Singulair and god

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

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

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

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

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 daughter who just turned 6 has been on Singulair for about 3 years now. Her behavior has not always been the best, but with her past medical history ( a preemie) and all the things we have gone through some times its just easier to give in than to fight over it!!! So last week she was suffering with her allergies and asthma and the doctor added a Claritin to be taken once daily. I didn't really think to much about it and thought well if it is going to help her the OKay. That was on Wednesday and by the week end she was literally coming "unglued". She was lying on the floor when she should have been in her seat at the dinner table. When she was in her seat she was doing "back bends" over the chair. We finally come to the conclusion that it had to be the Claritin, I looked up the active ingredient loratadine and knew I had to get her off it immediately. So now I started to investigate the Singulair as well, which I should have done long ago. Today will be the last day she takes Singulair as well. She has complained of her stomach hurting for a long time and I always blamed it on constipation, but it could be the Singulair. I can only pray that she will not have any lasting side affects.

Hi, my name is M. I just got up with my son Jo Jo as usual about 2:00 pm. Nightmares--severe. Leg and foot pain. In fact I thought he was having restless leg syndrome and the doctors had him tested for seizures. His moods are horrible. Tantrums have been out of this world. After two years of sleep deprivation for both of us, something said look at side effects of Singulair. Actually, I believe that something was God because as I massaged my son's legs I prayed. I came to the computer, found his website and saw my son's symptoms written out clear as day. We are done with Singulair. Forever. I just walked back to the room and apologized to my sleeping son. I can not tell how horrible I feel as a parent for my child to have suffered so. I also can not begin to describe the relief I feel right now. My son has enough problems without medication causing him to suffer. I have suffered as well. As a single parent I have to work but I am often sleepwalking through my days. Thank God for all of you who posted. You have saved my son's health and quality of life. And mine. Thank God!

My 11 year old son started singular in March of 2009 for exercise induced asthma. Within weeks he started having symptoms of heartburn - which he had never had before. I brought him back into the dr. mid June- they said wasn't related to singulair and actually increased his does from 5 mg to 10 mg. Since increasing his does, he started experiencing, daily headaches, stomach pain, leg cramps, night sweats w/ shaking & overall FEAR. Last night he was in tears - he kept saying there is something seriously wrong with me - I can't stand feeling this way he was afraid he was going to die and didn't want to go to sleep.

Last night I did my own research and found this board. THANK GOD!
He didn't take his singulair last night & he never will again.

I called his dr. this morning to tell them I think he is having negative side effects from singulair. They actually told he it was "HIGHLY UNLIKELY" his symptoms were related to singulair and NOT TO STOP USING IT. They instead said I should start giving him pepcid. I told them he had stopped it - for good and that we need a plan B for is exercise induced asthma. Looks like my plan B is finding a new Dr. that isn't in bed with Merck.

Has anyone had any experience with a NATURAL approch to controlling exercise induced asthma?

I have no idea what most of you are saying. My son has cronic severe asthma and there have been times where he has been close to dying. He is 8 yrs old and been through a lot more than most people have been their entire lives. He has been on singulair for about 6 or 7 yrs now and he hasn't any problems with side effects that any of you are talking about. Before he was put on singulair controlling his asthma was almost impossible. For the parents who have not given ao have just stop giving their children their medication just like that. You should talk to you doctors because I know first hand how dangerous asthma can be. If any parent has ever had to rush their child to the ER and then you child was put into the icu for weeks at a time. You will think you lucky stars there is a medicine like singulair out there. Thank You for letting me share my story.

My 13 year old daughter has been taking singulair for 8 months, and started suffering from severe depression 6 months ago. We intervened and prevented her from committing suicide, but barely. We never correlated it with the Singulair until a visit with her pediatrician today. I am so sad I want to cry. I am the one that suggested to her asthma specialist that she be put on Singulair. I am so fortunate her pediatrician caught this. We couldn't figure out why her personality suddenly changed.

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

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.

Last Tuesday, my son was prescribed Singulair by our pediatrician. He was also prescribed Pulmicort by nebulizer at the same time. Within a couple of days, I was noticing a dramatic change in his personality. He's only 21 months old and normally a very happy, lovable, easygoing little boy. He did a complete 360. By Friday, I had to take a day off from work, as I was too scared to send him to daycare. He took his last Singulair chewable tablet on Friday night. Saturday was his worst day by far. I was in shock by his behavior. He was extremely aggressive, punching and slapping anyone who came near him, he was throwing things, throwing himself into walls, etc, just completely out of control. I contemplated even taking him to the hospital, but then started doing some research online. I had my mother contact a pharmacist whom we trust, who advised for us to stop the Singulair, as if he was having any side effect, it would more than likely be from that. On Sunday, I started to see some changes in him. Yesterday he was getting back to normal. Today, he's that much better. We actually went back to the pediatrician this morning and I'm actually thinking of filing a formal complaint against the dr. as he basically swore up and down that his side effects weren't from the Singulair. Well as a parent, does anyone really think I'd want to put my child thru this?? It may be different if he had behavioral issues prior to this, but this came completely from left field. I am beyond upset right now, pissed off that this drug can be on the market. How many children have to be affected??? This is very scary to me. My son was only on Singulair 4 days, and I feel guilty and angry that he had to go through even that short period of time on the drug. And then to have a pediatrician basically discount me and say that it has nothing to do with singulair is a complete slap in the face! I won't stop speaking out against this drug and hopefully it will inform other parents of these harmful consequences!!!!

