Singulair and insomnia

I was put on Singulair two weeks ago and since then I have have experienced everything from hyperactivity and insomnia to flu symptoms and loose bowel movements. I contacted my doctor after 3 days because I was having tingling in my hands and feet, flu symptoms, cramping etc but no fever and otherwise fine...He said the benefits outway the side effects so take half. I continued to take half. The cramping reduced and so did the other physical type side effects, but I started feeling like Superwoman. Instead of sleep I sterilized my house, wrote emails, tended to laundry, etc...and then continued my normal day with a smile and pep that I would not expect. I really had no desire to eat. The thought just made me cringe. After two days of no sleep and hyperactive state I decided I am done. I stopped taking it...and I took my son, 6, off it as well. He had been taking it for 4 years and was presenting with signs of hyperactivity. It has been one week...he turned yellow, became more hyperactive, talked about how the man in his room is gone now. He had struggled with sleep since he started Singulair but there were no side effects at the time that listed bad dreams, hallucinations, hyperactivity etc...It has been one week and we watched our son turn yellow as he withdrew ...he could have been spider man break dancing on the ceiling for the first few days. His teachers and even the bus driver had sent home warnings about his behavior "can't sit still" ...the last 3 days of school he has been on "green" which means great behavior. I do not think anyone should give this drug to kids...and it should not be given in sample forms either to any doctor trusting patient...without a full discussion of these side effects. I feel like I just went thru hell and put my son thru hell.

I've been on and off singulair for several years. I had a horrible bout of bronchitis that then triggered bronchial reactive disease and I now have allergic reactions to certain chemicals (some spray deodorants, etc.) Singulair worked so much better for me than advair, I was thrilled to be able to talk and breathe. As a teacher I would sometimes have to stop the lecture to get my breath again and drink some water if I inhaled the slightest amount of chalk dust or something.

After reading the comments on this website I am going to discontinue taking singulair. I used to be this skinny person and never, ever worried about my weight. At the age of 37 I had a rip-snortin' major depressive episode with insomnia that had me miss 3 days of sleep (this is on no medication of any kind) and panic attacks and suicidal thoughts and impulses that I'd never had before. Imipramine was my first prescribed med (in 1991) and worked like magic. It cheered me up, calmed me down and made me sleep. I went from 135 pounds to 155 pounds in just several months. I finally got switched to effexor and trazodone, but there's really not been much weight loss. I'd hover around 150-160, but then with singulair added in the last several years I am 170 lbs. I can't believe I am a fat person now and do not over eat. I can't go off my psychiatric medication because it runs in our family and if I taper off I am...uh...crazy. My insomnia is tenacious when I am without medication and then that makes depression and anxiety worse. I never want to have a panic attack again.

I just ran out of my singulair prescription about a week or two ago. I am breathing and speaking fairly normally and my husband and I now have to pay for our own health insurance which is exorbitant and I just didn't feel like renewing the prescription in order to save money. I was pondering my weight gain today and just decided to google singulair and weight gain and I just can't believe it.

I have also experienced hair loss, but my hair is so thick it still looks basically the same. My husband and I have noticed over the last several years that I lose lots of hair after I wash it and there is a mass of hair in the shower stall.

My memory may have been adversely affected by taking singulair. I thought it's just getting older. I am 55. It's been the last several years that I have started to have problems remembering things. I have always had to work with my husband in helping him remember things (it's been life long with him: he is an absent minded professor. He has a genius IQ, is an M.I.T. grad, is an excellent engineer and can't remember his mother's birthday, what plans we have for the week-end, no matter how major, etc. to save his life.) I feel like I am becoming more like my husband in being hopeless and helpless about remembering what's happening from one day to the next. It could very possibly be the singulair. There has been a marked difference in my memory over the last several years. It is embarrassing. I sub for the school district and once showed up on the wrong day at a school and another time didn't show up and they had to call me up and get me out of bed to go to work. I also teach piano and never used to forget who was coming when. Again, I don't know if I can blame this on singulair causing memory loss, but there would be times when someone would knock on the door and I'd be surprised to find a piano student standing there. I feel like I am getting Alzheimer's. My grandmother had it for 17 years. My mom has always been afraid of getting it but she is 80 and is just now starting to show signs of real forgetfulness. I explained to her what my lapses in memory are like and she is shocked to hear that they are similar to hers. My mind just will completely go blank. I will have this thought, get distracted, and just a moment later will struggle to remember the previous thought and there is just a void, peace, blankness, white screen in my mind. Maybe it is getting older, but maybe it's the singulair. Since I'm just recently off it I'm going to pay attention and see if my memory improves or if it is just old age.

Also, my joint problems have been nearly ruining my life the last several years. I don't know if this is exacerbated by my singulair use or not. Bursitis in the hips runs in my family like crazy. We re-sided and painted our house several years ago and my bursitis started to flare up and has been bad since then, but it's also about the time I started taking singulair. I had to quit a sales job this summer because my bursitis has become so bad. Sometimes I can hardly walk. It is nearly unbearable. I get cortisone injections every 6 months, but need it every 2 months. I wonder if my discontinuation of singulair will ease my joint pain? I'm going to track that as well.

