put on Prozac for a while, it helped a great deal with the depression, and seemed to give me enough energy to get through the week. I discontinued it after a year or so, everything was going okay (aside from mood swings and tiredness- explained away as symptoms of my age/hormones/going to bed too late), and then I went to college.

I had a mild depression that I think most people get upon leaving home for the first time, but the real problem was anxiety; I had a number of anxiety attacks, and decided to transfer to a school closer to home. I started Celexa and therapy- the celexa seems to take the edge off, but I fear its making me even more tired than before.

I've just heard about the whole Singulair controversy, and I am not taking it from here on out. I really hope that this whole ordeal was brought on primarily by the Singulair. After a month or two, I'll repost to report whether the symptoms went away.

(A divorced father)
My son has been on Singulair now 5 years and I am in the middle of fighting to get him off. My son is now 7 years old and has been diagnosed with allergies (no test have been done which I find very odd), which leads to a case of mild asthma. This past weekend his mother forgot his Singular on Friday so I could not give him any till the next day, where we met at his soccer game. Saturday night I gave him his usual pill and thankfully due to his exhaustion from playing out side all day he went to sleep in 10 min. vs 3 hrs later which is the norm since Singulair seems to jack him up.
He also has red puffiness under his eyes - most likely allergies.
Seems depressed - just driving down the road and I look at him in the rear view mirror and he just sits and stares into space. When I ask what's wrong he either says nothing or I am tired.
He will try to tell a story or think for himself and just stops mid sentence and says " never mind I am just confused"
He will be having fun one moment and just starts crying or gets depressed.
He was throwing a ball in the house (yes I know) and accidentally knocked a glass over breaking it - he went running to his room, crawled under his bed and sobbed profusely for over 30 min.
He has a hard time doing / focusing on homework - becomes bored very easily.
Does not want to go outside. I will take him to allot of cultural events/ hands on or participation events - he will not try anything. He is unsure and will not come out of his box so to speak.
I spoke with his doctor who was reluctant to take him off, but then agreed that if it was OK with the ex, to take him off for a week to see what happens.
The fun part: My ex is convinced that since he has been on Singulair for 5 years he is fine and does not need to come off it.

1.) Son is diagnosed with mild asthma or allergy induced asthma.
He has never had an allergy test done and has not had a lung function test in over a year.

2.) It is documented that our son has four outbreaks a year. (sounds like the changing of the seasons) but is given Singulair all year round and the dosage has also been increased.

3.) Since the court order, ordered my ex to enroll our son in sports (she would not let him play anything) he does not wheeze or cough uncontrollably.

4.) Since I had to battle to get our son on my insurance I have cut her control issues off a little, but she is refusing to take him off Singular just for a week to see how he reacts. Although I do agree that he should have some form of allergies medicine.

5.) When I found out about the side effects of Singulair, I also found that his doctor was getting ready to add two other allergy medicines to his portfolio - totaling 3 different meds.

I see our sons behavior getting worse and I watch him turn into something he is not and with a controlling individual not believing anything about the side effects it looks like I will have to rely on the medical system to prove my point. I do believe he needs to be accurately tested for allergies and given a regularly lung function test but most of all since he is now on my insurance, a second opinion and a 3rd to narrow down what the situation is and an alternative medical procedure that is fit for the symptoms.

Some common sense observations about Singulair side effects. (As everything on the internet, this is only my opinion.)

Conclusion up front: Ethics in science SUCKS these day. Put enough money on the table and what happens? I don’t mean all scientists, just the few. But, the Merck ghost writers are the tip of the iceberg for those in the schm#ck category. Maybe, if we reveal the extremes of abuse of laboratory animals, the ASPCA will organize and save us all. How about if they find out about the pharma labs that just beat the cr@p out of the lab animals to produce a stress response to find out what chemicals are produced? What was that all about?? Probably military—send our soldiers out to war over politics/oil, then we will have a pill to give them every night to put them back together again for the next day??