I was prescribed singular on Friday for my asthma and allergies - I took the first dose on Saturday night - slept like a baby and felt really great Sunday (the best I'd felt for a long time!) but that changed Sunday night - after taking my tablet I went to bed - it took me until 4 am to finally fall asleep because of the noise in my ears and this overwhelming feeling of unrest in my mind and body. Around 4.30 am I apparently woke my daughter by leaving my bedroom sleepwalking - I even managed to change the top I was wearing before loudly opening and shutting my bedroom door then walked half-way down stairs turned then went back to bed - I'm 44 and never, in the whole of my life, walked in my sleep! All day Monday I just didn't feel myself like the world was an overwhelming place to be! I didn't take the next dose but feel absolutely drained and on edge - I'm told it'll take a few days to completely leave my system - wish I'd never even tried it!!!!!

I just wanted to post an update.

I took my son off singulair over a year ago. He was on since he was 2 yrs old and had started with chronic headaches at about 10 yrs old. He also had tantrums(I don't know how else to describe it), was upset and sad and basically disliked himself. He cried all the time. I had always thought it was just him. These symptom had come on slowly over the years.

The first week off this med, it was like he was freaking out and everything was 100x worse. But the headaches almost immediately disappeared.

Other parents were wondering how long it took for his personality to change.or if the kids would remain that way.

It took quite a long time. It was worse for weeks after we took him off. Then it slowly started to improve.

In the last 6-8 months, it's like living with a different child. There's no crying, he's happy, there's no tantrums anymore. Gets a headache maybe once a month instead of daily.

He still has allergies, he still has asthma. But for the first time in years he seems normal. I love that word, normal.

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.

I have been really stressed out about the behavior of my 5 year old son. He is having uncontrollable tantrums, crying spells, aggressive behavior towards me, his dad and his 2 year old brother. He does fine at school according to the teacher. So I thought it was our structure at home. We has a very well kept schedule that we don't change very much even on the weekends. So in the last month it has gotten worse including bed wetting, restlessness, and crying episodes for 20 minutes.
My sister told me about a news piece that she saw about negative side effects of Singulair in children. So here I am on this blog. I have now had an AHA moment. This is the problem. I will be calling the pediatrician TODAY. Now I know what's going on. Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences. I will post again with an update.

My 3 year old has been on Singulair off and on since he was 1. This last time he started in November of 2008 and began getting agitated, extremely moody, and having fits of anger by Christmas. I thought it was a phase until about 2 weeks ago when my son's doctor told me he thought it sounded like side effects of the Singulair. I took my son off the Singulair and it has been absolute anger fits every time he gets upset or does not get his way. These anger fits have lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours (including one that was an hour and half at the doctor's office). The fits consist of screaming at the top of his lungs, biting, kicking, hitting, and yelling rude and crude statements. Once they start he does not know how to get out of the fit. Now that he is off Singulair, I just want to know how long the withdraws will last....Any suggestions of help with the fits or details on how long the withdraw will last would be appreciated.

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?

It seems most people on here are blaming their "side effects" on the medicine. Could you quite possibly have health issues anyway? what about those people that don't take Singulair and have the exact same symptoms? Is it because they are THINKING about it?
It's one thing to be informed about medication. It's another to go overboard.

My son (now 6) was put on Singulair at 8 months old for asthma and has been o it since. He has never had an appetite and is quite underweight. He complains of stomach pains and headaches daily. At age 4 he was sent to a pediatric GI and neurologist and any brain or gastro issues were ruled out. No one could figure out what was wrong. He has sensory issues and just recently was referred to a psychiatrist for occupational therapy. It was at this appointment that it was suggested that the Singulair is responsible and since he has been on it for the majority of his life we were unable to make the connection. He has been off of it for 2 weeks now and has not complained of headaches or stomach pain at all. His eating habits are slightly better, but not great. Hopefully his appetite will improve over time. I wish we had only known sooner. I feel like such a terrible mother!

I am SO sick at my stomach right now after reading all of these posts. My son is 2yrs old and was put on Singulair right after the new year. We have noticed a horrible change in his behavior....but we attributed it to his age and the fact that he is VERY strong-willed. However, thinking back, he has had some hallucinations. We had a babysitter tell us that when she tried to put him to bed that he cried and told her that there were monsters in the closet. When she picked him up and took him in the kitchen for a drink he kept reaching at the ceiling trying to grab something. Just last night he told me that he saw his Grammy dancing in the living room....my Mom wasn't even there. He has been throwing horrible fits to the point of gagging himself, hitting himself, kicking, hitting, screaming....you name it. At the end of them, I am usually in tears and we are both exhausted. I am not the only one who has experienced this with him....my Mom has too. He is also on Veramyst nose spray....both meds are for allergies. We have taken him off of both and decided to go a more natural route. We have bought local honey, an immune booster from teh health food store, and have him on a really good brand of liquid vitamins. It is hard as a parent to make decisions about your child. It is even worse when you realize that the decision you made has affected your child in a horrible way. I plan on giving him A LOT of attention tonight and giving him a big hug! I just want my fun, playful son back! Good luck to all of you and God Bless!