For me: weight gain, hair loss, joint pain, some dizziness are possible side effects from singulair.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this site. I am never taking singulair again.

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.

I started taking singulair about one week ago and I started not sleeping well , waking up at 4 or 5 am focusing on stupid things like what I had forgotten to buy at the grocery store. I first thought I was pregnant since I suffered major insomnia during my first pregnancy, took a pregnancy test and after seeing the negative results started asking myself what could cause that, that is when I realized I started Singulair about a week ago. I will stop it today and see if I sleep better. I am allergic to dust mites and dust, it is pretty bad sometimes and it will give me asthma. I was using an inhaler before (Alvesco a couple times a week) and did not experience any insomnia. The doctor told me Singulair was very similar but it would also take care of my sinuses. It works really well for the sinuses and the asthma, but I rather have a stuffy nose, no asthma and sleep well. I am very surprised to see that some of you have been using that drug for so long after having so many side effects... and with children too...it is really scary

SINGULAIR'S LABEL HAS BEEN UPDATED:

The following has been added to the "Precautions" section of Singulair's label:

"Neuropsychiatric Events
Neuropsychiatric events have been reported in adult, adolescent, and pediatric patients taking SINGULAIR. Post-marketing reports with SINGULAIR use include agitation, aggressive behavior or hostility, anxiousness, depression, dream abnormalities, hallucinations, insomnia, irritability, restlessness, somnambulism, suicidal thinking and behavior (including suicide), and tremor. The clinical details of some post-marketing reports involving SINGULAIR appear consistent with a drug-induced effect.

Patients and prescribes should be alert for neuropsychiatric events. Patients should be instructed to notify their prescribe if these changes occur. Prescribes should carefully evaluate the risks and benefits of continuing treatment with SINGULAIR if such events occur (see ADVERSE REACTIONS, Post- Marketing Experience)."

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 daughter is a 4 year old child started on Singulair after she was unable to tolerate Zyrtec. For the first few days her allergies seemed better and we were encouraged by her improved allergy symptoms (allergies to poplar trees, grass, and lambs weed manifest as headaches, itching (usually of the extremities), and stomach aches). However, after 2 days her behavior became increasingly erratic. She was emotional, tantrum prone, irritable, anxious, and had difficulty sleeping although she appeared and said she was exhausted/tired. After several weeks on Singulair, we stopped the medication to determine if it was causing the behavioral and sleep problems. The symptoms stopped after discontinuing Singulair and she went back to her usual happy, well behaved self. After being off of it for several weeks we decided to try it again due to her allergies flaring up and wanting to be sure it was the Singulair causing the behavioral problems (because for all of its negatives, the greatest positive about Singulair is that it definitely helps her allergy symptoms). Unfortunately, the irritability, anxiousness, tiredness, tantrums and insomnia returned. We tried giving it to her at different times during the day but the symptoms were still present (although she slept a little better when we gave it to her in the morning). We also tried cutting the dose in half and giving it to her around noon. Decreasing the dose did help with the symptoms to some degree, but they were still bad enough to outweigh the benefits of taking the drug. As a nurse, I love Singulair for the relief it provides allergy sufferers...unfortunately for my daughter, the side effects outweigh the benefits. Given the rates of ADD, ADHD, and other behavioral problems diagnosed in children nowadays, I thought it pertinent to report these symptoms present in my daughter that are solely caused taking this medication.

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

I have been doing a trial and error thing w/ all my meds and I suspect that Singulair may be the culprit in my insomnia. Since I went down on Cymbalta, it has helped but last night I did not sleep a wink. I took xanax even and was up all night. Finally got up at 4.

Singulair has some ingredients that are the same as anti-histamines which have always affected my sleep but I have copd and am afraid to not take it.It is supposed to open your airways and I use Advair which has a steroid in it and I have no appetite. I still gain weight even though I'm not eating much.Dont know what to do. jo

I was on Singulair for approx 3 years with zero side effects other than actually being healthy for the first time in my life - no chronic acute bronchitis episodes, no calling in sick to work. Then I switched jobs and HMOs - they immediately took me off of my Singulair and Combivent and put me on Qvar and Proair. Quess what? I began wheezing and sniffling. So they prescribed Claritin and Nasarel on top of the other two. Still not working. So now after a bout with antibiotics and steroids they have prescribed Flonase and over the counter Zyrtec. I have BEGGED to go back on Singulair repeatedly. I have offered to pay the $120/month out of pocket. Now I really am depressed and angry all the time - as well as having intense headaches, tremors, chest pain, insomnia, jitteryness then fatigue then jitteryness again = all because I can't get the stupid Singulair.