1.The cysLT1 receptor, which Singulair blocks, is a gene, found on the x chromosome (?), part of our inherited innate immune system. It is evolution. The hypersensitive individual overreacts to environmental stimuli causing unpleasant or dangerous symptoms. It is advantageous to intervene to prevent that. Merck’s idea was to block cysLT1 so that the chemicals secreted by the mast cell cannot reach the tissues in the lungs and nasal passages to cause the inflammatory responses-asthma being the more severe.

2.How did Merck develop such a drug? The cysLT1 receptor , a gene, has a profile, a chemical map of the components. Montelukast, was modeled to chemically bond with the receptor so that it does not function. That bond will endure until the liver enzymes break it down. Montelukast blocks the leukotriene response until it is time to take another pill. All that sounds good so far.

3.Now comes the first of the too good to be trues. Montelukast was formulated for a specific gene profile. However, cysLT1 has variations, numbers unknown, but more than several. Even Merck recognizes that it is not effective for everyone because the clinical data shows that. Mis-matches with the gene profile can cause montelukast to be recognized as an allergen. Then, the body mounts an immune response against montelukast.

4.Many of the symptoms that we see here are allergic reactions to montelukast, headache (18%), types of neuro-muscular (10%), hives, nausea, vomiting, leg pain, stomach cramps, and more. Some people will recognize montelukast instantly as an allergen. If the mis-match is slight, the allergic reaction could be acquired or build over time. Montelukast will ALWAYS be an allergen to those people. Doctors will do great harm if they treat allergic reaction to montelukast with other drugs. Those people must STOP taking montelukast.

5.The second too good to be true, is that cystLT1 receptor, involved in the leukotriene response, is only a very tiny part of the immune system, genetically programmed to function as a WHOLE. Now what? It is highly unlikely that montelukast can block the leukotriene receptor - cysLT1 in the brain, lungs, spleen, intestinal mucosa, etc. and not cause some kind of re-structuring of the immune system to compensate for that. Those who take Singulair can expect that they are a new adaptation of human being who can operate without the cysLT1 receptor. Or, they can expect long term damage. How scary is that?

6.What would happen if Merck revealed that montelukast, by definition , cannot work for everybody because it is based on a gene profile with variations? What would happen if patients and doctors started to think about the immune system as a whole? Then Singulair – which means “single thing you need for air – breathe” the logo is even Singul-AIR, would not be the huge money maker that it is. Doctors would find a way to use it, for whom it is effective, in an appropriate way to consider the long term effects. For some people, this drug could have a place. But this drug does not deserve to be a CASH COW-money, money, money!

7.What in the heck is wrong with the FDA? Are they under a spell or hiding under a rock?

It has been 18 days since my 9 year old daughter has taken Singulair. Our daughter had been taking Singulair for approximately 2 years. It was in the last year that we started to notice some behavior changes and mood swings that were so often unprovoked. We were somewhat concerned and thought like so many other parents that it was a phase. Then in December 2007 she came home from school with a tummy ache and had several episodes of vomiting. She seemed better the following day, but we took her to the pediatrician to be sure that this was a virus. The stomach pains continued, and then anxiety attacks began. Over the next month she began to wake up each day with stomach aches and we began more visits to doctors and more testing. She had abdominal X-rays, CT scan, mekel scan, GI consult and endoscopy. All were ok except she did have some small amounts of acid in her stomach. She was treated with Prevacid with really no significant changes. As weeks passed she missed more and more school, she just could not make it through the day. She had intense separation anxiety, and developed OCD about being sick again and vomiting, fears that she may stop breathing; fear of dying and the list goes on. She was refusing to ride the bus to school, and was having more and more panic attacks that would last for hours. We finally took her to a psychiatrist after we had done every test we could possibly do and all were normal. She woke up with the fear and anxiety, and fell asleep each night the same way. The doctor said she had "OCD" which she believes was triggered by the fear from vomiting. "This was the first time she had vomited since she was an infant.” She was treated with Lexapro, and Klonopin. The symptoms worsened over the next few days even with the new medications. After many calls to the doctor we were finally advised to have her admitted to a children’s psychiatric hospital for closer evaluation where higher doses of medications could be administered. She was there for 4 horrible days with slight improvements. Over the next few weeks the medication did begin to help some and she was able to make it through school each day as long as she was able to call me a few times a day for re-assurance. I thank God each day for her wonderful teacher and staff that have helped us through this. They all have known her for 3 years and knew this was just not her character at all and she was truly struggling. She was always known as "Smiley" to everyone because she always wears a grin. We began therapy with a psychologist as well and she has good and bad days. Then we heard the news about Singulair and I began to trace back other issues she had with focusing in 2nd grade and how things just seemed to progress from there. It all happened so gradually that I would never have put two & two together. She is showing improvements every day with personality, mood, attitude, fears, and the "OCD". She told me today that this was the best day ever!! I have made all the Doctor's involved aware of this information and the progress she has made in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Her doctor did cut her meds in half this week as well. Thanks to everyone that has posted their nightmares as well, and we will pray for you and for full recovery for all those that have suffered.