My son is 7 years old and was put on singulair for his asthma and allergies, my daughter who is 10, had been on it for over 2 years.
My son started experiencing, night terrors, out burst of crying, difficult to make decisions.
Anxiety attacks, panic attacks, did not want to go to school. After seeing his Doctor it was suggested that we pull him off the medicine. We started noticing changes within a few weeks. Please watch your child closely if on this drug. My daughter did not have side effects however we have taken her off this medicine also.
I would really be careful with this drug. Our family was in complete terror, watching your child struggling like this. USE CAUTION, IF YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE....

I want to post this because this site has given me good perspective on this Rx and side effects experienced by others; its good to know I am not alone. As far as an agenda, I have none, in fact I was all for the Singulair initially, because it seemed to be a good alternative to inhaled steriods which I had read could interfere with normal growth. My son, 4 yrs. old, with a diagnosis of Asthma, started Singulair about 2 weeks ago. Asthma seems to have been improved by Singulair. Within a couple days of starting it, though, he reported vivid (but not nightmare-ish) dreams, a week later he dropped his afternoon nap, which we were expecting to happen eventually, so didn't think much of it. He is a wild child generally, but we also noticed an uptick in bad and aggressive behavior within a day or two of starting the Singulair; we really clamped down on him though, so that effect has been somewhat muted. He has always occasionally complained of indigestion stomach aches, but these complaints have increased to several times a day in the last week, also complain of lower abdominal pain which he says is "different" than his earlier indigestion stomach aches. Last week or so he's been up late at night, had trouble going to sleep, looks a little pale with dark circles under his eyes ("he's becoming a Goth" I joked with my wife). Last night he got out of bed late, appeared disoriented and seemed to be half awake, half asleep. He was talking, but not making sense and seemed to be upset and/or confused, but when pressed he assurred me nothing was wrong and nothing hurt--put him back to bed and this morning he remembers getting up, but also keeps telling me he had a "weird" (not scarry) dream and that he keeps seeing it while he's awake. Luckily this weird dream was not scarry for him, but he was clearly a little freaked out by seeing it again this morning. He seemed o.k. heading off to preschool, but we are taking him off the Singulair as a precaution. My advice to anyone else out there seeing similar symptoms in their kids is to go with your gut -- I always tell people that a Doctor's job is to tell you the odds, like only 1 in 500 or 1 in 1000 kids will have a certain reaction, or condition, or illness, it is the parents' job to be sure that their kid is not that 1. So I'm taking my kid off the Singulair because I think he may be that 1 kid who experiences these unusual side-effects. How wide spread they are, I have no idea. I will get on my soapbox and say I think it's time for the FDA to require drug companies to conduct long and short term clinical studies on kids for any drug that will be prescribed to kids--entrusting our childrens' health and well being to a drug company's own short term study conducted on fully developed adults is foolish and insane.

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 am totally upset by reading the posts here. my son is just now 8 months old. he was put on singulair when he was just 6 months old. at first it seemed to be working...for maybe 2 weeks...then everything went crazy. he was started out on it when his pediatrician stated that he had asthma and apparently was on a very high dosage of it. they started him on 10 mg of the oral granules. before taking it he was a very happy baby, even with him being so young i never had any problems with him crying excessively or being massively irritated. since he started on the medication he has had massive irritability spells, constant fussing and crying and cant seem to fall asleep at night let alone stay asleep very long. i had taken him to the emergency room on christmas eve because a new problem showed up. he now was having a massive hard time breathing, he had a persistant cough, congestion in his chest and was almost always gasping for air. the staff at the hospital were in disbelief when they were informed that his pediatrician had put him on singulair at such a young age and at such a high dosage. i am now in the process of obtaining a lawyer and filing a lawsuit against the pediatrician for medical malpractice. this drug is very dangerous for anyone especially children. i would suggest anyone else having these problems with their child and this drug do the same. it can apparently cause long term lung damage, pulmonary disorders and even death. my son has been off of the medication since christmas eve and has already done a massive turn around. he sleeps well and through the night again, his breathing has improved and his cough is almost gone. they did say in the E.R that he has congestion in his chest due to the singulair but it should clear up over time with the help of zyrtec. please help make a stand and protect our children from the dangers our own pediatricians present to them.