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 is 12 and has been taking Singulair for the last ten months...he has been getting moody and upset for no good reason over the last 3 months and I put it down to "hormones" starting to kick in. He has now gone to feeling very sad and has even told me last night that he has thought about killing himself several times and feels he can't go on, or cope and feels lost and lonely or unwanted and in the way. He is confused and does not understand what is happening to him. I have just realized it may be the Singulair and will be taking him off it immediately. I'm hoping it is this as if it isn't I feel totally helpless as to how to help my child. Please say a prayer for him. He used to be happy go lucky.

My husband has been taking Singulair for the last two years. It has made a tremendous difference in his frequency of sinusitis in the winter and allergy symptoms during the summer and fall seasons. For at least the last year, he's been having trouble with insomnia, so he is taking Melatonin. This helps but last night something very new happened. We went to bed around 11:15 p.m., then at 12:45 he woke me up and said he was having trouble breathing. He was very agitated and paced around the room, would sit for a few minutes, then get up again, pace and act very agitated. We've been married for 26 years and this is not normal. We almost went to the emergency room but decided to wait. This morning he's tired and very quiet. From reading the other postings, I think that Singulair could be causing the insomnia and now the agitation and depression.

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.

Hi,

I began taking Singulair for allergies, 2 week's ago. For the first time in my life, I am suffering insomnia. I am waking up at 4.30am / 5am. This has only happened since I have started taking this drug.

After finding this site, I have realized that this distinct side-effect of Singulair is not worth my continuing on this medicine.

S.

I have been making inquires as to how and if the fda will conduct investigations in to permanent damage left from this drug.Although on taking my son off this drug i saw a 90% improvement,i am still missing the final piece,is it that he lost 3 years to this drug or did it do damage that cannot be fixed,we as parents need to know.The FDA responded to my letter,they said if they see a trend in reports from medwatch,it may prompt an investigation .I am asking all who still have missing pieces to file a report.What has happened is a tragedy,we need to explore ever option for continued success for our childrens future.Good Luck to all,Keep Fighting

I was prescribed singulair for asthma 7 years ago in my late 30's. I experieinced mild side-effects first including vivid dreams/nightmares, insomnia mixd wiht bouts of over-sleeping for work, runny nose, etc.

Then I developed a series of kidney infections, increased irritability, lack of concentration and heart palpitations.

Depression set in, along with the obsession of shotting myself in the head, running away to far away places, and risk-taking behavior.

I became difficult to work with and left a good paying job/career and suffered increasing irrational teenage rebellious behavior that i chalked up to a mid life crisis, until the suicidal idealization and late night insomnia and cutting hateful things into my skin with razor blades set in.

Then I left another job and had no health care. In months my outlook improved and problem-solving reason returned. A year later, with new medical insurance, I renewed my prescription, only to find the bad thoughts and gloom returning.

Within weeks my doctor and pharmacist warned me about the suicidal side-effects of the drug.

Now that my life is a train wreck, who do I sue?

I cant imagine subjecting a child to this medication.

Please seek alternatives and protect your children.

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

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

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

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

POLL: If you or your child have been adversely affected by Singulair could you please reply to this and let me know what ethnicity you are and skin tone. (fair, med., dark, etc.) I'm interested in the demographics of this drugs effects.
Thank you!

What a night,6 months off singulair life was so good,until last night,a complete set back,insomnia night terrors, panic and anxiety all over again,could it be this drug causes flash backs,i am so frustrated and once again seething in anger at the suffering my son has endured ,and to think it may not be completely over devastes me.Any one else had reacurrances

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

My 8-year-old son started on Singulair 6 weeks ago. Soon afterwards he had severe problems falling asleep--often up until 4 or 5 am before drifting off, but I didn't make the connection. (Thank goodness it's summer time and no school!)

About 2 weeks ago, my doctor recommended Singulair for me, too. The first day I was unbelievably sleepy, but after that I, too, have had severe problems with insomnia. I have also noticed involuntary muscle twitching, restless leg syndrome, and my mind feels like it's turning to mush. I used to tutor statistics; now I can't even do basic multiplication! Scary!

I have just thrown out both my son's and my bottle of Singulair. I hope stopping it will reverse this crap.

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

All these post's sound just like what my 10 yr old son is going through. My son has been on Singulair for the last yr and half for his allergies. His behavior changed dramatically shortly after taking this drug. Self hate, hurting himself, leg pains chronic cold symptoms severe insomnia. My doctor assured me that Singulair would not affect my sons behavior I strongly disagree with him and only 2 days ago did i take him off the drug. I pray he gets back to the normal happy child he once was. I feel so sick that I used to tuck him in to bed tell him that i love him and give him this pill that i feel was tormenting him.

Alright. After observing my daughter for two full weeks after discontinuing Singulair, I have decided to share our story.

Our daughter started taking Singulair last August (2007) to relieve her allergy symptoms. I'd like to add she is an identical twin, whose sister did not need to take the medication, for she had mild allergy symptoms that were easily relieved by taking Allegra. So we clearly have a side-by-side case study where one twin took the Singulair and the other did not. About two weeks later we noticed changes in her behavior and thought it was due to the new school routine and changes, etc. Then she started not eating, and when she did eat, she ate very little. Both girls are in a select soccer league are physically active 4-5 times a week.

