Singulair and anxiety

I am starting to think I would like to be a part of a class action law suit, my daughter had to switch schools because of her mood swings, and vague hallucinations. and vague paranoia. She once ran into a parking lot she was so afraid of needles! Took her to a psychiatrist, sensed she was quick to put her on mood stabilizers and left before the eval. Recently her ped refused to up her dose of singulair and told me about depression. I subsequently upped her flovent and took her off her singulair. I did this after I heard her teacher saqy she kept on leaving the classroom to go to the nurse, and was exhibiting defiant behavior. and saying she was depressed, hearing music that wasn't there, etc. Now that shye has been off of it a week, she is a different child, and hasn't argued with me once. Hasn't cried for 5 days. has not argued w2ith her brother either! I feel I have the child back from 5 years ago when she started taking it! unfrigging believable! I would love to sue, because these episodes have almost ruined my marriage, and caused me to miss many days of work, and feel guilty when I didn't Thank-God I just took her off of it on a whim!

I've only been taking Singulair for a week and I couldn't get out of this daze I was in. I've been extremely tired, and depressed. Last night I had a really emotional, very hard, very real bad dream that has made me question why I have been feeling so terrible lately. So I looked up the side effects of Singulair and found this website. After, reading all these posts I quickly called my doctor to get me off this pill. I already suffer from depression, and I am being treated for it. I don't need to take another pill to send me back into the depths of depression and anxiety again. Thanks for all your input. I'm very grateful to have found this out about this pill before it was too late.

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.

can someone please tell me how long it took for their child's thought to return to normal? My son has stopped singulair four days ago after reading this website. I had ruled out everything but could not find out what was wrong. After putting in his symptoms and that he took singulair i couldn't believe that I found it matched. He had stopped taking it for a month and had started back up on it. Please respond to a nervous mother of an eight year old who was a happy child who now had thoughts of knifes and scary thoughts

my son has all the symptoms that people have discussed and i would not have found it if he had not hit his head and started to have weird symptoms and after ruling everything out realized that he had been off singular for a month this summer and had started back up. He has had a lot of symptoms but I always thought it was something else. Like everyone said everyone felt that singulair wasn't a problem. I remember when he was little he was having night terrors and the doctor switched it to the day time which made it better but he has always had a hard time sleeping since he started. he has been off it for four days how long does it take before the thoughts come back to normal. If someone could answer it would be great. i am so upset right now as I am sure the other parents are that our children had to go through this.

I went to my doctor last tues 'coz of shortness of breath. She found nothing & told me maybe i have anxiety. Told me to continue taking Singulair however since taking it last Saturday until now I still have the shortness of breath plus i couldn't sleep at night, i felt that I'm going to cry. After reading some of the experiences in this site I will stop using Singulair tonight & see what happens.

hi my name is T.im 17 and i have had severe asthma and allergies since i was 2. i was put on the singulair drug when i was 10 i started having nightmares about my percents dying and severe depression and anxiety.my parents thought it was just a phase kids go through.i realized all this didn't start happening until i started taking the drug, so i refused to take it anymore. well now im 7 years later my parents EMT,and pulmonologist.think its a wonderful idea to start taking it again so my parents give it to me and make sure i take it each night,bc my allergies are so bad. ive warned them once,but i guess they will all see what happens

I am a 36 year old woman, and I have taken Singulair for the past 8 months. I got a lung infection over the winter, and the clinic I went to put me on the 10mg Singulair. It helped my lungs and got me over the worst of the infection, but I never anticipated the side-effects. For several months, I attributed what I was feeling to hormones (like severe PMS) and the stress in my life. I started to have thoughts of death, especially at night. I also began to have a hard time leaving my house. I would have panic attacks, worrying that the window was left open, the stove was left on, and god forbid there was a dark cloud in the sky (I became convinced that a terrible storm would come). Several times, I nearly got in a car accident racing to get home after work. Then, I started to obsess over getting sick. I was convinced that I would get some terrible disease and die soon. The fears and anxiety got worse and worse until one day (a rainy day), I quit my job of twelve years. It was a good job. I was happy with my work, and I made more than enough money. I ended up moving across the country back in with my estranged husband, because here I would not have to work. I could stay home all the time, away from germs and storms and anything else bad. That was three months ago. Still on the Singulair, I began to obsess over death. The panic attacks were so severe that they triggered asthma attacks, and not being able to breathe triggered more anxiety. I stopped sleeping at night. In three months, I've slept four nights. I began to have nightmares that made me wake up screaming and violently lashing out. I had to urinate 5 or 6 times every night. I developed severe stomach pain and nausea. And I had leg pain (actually, I hurt everywhere, severe pain). I had headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Slowly, I began to realize that it might be the medicine. I started to research, and yesterday, I took my last pill. Since then, I have not had one panic attack. I have not had one asthma attack. I slept last night with no bad dreams. I know what's happened now, and I'm so sad that I lost so much of my life because of this drug. I really had a good life...friends, a home, a great job... Now, I'm very tired. My body is very weak and still hurting. I'm shaky. But I believe in time, those effects, too, will go away. I feel like my body has been through a war. I'm grateful that I didn't kill myself. There were a couple of really bad days when the urge to be violent towards myself was overwhelming. One day, I punched a fence, making my knuckles bleed. I think I could've killed myself, and I know it was Singulair. It's going to be better now. Just as a note: what helped me withdraw without any major worsening of asthma was Advair 250/50 twice a day.

My son was on singulair for most of his infancy (11 mos- 22 mos old) we took him off of it when I started staying home with him. He was in daycare and was having breathing issues. We would give him the singulair and Zyrtec every morning. He became a very despondent baby. He would spend the ENTIRE day in the rocking chair at the daycare. After months and months of the teachers telling me this we decided it was best I stay home with him. He came off of the singulair and things got so much better for a while, he began to interact with us and others, not fearful anymore, and slept through the night. However other things have grown to be worse, as he has been developing...every day he seems more difficult to deal with. Now, 5, he is angry, fits of tantrums and rage, can't cope with his emotions, he actually kicked me today during one of these fits. He has been peeing in his room when he is sent there because he has been punished for one of these outbursts. What are the long term after effects of Singlair? Has anyone had this experience? Could the singulair have been given to him too early and now caused some sort of permanent nero or psychiatric condition? PLEASE ADVISE!!!! This Mom is really frightened.

I was prescribed Singulair on a Tuesday & started taking it that evening & that night I began to have horrific dreams. My dreams are usually very vivid & crazy but once I started taking the Singulair they turned really dark & scary. I would wake up freaked out & didn't want to go back to bed. My day time events would roll into my dreams & become so warped and I would wake up confused if what I dream was real or not.

