Singulair and mom

My daughter began taking Singulair in 2003 for asthma and allergies. I slowly watched her deteriorate from a lively, intelligent, and outgoing young woman to a depressed, withdrawn and self-mutilating person who said that she hated herself and everybody else in the world. She was an athlete, a straight A student who had received an academic scholarship to college, she was fluent in German and had been teaching herself Japanese, and she was a staunch supporter for equal rights for children with disabilities and gay and Lesbian teens. On February 3rd, 2007 my daughter hung herself after working at the local community center. I no longer recognized who she had become. I have a degree in psychology, my father is a retired police officer, and my mother is a retired R.N. We were all trained to recognize the symptoms of depression and suicidal thinking, but we were never able to connect it to the medication that she was taking.We must all ban together to prevent other people from suffering the way that our loved ones have! Educate everyone that you know about what Singulair can do to you. They are still prescribing this drug to people without any notification of what the side effects are.

I am 16 and have been on Singular since July 9th of this year and the only side effects that has been affecting me that I really notice is the ear infections and headaches. my mom and I think that I might have one right now but have not gotten the chance to make a doctors appointment. The other side effects that I read about while googling it were a sore throat and upper respiratory infections which are both things that I have been fighting since March, which is what lead to me being diagnosed with asthma. In response to the person that was talking about asthmex, I also got put on that the same day and the only side effect that I had from that is a higher blood pressure that usual but it was still in the normal range, caused by the steroid in it.

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

My son became soo aggressive 3 days after starting Singulair, that he was almost banned from soccer for life because of attacking another player on the field. It resembled what I had heard of 'roid rage'. When I questioned the doctor immediately, was told there was no connection. After months of the aggression, then came depression and self mutilation. My 15 yr old was secretly burning himself to 'punish' himself for things he done wrong or "disappointing" those around him. He now has permanent scars all over his arms from these burns. The depression took to drug abuse and my A student fell to an F student in 6 weeks. He completely lost his will to live and thrive. After 4 months of hell, the dr informed us that the FDA just warned physicians of this side effect. Im furious now that I read through the court documents and find that the drug company knew this all along. I know I am a luckier parent than some whose children committed suicide, but still wish that the FDA would get off their BUTTS and do something to take this drug off the market. I was told by a rep at the FDA that Merck will not take it off the shelf until they're made to because even if they had to pay parents millions for their child's suicide, they would still be pocketing more profit than our children's lives are worth in the court system. Not sure WHY we even HAVE an FDA, they won't do anything to protect us from these money hungry drug companies. A YEAR to do an 'INVESTIGATION" are you kidding me? If the CEO of Merck had to bury his child, it would come off the shelf THAT DAY.

I have asthma that was not controlled. I coughed and wheezed constantly. I had trouble eating, because even the food passing through the esophagus was enough to cause an attack. I was in and out of the emergency room for years, and the Ambulance folks knew to arrive with epinephrine when I'd call.

I started taking Singulair sometime around 1998. I haven't had any serious problems since then with asthma, and have had ZERO side effects.

Every drug has side effects for some people. For me, Claritin causes my heart to race. I can take that or that purple circurlar inhaler thing. I had a terrible reaction to that.

For ME, Singulair works. I am not sure it should be given to children if they are having severe problems. But it certainly should NOT be removed from the market...because people like me needed it to control their asthma.

I just wanted everyone to know that I am still here and concerned about everyone who is having side effects from Singulair. Sometime within the next few weeks I am going to post a summary and conclusion about all of the research that I have posted. I hope to come up with a well organized concise statement about why everyone who experiences side effects from Singulair should stop using the drug immediately. Not everyone has an adverse reaction to this drug. For those who do, it is very dangerous to continue this medication even for one more day.

STOP IMMEDIATELY IF YOU SUFFER SIDE EFFECTS FROM SINGULAR. WHEN YOU SUFFER SIDE EFFECTS FROM SINGULAIR, THE REASON IS THAT YOU ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE DRUG'S GENETIC BASED MODEL.

Singulair targets the CysLT1 receptor, which is a gene. This gene is not the same for everyone. If your doctor does not understand that the mode of action of Singulair has a genetic component, then tell him/her.

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

hi everyone my name is Katie, and my son has been on Sindulair for over 6 months now. I took him off 2 nights ago, the day I found this sight. I just cant believe how many families this medication has hurt. When my son was put on, I was never told anything about anything like this happening. I thought his behavior was due to the divorce and child custody things in his life that were going on. It did not cross my mind that it could ever be this medication. He does not take anything else at all.
Some of the things we have been dealing with are, panic attacks at night, bad dreams, aggressiveness, depression, anxiety! Fits that you would not believe. Crying all the time, very emotional. And the newest one, thinking everyone he loves is going to get killed. These are not things a 6 just turned 7 year old should be going through.
I got to thinking that I needed to get him some professional help, this is not normal! I decided to look up Singulair on the net, I did not find anything. I looked up Childrens depression, and angziat, still nothing fit. Then I found this site. Wow did it blow my mind. It fit and it felt right, if you are a mom, I think you know where I am coming from. When you know you just know! So I got him off the medication, and already I am seeing changes. The first night was not grate but better than it has been in a long time, the next day though, he woke up and smiled at me for the first time in way to long, he only had 2 meltdowns that day, when he was having at lest 2 in an hr before. So far so good, I just hope that It keeps going well for him.
Thank you for letting me tell my story!