Long story short - she stopped eating, lost weight, stopped growing and is now 2.5 inches shorter and 15 lbs. lighter than her identical twin. They are fifth graders, I might add, so 15 lbs is ALOT of weight at their age. She was withdrawn, known to have deep depressive episodes, reacted adversely to everything and, in general, wasn't acting herself since last August. She was not enjoying life at all.

She is usually a quick-witted child, one with a sunny disposition and who interacts with others very well. She is joy packaged in a colorful bottle, ready to share her thoughts with you.

We took her to her pediatrician, a nutritionist, a psychologist and all said she was clearly depressed and that is what led to her changes in eating. No kidding, I thought. But why? What has happened that could have changed her so drastically?

I had never felt so far away from my child as I had with her during this time period. We are a close family and we pride ourselves on being able to freely express how we feel.

My dear mother-in-law saw that the FDA was probing the side-effects of Singulair with children and she mentioned it to me, because she knew that is what my daughter was taking was taking. I never thought about the connection, because I take Singulair. I will add I also take an antidepressant and have made an appointment with my doctor to discuss all of this.

After talking with our pharmacist and getting an exact date as to when she started taking it, I called her pediatrician and discussed it with him. We had not been to him since October, because we took her to everyone else (psychologist, etc), so he had not known exactly what was going on with her mental health. He did, however write in his notes (and told me when I called), "Discontinue Singulair if symptoms persist." Hmmmm. Exactly why I wasn't told this from the beginning, I don't know and am very bothered knowing he wrote that on her chart.

Well, after taking her off it two weeks ago she is now back to her happy, connecting and eating self. People (her father, twin, and I included) noticed a change in three days from stopping use of Singulair.

She has changed IMMENSELY since getting off the Singulair that it has been easy to pinpoint her taking that medication as the reason she has been absolutely miserable for the past SEVEN MONTHS. I thank God it wasn't longer and that she didn't suffer any longer than she already did, but it was a true hell to watch her go through what she did and to watch her decline and to not know (professionals included) what to do. Words diminish how we felt and how we feel now after having her back.

So there you have a side-by-side comparison. One identical twin thrived while NOT taking Singulair and the twin who did take it suffered terribly, physically and mentally, while she was taking it.

The allergy relief she experienced was clearly not worth the internal suffering she endured while taking Singulair. I wish we could turn back time and give her those seven months back.

i am an adult with moderate to severe asthma. i also have an incredible number of allergies. i have been taking singulair for years. until last night at dinner with friends i hadn't even heard anything about these side effects. i have pretty much most of them. while it makes me angry, i am actually relieved that i'm not crazy. it's sort of weird. in the past few months my sleepwalking and insomnia have really gone up many levels. it's making me so tired non-functional at work. not good.
so. tonight will be my first night not taking it. i still take a few other drugs that could cause some side effects, but i hope that if nothing else, i can go back to sleeping at least a few hours at a time.
thank you all for posting all this information.

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

From Italy in 2003 - special note regarding psychiatric side effect of Singulair. ( I do not guarantee the translation. I did my best.)

From Italy 2003.

The data available in purpose in literature are insufficient. In England (1), after a year from the commercialization of drug (1998) the CSM/MCA had already brought back 44 report of insomnia, but not of other neuropsichiatriche reactions. Zapatero ET to. (2) in the 2000 they have described the case of a child of nine years, treated with montelukast for rhinitis and bronchial asthma that, after 4 days of therapy, has manifested cefalea, feeling unsteady, agitation, aggressiveness and nocturnal terror. The symptoms have been resolved after discontinuing montelukast. According to the data supplied from the data bank of the WHO near the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) 497 reports were submitted of neuropsichiatriche reactions from montelukast, for a total of 680 ADR. Those more frequently marked ones have been: insomnia (107), nervousness (52), sleepiness (47) and paranoia (41). They are moreover present 8 report of amnesia and 7 thought disorders.

http://www.gruppogif.org/download/GIFsem12003.pdf

I can't imagine the FDA getting involved because of only *one* suicide (though the loss of even one life is terrible). The FDA usually turns a blind eye to what pharmaceutical companies do unless there have been enough complaints or enough evidence to convince them that they must step in.

I came to this board in late February--a full two to three weeks prior to the big news story earlier this week--simply looking for a reason for my son's insomnia. There were already over 1000 posts here on the Singulair board, nearly all of which listed the same side effects: fits of rage, depression, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts. I had never dreamed that my son's fits of rage and depression were linked to Singulair--I had assumed it was all part of being 17 and having normal teenage stresses and hormonal surges. He stopped taking the Singulair right then (back in late February), and the difference in him is astounding. He is much more outgoing and talkative; he joins in with family outings and goes places with his friends (before, he wanted to stay home alone in his room). There have been no fits of rage, no more declarations that he hates himself, no more calling himself a loser (I couldn't believe he would call himself a loser--he carries a 3.9 GPA in an academically-challenging private school and was recently accepted to Case Western University), and he is sleeping better. He is just simply BETTER.