By the Friday after I started taking Singulair I was experiencing anxiety. I felt like I had been drinking coffee all day (I don't usually drink coffee so when I do I get very anxious). By Saturday I was depressed. I didn't want to go out & socialize & I didn't want to be around my husband. I just sat on the couch with my mind spinning out of control with sad thoughts - for example - wondering why husband loved me, whether my parents were healthy & imagining what I would do if they died.

On that Sunday night I was laying down trying to go to bed & my right side was tingling. Since it wasn't the left side I didn't think much of it & tired to ignore it. It took me a long while to fall asleep that night because of worrying about the tingling sensation as well dreading what I was going to dream of. Well, I had the most messed up dream that night that I can't even talk about it without crying. I woke up at 3am & finally came to the realization that it could be the Singulair causing all these problems. I got on my computer & found this website.

Needless to say I stopped using Singulair immediately after reading these testimonials. I met with my doctor that next Tuesday & told her what happened & what I had read. She told me how she had just read the FDA report about 2 weeks before I saw her but didn't think too much of it because she prescribes Singulair about once or twice a week & has never has a patient complain about a mental side effect. I told her to be careful b/c these people may not know what is going on with them & may not be able to put 2 & 2 together b/c who would think an asthma & allergy medication would mess with their mind.

My doctor then prescribed me the Symbicort inhaler and I haven't used my albuterol inhaler once since I started using Symbicort. Mind you I have very mild asthma symptoms.

My son was put onto 4mg Singulair when he was three years old. He is now six years old. For the past three years he has been a very quiet child, to the point that people commented on how shy and withdrawn he was. He never wanted to go anywhere or do anything. His favorite activity was lying on the couch watching tv. He was always thirsty, frequently went to the toilet,often complained of a sore stomach & had several bowel movements every day, did not sleep well at night, was often grumpy, could not concentrate for very long, was frequently ill with cold-like symptoms and did not really like you to touch/hug him. At the beginning of the year he was diagnosed by an occupational therapist as having low muscle tone. In March of this year, his pediatrician increased his singulair to 5mg. He began having terrible pains in his legs, to the point that he would cry and be unable to walk to the toilet at night. I took him to my GP who did every blood test under the sun and x rays of his pelvis and legs. He could find nothing wrong. The only thing that had changed was the increase in Singulair. I had a look on the internet and found this website. I immediately decreased his dose to 1/2 a tablet for a week and then 1/4 tablet for a week before taking him completely off it. Within a few days our whole family and his teacher and therapist noticed a huge change in his personality! He talks all the time now, he laughs a lot, he loves playing outside and has lots of energy. He teacher says he is much more receptive at school. His occupational therapist says his muscle tone has improved. He has not had one single leg pain since coming off the medication. He is sleeping well at night, his stomach is never sore and he has not been sick at all. Not even one little sniffle!! Best of all he is a normal, affectionate little boy. I feel very angry with the manufacturers of Singulair and with his pediatrician, it feels as though my son has lost three years of being a child. He felt terrible all the time and I had no idea! I have told everyone I know who has a child on singulair to look at the side effects.

Just finished reading the posts and I feel like it was written about my 8 year old. I never connected the two issues of anxiety, frustration doing schoolwork, quick to tears and leg pains. I kept telling them they were growing pains. Last night he called me from his father's and said he has suicidal thoughts... not that he wanted to kill himself, just couldn't stop thinking about it... good lord. After months of dealing with him not wanting to go to bed and not feeling safe we have an answer. I told my ex husband to stop the medication today, I will post back after a few weeks to update the progress. I usually never post randomly on the internet, but this site might have just saved my son from emotional turmoil!

I am absolutely ecstatic to have found this webpage, although I feel like I have lost YEARS of my life to this drug. After reading the online article from The Plain Dealer (newspaper), my mom urged me to stop taking this medication.

I am 25 years old and have been on this medication since I was 12 years old. Over the years I have had NUMEROUS problems including migraines, chronic vertigo, anxiety, severe insomnia, irritability, urticaria, hives, eczema, and all sorts of GI issues ranging from GERD to diarrhea.

I have seen an allergist, a neurologist, a GI specialist, a family physician, a physical therapist (for the vertigo) and have had countless medical procedures ranging from MRI's to endoscopies.

I am horrified that ALL of these problems have stemmed from this one drug. I will NOT be taking my prescribed dosage before bed tonight and will be calling my allergist in the morning to inform them that I am going to quit taking Singular.

Thank you all for your support and for sharing your stories!

My boyfriends kids 8 and 6 have been are on Singulair, Advair, Pediatan and Veramyst. Both daughter and son experience restlessness...trouble sleeping, stomach problems, Headaches, daughter especially experiences anxiety and mood changes. So many symptoms I have seen posted here. They have been on these meds for years and take them all every day....I am printing posts and researching info for him to give to his ex to find alternative treatment for their allergies and asthma....any advice or info will be greatly appreciated.
thank you!

As i read some of the news reports on the new FDA comments,i see we are referred to as a handful of reports,the very words handful conjure up a picture of 10 not the thousands that there actually are.Also i noted missing from the news reports was ,that this drug is largely given to children,as young as 6 months,not for 10 days or 2 weeks but everyday,for as long as they need it.i know myself trying to convince my doctor,that my sons depression,insomnia and anxiety,came from this drug was impossible,so i fired him.I am wishing the best to everyone that has suffered,and ask all to please report your adverse effects to the FDA

Took it for a week. During the time I developed a sinus headache that would not go away. Sinus pressure, pain, congestion. Today had rapid heart palpitations and anxiety. I called my doctor and he said to stop taking it. I haven't felt like this since before I started taking Wellbutrin. I wonder if it interferes with it. I've read others who take Wellbutrin and after taking Singulair started having depression and anxiety. My boyfriend told me to stop taking it. I'm glad he did! He said when he took it, all his friends noticed major personality changes. It took it 2x/day for 3 months!

Doctors can be quacks and will throw any script your way. Be conscious of whats being given to you and if your Doctor really listened to your symptoms.

I discovered my son's side effects from singulair a little over 2 years ago. He had used Singulair for approx 3 years. I did not recognize that he was suffering side effects until his ped increased his dosage to 5mg. At that point, it was loud and clear. I discontinued the Singulair in March 2007. The most significant improvements happen after approx 3 weeks. He was like a different child. Even after the 3 weeks, it seemed like he continued to improve a little every day.

I can tell you from our experience that my son suffered many, many side effects that i did not recognize. He had nightmares, anxiety, fear, frustration, leg pains, stomach pains, dark circles under his eyes, poor appetite, quick to tears and restlessness...just to name a few. On the higher dosage, he began to have a facial tic, dilated pupils and hallucinations.