Added to my previous comment about seizures which my son developed, I have been worried about his growth as well. I realize that kids grow at different rates but my son's growth pattern is so different from my other children!! I have asked the Pediatrician about this several times but he always says that no studies have shown a link between Singulair and growth.Has anyone else wondered about this?

My son is almost 6 yrs old. He has been taking Singular for approx 3 years, in addition to Claritin and Nasonex. This is all for his allergy to mold. His doctor started him on these meds after a 6 month episode with sinus infections leading to asthma-like symptoms. We have not noticed anything unusual about his behavior until approx 3 months ago. He started waking up every night (2-3 hours after going to bed) with bad dreams. At first he would not fully awaken and fall back asleep immediately. After a month or so of this happening most nights, he had two nights in a row where he woke up screaming and was inconsolable for about 30 minutes. We initially thought it was night terrors, but he was not scared or fearful, he was just upset/angry. He would hit the bed repeatedly and yell. He didn't know what he was upset about but would talk about how he thought we hated him, he was dumb, etc. After about 30 min he would 'snap out of it' and return to his normal self and go back to sleep easily.
At first we thought these were night terror brought on by a recent fever, but he had another episode last night. He has also been falling apart at the littlest things and getting quite violent (for a 6 yr old). He was sent to his room yesterday evening because he was complaining about the dinner his mom made (lots of complaining these days..). He had a total melt down an started throwing things and hitting the door so hard he put a hole in it.
Some of this behavior I would chalk up to normal kid stuff, new baby brother, etc. But I am suspicious about the negative thoughts, bad dreams, and instant melt downs... I stopped giving him Singular today and we will see what happens. God bless you all as we figure these things out...

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

I took my 16 year old child off of singulair 6 weeks ago (3-28-2008). She started taking it 11-17-2003. She became dark, depressed, grades dropped, dropped out of dance and cheerleading, started cutting her legs with razors, stomachaches, headaches, anxiety attacks, trips to the emergency room. 6 months of fluoxetine given by her psychiatrist. Nothing helped her be happy again. Sad and Dark young woman. NOW: She smiles a lot, and is eating diner with the family. No headache or stomachache for a month now. She is sleeping better. Before she said that her mind would not stop thinking. She is taking pictures again and even asked me to order her book called "Understanding Exposure" and is talking about taking a class on digital photography at NMSU branch university to start on her college electives now. She is out more and even has a part time job at an ice cream parlor. Just lately I have stopped checking the trash for waded up tissues with blood (from cutting). Chris, I have had all her medical records sent to her primary Doctor and we are very willing to open them up. You have to have a child suffering to understand where we are coming from. The most dangerous place on earth is standing between a mother and her child. Singulair took our children from us and maybe changed them in some way forever.

After visiting this web site everyday for the past four weeks, I feel the need to share my daughter's (and my families') experience with singulair. My 8 year old daughter was put on singulair aprx. 2 years ago in addition to zyrtec to treat her allergies. Shortly after starting the drug, she developed stomach pain. After a few weeks of chronic pain, I pursued help from our pediatrician. After visits to two different pediatric GI doctors, an allergist (to test for food allergies), and an orthopedic surgeon ( because of sudden leg pain), the results were inconclusive. During this time my daughter also became very sad, angry and fatigued. She also completely lost her appetite and refused to eat much of the time. I attributed all of these symptoms to her stomach pain . In addition, she developed difficult sleep patterns and would often wake-up exhausted in the morning. Over time she also began to have more and more "melt-downs", breaking into crying spells over the smallest provocation or challenge. I recently contacted my daughters pediatrician to discuss what other testing or direction we could take to help my daughter. In the interim of making that contact, a friend told me about this web site. As I read page after page of other parent's experiences, I was in tears. I felt as if I was reading about my own family for the past two years. I say "family" because when one child is living through this kind trauma, everyone in the family is negatively affected in some way. My husband and I felt completely frustrated and unable to help our daughter. Our older children began to resent the great amount of time and energy I spent on behalf of our daughter. My younger daughter who had always looked up to and loved her older sister was sad and confused by her sister's anger and impatience.On March 29th I took my daughter off singulair. Unbelievable. Within 2 days, my daughter's appetite returned. On the second day, she came home from school and requested a corn dog and then some ice cream. She suddenly wanted to eat breakfast again. She started smiling and laughing again. She has suddenly become capable and responsible for doing her homework and chores. She is going to sleep more quickly and waking up happy. The best part is having our daughter back...the sweet, wonderful, happy six year old who I feel like I lost for two years of her life! As a side note-the return call I got from my pediatrician was that he wanted my daughter to see a psychiatrist. That's how close we were to taking another (completely unnecessary) path to helping my daughter. I also recently spoke with my daughter's allergist about our experience. At first he was somewhat dismissive. I asked him to listen to me parent, to parent for just a moment. He seemed to soften and said he would take a second look at singulair and its side effects. I encourage every parent who's child has been so adversely affected by this drug to be proactive. First, please contact the FDA to report your experience. Second, talk to your children's physicians and share, with confidence your experience. Third, share this web site or a similar one with everyone you know. I have been astounded how many children are on singulair just within my own small circle (school, church and play group). I really believe one voice can make a difference. I have to believe that for the sake of all the children still suffering.