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 daughter took singulair for a number of years because she was asthmatic and the doctor recommended that she takes one each a day. At 13 she started acting differently and I thought it was just growing up and being a rebellious teenager. I later found track mark on her arms and she was hospitalized under suicide watch. She was not allowed in school until she had numerous therapy sessions. On top of everything she was giving topamax to control her anxiety and depression and now missed so much school that she has graduate a year later.

I am a mental health professional. I was on Singulair for 6 years. After hearing of the psychiatric side effects, I stopped it. The suicidal ideations have stopped, the depression and anxiety are decreasing. This information should have been made public long before now. And to think that I had actually calculated whether I had enough drugs on hand to accomplish suicide. I hold Merck responsible for putting myself and others through this torment.

I am posting an update on my granddaughterwho has been off for 2 weeks since the story broke in the news. There certainly has been a difference, she's more 'present' when I'm speaking with her, not angry, calmer and she slept through the night the other day when she came over to visit. There were actually no 'scenes' or carrying on. However, in light of the last posting I do not know how she will be affected in the long term, None of us can know that, none of us know how this drug actually works on the brain to create such side effects. I just saw a Singulair commercial on TV and almost got sick. Cody Miller's mom in her post stated that he had no behavioral problems before his death. I imagine that is true for the majority of us. My granddaughter never had the need to go see a counselor before this drug. She was a happy, normal 9-year old. That all changed in only 2 months as her mother took her to a psychologist to find out why she was acting so bizarrely. I am convinced this drug has caused untold misery and should be at least restricted to adults or at most taken off the market. This website is only the beginning at some point those who feel strongly will have to come together and organize against this giant company Merck.

My daughter had an appointment with a gastrointestinal doctor this morning because of her stomach problems. (She has been off of Singulair 10 days now and ALL symptoms- leg pains, abdominal pain, dizziness, sensitivity to light, severe mood swings, depression, anxiety, severe tantrums have all vanished) We kept the appointment with GI because our physician advised us to. He found it hard to believe that Singulair could be the cause of all of her symptoms. Well the GI also found it hard to believe that Singulair was the cause but said, "The proof is in the pudding." I have filed a complaint with the FDA on medwatch.com. It was very easy. I have also asked the doctor to file one as well. I also gave the doctor a printout of the studies done. Hopefully with more and more people filing complaints the FDA will act quickly. There is so much indisputable evidence regarding adverse reactions. It is unbelievable how many stories sound just alike. So many children have lost years of their life due to this drug. Parents have spent so much time and money trying to figure out what is "wrong" with their child. It is a shame so many have been incorrectly labeled all because of a drug they were taking!!