If you or your child can take this medication with no side effects, that's wonderful. Please continue to do so. But please remember: millions of people take Singulair. If only 10% develop the serious side effects, that's **hundreds of thousands** of people.

I like to live my life with facts, not speculation and drama. My child is on Singulair and doing fantastic. I remember the trips to the ER when I did not know if my child would live or die. Of course when I saw this report, it caused me some concern so I did some research on my own. Did you know that suicide is the leading cause of violent death in New York State, the United States and the world? In 2002 in New York State there were 1,292 suicides which exceeded homicides by 32%. The statistics show that 1 in 10 teenagers plans to commit suicide. The National Center for Health reports a 10% suicide rate in kids 15-24 years of age and 4 male suicides for every female suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old.

So now we have 1 child in New York that has committed suicide that just happened to be on Singulair, and it is Singulairs fault? Show me the proof. All I see is one distraught mom who is trying to find blame for her son’s tragic death. Is there only half the story being told, a trend I have noticed in journalism these days. Let’s face it, life happens. I am NOT on Singulair and I have had melt downs, thrown things across the room, been depressed over things, cried, and even for the past week have been having some crazy dreams. I remember as a child putting notes on my room door telling my parents how much I hated them. I remember as a teenager thinking my life would be better if I were dead. I remember my child being cranky and fussy before she was on Singulair, gee maybe she was teething. The term “terrible twos” has been around a lot longer that Singulair. Let’s face it, we have turned into a society of people who always want something to blame. I think it is time people start taking responsibility for themselves and accept the fact that sometimes life just happens. Take accountability for your own lives, and stop trying to blame everything and anything.

I also live my life by reading internet blogs with a grain of salt. These blogs are public forums and places where anyone and everyone can post. How do you know that all these posts are real? Remember the day when kids made prank phone calls for fun? Now they have the internet and can post pranks on these blogs. How do you know that a competitor to Singulair is not posting in order to fuel the feeding frenzy? How about a registered sex offender or a felon in prison? There are a lot of “sick” people in the world and yes, they have access to the internet too. If you are hanging on every single one of these posts as being true and real then I feel sorry for you. The internet provides anonymity and it is easy to create a fictitious identity and a fictitious story. That is probably why if you do a search for “internet safety” you get 15,700,000 hits.

Until I see proof, I am not going to take my child off Singulair. The CDC reports that in 2002 there were 1.9 million visits to the ER for asthma and 4,261 asthma deaths. If I did stop my child’s Singulair, and she died in the ER from as asthma attack, whose head does that fall on? The media?

1st insomnia, then depression and anxiety. I got to the point where I couldn't stand being at work because I was shaky and felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I went out on disability and was started on Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Valium & Lunesta. It got worse and now, 6 months later I still don't feel right. I heard about the side effects of Singulair and immediately stopped it. I haven't taken it in 2 nights and am hoping for the best. Wouldn't it be something if I lost my job, lost my friends, and my joy of life (there were many times I wanted to end it), primarily due to Singulair?

My daughter is 20 years old and a chronic asthmatic with severe allergies. She has been on Singulair for 8 years. She has been complaining and in some instances begging her asthma doctor for a reason for her insomnia and restless sleep over the last several years. She takes other asthma and allergy medications. He told her to not take her Xopenex inhaler before bed, as that may be causing the problem, that didn't help at all (sometimes a Xopenex nebulizer treatment is needed for her at bedtime and during the night, during asthma flair-ups). Her doctor just switched her from Allegra (which she has been on since she was 10) to Zyrtec, which is helping with allergies, but not with the sleeplessness. She was taken off of Advair and put on Symbicort in September 2007, this made her asthma worse requiring Prednisone off -and -on since January. She is back on Advair and doing better, but the sleepless nights continue...

We are seriously contemplating taking her off of the Singulair. We aren't 100% certain this medication is causing her insomnia/sleeplessness. However, as she explains it..."If I could get one really good nights sleep, I would go off of the Singulair in a heartbeat". Our fear is that by going off of the Singulair that her asthma will worsen.

I have been taking it for about 3-1/2 years. The very first side effect I noticed was insomnia. After doing hunting on Merck, I could not find anything. Finally called the company and they said there were some studies done after the FDA released the drug and insomnia was one side effect. I talked to my doctor, he put me on the kid's dosage to try and help the insomnia. I still had it. So he told me to take it in the morning. The kids dosage wasn't helping as much, so I was put back on the adult dosage. During the first 6 months of being on it I noticed weight gain. I thought it was due to getting older. After seeing other people with weight gain I now believe my 20 plus pounds I have put on and can not get off, no matter what I do is the Singulair. Odd, about 6 months after the start and I was taking the Singulair I wondered if it was that, since I had not changed anything, ate the same, my work keeps me active and NO MATTER WHAT I DID, I JUST KEEP GAINING WEIGHT. Wouldn't you know I just picked up and paid for my new months worth. While it has helped the wheezing, I WILL NOT continue taking it. Also I have had a major problem with forgetfulness, which I NEVER HAD BEFORE SINGULAIR. Also have had problems with being inspired to do things, just don't care anymore.