Up until today I was unaware of any side effects. I have been taking singulair for about a week and I felt fine, until yesterday. Yesterday, I felt anxious and on the edge. I felt as if I was going to blow up if anyone said anything that I did not like. I was feeling as if my heart was going to beat right through my chest. Then when it was time for me to go to bed, I had trouble falling asleep. I awoke the next morning with vivid memories of nightmares that I had throughout the night. Even after I awoke I felt in intense rage. I called my mom later on in the day and I mentioned to her that I was taking Singulair for my allergies. She told me to stop taking that drug immediately. She told me that she just heard last week that it may cause some people to commit suicide. I'm glad I mentioned that to my mom, if I hadn't I may be worse off. Unfortunately I did feel as if the pills helped my allergies, however at what cost? Possibly my life...

I just read a few days ago that Merck is trying to get approval for a new drug. It is a combo of Singulair and the Shering pharm. co. drug Claritin. Isn't it nice to know that while we are suffering from this drug, Merck and another pharmaceutical company are trying to make more money on a drug that is supposed to be under investigation. Fortunately, the FDA is not approving it along with a few other drugs Merck is trying to push. This shows us how concerned they are with public health. They would sell us arsenic if they could get approval for it.

As an adult, I have had no problems with the drug. That being said, I wanted to remind readers that very few drugs, if any, are tested on children. As any good pediatrician will tell you, children are not just little adults. Drugs companies and doctors should not just adjust dosages and say that a drug is OK for kids. As a mom, I'm cautious to give my kids any medication that is new, including vaccines that are new, because I know testing has been limited with respect to children.

I wrote an earlier post but I am now reading alot of your posts where you say your child experienced FEAR on Singulair. That is so interesting. When my son was on it for around 3 years he would never sleep alone in his own bed and he would have episodes every night that would last up to 3 hours at bed time because I would try to get him to sleep in his own bed, even at 8 years old. I thought he was possessed!!!! He would scream and fight me and I would literally have to hold him down to get him to stay in bed. It was horrible. I'm not sure how a hullicination would be described but maybe that was part of it. All I know is that he turned into a totally different child. It was something out of a horror movie. I eventually gave up and let him sleep in our bed cause it was exhausting. He would just make blood curdling screams and the terror in his eyes was horrific. Then the next morning he would be fine like nothing had ever happened.
Now that he is off of Singulair he will sleep in his own bed with the light off all night. It was an amazing turn around. He also told me he's not scarred anymore.. Who knew????? Has anyone else experienced anything like that with their child????

I could not find the post from the mom of two who is a pharmacy student to reply to her.

My husband is a pharmacist with over 25 years hospital experience. he never questioned the doctors assumption that it would take 6 weeks to totally be out of his system. all drugs have some residual and cumulative or residual effects. it really isn't magically gone from your system in a set number of hours. especially a daily dose and more so in the elderly, and I have seen this first hand , when they are dehydrated or other wise compromised the drugs can stay in their system for a time and accumulate.

i will update on our son later today, he is doing much better two weeks off

Kate Kendle Here. I'm looking for Corey Miller's Mom. You had e-mailed me before. My son also committed suicide and you said that it was on your son's birth date. Please e-mail me at my personal e-mail address as I'd like to hear all about Corey and tell you all about my A.J. I'm sorry that we have to share this as a commonality but I'd really like to stay in touch with you.
If I remember correctly, your name is also Kate.
Hoping to hear from you. Kate Kendle

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.

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

Follow up to my post earlier today...

I took the my son to the doctor this morning and he was somewhat dismissive of the recent reports on Singulair...says he's had a lot of kids on the drug and never heard a peep about side effects until last week when the report on suicidal tendencies showed up. He did advise that when these kinds of behavior changes happen after a new drug is started he would recommend that we stop taking the drug no matter what it was, but I still felt uncomfortable with his response to us.

I felt like he was accusing me of making it up or only coming up with it because of recent news and message board posts. In fact, I made the appointment BEFORE I saw the posts. I was worried about his behavior BEFORE I saw the posts. It's just that seeing the stories from everyone else basically confirmed my suspicions that it might be the drug causing the problems.

I feel like I definitely wasted OVER AN HOUR waiting for a doctor to spend five minutes making me feel small.

Last night was the last time my son will take the drug, and I don't care what the doctors think of me.