My 4 year old son started taking singulair when he was two. I don't think I picked up on his behavior change right away b/c I thought that he was just entering the "terrible two's". But over time, his allergist added on Nasonex (I know the docs say that it doesn't cause side-effects b/c it's a nasal spray, but I don't buy that...it's a steroid, plain and simple) and more recently zyrtec was added on for his hives. Well, the zyrtec was the straw that broke the camel's back. I mean, he has been a real "handful" since the singulair, but after zyrtec was added 5 months ago - let's just say he was completely out of my control. His meltdowns were so bad that I couldn't go ANYWHERE with him. I either got a sitter or just didn't go anywhere. He became aggressive, defiant, emotional, unhappy. And to top it off he started to have serious "autistic-like" self-stimulatory behaviors (grinding teeth, squinting eyes shut, flapping his hands, punching himself...). At this point my life had become a complete nightmare, and my poor 10 month old son was getting NO attention b/c my 4 year old was so out of control and aggressive. I was afraid for the baby's safety...oh, I could go on all night. This medication has impacted my marriage, my finances, my sanity. Shortly after he started Singulair I had to go on an antidepressant b/c it too so much out of me just to be his mommy. Anyway, a week ago I had him scheduled for a psych evaluation (thought for sure we were going to walk away with either autism or bipolar diagnosis), but two days before I decided to look up the meds he is on and BINGO! All of these posts sound like what we have been going through. I stopped all of his meds that night, cold-turkey, and he has been the most pleasant little boy I have ever met!! My husband and I have fallen in love with him over the past week - we had no idea he was such a sweet child.

Now, while I'm ecstatic that we have found the answer to our nightmare, I also feel SO STINKIN' ANGRY! We lost out on 2 years with our sweet boy, there were times when we raised our voices at him when he just couldn't help himself - he was suffering inside!! When I went to talk to the allergist about my findings this past week, he said, "well, maybe he just had a good day. I'd like to see what happens if he goes off all his meds for a week". Well, there you have it, he has been off for one week and he's an absolute angel. He has an amazing heart and is so caring!!!

Singulair is awful (and so is zyrtec). Please don't give this drug to your children. Research other alternatives (I am giving my son Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, Culturelle probiotics, vitamin c, and am changing his diet - increased magnesium and decreased dairy. I came up with this after hours of research...).

There is a woman on this site whose daughter committed suicide after 3 years on Singulair. This is no joke and the FDA needs to get with it.

BTW, I used to date a Singulair rep (I knew there was something I didn't like about that guy:)

Thank you so much for this site. My 3 year old son was prescribed Singulair this morning for some mild asthma. I am pretty conservative about giving meds so i was doing some research and am so thankful I found this site. I haven't picked up the prescription yet and I will not be.
God bless you all and I pray everything turns out okay for your little ones.

My 12 year old was on Singulair from age 4 to 10. We too thought it was a life saving drug. The doctor then put my youngest son on it for allergy cough etc. That is when all hell broke loose. He immediately had signs of depression, anxiety, anger, nightmares, ocd and facial ticks. We took both boys of this drug and I will never use it again.

I've told every doctor that we visit about this and they have basically said they haven't heard this as a symptom. When I told his immunologist this was a symptom he said that if I'm telling him it's a symptom then they aren't going to dispute it. His lack of surprise led me to believe that this wasn't the first time he heard this. This is the same doctor that put my 12 year old on this drug as part of a study through U of M. (At the time, the drug wasn't available for 4 year old)

I would strongly caution anyone about the use of this drug and I wish I had done more research. My son has been off it for 2 years and still has
lingering effects.

My son is almost 5 now and has severe food and inhalant allergies, along with sever asthma. When he was 3 he was hospitalized for 4 days because of his asthma. I have been warned that only 1% of asthmatics will ever be hospitalized, so I've made sure he stays on all his meds. He has been on Singular ever since he was 15 months old. At first it was a God send. Everyday was a constant challenged, fussy, icthy red eyes, constant flow of mucous and wheezing. I would have to pin him down 6 times a day with the inhaler, but when Singular came "poof" it was like magic. He was on Singular when he was hospitalized and is now on 3 meds; Zrytec, Singular and Q-var all given to him everyday. Lately we have had some major issues come up for him. I think I have the next J. D. living with me. NO FOR REAL. My next step is a shrink. You might think I'm mean for saying it, but I don't know how else to describe it. When I was driving he asked for some gum, because I wouldn't let him pick out his own piece, he got out of his car seat and started hitting me over and over again, pulled my hair and tried to "break my arm" as he put it. I had to pull over and I couldn't get him to calm down he kept slapping me in the face and kicking me not only was I embarrassed, but it hurt, I was crying. I have finally come here trying to see if other children, who are on Singular, have had similar episodes. He is a very good boy most of the time and aggression is a hit and miss. I don't know what to do.