READ THIS:
I'm posting this again for the sanity of the concerned parents on this board to let you know you're not alone:

My 5 year old son was diagnosed with mild asthma and put on Singulair. Within a few months he began having uncontrollable fits of rage, displayed self-loathing behavior, had night terrors, and was inconsolable during these episodes. He became very destructive and was a danger to himself and our family. He even talked about killing himself and would say things like "I don''t want to be in this life anymore" and "I want to kill myself". He would threaten my wife and his siblings and told them he wanted to kill them. It was a truly terrifying experience. Our pediatrician was clueless to these side affects and recommended we have our child go through a psychological evaluation. I knew this was not my child''s normal behavior so I searched the internet for Singulair side affects and found some message boards where parents just like myself were telling their stories of their children''s aggressive behavior. I immediately took my son off the drug and within a couple days he was back to his normal self. He told us that he no longer has "that feeling inside of him". Five year old children don''t even know what suicide is and to see my son talk like this was extremely frightening. He is a sweet, intelligent, loving boy who had never exhibited behavior like this until he went on Singulair. We have not seen this behavior after taking him off the drug.

I see posts from people saying that they are not experiencing any negative side effects. That's wonderful--if you or your child can take this medication without any problems, go for it. Yes, the boards for other drugs do list extreme reactions, but if you look around, you won't find many with as many postings as this Singulair board has. I was shocked by how many postings there are here. And yes, this board had over 1000 posts even before the news story broke yesterday. I came here back in late February concerned only about my son's insomnia; only after reading the other posts did I realize that many of the other things I had been concerned (depression, fits of rage, exhaustion) could be linked to this drug.

If it works for you or your child, wonderful. Many people probably won't be affected at all by these negative side effects. But there are millions of people on Singulair. If only 10% have the serious side effects, that would be **hundreds of thousands of people**.

No side effects here - my 5 year old has been on Singulair since he was 2 1/2 and has showed no strange symptoms outside of those of a normal 5 year old boy. He has asthma and severe allergies - including a nut/peanut allergy. He also takes Zyrtec in the Spring and Summer seasons (heavy allergy time for him). Gets good grades in Kindergarten and has never had emotional/behavioral issues at school or at home. I am shocked to hear that people are having these extreme reactions! Although, it seems that there are always going to be reactions to ANY drug out there - go to any of the boards on any drug and you will find people with extreme reactions. Singulair has saved my sons lungs, and possibly his life.

I had my asthma under control, avoiding anything that would cause problems, not medicines etc... until recently I had a bronchial spasm from a traumatic experience. After an ER visit I now have an inhaler and was prescribed Singulair. For someone who knows their body who has never really taking nothing, now I was taking Singulair. Singulair singled out my life and gave me a horrible life. I thought I was going to die because I felt like it. I thought I could be coming down with the flu or something. It made me feel very down and out leaving a yucky feeling. The normal activities I once enjoyed doing, that joy was gone. Insomnia set in after taking this medicine for the past 8 weeks now. As of yesterday after hearing reports of the disturbing side effects, I'm off of Singulair. I will have to resort to something else, because I want my life back.

Sorry, I just posted, but I wanted to say that I too have experienced the sleeplessness, especially lately. It's been just as another poster said where you feel as though you've been awake half the night. I describe it as feeling as though you're thinking instead of dreaming. It's been just awful, feels like insomnia. However I can't say that I've had the trouble sleeping the whole time I've been on the medication. Sometimes I sleep quite well, so again, not sure I can totally blame singulair.

I am a 30 year old female and have had asthma since I was 3 years old. For years I struggled with it, having to always have an inhaler on hand everywhere I went. About 4 years ago by the prescription of my pulmonary doctor I started taking singulair and advair once a day (before bed) The one thing that I have noticed that concerns me a bit, is that when I miss even one day of the medication (due to my forgetfulness in refilling) my asthma will be worse then before I even started the medication. So it's like I'm dependently addicted to it, which is really scary. Just one day off of it and I have to use my albuterol inhaler at least 5 times a day and I can't even get out of bed sometimes.

The other thing that I noticed was my complexion changed. I have been to several dermatologists who either think I have a mild rosacea, mild acne rosacea or a mild adult acne. I have never had a problem with my skin, it was always clear. However now it is just so tempermental. I recently asked an internal medicine doctor who doesn't seem to feel that there is any link between singulair and skin problems but thought that perhaps it was the advair.