Hi to all,
I am Cody Miller's mom, the boy who took his life after 17 days on SINGULAIR.I am just checking back to read some postings and I am truly amazed and saddened at the stories.I believe that if you follow through by filing your side effects with the FDA , advise anyone you know to do the same,the seriousness of this drugs danger cannot be hidden or ignored any longer.We have met with some knowledgable people on the drug company Mercks outlandish ,irresponsible practices .They said, the thing that helps in cases like this are,< REPORTS AND PHONE CALLS TO THE FDA>This is what we are being told.I have copied the pages on this website and, the Congresswomans that is helping us, has scanned your stories to disk.We will be taking them to Washington DC on May 2 to speak to the FDA.These stories cannot be ignored.Please make sure you look at all the serious side effects. When speaking to your doctor, let them know that this drug can cause alot of things besides suicide, although that is a serious added side effect. It can slowly steal the quality of your childs life and your family's life.Risk to benefit is all I am reminding everyone of,it seems the doctors sometimes dont look at the overall picture.I do believe however that more physicians are looking at this with eyes wide open, now that people are putting two and two together.My quest is relabeling this drug ,after removing it from the market to study further.Safety should be first ,not profit for GIANT PHARMECUETICAL COMPANIES.Your voices will be heard if you just make waves , have some faith.My husband and I will make it known to all who will listen, we are not alone in our request. They must seriously evaluate this drug and it's benefit to risk ratio, childrens lives are dependent on this important investigation.You can find the phone number to the FDA on the website if this number does not work,718-340-7000ext.5657 Alice in Jamaica New York.This person will direct you if your having difficulty filing on medwatch.com.She will file while on the phone with you.Please again, take these steps to move this important matter forward in the right direction.Blessings to all Kate Miller

I am speechless at all the postings re: Singulair. Both of my sons-ages 12 and 10 - have been on Singulair for over 5years for Allergies/Asthma induced by allergies and after reading the possible side effects, I now realize that my oldest son has been affected. His behavior, sleeping habits and social interaction has changed and in the last couple years has increased out of control. I recently made an appt. for him w/a therapist re: anger issues and as of today, called his allergist re: taking him off Singulair cold turkey. He still takes Zyrtec every day and I'm hoping that will be enough for his seasonal allergies to get him through. I miss my sweet boy and will try to make up to him what I've done by allowing this drug to damage his inner self.
Justin/Jake's mom-Ohio
angelray9698@att.net.

Hi I am one of the Mom's who's child was affected by this drug.
After seeing so many similar stories and people asking what we can do,
I decided to create a support board. We can share info, stories and ideas.
If you have not already joined please copy and paste the following link
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Singulair_side_effects_friends/
If you have any problem with the link you can email me at
staceynlilphil@yahoo.com
Wishing everyone happy days again!
Stacey

Hey all. Reeces mom. I posted April 1. We went to the Dr. yesterday and she brushed off the singulair issues. She said that she was not convinced that it is the cause of his probs. She did state that she understood if I wanted to try claritin. I respect her and she is a great dr. but in my heart I feel that singulair was the cause and time only convinces me more. I can see it in his eyes and feel it from his hugs. To even get a hug from him is a miracle. He has been off the meds for 1wk. today. He is pleasent to be around.!! I don't know what else to do if anything, except I want EVERYONE to have the info and make their on minds about it!!!

I am 13 years old i have been on singulair for 8 years. I use to be the kind of girl who loved art and i was always happy and active, but whene i started Singulair all that changed i didnt like any of the things i use to like my mood was conpletly different i always yelled at my mom and my little sister. About 4 years later whene i was 12 i was sent to a Psych Center because i attempted to kill my self and my mom. i have been off this for about a week and i have been feeling much happier.

I have a 15 yr old son, that has been on Singulair for 4 years. He used to complain to me about not being able to sleep through the night, he couldn't concentrate at school. He was an honor roll student. Then he became short tempered. He also isolated himself, and no motivation. He would not want to do anything. He was depressed. Does not want to shower or anything. He has absolutely no self worth. He would talk about having these problems and I would just say to him that maybe it was just the changes going on. New school, changes to his body, it's just those times where changes and expectations are harder. Some handle it better than others. Than everything just continued to go down hill. My son is very intelligent, so when mom did not listen, he decided to self medicate. Went online to try find out what was going on. Tried to find what would help him. He learned quite alot about pharmacology(spelling???) at any rate he then started experimenting with other drugs. Prescriptions drugs. He just wanted desperately to be happy. I found out about this. He was getting into trouble at school, grades fell. So we then sought counceling and then a psychiatrist. They put him on all kinds of meds. Prozac, Ridilin anti pshychotic drugs. You name it my son has probably done it. Now my son is an addict. I now hear all these things about Singulair don't know what to think.??????? I have had him a drug treatment program of which he was kicked out for overdosing. Then, the hospital of which just put him on more drugs. I don't know what to do. He has asthma, when he does not take his Singulair the asthma really kicks in. I know this we are going to look for something else to treat his asthma. I need input. My thoughts are simple. I believe that it is possible that the problems my have started with Singulair but then my son took a step further. I think to try to survive. But in the mean time he is now an addict and I'm scared of whatever permanent damage that may have occured over the years. Are there any other parents out there, that think their teenager might be going through the same problems? If so PLEASE reply to this message.