My 15 year old daughter has been taking Singulair for about 10 years for asthma, and it seemed to do a great job of controlling that condition. However for the past year or two (since onset of puberty) her mood swings, anxiety, sleep problems, ability to concentrate, etc., seemed to escalate to extremes. She has always been a little high-strung and emotional, but I never related it to the medication. Lately I tried to convince myself everything was a result of hormone fluctuations although things were going from bad to worse. Late this fall she suffered a series of back-to-back illnesses (flu, sore throats, etc.) which caused her to miss so much school she almost flunked her entire first semester of high school. After the holidays she seemed to be back on track but then another bout of flu triggered asthma, and then she seemed to bounce from one to the other - and missing a lot of school again which caused a lot of anxiety, which caused the asthma to flare, causing greater anxiety, etc., etc. For almost 3 weeks she barely came out of her bedroom, and looked more despondent by the day, begging me to not force her to go back to school because people would make fun of her. After lots of arguing one Saturday she agreed to go with me to a therapist while we tried to find alternatives for school this year. Well, that same night my daughter woke me around 3 a.m. (she also does not sleep well...) to tell me about the story she had just heard on CNN about Singulair. After finding this website the next morning I was horrified - and she has not taken it since. Our allergist dismissed the CNN story, saying there was no scientific evidence to support that claim, but agreed that maybe we should take her off Singulair. We did visit a therapist, although since that day I have seen a noticeable change in her behavior and moods. If anyone else is considering a class action suit, please email me since I am seriously planning to take some kind of action - I believe the FDA should move quickly on this so that other parents may be able to avoid seeing their children have to deal with the effects of this medication. I could probably write pages, I am so appalled that this has happened, but I will end here for now....

I am one of many that has decided to stop giving my child Singulair. And like many others, I have noticed a great improvement in her behavior.

My question is for those who have done the same. What medication have you replaced the Singulair with and have you noticed any of the same side effects that Singulair was causing? What are your thoughts on Flovent inhaler?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My nine year old son started on Singulair about a year ago. Over the last several months, we've noticed his anxiety/anger level rise tremendously. He's always been a sensitive/serious kid and so we attributed it to our talking about moving. However, we're a pretty stable family (not perfect, but happy) and couldn't figure out why it was affecting him so badly. He was a ticking time bomb, exploding on everyone at random times. Then he began chewing on the skin of his thumbs and eventually all over the palms of his hands...a big chewed up mess. He said he did it because he was nervous. It was extreme and scary. Then a friend of mine happened to mention in passing about the Singulair reports. We've decided to take him off the meds and see if it makes a difference. I'll let you know what comes of it.

Update.. well today is the 10th day off of Singulair for my 6yr old son. He is doing wonderful. One of the issues he has been dealing with over last year was constant sinus infections. Just curious if anyone else out there experienced thick mucus/sinus infections. His got to the point that his adenoids became enlarged from constant infections but even after surgery in Feb his sinus did not seem to drain completely. Well yesterday he finally started having discharge of what seems to be a lining in his sinus(what they saw on cat scan before surgery). He has no cold symptons and I have been giving him mucinex & saline washes to help thin it out but I have been doing this along.. I have been waiting for this to happen for months now! I don't feel its coincidence that its after we stopped the Singulair his sinuses are finally draining (without antibiotics)

I can totally understand why patients and parents are so very frustrated in trying to get help. Doctors are trained in clinical medicine which means that they are trained to apply what researchers HAVE PROVEN to be of benefit to their patients. When researchers fail or pharmaceutical companies exploit research for profit making objectives, patients are ABUSED. I don't believe that we can blame our doctors. We have to point the finger elsewhere. When we find a problem, we can give contradictory information to our doctors and hope for the best. That is what I am trying to do for you.

I am an allergic person also.

Posted at 8:49 PM on Apr 06, 2008 by kristib, #29230

I took my son off singulair last week and immediately scheduled an appt with the allergist, also had well check with ped. scheduled. Both acted as though I had no reason to suspect singulair had any dangerous side effects. They acted almost as if I was foolish. I know that it had devastating effects on him and every day I am seeing my happy child reemerge.