My son is now 31/2 years old and has been on Singulair since he was about 1 Yr. old. His pediatrician recommended this due to his allergies and runny nose. He has had fluid on his ears since age 1, at least that we had confirmed, and she thought that the Singulair combined with another type of antihistamine could dry up the dripping nose and clear up the ears. It did not clear up the ears, but it does stop the drip. He had tubes placed in his ears a year ago in May of 2007 and is looking now at his second set coming up in Mid-October of 2008. He has been taking this medication all but one summer of his short life. My husband and I have both had children, he a boy and I a girl, both 14 years old now. In comparison to the other two, our little one has been so completely different to raise. I've always seen children of "other parents" that have discipline problems with their children and wondered what might cause that type of action in such a small child. Now we have this beautiful little boy, but all we've ever known is how difficult he is to handle and how is anger, temper tantrums and stubborness have always put a damper on outings and even casual days at home. Due to the fluid on his ears, his speach was delayed and he has now really began to speak like a normal 3 year old. I have noticed within the last 2 weeks how he has really started saying things that I have not approved of, but have fluffed it off thinking that he has heard other children in his pre-school say these things, or heard it on a superhero show. Something happened today that really made me stop and think. I picked him up at pre-school like normal after work and he would not come to me. He looked slightly glazed in the eyes, totally not like himself at all. He talked very little on our 30 minute commute home, which was not like him. He said, "I hate you and you don't like me". I told him I do love him and he said, "NO". He said, "I'm bad for you and I have a dangerous heart". He then told me, "I kill you". This was so disturbing that I told my mother what he had said. She told me that it sounds so much like what she had heard on the news that I should check it out. This is how I've come to find this site. We have stopped giving this medication to our son and I am curious to see if there will be any change in his personality. Tubes will probably be placed in his ears again despite whether his nose drips again, so that is a mute issue at this point. When we voiced our concerns to his pediatrician when the information first surfaced several months ago regarding adult behavior and side effects of Singulair, she fluffed it off and told us she has many young patients on this medication with no adverse side effects. He is taking Pediox every 12 hours. I am worried that we may need a substitute med, but we have tried so many that haven't worked. He has Albuterol Inhaler and Xopenex Inhaler when his Asthma symptoms kick in, when his allergies are at his worst. He has had pnumonia 2 times, or one like run of it I should say. It's important to keep his allergies under control so he doesn't get something like this again, but his overall mental health and stability cannot be jeopardized. Since his brain has been developing on this medication for 2 and a half years, does anyone know if this has lasting effects? He is very active and has a very short attention span. He can however sit through an entire movie if it is something that he likes and he has nothing better he wants to do at home. I do not believe he is hyperactive or ADHD in the sense that he needs medication for that symptom. He can be a very loving child and he is very polite and knows his manners. He comes from a very loving home with loving siblings. We have wondered for so long how he could possibly have turned out this way, and I am truly scared to think that this medication could be the cause of so much turmoil in our lives. I will be monitoring his results.

I have a 26-month old grandson who has been on Singulair for "27 DAYS". His pediatrician knows that his immune system is already compromised due to some developmental delays. However, before he started taking his Singulair he was a very happy, funny and loving child. Within 2 weeks on this medicine we started to notice a few changes in him. He started waking up at night "screaming" and he has been sleeping through the night for at least a year now. And when his mother would go in to get him out of his crib, he would be so frightened and afraid to leave her side. It would take her a very long time to settle him down and put him back down for the night. At the same time, he started not wanting to drink his normal daily glasses of milk or eat his regular meals. He was simply a mess most of the day and would fuss, cry, bang his head and we were having a very hard time trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He is not yet talking due to his delayed speech, so he could not tell us what was going on. Yesterday, I told my daughter let's look at the side effects of Singulair since it was the only thing that had changed within the last few months. When I found this site, I could not believe what the parents/grandparents were saying about their children on this drug. We immediately took him off Singulair. This will be his second day without being on the drug. According to my pharmacist, it will take approximately 50 hours for it to get out of his little system. The pharmacist had not heard the latest that aired on the TV station, so she asked me to call her back in a few days to tell her how my grandson is doing. Parents should be able to trust the medications that are prescribed by their Pediatricians, especially at such young ages. My daughter is REALLY UPSET and has a call into my grandson's doctor. Thank God I found this website. I simply searched on "side effects of Singulair in children" and this site came up. I do believe the Lord is watching over my grandson. Thanks.

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?

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.

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears to be giving priority to projects that benefit the pharmaceutical industry rather than helping consumers, a top Democratic lawmaker said on Wednesday.

The head of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee questioned how the FDA set its priorities given recent controversies over its handling of safety issues, including tracking tainted foods and inspecting drug manufacturers.

A 2007 list of top projects includes plans to offer advice to companies on promoting products, as well as guidance on offering reprints of journal articles to physicians, California Democrat Henry Waxman said in a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach.

The agency also planned to change its regulations to protect device makers from lawsuits as long as their products are FDA-approved with a so-called preemption clause.

"All appear to prioritize industry desires over consumer protection," Waxman wrote.

The FDA has come under fire in recent years following a string of highly-publicized safety scares, starting with the 2004 withdrawal of Merck & Co Inc's (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) painkiller Vioxx following heart problems.

The risk of suicide with antidepressants and other drugs, as well as tainted batches of blood-thinner heparin and bacteria-laced produce such as spinach and hot peppers have also fueled concerns.

Asked if it had any response, FDA spokeswoman Heidi Rebello said the agency would comment directly to Waxman
THE DAYS OF RECKONING ARE COMING

IS THIS SITE AN ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS?