I can hardly believe what I have read on this board. It is my son's story repeated over and over again and the sad fact is that I never put 2 and 2 together until I saw the news stories last week. My son has been on Singulair for years (he is now 7 years old) along with other drugs for asthma. We recently started taking him to a therapist because of his extreme unhappiness, violent temper tantrums, bad nightmares, many tics, and overall negative attitude. I took him off the singulair 5 days ago and cannot believe the results so far. My son is not affectionate in any way, does not even like a simple pat on the back, no hugs or kisses for sure. Two days ago he came over and gave me a kiss and a hug out of the clear blue. I cannot express enough what this meant to me. I have 3 other children that can't get enough of hugs and kisses, but coming from my 7 year old it just brought me to tears. The hugs have continued and he even told me that he loved me. The therapist had me convinced that he had a sensory deprivation disorder... until now. I cannot believe that until now I have not heard anything metioned in the news and that the medical professionals are so quick to dismiss claims against Singulair.
I am so thankful that I have found this website and for all of the people that have taken the time to include their experiences as it is evidence that there are serious problems when it comes to prescribing Singulair to children. I cannot help but to be saddened when I think of all the years I have lost to this with my son. All the time spent in frustration and tears over what I thought were serious behavior issues on his part. Not to say that I never expect any negative behavior out of a child, but certainly not like I have had to endure in the last years. The last few days have been amazing...I pray it continues. Shame on Merck for not being forthcoming and only keeping their bottom line in mind.

Our story is so similar to many of the others posted. I am including it because it adds to the data. Our 12 year old son has been on Singulair since age 7. Prior to going on Singulair (although I did not make the connection between these two events until this week..) he was an easy-going, happy, delightful boy. During the late fall of first grade he started developing strange behaviors--obsessive hand-washing, kicking our pediatrician, saying the water was poisoned. He is continuously irritable, moody, easily annoyed, impulsive, self-critical and has difficulty modulating his attention. He has had a few incidents where he has said he wants to die, he is worthless and a loser. He continually apologizes for his behaviors and is extremely remorseful, but then goes and does it again. We have seen so many specialists, spent so much money on counseling, have tried neurofeedback, Adderall, alternative supplements (eg omega 3's)...the list goes on. His issues have been like a part-time job for me. I never made the connection to Singulair, because the pediatrician and allergist assured me that Singuair had virtually no side effects. Right after the New Year (2008) he had a few days where everything seemed to go right for him-- moodiness disappeared, did his homework agreeably, seemed truly happy for the first time in a long time. In retrospect, I am guessing it is because we forgot to bring his Singulair on our vacation, so it was out of his system for several days. Now that we've tossed the meds, I'm hoping that the side effects are short lived...and we see our old son again.

As for the individual who wrote that we may be ambulance chasers, I can promise you that any money I receive in a successful class-action law suit would go towards helping other families avoid the pain and suffering our son has gone through. I consider myself an educated & well-informed parent and yet I was blind-sided by the medical industry.

Here is some perspective for you all. I take Singulair and do well on it and in ACTUAL studies it has one of the safest safety records. Understand that post marketing reporting does not mean there is a correlation between the event and the product. Throughout the life of a drug the companies must disclose any report of side effects reported to them REGARDLESS of causality. A popular antihistamine that is OVER THE COUNTER also has suicidal thinking/behavior listed in its post marketing section. However, just because patients who had reported having these thoughts while taking the product doesn't mean it was a result of the product! Maybe they had a depressive personality and were also on multiple other medicines to treat that. You must look at the "Adverse Reactions, Warnings and Precautions" sections of package inserts to see the side effects that were actually seen in studies. You can die from ulcers derived from over use of aspirin or ibuprofen. Decongestants can throw off your blood pressure and these events are documented in actual studies! Listen to your bodies when taking any med. If you feel differently report it to your doctor.

These are all drugs people, there are potential side effects. There are also side effects to those "natural" over the counter remedies that are not nearly as regulated by the FDA or studies by the drug companies.

To anyone out there who has experienced side effects to singulair timed to when you started it, talk to your doctor, stop taking it and see if it goes away. Same advice for any product prescription or over the counter medicine. Side effects can be a combination of many factors (what other meds are you taking?) But understand for many people this product is the safest and most effective treatment for them. The FDA and Merck are reviewing all information to see if there is any correlation to the reporting. But singulair been around for about 10 years and prescibed to billions of people and is known to be one of the safer medicines out there overall.

In between the legitimate posts on this site I get the sense there is a lot of ambulance chasing going on. People looking to cash in on this big drug companies. We want drugs, we want them cheap and with no side effects which is not a reality. Keep stepping up the regulation and make the companies hire more lawers to protect themselves and jump through even more hoops and see what happens to the price and access to new meds. Even better, see how regulation has impacted the development of new medicines around the world (here's a tip, it will dramatically decrease). Drug companies certainly aren't perfect but which industry is?

Please, when taking any medicine over the counter, prescription or herbal supplement listen to your bodies to see if the potential benefits of the product outway the risks or side effects. Report any changes to your doctor.