I am thankful everyday for this website and some higher power that helped me realize what was going on and get him off Singulair. The first week off Singulair, he slept like an angel. No night terrors, no thrashing in his sleep. Week 2, he continued to improve in so many ways. It was nothing short of amazing. Week 3, he began to realize the changes in himself. Fears were a HUGE side effect for him. During week 3, the fears, ALL of them disappeared. He never spoke of them again. It was very strange and truly amazing.

I don't want to tell you to stop the use of Singulair. Only you know your child's health status. I will tell you that stopping Singulair changed our lives and saved my son. He suffered the assault of Singulair for 3 long years. Good luck to you all and your families. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

TO ALL

MY SON LOGAN IS SIX NOW AND JUST FINISHED KINDERGARTEN TODAY.
WHEN HE STARTED KINDERGARTEN HE WAS ON SINGULAIR FOR 4 YEARS. HE HAD ALL TH ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS. TUMMY ACHES, CONSTIPATED, DIARRHEA, LEG CRAMPS TO POINT OF NOT WANTING TO WALK, BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, HATED EVERYONE, NIGHTMARES, SEES GHOSTS, CRIED OFTEN.

ANYTHING SOUND FAMILIAR. HIS MOTHER THOUGHT HE HAD ADHD OR ASPERGERS AND PEDIATRICIAN AGREED WITH HER.

SOMEBODY THAT I THINK IS SPECIAL FOR ONE WAY OR ANOTHER KICKED ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO INVESTIGATE SINGULAIR IN EVERY ASPECT.

FIRST WEEK OF GARTEN I HAD TO HAVE A CONFERENCE WITH COUNSELOR AND THREE TEACHERS AND HIS MOTHER.
I LET THEM TALK AND EXPLAIN THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT LOGANS PROBLEMS. I THEN DROPPED A BIG PACKET OF PAPERS ON TABLE ABOUT SINGULAIR AND ZYRTEC. THEY WERE VERY VERY SURPRISED THAT I PRODUCED THIS INFO.

THAT DAY HIS MOTHER AGREED TO TAKE HIM OFF SINGULAIR. IT TOOK ABOUT 6 MONTHS FOR LOGANS ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS TO SUBSIDE. HE NOW ONLY TAKES ZYRTEC AND IS GROWING SO FAST.

SO PROUD OF THE LITTLE TURD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IM NO DOC BUT HOW DID KIDS AND ADULTS SURVIVE ALLERGIES IN THE OLD DAYS?

GIVE IT TIME LET THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS CATCH UP. KIDS DO GET SICK. DO YOUR KIDS A FAVOR AND INVESTIGATE THE DRUGS DOCTORS PRESCRIBE THEM. SOME HELP BUT SOME HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS ALL!!

I took Singulair for about two years. I had developed these now known to be side effects but at the time nobody including the FDA was either aware or honest about the aggression, agitation and other side effects. I assumed this was all due to stress in my life and since it came on so gradually I did not put 2 and 2 together that it was the medication. I lived for two years being an irritable stressed out pain in the you know what struggling with these major aggressive compulsions. Then I saw a story on the news that the FDA was issuing this new warning on Singulair about the aggressive, anxiety and suicidal side effects of this drug. I stopped taking it that day. Luckily my asthma had been fairly well under control, I noticed no increase in asthma symptoms. What I did notice was I stopped being irritable and constantly annoyed and angry within a few days. I am back to being a mellow person, no problems since I quit this drug. I am horrified they are giving this to children. Both doctors and pharmacists should be warning people UP FRONT of this risk.

I've been on Singulair 10mg tablets for only 4 days to alleviate seasonal allergies and have been suffering from very bad cramping in my feet, legs, hands, arms and upper body. Additionally I have experienced what feels like bloating and a hardening of the stomach area. On top of all this I've had the craziest dreams!

The upside is my allergies have been relieved somewhat, but these side effects are certainly not worth this additional pain and anxiety I've been suffering. Further reading on Singulair, including this forum, Wikipedia, and other places has left me convinced that this is not a safe medication to be taking (look up churg-strauss syndrome for example) and I will be discontinuing it immediately.

I'm quite angry that doctors are prescribing such a thing when a simple antihistamine would suffice. This also cost me €60 for a 28 day supply.

I have been taking Singulair since November 08. Over the six months I noticed that I was suffering from depression and increased anxiety, plus an irregular heart rhythm. I experienced nightmares on an almost nightly basis. I have since stopped the medication - the nightmares have gone, the depression and anxiety improve everyday. Hopefully, this will also resolve the heart irregularities.

Hi,
My 5 year old son has been having similar problems. He was on Singulair on and off since 2006, throughout winter for his asthma and sporadically in the summer. His new pediatrician finally said to keep him on it everyday the beginning of 2009. The only reason I am here today is because I just filled a new prescription of Singulair and low and behold it had a new warning label none of the other bottles had, "Call Dr. if you experience mood changes, sadness, depression or fear." I quickly went online to read some reviews, to my horror I see hundreds of posts from other parents detailing my sons exact aggression/fear issues.

I have been having so many many problems at his school. I had to take him out of first Kindergarten because he hit the teacher a few times. In the new school he was doing ok but then it got worse, then better, then worse, then better again and so on. Maybe it was the breaks of singulair he would get. I had him meet with THREE different therapists for ADHD and they refused to conduct any further evaluations on him because they couldn't find what the problem was. The school even ordered an educational evaluation for him to see if there was a learning disability.

The teacher is always complaining that he's too distracted, doesn't sit still and is so aggressive. He is meeting all his benchmarks and is very bright but his social behavior is causing mayhem. At home his fear of things got out of control. He was scared of his lamp and would wake up screaming at the top of his lungs full of panic and fear because of the stupid lamp. He won't go to the restroom by himself because he's scared a monster would attack him etc. Since I started giving him the medication consistently everyday everything just got worse. He flips out at home, pushes hits and is snotty as all hell.

It makes me sad because I swear he tells me the same thing, "But mom I was trying so hard to be good and I couldn't. I was telling my brain to stop but it wouldn't listen. I don't know what happened." He would come home so sad, frustrated and upset. He had a few bouts of crying in the classroom too, lots of problems with aggression.

I've done the same thing, time outs, reward system, even made up "Jacob days" which were days we did whatever he wanted at home if he had a good week at school. NOTHING works..... I was at a loss until I read these reviews.

I am taking him off tonight and hope this is the end of all the aggression or at least helps a bit. I'm not going to say my son is 100%angel but he used to be much sweeter, calmer understanding and so on. I would just be happy if it helped a little. It's a shame because this medicine was helping with his asthma but at what cost. I will post an update and let you all know how it's going.