A little while ago less than two hours, after a very emotional, difficult battle with my daughter, we had yet another heart to heart to try to do better. At the end of our talk WE PRAYED for guidance to know how to help the situation. So I'm here looking for a link to her behavior fron the ADHD medication and I see someone had posted about Singulair side effects. I was floored! I have never thought that Singulair was not a safe drug. No doctor has ever mentioned any negative side effects to me regarding it. The more I'm reading about it the more in shock I am. Have I and her doctors been doing this to my daughter? My 12 1/2 yo daughter has been on Singulair for probably 10 years. She was a 28 week preemie and had severe lung issues so it was a needed medication. Her behavior has worsened the older she has gotten. Because of mostly anger issues and problems in school about a year ago she was started on ADHD medications. We are currently trying to find "the right one" . I feel so awful. Could all her misery have been caused by this little pill that was suppose to help her? Why has her pulmonoligist continued to give it to her although she has not had any serious asthma problems in years? I think I will stop all medications and see what happens. My daughter has also been on amytriptylin for about six months also for severe migraines. What do you think? Should I stop all of them cold turkey or gradually decrease one at a time? I would GREATLY appreciate any advise.
Thank you

Thank GOD for this web site.. I was just prescribed this medication today and I will throw them in the trash and not take one.. Thanks. I already suffer from depression.. THIS I didn't need.

SINGULAIR AND ZYRTEC SAME MEDICATION made by different companies. Be careful!

Have been experiencing the same serious behavioral issues (screaming, launching every toy he has out of his room, knocking over his night stand, hitting, kicking and just being hateful) with my 4 year old who has been on Singulair for 2 years as I'm noticing many of you have here. My wife and I have a wonderful relationship and happy home and tons of love and support from other family that's close buy so the kid has a very nice environment. We have taken him off the medication as of yesterday. I have consulted his doctor but I'm anxious to hear what methods of treatment for the asthma all of have chosen in replacement of Singulair or did you just maintain with an inhaled maintenance program with something like Pulmicort? Also, how long was after taking your child off of Singulair did take to for the outburst to subside and the behavior to become more mellow and normal (what is normal for a 4 year old?). Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I am a parent of a 14 year old son. He has been on many meds due to having migraines, adhd, seizures, and asthma. For 3 years his ADHD meds have been switched. Now Thanks to a friend she told me about singular side effects. OH MY GOD. it blows my mind reading this stuff. He has been on singular for 3 years and never once did I think all these problems were caused by that drug. Flipping out over the smallest things, arguing with us his parents, his friends, being mean to us and a real smartass, depression, and MAJOR attitude. Getting upset over nothing at all then crying for no reason What was his Dr. thinking? Needless to say, I took the singular while she was telling me this stuff about her own son, and threw them away, I will never allow my son to take that shit again. I hope in three days like all of you say, that my son will be that loving, caring, friendly person he use to be ! Singular free is how he will be!!

My son suffered from pneumonia at age 6 months till age 2. They had him on Flovent and Singulair from the age of 1. For as long as we can remember, he has been an aggressive, mean, bitter, angry child. The slightest thing would set him off. The doctors had just had him tested for tumors and cancers and other serious head related problems because he was constantly complaining of headaches. All tests came back normal. Then we heard that Singulair can cause ADD amongst many other side effects, including headaches. We took him off of Singulair and after only 2 days off of it he was a completely different little boy. He is happy and loving, calm and patient. He isn't dissolving in a fit of rage at the simplest thing. We can not believe the difference in how he is acting.
We found about 2 years ago a natural supplement that has really helped control his and my asthma and allergies. It is called OPC-3. It is an incredible anti oxidant that helps with so many health problems! If you would like more info, just let me know. It has been a life saver for our family and many others! Here is a website where it can be found.
******
It is under the health and nutrition tab on the left side.
Good Luck!!

I have just come across this website and I am so upset. My 10 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 8 years. Since she was 2 years old. About 3 years ago I spoke to her pediatrician about the fact that I was concerned that she had been on it for so long and about the possible long term side effects. She brushed me off and told me that there weren't any.

Over the years she has complained often of stomach aches and pains. We even had her on Miralax for a couple years because the Dr. was sure it was constipation. The last couple of years she has been complaining of leg cramps and I sort of brushed that off as "growing pains."

She is extremely emotional and has serious mood swings. I even asked her Dr. about ADD and she said it was just her personality. I am almost in tears typing this because I have no way of knowing if her actions are because of her age, her personality, or because of this medication. She has been on it for so long that I wouldn't know what her personality would be if she had never taken it.

Her asthma tends to be seasonal and she hasn't had an attack in years. I took her off the meds as soon as I read about the disturbing side effects that hit too close to home. I am upset that her Dr. never warned me about these side effects (that were not listed on the label) and didn't take my concerns seriously.

She is very small for her age and I was concerned that the medication may have stunted her growth....little did I know there were so many other dangerous side effects. I just hope and pray that she doesn't suffer any long term negative effects from this medication that I have given her, thinking I was helping her.