My daughter who is ten has been taking singular for two years. My uncle and my mom had both told me about the recent report. I was outraged. Since I didn't see it myself, I got online to check it out. I am so pissed off. My daughter has at times seemed to be depressed, my husband and I just thought it was a phase. She was never consistently depressed, more of an up and down thing. And she was fatigued from time to time. I never made the connection to Singular. I mean seriously it's an allergy medicine. And I always read the label. Never once have I ever seen a label say " may cause depression, or suicidal thoughts." I immediately took her off of it. Her last dose was 3/27/08. I noticed a difference almost right away. With in a day or so she seemed to be happier. I am so pissed off at myself and the doctors. of course I would have no way of knowing singular could cause this. I guess as a mom I feel like I should have know. I feel horrible!! Never once have they ever said anything of these reports. The FDA will be hearing from me. They hand out the medications like candy and have no idea what it really does to people. I just PRAY that my daughter, my nephew ( who was also on it for quite some time) and all these other kids out there have no lasting side effects from this medication. God Bless you all I will be praying!

Got email receipt today that the FDA received my concerns,everybody send in your form its easy,stop this from happening

I am Cody Millers mom ,the boy who died from Suicide while on Singulair for 17 days, I just wanted to say one thing to all of you that take the time to post.GO ONE STEP FURTHER CONTACT THE FDA and report to medwatch .The investigation needs evidence like your stories to help make informed decisions about this drug.The poorly orchestrated disclosing campaign that Merck had supposedly set out to accomplish in 2007, has obviously not reached the mass majority of people using this drug .Seeing now how many people did not make the connection to these HIDDEN AND DANGEROUS SIDE EFFECTS.Our child's pharmacy sheet that came with the medicine ,showed none of the updated side effects.They were added in April 2007,I filled the prescription in July 2007.Nothing had been disclosed until we put forth this effort to get the FDA's attention ,by asking the Senate and Congress to look into this matter.Go to your doctor and insist that they report YOUR SIDE EFFECTS to the company and the FDA.It is of the utmost importance.,Kate and Dave M.

Here's something to ponder...
Here's a quote from Merck's site "Merck voluntarily updated the worldwide product label for SINGULAIR in October 2007 to include "suicidal thinking and behavior" and included similar changes to the patient product information". So if they voluntarily updated their information, why aren't doctors aware, why is the public not privy to this information?

Moms, Dads, and everyone who is taking Singulair with these side effects..if you are wondering why you've changed since being on Singulair, it just may be the side effects of this drug. Please don't wonder anymore, and take yourself off. You don't need to wean off it (coming from my son's pediatrician). It may take a few weeks to really see results. With our 5 year old son, we saw results little by little, and now it's been a month and he's completely back to normal. No more suicidal thoughts, no more blank stare, completely focused, and is his loving self again.

Every time someone new comes here and posts their story, it just breaks my heart that we've all suffered silently for so long without knowing the causes. To all the Mom's and Dad's who've thought they were doing something wrong as a parent, I feel for you, I was there. We did do something wrong though, we trusted the very person who made an oath to protect our children, to help our children. But we cannot blame ourselves for that. We're doing everything in our power right now to make our children's lives better, be proud of yourselves that you're here, finding the answer. Now let's do something about it. It's important to educate everyone we can about this. Don't let these doctors or compassionless people come in here and tell you there are no side effects, trust your parental instincts and go with them!

My son started on 5mg Singulair in 1999. Later that year and the next at the age of 10, my husband and I realized he seemed really depressed. I took him to his pediatrician, who talked to my son at length about anything that might be bothering him, if someone had try to touch him, etc.,etc. Nothing. He had been a really happy outgoing child. Now he was not. The next year in 4th grade he seemed to be worse. We kept an eye on him. There were no warnings whatsoever about Singulair causing emotional problems, depression etc. at that time. Shortly after he started 5th grade, we moved to another city with almost no air pollution in the area we picked to live, and he was still "down". But a few months after we moved, even though we left long time friends, etc., I took him off the Singulair, as he was not really having asthma. The kid got happy again--he was was my happy cheerful boy! I don't believe this is coincidence. Then when he started Middle School in 6th Grade, his school was old and dusty with no doubt mold problems and he started having breathing problems pretty bad again. We started him on Singulair again, for the next three years that he was at this school. He tanked emotionally. Hated himself. Was so depressed it was scary. I kept telling him it was adolescence and it would get better. Then he started a new high school, and was off the Singulair for 6 months, and he was happy again. Then he got flu and bronchitis and was back on it and emotionally tanked again, and never really came out of it. Though out these episodes a few times he told me he thought the medicine was making him feel weird. He last took the 10mg Singulair in 2006, the beginning of his sophomore year when he was sick. His depression exploded and he became suicidal. He was diagnosed with depression in April of 2007 and went on Zoloft. He was not on Singulair then. Then he became suicidal again in August of 2007. His depression medication was changed. He got worse. We found a psychiatrist who was able to help some, but could find no background reason for depression. There is some depression in the family, but none of these relatives became depressed until adulthood. He became suicidal again in November of 2007 and went through outpatient care at the local children's and psychiatric hospital. He came out somewhat better, with skills to help monitor himself. He had more med side effects and has changed meds again. Now he is on 40mg Prozac daily now and doing a lot better, and since we saw the news about Singulair a few days ago, he is extremely better. He is almost back. I would rather go the emergency room 5 times a year then go through this again. We were not given a choice. What are the long term effects of this drug for someone who has been on it through adolescence? No one knows. How can a drug with this sort of side effect for children be allowed on the market? I feel blindsided by the FDA and Merck. If his Dr. in 1999 knew about this side effect she would have never put him on this drug, nor would I have allowed it. I say sue the bastards.