Oh I forgot to mention he has been in and out of the school nurses office this past month for stomach aches... he had a lot of stomach problems at home too. So I will see if that clears up too.

Has anyone been in contact with any doctors, hospitals, or researchers who are willing to recognize that Singulair targets a receptor CysLT1, with known genetic variations? As you know, I have been posting that I know of researchers who are doing work about how the genetic variations can determine the efficacy of Singulair. If genetic variations cause differences in efficacy, then, of course, these variations can also cause unpleasant to very serious side effects. These seems to be some kind of disconnect. How can the genetic component be recognized in the area of efficacy and ignored in the area of adverse drug reactions?

To All...

I am an anchor and the Medical Specialist for the CBS station in Louisville, KY. I have read these compelling and shocking accounts of the side affects with Singular. I have also been in contact with some pediatricians here in our area. I am doing a special report on this subject, the many accounts of side effects, and whats being done about it. I need your help. Are there any families who would be willing to tell their stories on camera? This is not to embarrass anyone, but to inform and raise important question for the public at large and the medical community. I am looking for families in the Greater Louisville,southern Indiana, central Indiana or even central Kentucky area. If you're nearby those areas, we are willing to travel to get your story. If you are interested, please contact me. My original post was deleted because I had my personal information on it. However, I will send more information in my reply to my own post. So again, if you are interested in telling your story, please look for that reply. I look forward to hearing from you.

My son is 5 years old and has been on Singulair for 2 years. I am so relieved to find this website after seeing a report about Singular on the local news.
Just the other day I was telling my husband how much it bothers me that our son is not very affectionate. We also have a 3 year old who hugs, laughs and plays like a normal child should. My son, on the other hand, is very rigid if you try to hug him, very serious if you try to joke, and VERY, VERY emotional when I leave him anywhere...as if I'll never return! I don't know how many mornings I've left day care in tears. I always thought to myself "What are we doing wrong?" "Why would he think we weren't coming back?" He is also very moody and argumentative. He reminds me of a very stressed out businessman in his late 50's. Not to mention the leg pains and the nightmares...we have always chalked it all up to "normal" things kids go through. Now that I have read all of the postings on this page I know there is hope. None of us want our children to be unhappy. Thanks for informing me...we are stopping Singulair Immediately!!

BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ!! TAKE YOUR CHILDREN OFF THIS POISON. 3 yrs ago my 7yr old was on this for 6 months. The "bad thoughts" were terrifying this wonderful boy and changed him drastically and FAST. We took him off this and he immediately improved but the emotional harm this garbage did to him still lingers (anxiety mostly). This is so unfair. Is there nothing we can do to warn other parents except for this? I can't believe I let this happen to my beautiful boy.

Thanks for sharing your stories.

My seven year old son has been on singular for over four years. He talks a lot about death. He constantly cries about his dead grandmother which he never knew. He is a very smart child and lately I have realized that something bothers him. He is starting to cry often and feels very depressed. This is what he says when he cries: “My brain thinks bad thoughts about you, (mom and dad). Mom, I really love you and daddy, but my brain does not listen to me. My brain tells me bad things about you like to get a knife and stub you to death, or get a gun and kill you. Please mom make my brain squish the bad juice away and live only the good thinking on it. I know that you love me but my brain tells me different.”

My son is begging for help and every day he tries so hard not to have bad thoughts. He tries to hug us and kiss us a lot, but I see on his little eyes that something is wrong. The first time this thing happened I thought maybe a TV show or something made him think so. I am becoming very worried about him and started research on the computer. I don't know what causes his depression, but I know for a fact that he is depressed. He is our only son and gets all the love and attention.

Although he has been on singular for a long time, I have given it to him regularly only the last five months, since his doctor urged me to do so. Before I gave him the singular only when his allergies acted up. When he got better I would completely stop it. I didn't know anything about singular, but I don't like using medicine, and that is the reason I did not use it regularly.

My son has other similar behaviors that are out of his character like no desire to raise, get angry, worry that I would die, behavior problems at school, he thinks he is stupid although he is a straight A student, has nightmares, is scared that he would die, can't concentrate, is scared to be by himself etc.

It brakes my hart to see my baby being depressed. I will stop the singular to see if he will get better. I pray to God he will.

English is my second Language. Sorry for any inconvenience.

My son used a nebulizer 2 to 4 times a day every day from the time he was one and a half years old. When he had just turned three his doctor prescribed Singulair. It was like a wonder drug for us! It took care of his asthma and we didn't have to use the nebulizer any more. He's been on it ever since -- he's 10 now -- he also takes zyrtec and has a rescue inhaler that he uses maybe once a week. About every other year he requires a course of steroids and a week of regular nebulizer use. Also, for the past year he has also required a daily inhaled steroid.
Now, about his mood issues. My son has always been sensitive and intense, moody. The first time I became alarmed was when he was 7, and he told me he wanted to burn his hands on the stove to punish himself for forgetting his homework. I consulted a psychologist who evaluated him and said he was not clinically depressed. Since then he has had periodic "dark" episodes -- especially in the winter. He has said he wants to die. He has had crying jags over things that are upsetting (loss of a pet was the worst) but it seems excessive for him to be saying he "just wants it all to end." He has told me that he is always unhappy and that he hates himself. He has also had problems with moody acting-out with friends. He will brood about hurt feelings until he loses his temper and screams at the friend. I have worked very hard with him on learning to manage his emotions. He hit a friend at school who was teasing him. He accepted his consequences willingly and willingly wrote letters of apology -- he told me he thinks he has anger problems and doesn't want to be this way. And his character is that he is a sweet, caring boy who can't stand to see anyone hurt, but also can't stand to be hurt.
A couple of years ago I asked his allergist if any of the meds he's on are linked with depression. He said no. We have a family history of depression, and I thought my son had gotten the worst combo of all the genes.
Recently, this all got to the point that I decided he needed to see a psychiatrist and quite possibly take medication for depression. Before I made the appointment he had a check-up with his allergist. Going down his list of meds the dr. said, recently Singulair has been linked with depression, have you noticed any moodiness or sadness? My first thought was that I have, but that he's always been like this. My 2nd thought was that he has been on Singulair for most of his life. I said yes and that I'd like to try him off of it.
My son resisted going off of it. He has had enough negative experiences with asthma that he didn't want to risk it, but I insisted. I didn't expect to see any change, but I thought it was important, as I was going to take him to a psychiatrist to consider depression meds, to see how he did off of it for a couple of months.
Less than a week later, he had been in a wonderful mood -- to the point of being silly and giddy all evening -- for 3 days in a row. The kind of mood that I don't see him in often, and when I do I think to myself, "he should be like this more often." One evening he even realized he had forgotten to bring home a homework assignment. I thought, "oh no, here we go, his evening is ruined." But he talked through his options with me, looked a little uncertain, and said, well, okay, I guess I'll have to tell my teacher I don't have it. I'll tell her I'll make it up at lunch if she wants me to. That was it! He didn't mention it again. I didn't say anything about his mood, because I really don't think I can know anything after just a few days -- it could be coincidental. The next day, he said to me that he thinks being off the Singulair is "working." He has now told me that a couple of more times.
I am tentative, but amazed. Even if my son does have a predisposition to be depressed, maybe the Singulair was making everything worse, and things really can improve for him. I am afraid to be to hopeful. At the same time, I feel guilty for giving this medicine to him for 7 years without a second thought.
As an aside, my son has periodically complained of leg pains, that I always told him were growing pains.
I would love any feedback that anyone can give me. So far (these two weeks), his asthma has been controlled with pulmacort, zyrtec and albuterol, so that aspect is okay.