I also have experienced strange mood shifts that sort of go back to the time I started the medication. I fight a lot more with my husband and just feel very anxious, fearfull, reclusive, depressed. I feel like another poster, that everything is going to go wrong, or is always wrong. I'll have extreme anxiety about small everyday things. I am an actress living in LA. I have a commercial agent and was quite active in auditioning but this has dwindled as the years have passed.
Is all this due to the medication? I cannot say obviously, and like another poster said, you can't attribute side effects that some people have had to all the millions of people that must take this medication.And, it is true that during studies conducted of medications anything that someone experiences has to be listed as a side effect. I was taking a medication for my possible ADD symptoms, concerta, and one of the side effects is "Accidental Injury" what does that even mean! I asked my doctor about it and he told me, that if someone so much as accidentally bumped into a table or tripped during the study it would have to be listed as possibly being associated with the medication.It's a legal thing I'm sure.

But in any event who's to say that it isn't causing these symptoms. I certainly hope that it doesn't. I can only vouch for my physical symptoms for sure. I know whether or not I can breath or not and that it's due to not taking the medication since being on it is like I don't even have asthma. But as for the emotional stuff, they are just that emotional and there are many other things in peoples lives that could be contributing factors. The greatest test would be to stop taking the medication to see if the emotional symptoms improve.

Our son started taking Singulair three years ago at age 4. Last year he started having really bad headaches and stomach aches. After taking him to the doctor, we thought he was having migraines and was lactose intolerant. He's always been a kind, gentle, well mannered child until this school year. He's in the first grade and has been starting fights, saying mean things to his classmates and hitting other children for no reason. He also has terrible nightmares that are very gruesome for a 7 year old. I've been wondering how in the world his little mind could come up with some of the horrible stuff he tells me he dreams. It scares him enough for him to come into our room and sleep with us. I'm so angry that we were never told of the serious side effects this medicine can cause. We're taking our baby off of this medicine immediately. I agree, we should all file a class action lawsuit - and I have the disciplinary reports from my sons school to prove how his behavior has changed. We're praying for all the children and families that have been victims of the greed of the drug companies once again. This is a shame.

I'm not surprised at all to hear about Singulair being investigated for causing mood changes and suicide. My son was on singulair 6 years ago for a year when he was 5. He underwent very severe mood changes, including insomnia, rages, severe anxiety and panic attacks. We ended up seeing a psychologist about his violent moods, but it took us a year to connect it to Singulair. When his dosage was raised due to growth, he started experiencing disabling anxiety. He was terrified to leave me and had obsessive thoughts about me dying. Things culminated with him being terrified to swallow any food out of fear of choking and dying. When he stopped eating for three days, I began to search the Internet and found references to Singulair causing anxiety in children. He never took singulair again, and was able to resume eating within a few days. He was back to his normal self within a week. Hopefully, now doctors know about the incredible risks for kids with this medication and can warn parents to watch for side effects if they indeed do put their kids on this medication.

Okay- A friend just emailed this site to me, my son is 4 and has been taking Singulair for about 2 years. He has seasonal allergies which seem to be year round, asthma and food allergies. He is on Singulair and Allegra daily, this in it self freaks me out. What I have noticed for at least the past year is that when he is running around or moving a lot he hold his right side and says he has a pain in it, we now call it a "stitch". it happens not from strenuous activity, our doctor just says its growing pains, that doesn't make sense. something is bothering him it happens with somewhat frequency. I am really thinking about his behavior, it seems to me he can change on a dime. from happy to very angry, outbursts and then right back to sweet, yes this could describe any 4 year old, but not any 4 year old is on Singulair. I remember saying to him where is my sweet boy? I feel like that might have been when we started the meds, i am so used to his behavior now that it seems almost normal but there was a time he acted differently. and i do remember saying that.... was it when he went on Singulair???

My kids have been taking Singulair & Claritin for their allergies for a little over 2 years now. We have had no problems what so ever. The doctor actually prescribed only Singulair first & I was worried about the side effects, but there were none. If the meds are causing insomnia, you might want to try giving your children the Singulair upon waking up & the Zyrtec before bed.

I have been on Singulair now for about 14 years. I am 58 yr old white female with Asthma. Severe enough to go to the ER every 2 weeks and get the breathing treatments, IV steroids, etc. Breathlessness is something I do not ever want to experience again.

I went to an allergist and had only a reaction to dust mites, however, my Asthma attacks were triggered by all odors, scents, pollutions from cars, trucks, and construction, (tar smelling products.) I wasn't able to go grocery shopping and go down the detergent aisle. I wasn't able to go to the Mall for fear someone would have on perfume or cologne. Funeral homes were out of the question because of the above mentioned and the flowers. I was basically home bound. Now my allergist had me on another medication, but it required blood tests every month to check the liver enzymes. So he switched me to Singulair. About a month into the drug, I noticed I no longer needed my rescue inhaler, not even at night, or my steroid-laced inhaler for prevention. I thought this drug was a life restoring miracle. Now having read all these comments, and I have almost all the same side effects,: weight gain, restlessness, restless legs, insomnia, ear infections, tinnitus. Gee, I thought these were all because of my age, and now I see it is my Singulair. I don't know if I am brave enough to try to wean off this drug, because when you can't breath, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. so .........WHAT DO I DO?