I just heard about this from my mom this morning. I've been on Singulair for 4 years for allergies. I'm 23 years old. Over the last several years I have had many nights that I went without sleep. I have gotten severely depressed and on the rare occasion that I drink more than a couple drinks, I have had insane mood swings. I have had horrible anxiety and I have gone from an honors to student to being on academic probation.

It has really helped with my allergies, but I had gone through hell the last few years and I've been borderline suicidal for a period.

My 3 year old son had severe asthma and had been hospitalized several times. In May of 2007 he was given Singulair for his asthma. It seemed to work well and after his release he was taken off the meds. In October he became ill again and I told the doctor about how well the Singulair had worked. He started Singulair the first week he seemed to be doing great. But by the second week I started having aggressive behavior and became very restless. He was constantly acting out. This was a child who always was so sweet and kind. I started to question his behaviors, but because the medication seem to be working so well with the asthma- I dismissed it. Well by the end of the second week my son got very aggressive with my mom and collapsed and starting having a very violent seizure. He stopped breathing and ER was called. At first we thought the seizure was due to him being sick. He was sent home. The following week my son again had two seizures within 6 hours. This happened again the following week. No one could figure out the problem. I started thinking what had changed in his life over the past few weeks. The only new thing in his life was the Singulair. I started asking about the Singulair and the doctors agreed because the seizure's seems to come within a few hours of him receiving the Singulair medication. Singulair was stopped and the doctors and my family all agreed he was allergic to Singulair. Although the medication has stopped my son is still having the seizures and is now on two seizure medication. I know my son's situation maybe a little more severe than others on this site. I just think that this medication may not be good for children. It seems that it is doing something to the chemical balance in these children's brain. I am no doctor-but I do believe that this medication really needs to be further reviewed. Especially in the use of small children. I am just happy that my son is still alive. Everyone please do your research and be careful and ask questions before placing your child on any medication. Because each person reacts differently to drugs. It's just unfortunate for my son that he went from a child suffering from asthma. And now he is a child suffering with asthma and seizure disorder. And I firmly believe that this medication caused my son's problems.

I am 16 years old and I have been taking Singulair for about 2 years. And honestly I didn't start to notice any side effects. Of course that's like someone not knowing how tall they get which is common. Anyways, I've thought about it and I have changed. I'm more impulsive, I can't fall asleep until 12 and I go to bed around 10:30. I also am feeling depressed, very but oddly enough, it only takes effect at home. That's when I let down my guard. But the music I'm listening to has gotten more aggressive, you could say I'm more violent but I haven't gotten in any conflict with anyone. And above all. I am very depressed. When I come home I just fall apart, and only at home. In fact about 3 or 4 weeks ago I think I spent about 20 minutes thinking about my life with great intensity. And for that I time period I cried, I was just through with everything. I was tired of my life and making myself unhappy, even though at the same time I knew that this wasn't me. And only until Thursday my mom told me she found out that Singulair says on the side of the bottle or one of the side effects is "Thoughts of suicide". And I love Singulair, but I think that I should stop taking it. For my own safety as well as my family and friends.

I have a 15 yr old son, that has been on Singulair for 4 years. He used to complain to me about not being able to sleep through the night, he would be short tempered. He also isolated himself, and no motivation. He would not want to do anything. He was depressed. Does not want to shower or anything. He has absolutely no self worth. He would talk about having these problems and I would just say to him that maybe it was just the changes going on. New school, changes to his body, it's just those times where changes and expectations are harder. Some handle it better than others. Than everything just continued to go down hill. My son is very intelligent, so when mom did not listen, he decided to self medicate. Went online to try find out what was going on. Tried to find what would help him. He learned quite alot about pharmacology(spelling???) at any rate he then started experimenting with other drugs. Prescriptions drugs. He just wanted desperately to be happy. I found out about this. He was getting into trouble at school, grades fell. So we then sought counseling and then a psychiatrist. They put him on all kinds of meds. Prozac, Ritalin anti psychotic drugs. You name it my son has probably done it. Now my son is an addict. I now hear all these things about Singulair don't know what to think.??????? I have had him a drug treatment program of which he was kicked out for overdosing. Then, the hospital of which just put him on more drugs. I don't know what to do. He has asthma, when he does not take his Singulair the asthma really kicks in. I know this we are going to look for something else to treat his asthma. I need input. My thoughts are simple. I believe that it is possible that the problems my have started with Singulair but then my son took a step further. I think to try to survive. But in the mean time he is now an addict and I'm scared of whatever permanent damage that may have occurred over the years.
bydesperatemom

I'm 19, and I've been taking it for four years to help with my allergies/asthma. I've suffered from depression, thoughts of suicide and have seen a therapist. My parents couldn't understand how I had gone from such a happy person to someone so miserable. I'm in college and in the beginning of the semester I was running low on the medication. I decided to stop taking it, because I had been feeling fine and when my mom called me to tell me about the medication I told her, "Mom, I stopped taking it and I've been feeling great." I will never take it again, I'm going home to see my doctor to get something new prescribed. I was miserable, short tempered, and emotional for four years; no one could figure out what was wrong because I didn't know myself. I'm more motivated and willing to help people and be a part of my family, for so long I shut others out and wanted to be alone. I've been off the medication for a couple of months and I'm starting to feel better. It's hard now that my allergies are acting up and I'm tempted to take the medication, but I'm chucking it in the trash. I can deal with the wheezing, scratchy throat, and runny nose for a while; it seems such a small price to pay.