NOW I SEE I AM NOT CRAZY. I JUST GOT OUT OF BED AT 3:30 A.M. - another sleepless night. I thought, I wonder if it is the singular - let's get up and do research. So here I am writing this is the middle of the night. I am a 56 year old female. Have been taking allegra for years, no complaints. History of smoking caused asthma-like symptoms which disappeared about a year ago due to improved lung function. I no longer need the albuterol, inhalers, etc. Two months ago I went to the dr. primarily to talk about depression and anxiety. History of depression and I've been taking welbutrin for the past six months. I decided not to change presc for depression. He suggested that I take singulair and switch to zyrtec.
WELL I CAN SEE THAT THIS IS JUST GREAT! I'm ill with everyone, depressed, have loads of anxiety, have three uncompleted projects in my house and was considering a fourth when I realize - now this is a problem! Wake up! So I find these postings and I am angry that all of this suffering has occurred, esp to children who can't explain that they feel different, etc.
So now I am going cold turkey, going to stop singular and zyrtec immediately. I am retired so I can take benadryl most times if I need to and I look forward to getting some good sleep tomorrow. (Will it leave my system that fast.) God bless you all and your children.
OH I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT MY MIGRAINES - WHICH WERE LONG GONE - HAVE COME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. The nausea has been slight. OH - I'VE HAD TERRIBLE THOUGHTS WHEN I PICK UP A KNIFE IN THE KITCHEN WHILE PREPARING A MEAL. I INTENTIONALLY SHAKE IT AND WONDER WHY IN THE WORLD I WOULD HAVE SUCH A THOUGHT. I am so upset with dr. and pharm. companies. We need to take ownership of our own conditionsl.

My son is 8 and for the past 3 years has been on Singular for seasonal allergies. He has since been diagnose with asthma and he takes Singular daily. After being on it for 3 weeks he is now getting into trouble in school. The teachers say it was like a light switch being turned on. Completely out of character behavior. My question is this......has anyone experienced hyperactivity behavior on Singular?

Researchers have been doing studies for many years regarding trying to determine the role of genetic factors in patients response to Singulair (Montelukast).

This study from Spain identified the following gene variations hypothesize to be related to leukotriene pathway response. Sixty one patients with asthma were studied. Three gene types were identified:

type 1. Thirty-two patients (52.5%) were homozygous for the five repeats allele;
type 2. 17 (27.9%) were heterozygous (4/5 repeats)
type 3. 12 (19.7%) were homozygous for 4/4 repeats.

The study showed that montelukast was effective for types 1 and 2 but not effective for type 3. Type 3 represented approximately 20% of the group study.

"After the montelukast treatment decrease number of asthma exacerbations, improvement of FEV(1) and decreased use of beta(2) agonists was observed in patients with 5/5 or 4/5 repeats. Conversely, the patients with 4/4 repeats genotype did not modify these data after treatment."

So it seems logical that if it can be identified that montelukast is not effective for certain gene type variations, then montelukast could cause adverse side effects in certain gene type variations.

It is interesting that 20% of this group does not respond positively to montelukast. That is the exact same number that even Merck says gets a headache from montelukast. Headache is the highest incidence of adverse side effects that has been reported. That comparison, however, is just a coincidence because it has not been studied and proven. Maybe.

Where are the studies that pertain to gene type variations and adverse side effects? You would think that somebody could do them.

Respir Med. 2008 Jun;102(6):857-61. Epub 2008 Mar 12. Links
ALOX5 promoter genotype and response to montelukast in moderate persistent asthma.Telleria JJ, Blanco-Quiros A, Varillas D, Armentia A, Fernandez-Carvajal I, Jesus Alonso M, Diez I.
Institute of Biology and Molecular Genetics (IBGM/CSIC), University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. ******

BACKGROUND: It was hypothesized that asthmatic patients with mutant alleles in the leukotriene pathway should not respond to leukotriene receptor antagonists and the concept of a tailored treatment is increasingly supported. METHODS: Sixty-one patients (mean age 24.9 years, range 14-52) with moderate persistent asthma were clinical and immunological assess prior and after a 6-month treatment with montelukast. Tandem repeat polymorphisms were genotyped in the promoter (-147 to -176) of 5-lipoxygenase gene (ALOX5). RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (52.5%) were homozygous for the five repeats allele; 17 (27.9%) were heterozygous (4/5 repeats) and 12 (19.7%) were homozygous for 4/4 repeats. After the montelukast treatment decrease number of asthma exacerbations, improvement of FEV(1) and decreased use of beta(2) agonists was observed in patients with 5/5 or 4/5 repeats. Conversely, the patients with 4/4 repeats genotype did not modify these data after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that ALOX5 promoter polymorphisms have a clear influence in montelukast response in atopic moderate persistent asthma patients. The genetic study could identify those patients most likely to respond to montelukast.

PMID: 18339529

I have a grandson who is on singulair since he would walk. He is now 5 years old. He has trouble in school, heat racing, out of control tantrums, biting and hiting in daycare. When he is not taking this medicine he is a different child. Parents are doing what ever the physicians order. Please stop prescribing medicines just for a runny nose, it is not worth the side effects.

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

My son who is 5 years old was on Singulair for 5months. He turned into a total different child. He developed extreme OCD, anxiety, excessive crying, scared at night, and irritability. After researching I found out it was the Singulair causing his symptoms, so I immediately took him off. After just a couple of days his mood lightened. It took a few weeks for the anxiety and OCD to go away, but it did thank God! Although, the main debilitating symptoms went away he still after 5 months is irritable and takes offense to anything and everything. It is like every time I talk to him I say something wrong and it annoys him or makes him mad. Our relationship is completely different now. It is like we are not as close. This was not my son before Singulair. I am heart broken. I read peoples post and most say after taking their children off Singulair all the symptoms went away and their children are back to normal. I feel there is 20% still missing after 5months of being off Singulair. My son is not 100%. I am beginning to feel like he may never be 100%. I feel like it causes some permanent damage. Does anyone else feel the same? Or have a similar situation? Or have still experienced recovery past 5months? I would love to hear your story. THANKS!!