My 10 year old son has taken Singulair on and off since he was 5 years old and has been on it for the past 3.5 years. My son at an early age was affected by a bad marriage and then the divorce when he was 5 yrs old. So we always suspected that his behavior issues were caused by this and I had done everything I possibly could to give them the help he needed to get over and through his issues. He was held back his first year of Kindergarden and during his second year midstream he was placed in a special class for behavioral problem children. Nothing ever seemed to help him, everytime we would see some progress and encouragement we were always blind sighted by a behavior that was always worse. Two steps forward and them 5 steps backwards. I always knew that his problems would never get better overnight so I just kept on going. He was diagnosed with ADHD but because he has some ticking issues I had to put him on Strattera which was did not do a thing for him. I always described him as my Dr. Jeckyll/ Mr. Hyde child. He could be really good and sit still and behave but I think he had to try really hard to do so. He eventually was always overpower by the impulse to show negative behaviors. Defiant, extremely impulsive, always negative and completely miserable all the time. He also went through phases of compulsions. There was always a compulsion of the month- germs, bathroom habits, noises, repetitive words. He hated school and always complained of a stomach ache which i thought he was always faking to get out of school. He had confrontations in school everyday for most of the day. I often thought some of this was because of being tired all the time. We had battled over bedtime every single night. He was terrified to go to bed alone, I tried everything to get him to sleep alone. I wore myself out falling asleep next to him, I would then go to my own bed only to be up with him half the night going back and forth. I gave in many a night and slept with him just so we could get a good nights sleep. At age 8.5 I finally got him to go to sleep alone but the lights haf to be on and he has to know that I am still awake before he will fall asleep. He would always say he didn't want to go to sleep because when he does he has bad thoughts about me and people that he loves. He always had an extremely hard time excepting the word "no"- he would flip out and hit his head with whatever was handy, throw things, break things, scream holler etc. It would take hours to get over it. When he did he would be very remorseful and lovable. He was always in turmoil. Finally in February of this year, this graduated to a new level where he would want to just kill himself and would actually go and pull a knife out of the drawer and just shake with anger as he held the knife to his throat. I was terrified although i really didn't think he was going to harm himself he just wanted to scare me. Then at the end of March when i first heard the news about the possible side effects of Singulair, I had only heard about the suicide effect. Oh great just what I needed was this medicine causing him to do that. The doctor was thinking about taking him off if this summer because he wanted to see if he out grew his seasonal allergies so I took him off immediately. Well I had no idea about the other side effects until my son turned into a completely different kid. School noticed a huge difference in him! His grades went up, his is able to control his behavior, he is happy he is NORMAL. I never suspected this drug as the culprit due to the timing of taking it. Our lives have changed completely. When i first found this site, it seemed as though some of the parents were writing about my child. It is amazing. My son still has some old habits to break but overall he is a wonderful and normal 10 year old boy. He did not outgrow his seasonal allergies but Allegra seems to help in through it. I get so angry- his whole early childhood was ruined by this medicine. He is a labled kid in our school system. This whole experience has opened up my eyes. Thank you for letting me share my story.

My son, now 10...has been on singular off and on, since I don't' know how long...today was the second time he was intentionally hurting his cat. He has told me time and time again about visions while he was awake, violent ones, he argues with anyone and everyone. He has no friends at school. Last year I took him off all his medications to see why his behavior was so drastic, he got so calm, it was like a new boy, but then when he started back to public school...he had to be put back on them again, and again with the singular...
If it was not for this site..I would think my son was sick mentally. But after this...he will see his doctor tomorrow and no more singular...
When I took him off all the meds I told his doctor I was really worried about his behavior and they said it will be okay...he went right back to just out of control. Could not sleep, concentrate at school or at home. He is so smart and he is failing school..not because he is slow, but they kept saying he was add...but when I home schooled him and took him off his meds...he was so great, obdient..not perfect by no means, but just a normal boy...
I hear him right now, in the other room, fighting imaginary people...he seems to go go go..and with no sleep...the dreams in the day time I just thought were his imagination...but now that i hear about other children like him...they are to him real..just like he tells me..he also always tells me how mad he stays..he says all the time I am just angry mom, and I would say at what..he just says everything...
Thank God for this site....now i know..it is not in his head, it is just like I told his doctor...it is his medication..now I know just the one it is..
THank you all..
God Bless all the others here suffering with the same problems...it is just shocking that we as parents and patients, even after telling the doctors, are right...I feel vindicated...I will be printing this off and taking it with us to the doctors...

I started full body internal itching after taking 10 days of Singulair. The physician that prescribed it said it couldn't cause itching. My new doctor tested for Lupus, I have an autoimmune disorder called Churg Strauss. After undergoing several steroid treatments and 3 days of IV Prednisone I got some relief. This has been going on for 6 months now. The itching becomes severe enough to make me want to commit suicide. Luckily it is pretty controlled by taking nightly doses of Atarax along with Periactin. Thank God I found a doctor who cared enough to search out the symptoms and help me get thru day by day.

We have an other update. Day four being off Singulair. I have seen a big change, back to his normal self (thank God). Everyday that he is off, he gets better and better. Yesterday there wasn't even a rage fit. He is sleeping better and no more screams at the top of his lungs. The screaming was the first that stopped and every day the fits get less and less. I understand that a growing baby is going to throw a fit here and there but the fits he was having were not normal ones at all. The funny part here is that after I took him off of all meds except the astinel (sp?) he is better all around. No runny nose, no cough, no sneezing, NOTHING!!! Good luck with your little ones. All I can say is everyday that he is off this awful stuff he will return back to you a little at a time.