UPDATE:It is now a week since my 6 yr old son stopped taking singulair. My happy boy is back! He has now had a second day in a row with positive reports from school. These are the first 2 positive days of the entire school year!!! Its no mystery anymore! I am 100% positive it was the Singulair he was on. It may work for some people with no side effects and thats great for them. But for those parents out there that had the slightest doubt I am telling you from experience to go with your gut! Speak to your Dr for alternatives and get back your happy children!

My 8 yr. old daughter has been on Singulair for the last year (only in the Spring and Fall when her allergies/asthma are triggered by environmental factors). She started having huge personality changes when we restarted the meds at the end of Feb. The changes continued to get worse to the point that I was beside myself with worry. Saw the news report on Singulair and took her off of it last week and went to the dr. on Monday. He says that it may take up to 3 weeks to have the effect of the drug out of her system, but I am already seeing huge changes...She is back to being the wonderful, happy go lucky girl she has always been. The anxiety has just left her...She was worried about things that have never happened like being left at school or karate and about my office catching fire and me not being able to get out...

Please if you have any doubt as to what is happening with your child, talk to the doctor about it...I can't believe the trauma my child has gone through and that fixing it was as simple as stopping her medications!

Update: I have spent hours searching scientific data bases for articles on Singulair. So far this is the most direct reference to adverse drug reactions and Singular.

For anyone who wanted to print the article from the Swedish researchers that stated that their study suggested that montelukast (singulair) should be investigated for adverse psychiatric drug reactions, I was able to find a link with open access to the public. So far, this is the only article that I have found. I am still searching through databases. This link should work if you cut and past. I am sure that all doctors would appreciate the opportunity to read it for themselves to see what they think.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6904/8/1

Individual case safety reports in children in commonly used drug groups – signal detection Gertrud Brunlöf , Carina Tukukino and Susanna M Wallerstedt Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Regional Pharmacovigilance Centre, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Göteborg, Sweden author email corresponding author email BMC Clinical Pharmacology 2008, 8:1doi:10.1186/1472-6904-8-1 Conclusion In conclusion, the present study indicates that ADRs are reported for commonly used drugs in children. The number of ICSRs varies in different groups of drugs. A possible signal for montelukast and psychiatric adverse drug reactions was found, which should be further explored.

Please don't forget to print the Tables which open on a separate page. Table 2 lists the specific side effects that they found which include anxiety, aggression, night mares, pain, and several others.

Wow. This is exactly what I have been looking for.

I started Singulair about 3 to 4 weeks ago, and had an episode where I thought I was dying. My face and upper body got really hot, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I went to the emergency room, but they said I was fine. Then, about 2 days ago, it happened again. So, going on 3 days now, I've been "feeling my heart beat", and becoming randomly dizzy, and honestly, fearing an "impending doom". As if I'm having a heart attack or something. This, along with tingly arms and a general mind fog, where I don't feel like myself. I came across this page last night after looking up Singulair side effects, and it made me hopeful that I'm not going crazy.

I took my last pill early yesterday, but I will post my results as soon as this is out of my system. Wish me luck. And good luck to you all!!

I too have experienced the same things that "a2gupta" has: anxiety, depression, mood swings, fogginess, low boiling point, poor sleeping, low self-esteem and yes even suicidal thoughts. I have been on Singular since Sept 2003. I just had that confirmed by my Dr.'s office. I have been on so many anti-depressant medications since taking Singulair and it is well documented. No wonder they have never worked, it is because I still remained on Singulair. Well no longer.

I have been on Singulair for 6 months and have experienced anxiety, depression, mood swings, fogginess, low frustration tolerance and very poor sleeping. All of which I thought may be due to hormonal issues. I am 38 and had not considered singulair as the possible culprit. Before seeing any reports about side effects I began taking natural sinus remedies and took myself off of singulair. I began to feel better almost immediately but still not thinking it was the singulair until I saw the reports.