I would like to know who is NOT experiencing side effects from Singulair.
We are not.
My 7 years old started Singulair three months ago because of allergy issues. She had asthma attack every other week, running nose all the time, she was so miserable, she missed many days of school and she couldn't exercise .Since she started to take SIngulair her allergy improved, no more asthma, no more running nose. SIngulair did not change her way to be. She is doing very good in school (she is above the average..) she does piano, ice skating, she is purple belt Tae Know Doe, speak two languages, she is doing great in everything. Of course she has her "bad moments" but which child does not?
I tried homeopathy, but it did not work, she got worst and worst. I was supposed to give SIngulair to my daughter a year ago, I did not because I was afraid of the side effects. But I wished I had started before because I could have avoid so much steroids since she had asthma most of the time. The doctor convinced me to use this medicine when she said " You think SIngulair has side effects, yes sometime it does, but do you know the danger of using steroids so frequently in a little body?" Then I thought I had to give a try. I am glad I did. Of course I keep watching my daughter behavior closely and reading all the possible side effects of this medication. I forgot to say that beside singulair my daughter is also taking Pulmicort, two puffs once a day.

I posted serveral weeks ago about taking my 5 1/2 yr old off singulair. He has done great as far as the asthma, no problems what so ever. The main reason I took him off was due to his behavior. Very moody, hyper, aggitates easily and so on. Well, after the 2nd week, he was like a NEW child...very calm and behaving in school. Well, he has pretty much regressed back to the behavior before taking him off this med. He has now been off of it for 5 weeks. His teacher asked me last week, if I had to put him back on this med, because he was getting back to his old ways.
He is currently going the an evaluation for ADHD. I have stuggled with the fact that my son may suffer from this and have tried almost everything to avoid medicating him...I was really hoping this was the culprit to his behavior..He had been on singulair for over 4yrs...Is it just going to take longer to see the full effect of NO SINGULAIR???

It seems that this subject has been extensively documented, but just wanted to confirm that I believe this drug is very dangerous. We JUST put our 5-1/2 year old daughter on it one week ago. She has NEVER had any issues sleeping, is most often in a great mood, and has been protected beyond belief by my wife from negative imagery, TV, etc. The last week was unbelievable. Night terrors every night, with the most vivid and negative imagery when asked to describe the content of her dreams. Things that I would have thought she must have gotten from watching a Stephen King movie. Given the lack of fitful sleep could have been a contribute, but her mood all week was very downtrodden. Hard to say a 5 year old can be depressed, but I would have to say she was, very sullen, moody, despondent to affection.

I can positively say this was a blind test. We didn't really read the label on the medicine until yesterday, so we were not looking into things that weren't there, nor were we focusing in on the sleep issues. We took her off yesterday, and hopefully I will be able to report that the night terrors that I am 95% positive must have come from this drug will abate.

I hear because the chewable format is new, this drug is really being pushed. I hope this drug is pulled instead of being promoted. Buyer beware, especially administering to kids. I can't imagine if our daughter had been a little younger and not able to express herself to the level she can at 5.

Im 15 and I never knew that singulair had the side effects that included mental/mood change or worsening depression, etc. Although I did find it strange that I always seemed moody or bi-polar, it never occurred to me that it would be caused by singulair. I've been taking it for about 3 years and before I went from 5mg to 10mg i use to have difficulty sleeping, but just last October when I started taking the 10mg i noticed an even greater change in my moods and mental thoughts, i was always sad, doubtful, mad, and was always thinking of all the negative things in life, in fact I even went through a really deep anxiety stage around the end of October, it was a mixture of the medication and stress i'm guessing, but I couldn't stop crying, I'd cry then forget the reason, start crying again, and wonder what i was crying about or why i was crying for such a thing that lasted for about an hour... Then when I ran out, i sort of just put the thought aside to refill them for the whole month of November and noticed i began to feel more... up-beat, very happy, I cant remember the last time I felt so great for such a long period of time, at least not during my pre-teen through teen years so far. All my friends noticed too, normally i would be complaining about how the day is going so bad, but i can't compare November to any other month during the past almost 3 years, although my asthma symptoms came back. So I started taking them again this Monday, and right away that night when I was doing homework, i was studying about tabacco all these thoughts rushed through my head, I felt bad for the people i loved that smoke, and I started crying, almost blaming myself for their smoking, when i stopped crying i started wondering why i cried... it made no sense, normally i'd just be like, "oh man... why do they waste their time doing that.." and forget about it, but the tired, sad, doubtful feelings came back right away. these past few days I've felt like that, and today before i was about to take my pill i looked at some new information that was never included before about the mental/mood changes, worsening feelings of sadness etc... and it all just hit me like a ball going 90mph.

I found this web site while searching side effect of Singulair. My Son - 7 years old is experiencing same issue - Severe random leg pain in both legs or 1 leg as mentioned by few others. He can not walk when it happened and I have to carry him. The pain disappear in 2-3 days or sometimes it takes 5-6 days.

We did X-Ray and doc could not find anything wrong.

Others..who are facing same issue...I would appreciate if u can send me an email to ****** so that we can talk in detail.

I was surprised to hear that Merc, the maker of singulair update their side effects 4 times in one year to include depression, anxiety, suicide, and suicidal thoughts. It was prescribed to me cos of my allergies and asthma. I never really took singulair on a daily basis because it made me feel so tired and out of it. So i would only take it when my allergies were very very bad, like having a bad sneezing fit or nose would be runny non stop which would be at least 1 to 2 times a month. My asthma wasn't really that bad, i would get it when my allergies would act up like i mentioned before. When the fires in California were going on my asthma started acting up because of all the ash in the air. I was having asthma attacks every day. Since singulair works great for asthma i started to take it everyday and noticed my asthma went away. The first couple days were fine..and after two weeks i started noticing i was becoming anxious and irritable. Also depression sunk in...So i wondered what was causing it. I wasn't going trhough any major life changes. So i looked up singuliar side effects and noticed the four new side effects that i mentioned above...I stopped taking the pills to see what would happen and i felt emotionally better but the asthma came back..id rather suck on my inhaler then be anxious and depressed.