Well, we just got out of the ENT and he couldn't believe that his ped put him on Singulair. He said he didn't like it, it wasn't a good drug, and hadn't heard of many good things about it. He also told me to take my son off immediately, to bad I already had. He also wanted me to put him back on Zyrtec but only when needed, not every day like he had been taking it. Told him about how the neb. had been talked about so he listened to my little one's lungs and he said that they are all clear and there is no need for one. While I was in this appointment, his ped. called. She said that she had never heard of any side effects with this and she wanted him to stay on it for a week to see if it worked or not. Sorry we aren't doing that, we had four doses of it and that is more than enough to say we aren't staying with it. This is just his first full day off the med and I shouldn't get all worked up but while in the waiting room to see the ENT we had two huge fits and even hit his head on one of the chairs because he didn't get his way. The ENT said to give him about a week to go threw "detox" and get it out of his system and then he should be back to himself.

Also, on top of the big mood changes and swings we didn't sleep good last night and had another fit of rage in the waiting room of the ENT. Not fun at all.

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

I am a 41-year old female with allergy induced asthma, who has been taking Singulair for almost 1 1/2 years now. I was diagnosed with depression about 5 years ago (after my sister's death) and was taking 100mg of Zoloft daily, which my doctor upped to 200mg around the same time I started Singulair for allergy problems. I did not know about the Singulair/depression warnings until searching today on Google for drug interactions on the meds I take in hopes of trying to find a reason for my overwhelming depression. For the past 1 1/2 years, I have lived like a zombie, numb to the world and my family, gave up a $72K job, gained alot of weight, have the weirdest and most vivid dreams, and am tired all of the time, only finding rest after 10-15 hours of sleep per day. I am a working professional, have a Master's degree, and have always considered myself a rational objective person, and not a "lemming" that follows the rest over the cliff. However, the side effects I am experiencing ARE NOT NORMAL and ARE NOT IMAGINARY. I do not know if Singulair is causing my symptoms or not, however, I am going to stop taking the medicine today, and switch to something else. For me, QUALITY OF LIFE is the major issue. While Singulair works great to help me breathe comfortably, I can find other meds to do the same thing. However, what I cannot take is a medication possibly responsible for taking my "life" away.

This is my story. My daughter 14, the most precious child ever born. She has a wonderful disposition always happy, loving, and determined to succeed in whatever she does. She just brightens everyone’s world.
She suffers from severe seasonal allergies and mild asthma. She takes approximately seven allergy/asthma medicines a day during peak season. Over the past two years she has been taking Singular as one of her medicines. Being 14, sick of taking medicine she would not take the Singular on a regular basis. Approximately four months ago “MOM” says, if you take nothing else take your Singular it will work both for the seasonal allergies and your asthma. She has been taking this regularly four the past four months.
She became paranoid, she became a compulsive eater and bites the skin on her fingers. She would eat and chew on her fingers at the same time, until she choked. She had so much anger, she could not even go to the mall without temper tantrums.(As a child she never had any tantrums ) Always afraid. Severe depression set in. She would cry at a moments notice. She would say, I have a very sad life, sad very sad, nothing makes me like this, I’m just sad. She felt she should go live with the homeless people. I asked her why, she didn’t know, she felt maybe that’s where she belonged. Nightmares and sleepless nights.
She needs help quickly. Before calling the Doctor, I went on the internet and entered Singular and depression and I found 1900 entries, all people telling me what I was experiencing. Could this possibly be the answer for us? I called her Dr and told him what I thought, he said he has never had anyone that this has happened to. He hoped it was the answer, but really didn’t think is. He said if it wasn’t the answer she would need therapy, mood stabilizer and Prozac.

Its day four off Singular, she smiling, no tears today, no temper tantrums, looking forward to school next week, wants to play volleyball next year, singing in the car,
I hear that happy voice again.(Hi, Mommy!!!!!!) Every once in a while a glaze comes over her face. She isn’t a 100% back, but I know it is coming.

To all the people that don’t have the happy ending, I will pray for you and hold you in my heart forever.

June 2, 2008

My 5 years old son has been on Singulair for 9 months. His allergy symptoms have completely gone away. He’s no longer has his night time cough, bloody nose, and frequent croup due to allergies.
My life has been a living HELL from the moment I started this medicine. Before he was on this medicine he was always a pleasant, smart, well-behaved child. Right after he started singulair he began having temper tantrums, becoming increasingly argumentative, not listening. He gets mood swings like you would not believe cry and/or yell at us over the silliest things, kicking, screaming, nightmares, and became very physically aggressive. We were unable to take him places because we never knew how he would behave in public .He was extremely unhappy little 5 year old boy. He also complained of upset stomach and fatigue. Even his school complained about his behavior and they said that he might have PDD. After consulting with doctors we got the assurance that he does not have PDD, but we end up changing his school anyway.
Being a first time mom I never thought it was the medication, I thought it was just a normal behavior. I thought as a parent I must be doing something wrong! I couldn't believe that other parents have gone through the same nightmare.
Two weeks ago the doctor handed me a report about singulair and its suicidal side effect and ask me to stop using this medicine for a while. Since then I started to notice a dramatic change in our son's behavior. He woke up singing, laughing. He wants to help with chores. He is doing great with his school lessons, and very patient with everyone. He is now a more stable and friendly 5 years old.
Wow, I have a completely different child, and thank God I took him off singulair.
As parents, please let’s do something to stop poisoning our children.