Update: My daughter has been off Singulair for 3 months and is doing so much better. She is not having anymore nightmares, heart racing, anxiety attacks. No more itching, headaches, stomach pains, depression. She is so much happier now. She is 7 years old and acting like a happy child now. I am so glad that I took her off it in December. She is not crying and upset like she used to be. We could tell that she improved within one week and is still improving. Hope everyone else improves like my daughter has.

Our story is like so many of yours…My son, 7, started Singulair at 2 ½ after a hospital visit and too many rounds of oral steroids. When he started Kindergarten at age 5 his behavior became increasingly problematic. It was hard for him to meet new people - something we had noticed at birthday parties in preschool, where he clung to me the whole time. He became more and more anxious, ran out of the class, didn’t really socialize, chewed his shirt, wouldn’t talk to people he didn’t know (or even look at people). I thought - he’ll adjust, he’ll be ok - he did well in preschool (although looking back, there were some repeated behavior problems there as well). By November the teacher told me she was really starting to worry about him - that he was depressed. I took him to a psychologist and he was diagnosed with anxiety.

In the summer I tried to enroll him in an art camp - but he ran around like a chicken with its head cut off and they kicked him out. In first grade he hid in the back of the room for the first few weeks. More shirt chewing, wouldn’t take off his coat, threw things, hit kids. At home he was capable of acting normal, but then every so often would act - well, psychotic. Mumbling to himself, overreacting to everything, screaming. Meals were hard, bedtimes were hard, getting dressed was hard. I had him evaluated and he was put on an IEP for behavior/emotional issues. More and more he was talking about death - wanting to die, wishing he was dead, saying that he hated himself.

Throughout all this time, I wondered, could it be the Singulair? I asked the doctor, the allergist, the psychiatrist - have you heard that this medicine could cause this? No, no, no- they all said after looking it up.

Finally, I looked on the web and found this site back in January, 2007. I read enough postings to recognize that other people were having similar issues. I told my doctor I was taking him off. She tried to get me to wait until after winter, but I didn’t. I just stocked up on pulmacort and albuterol and figured I would be ready with the nebulizer.

I watched my son carefully that first week, and it seemed like a cloud had lifted from him. He did not instantly change all of his troubling behavior, but as time passed it became less severe and more manageable. He became capable of things that he couldn’t have handled in the past. Almost immediately he learned to read. He had been almost reading for so long, but was so self-conscious about reading aloud to anyone. He took swimming lessons without a problem - it had been impossible to take him to any new class or camp where he didn’t know anyone before.

During this time, he also got lots of support at school and I enrolled him in group therapy. But I know that he would not have made as much progress as he has if I had kept him on the Singulair. Back at his worst he was like another child - haunted, crippled by intense anxiety and self-hatred. We wondered - what could be the cause - abuse? - but it just didn’t make sense - there were no other signs. I have an older son - who never went on Singulair - who has the sunniest disposition. Yes we have some history of mental illness in our family - but most people start showing signs either from birth or in their teens. My son was a happy baby, a friendly toddler, and all along, was very loving in his good moments to his close family members. Things just weren’t making sense. We were looking all over for an explanation. Now that we have it, even though we feel relief, we also feel tremendously sad.

I wonder - how many kids out there with crazy behavior are getting punished, are falling behind in school, are being institutionalized? I will be writing my senators, congressman, state and federal, as well as notifying the FDA.

This is what bothers me the most - all of us across the country go to our doctors and ask about these side effects. But (except for those who posted here) we don’t report the side effects, because everyone tells us they are not caused by the medicine. So our individual reports were never taken seriously because it never got past the doctor’s office.

I feel bad I didn’t post earlier, but I was intimidated, and almost embarrassed to “blame” my son’s behavior on the medicine, rather than taking responsibility for it as a parent. Thank you to all the parents who had the guts to post, and especially to the parents of Cody Miller who brought this to the public. I am so sorry for your loss - and I am so sorry for all the parents and children and teens and adult Singulair users who have suffered. I feel like we should form support groups because we have all been through a terrible trauma. I live in Massachusetts and would love to hear from those who live near me.