Oh my gosh. I am on this website because I googled "behavior issues with Singulair" Both of my children are on Singulair. One from as young as 5 months old. Both Pulmonologist, allergist and Internal med Ped. insisted that it was a safe drug. They aren't living with it. My 7 year old has taken it consistently for 5 years and recently upped is having behavior, aggression, insomnia and constant reports back from the teacher on his behavior. We had him psychologically evaluated and they found nothing uncommon to his age. All his issues are described in almost everyone of these side effect threads. I am just afraid to take him off and feel the blame if something serious happens. I am calling tomorrow for possible alternatives.

October 22, 1998 I had resp. failure (with intubation). My new pulmonary doctor put me on Singulair 10 mg once a day, a few weeks after. Within time, I started to have numbing and tingling in my face, arms, and legs. March of 1999 the symptoms worsened and started causing pressure in my face, arms, and legs, and anxiety started to kick in. I was told I had neuropathy and to take mobic. Symptoms getting worse, and went to a rheumatologist in June 1999, and he was suspect of singulair. The doctor thought that what I was experiencing was due to the singulair. He (the rheumatologist) discussed this with the pulmonary doctor and the pulmonary doctor did not believe this to be the case. Not forgetting, in March of 1999, I had a ct of the sinus area, and low and behold 1/3 of the cavity was and probably still is full of polyps.

As time went on, symptoms getting worse, and not one bloody doctor could figure out why I was feeling this way. In addition, at times, I was put on steroids for my asthma (not including my inhalers).

Two years ago, my body went into shock, leaving my left side very different than my right side. Affecting: my head, my face, my eye, my ear, my esophogus, my lungs, my arm, my leg.

I have been depressed and anxious not knowing what the heck was going on with me.

Recently ruled out thyroid, and lupus, and possibly ms.

Last weekend, I reviewed the letter from the rheumatologist (dated 1999) and the ct report from March 1999 (regarding the sinus/ polyps) and made copies to present to a pulmonary doctor that I have recently been seeing.

This past Monday the 10th, I had my appt with him. He knew of my situation from the last few visits (in addition, I had met him this past March for a pulmonary rehab program, and thought he seemed to be knowledgeable and compassionate). While waiting for him to enter the exam room, he had read those reports before entering.

The doctor looked at my hands (red as a beet and swollen) and said "You have Churg-Strauss Syndrome, and get off the singulair."

I had done my homework from a few weeks ago, where I looked up untreated polyps.
Untreated polyps, can turn into vasculitis. There are many types of vasculitis, to include Churg-Strauss Syndrome.

I then cross ref CSS and singulair, and low and behold, BINGO!

I have been suffering for ten years, physically and emotionally because of this drug!

There is also recent updates from the fda (fda.gov) regarding singulair, of which most recently includes anxiety and depression.

I suggest before taking singulair, be aware of the side effects. As soon as a side effect comes up, contact your doctor. Also, be aware of existing conditions (like me, sinus problems and asthma) for this could lead to churg-strauss syndrome.

This info is indicated on the actual disclosure (the paper insert that indicates studies, side effects, etc...) not the handout that is given with the drug.

By the way, I am now working with a new rheumatologist in Los Angeles (Cedar-Sinai affiliated) and a new neurologist.

mdklezmer

I was put on Singulair about three weeks ago, and noticed immediately that my mood had changed. I am an adult ,and felt this sense of sadness, anxiety, solitude, not wanting to be around anyone. I took myself off the drug and have tics all over my body and eyelids ,which is driving me crazy! I even had heart palpitations ,which are very distressing. Today it seems to be better, and this is day three off the med. The only way I can explain how I felt on this drug is doom and gloom.

I am re-posting this from June. I believe that we have many reasons to suspect that Singulair does indeed penetrate the blood brain barrier. I personally believe that under certain unusual conditions that Singulair can cause neurological damage. I tried before to put together a scenario of brain biochemistry that could explain how this can happen. Of course, I am just hypothesizing and all of my ideas will not prove to be totally correct. From the number of postings here regarding neurological symptoms, I believe that there is an answer out there somewhere. Why the FDA is not searching for this answer is a complete mystery to me.

I believe that it is possible that Singulair causes the same biochemical response in the brain that is cited in this study -- thus causing neurological damage.

"Thus, elevated NO production leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate release, and excitotoxicity may contribute to neuronal death in neurological diseases."

IS SINGULAIR CAUSING THE DEATH OF NERVE CELLS IN SOME PATIENTS? DOES THIS HAPPEN - ALTHOUGH INFREQUENTLY- BECAUSE OF GENETIC OR BIOCHEMICAL FACTORS OR BOTH?

June 12th
2008
2:56 AM
I have stated many times that I am not an expert. I just post what I find. This has been a mind boggling journey for me. This is way over my head but I struggle to read and understand. Finding answers to why children are suffering from neuro-psychiatric side effects is worth the effort.

I have made the following observations.

1. Some quinolines are known to be able to cross the blood brain barrier.
2. Molecules that ionize are known to be more likely to be able to cross cell membranes. So if montelukast ionizes as a result of change in blood pH to sufficient acid conditions, then it could be possible that it does in fact cross the blood brain barrier.
3. We know that there are cysLT1 receptors in the brain.
4. We know that researchers believe that montelukast may bind at the arginine of the cysLT1 receptor.
5. We know that arginine contains four nitrogens. And montelukast contains one.
6. We don't know what happens to those nitrogens. Are those nitrogens converted to nitric oxide?
7. We do know what macrophages create nitric oxide as I posted.
8. We do know that if something cause excessive nitric oxide to build in the brain that there would be damage to the neurons.

Some people may remember when I got stuck at the astrocytes, the cysLT1 receptors and glutamate. I keep looking for research reports that may shed more light on this.

Titre du document / Document title
Nitric oxide causes glutamate release from brain synaptosomes
Auteur(s) / Author(s)
MCNAUGHT K. S. P. (1) ; BROWN G. C. (1) ;
Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, ROYAUME-UNI
Résumé / Abstract
We determined the ability of pathological levels of nitric oxide (NO) to cause glutamate release from isolated rat brain nerve terminals using a fluorometric assay. It was found that NO (0.7 and 2 μM) produced (4 and 10 nmol/mg of synaptosomal protein) Ca2+-independent glutamate release from synaptosomes (after 1 min of exposure). Spermine/NO complex (spermine NONOate; a slow NO donor) and potassium cyanide (an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase) also caused Ca2+-independent glutamate release. Preincubation of synaptosomes with 5 μM 1H- oxadiazole quinoxalin-1-one (an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase) had no effect on NO-induced Ca2+-independent glutamate release. Ca2+-independent glutamate release produced by NO was greater in a low-oxygen medium. NO, spermine NONOate, and potassium cyanide inhibited synaptosomal respiration with a similar order of potency with respect to their ability to cause glutamate release. Because NO has been shown previously to inhibit reversibly cytochrome oxidase in competition with oxygen, our findings in this study suggest that NO (and cyanide) causes glutamate release following inhibition of mitochondrial respiration at the level of cytochrome oxidase. Thus, elevated NO production leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate release, and excitotoxicty may contribute to neuronal death in neurological diseases.
Revue / Journal Title
Journal of neurochemistry ISSN 0022-3042 CODEN JONRA9
Source / Source
1998, vol. 70, no4, pp. 1541-1546 (29 ref.)