My grandson is nearly 10yrs old - he had asthma from about 13mths - his mother had it as did her dad so my grandson inherited it - however over the years we had his asthma under control at the beginning of 2006 he was only on one puff of flexitide a day and didn't need ventolin - however this year my daughter went to the specialist and he said to try SINGULAIR - I did not want her to give it to him as a pharmacist told me his daughter was on it and she got worse - but my daughter gave it to him - at first he was good and did not even need his one puff of preventer per day - however as time has gone on he has developed worse asthma than he had ever before - he has been on Singulair about 7mths (thank god no more) he also has been having trouble sleeping at night (didn't know till I read the web this is one of the side effects) he also got stomach upsets with a very white coated tongue - also tonsilitis back hasn't had that for 2yrs - he also started getting angry and playing up at school - which he has always been a wonderful child (I can only thank GOD that I went on line and was guided to this site ( thank you all for your information) keep up the good work and tell everyone that SINGULAIR IS POISON especially to children
p.s. He hasn't had any for the last 4 days and now his asthma is getting worse (however we can only wait and pray that he recovers from this nightmare and doesn't get any other side effects as the time goes on).

I thought I was crazy, it is still coming out of my system so maybe I am! I took singulair for 7 years, after doctors told me that Theo-dur was too old school.
I have gained over 50 pounds, bad skin, bruising,diziness,insomnia and horrible temper and panic.
Every time the Dr asks me how its going with singulair I say its fine.I think I put 2 and 2 together.
After waking up with palpitations,shaking and generally freaking out I have decided to stop.I think it is still lingering in my body and I really hope this week I will feel better and not so tired.

Can someone tell me how long it took for the symptoms to go away.

I have been itchy, eye swelling, tingles, numbness in my hands and feet as well as a rash.

My 4 yo daughter has been taking Sinulair since last spring (Apirl 2006).

Worked great, I don't remember any side effects last summer. She was 2 & changed every day so it's hard to say. Now she's 3 & we've started it back up again at the start of spring. It's hard to say for a 3 year old what symptoms/side effects they are really suffering from. They aren't able to express themselves except mostly by actions. I just assumed her moodyness, crying jags, trouble sleeping at night were part of her age/personality.

Now, I'm noticing a definate problem getting her to bed every night. She will easily be up until 10 - 10:30 before falling asleep. This is even if I put her to bed around 8. She doesn't sleep well either. I'm pretty sure she's dreaming, but it's hard to say whether or not she's having nightmares. We've already made an appt with another doc to switch to something other than Singulair.

Too bad this type of info has to be sought after by the patient's & not provided at the time the medication is prescribed. I'll have to do more research regarding the physchotropic issues of this drug. They prescribe this for kids?

I was diagnosed with asthma 8 months ago at 45 years old. It was quite a shock considering I never had sympthoms untill recently. The doctors thought that abulterol would be enough to control it but unfortunately the events become too frequent. They then swictched me to Singular. Wow, what a mistake that wa! Yes, my breathing improved but the side effects were frightening and painful. After only two or three days my arms, hands and fingers were numb and tingling...constant pins and needles...and virtually useless. At night I had the worst most vivid nightmares I've ever had. And I was unable to fall asleep because my mind was constantly racing. It's almost enough to make one psychotic. Plus I had sudden, very painful ear and tooth aches.

All this cleared up a few days after stopping Singualr.

This drugs is suppose to interfere with your body's signals to produce inflammation but it has to be doing so much more, and most of that not good. It seems clear based on my side effects and others I've read about it has a huge impact on the central nervous system too.

This is not a safe drug. I wouldn't be surprised if someone, some day uses it as an excuse for some really bad behaviour. In fact, I'm shocked that this is given to kids at all. If I had to take this for months I would go insane.

BTW, months later, on advice of my doctor, I tried it again with the intent of taking it every other day to limit dose. Nice idea, but no cigar. After just one dose I was once again "flipping out" in bed.

If you have really bad asthma and singular works for you without side effects that's great news. But I'd still ask myself what kind of impact is it having on your body if it does so much damage to so many other people. How safe can it really be?

If you have kids, and they're taking it, please keep a close eye on them. Sometimes kids don't have the communication tools to explain to parents what they're experiencing. Don't make them suffer...and don't let them be punished at school because their behaviour is uncontrollable. It could very well be this med.

My son is six years old and been on Singulair for 2 weeks, on the 3rd day he started complaining of stomach pain. That night he had a horrible nightmare and everyday since it has been something else it seems to get worse everyday. Sleepwalking uncontrollable rage that we have never seen before. He gets out of breath very easy and his comprehention is very bad since he has takin this drug. He is on day two of no Singulair and is still having trouble sleeping but the other effects are slowly ending thank god any parents thinking of this treatment for their child needs to do more research my doctor did not think it was the meds that it is just a normal child stage he is going through. (bull-h--t).