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 4037, 35400007527188.0230

My 5 1/2 year old son began taking 4mg Singulair in the p.m. and an inhaler (asmanex) in the a.m. We were still having trouble controlling the asthma and his Sing dose was raised to 5mg. & within 1 week of the increase he began having terrible facial tics and aggravated behavior (defiant, poor listening, easily frustrated and angered) The tics were in the form of opening and closing his mouth, as if you were trying to clear your clogged ears after a plane flight. This caused him much pain in his jaws and facial muscles, so he would tic and then cry as he was in pain. This ramped up his anxiety and it made the ticking worse. He has been off of all asthma medication (cold turkey) for 5 full days. He has episodes where the tics happen for 10 min -1/2 hr, other times during the day it is one here and one there. He does not want to leave the house to do anything, even his favorite activities. Thank god I found this site (and others like it), as I got some answers and some hope. We went to see my cousin this week who is a neurologist and he never heard of the correlation of Singulair and neurologic side effects like these. He said that (hopefully) the medication side effects will cycle through and resolve the ticking and behavioral changes. If not we are probably looking at a Tic Disorder which is in the Tourettes Family.He put my son on a very low dose of Klonopin to mellow out his anxiety and help reduce the tics, but has only been on it for 1 1/2 days and it usually takes a wk or 2 for full absorption and results.I have since sent him and my pediatrician and allergist links to this site and others. I think that I see some improvement in my son, yesterday I thought he did better and my husband thought it was a worse day, I think we have totally lost our perspective and objectivity on this. If anyone out there has a time frame on when they saw significant recovery and positive changes I would love to hear from you. This is a total nightmare and if it is this drug, someone is going to pay. My prayers go out to all who are going thru this.

Singulair caused terrible nightmares, vivid, evil dreams and tremors. After a while change of personality and aggression, irritability and anxiety. As soon as it was stopped the nightmares stopped and back to being normal. Very dangerous medication. (Adult)

My 8 yr old has been on singulair since May. I never put two and two together until reading these posts. He has been having anxiety at night..crying and looking terrified saying he can't stop the scary thoughts in his head. Tonight I felt so bad for him...because I can't make it go away. I am hoping with tonight being the last night on singulair he will not have such a hard time at night. He also says it's very hard to get to sleep at night. Poor kid. I also know he's a sensitive kid but it seems a bit overboard in the last few months....like getting upset and just not knowing how to handle his emotions so he just shuts down. Please message me if you've had similar experiences. I'm calling his dr. on Monday to figure out some other options if there is any. My son started with a cough in March and finally took him to see the dr. in May and she heard wheezing and started him on singulair and then added zyrtec. I know they control his coughing (wheezing...slight asthma) because if we miss a dose he coughs all day the next day. I'm a bit scared to go off it...but hope it stops the anxiety and moodiness. He had his first asthma attack last week too...and I wasn't prepared as we never have had to use the inhaler...so I didn't have it with us. Anyway, hoping he doesn't get too bad taking him off...and I hope he is able to control the scary thoughts by going off of it too.

I have a 4yr old boy who has been on singulair for 5 months. Before he began singulair he was the most happy, kind, gentle, loving boy. We had an awesome close relationship. I enjoyed just sitting there watching him play. I could not wait for him to learn something new, but EVERYTHING has changed now. I took him off of singulair on Sept 19, 2008 after accidentally running into this site while looking up children and OCD. Thank God I did. It has been 12 days since I found this and took him off. I couldn't type then because I was to upset. My son who never had ANY mental problems or anxiety is now completely riddled with it. Instead of playing all day care free like 4yr old are supposed to do, my son spends his days now clinging to me in fear that I may leave or go into a room without him and he will not be there to open the door. He obsessively has to open every door now. He spends his days getting upset at the smallest things. He now gets mad at everything I say, or I don't say it right. Our relationship is not the same now, and I am devastated. Before Singulair he slept through the night every night. Now he wakes up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom and say "are you still there mom?" ok "I love you" "Don't let the bed bugs bite" I have to answer "I love you to" and "you either" If anything different is said he will go nuts, and he will obsessively say this over and over and over again. This is not my son. He is a totally different person. I am so very scared that this poison has permanently ruined him. I mean he is so young and his brain is developing. It has been developing with this poison in it, that has ruined him. It has been 12 days and he is still doing the same ocd stuff. He still seems really agitated. His muscles hurt, his tummy hurts, his eyes hurt, his ankles hurt, and he has diarrhea. My beautiful boy is now mentally and physically SICK because of singulair. I feel really bad to, because I did not know at first that the singulair was causing this and I was always getting on to him for his behavior and putting him in his room. At pre-school a couple of days after first giving singulair to him he started crying ALL DAY at school, and I made him stay there because I thought it was just because he had gotten a new teacher and he needed to get used to her. I feel terrible!! Does anyone know if the ocd will go away or has he now learned the behavior?

Hi,
I'm a 38 year old woman who went on Singulair in September of 2006. By December of that year I started experiencing heart palpitations,dizziness,and nightmares that stayed with me in my waking hours. By January of 2007 I was having full blown anxiety attacks. My doctor ran every test under the sun and I went to several therapists. By the end of January my doctor had me on Effexor, and several other short term aids such as atavan. The summer of 2007 I started experiencing stomach pains and sever diarrhea. As much as I loved my 20 pound weight loss, it was not a lot of fun. Again every test under the sun showed nothing. This spring I heard of the concerns of Singulair and immediately went off of it. Within a few weeks I felt like my old self. I am still weaning off of the Effexor and my asthma is not as good as it was on the Singular, but it is worth having my health and my life back. I feel that Singular almost ruined 2 years of my life. It should be taken off of the market.

I aged ten years in a month. My legs lost any muscular power and I needed help to get up our 3 steps to the front door. My eyes are sore and my balance is also affected. What I do not know is how long am I going to be affected like this. I began to think that I was starting with either motor
neurone disease or Parkinson's disease.
Muscle weakness, loss of balance, bad dreams,anxiety, irritability.joint pain.sore itchy eyes and difficulty focusing on printed pages.
A., Yorkshire, England.I am 69 years old and prior to Singulaire I was pretty fit for my age.