Without repeating what everyone else is already describing all I can say is Thank God!! My step son has been on Singulair as long as I can remember (6 years?)and his anger has been just what everyone describes. Before he could even form sentences he would lay down on the floor and repeatedly bang his head on the floor concrete, carpet, grass it didn't matter. He was diagnosed with ADHD about 4 years ago but his father and I were both desperately against medicating him because we didn't think this was the problem and no one was asking any questions or looking for other answers. He has now been put on 3 different meds for the ADHD and when they don't work they just keep upping the doses. He has since been committed to a hospital 4 or 5 times now for his anger and suicidal threats. HE IS 7!!! He doesn't even know what suicide is he just knows he doesn't want to be here anymore. The other night he pulled a knife on his mom out of the clear blue. They were laughing and playing, he went to the kitchen for jello and came back with a knife!! I don't know if Singulair is the cause but it sure sounds like it and I only PRAY we have finally found an answer and that everyone finally sees what his father and I have been screaming for many years now. Hopefully this will open his mothers eyes as well as the doctors. I PRAY with everything in me this has no long term effects. Also, looking back I realize he has always had problems with bad dreams. From the time they put him on Singulair he has not once slept through the night without wanting to join his daddy and me in bed. He is afraid to even go to bed without daddy. When I think about all the nights I wouldn't let him sleep in bed with us because I thought he was old enough to sleep alone at 7 I literally cry for what he must have been going through. Please let this be the answers to our prayers!!!

I had been on singular for 10 months and have gained 40 lbs. and retention of water in my calves and ankles. I spoke to my doctor but that fell on deaf ears. He told me that they are not side effects of singular. My eating habits are the same, if anything I have never eat better due to the weight. I had been thin all my life - maybe too skinny. I am 49 years old. Also, due to the weight and water retention I have started a health club with no weight loss. I went off the singular 3 weeks ago, my calves are back to normal, but still have the 40 lbs. Anyone have any advised. MK

My son is 3 1/2 and began taking singular when he was 2 for management of a constant cough related to asthma. We witness mood changes in him thought out the day. He will say, "mom I'm just having a sad day," and cry for no reason at one moment and then twenty minutes later be laughing with his sister. "Sad" days seem to happen more frequently since being on singular and the change back is quick. I am at a loss whether to attribute this to his medication or to typical three year old behavior. I plan to take him off the medication for a trial period to see what affect it has on his mood.

My son will be turning 10 years old in April, and he's been on Singulair over a year. He has been having some behavioral issues at home, but they are now happening at school AND youth group activities at church. This is way out of his normal character. After I read about the FDA's move to investigate the drug's side effects more closely, I stumbled across other web sites similar to this one. I read a posting where someone was complaining about nightmares. Without leading him on, I asked him if he has been having nightmares lately. He responded 'yes' - things like waking up and thinking someone is pointing a gun to his face or someone with a dagger has him cornered. I asked him why he didn't tell me or his mom about his nightmares - his response was that he thought this was normal. The frequency of the nightmares is about one every other night. We have taken him off of the drug as of this morning - I will add an update (via a reply) to this note in a few weeks describing any changes in his behavior and nightmares.

My 12 year old soon has been on singulair for approx 5 years. He has had severe anxiety, mood swings, stomach problems, and feelings of sadness when he is left; does not leave mom or dad for long. I started checking into the side effects of singulair a couple of months ago and found out my son was on double the dose for an 11 year old. We dropped him to 5mg from 10 and the stomach problems have definitely eased up. This does not help the fact that he has missed 15 days of school this year for mostly stomach problems, test and doctor visits. My new pediatrician assured me his asthma was under control due to the use of this medication. THIS IS NOT MEDICATION I honestly am feeling like it is POISON. My son has been on this rx so long I don't know how he would act without it. My concern now is going into puberty with this medication. We will not attempt that....GOOD LUCK TO ALL

My 12 yr. old son has been on singulair for about 5 years. He has always been a sensitive child but there have been times when music or even going to church would make him cry. My Mom passed 5 yrs ago as well and we connected his sadness with her passing. Now I'm not so sure. He does sleep walk from time to time and states he has trouble getting to sleep. He is taking singulair for allergies not asthma. I'm stopping him tonight. He is heading into puberty and I have to say I'm frightened about the suicidal thoughts. I wonder if it could be similar to the anti depressants that effect teens in the same way.

I am posting again to say to click on SINGULAIR in the news on this page and you will see a story on exactly what this drug is capable of.This story was aired in New york but also went out to other nbc affiliated stations.I am the mom of the boy that died ,and am now planning a trip to Washington DC with a NY.Senator and Congresswoman.We are going to speek to the FDA and request that this drug be reevaluated for safety reasons.If they will consider also a black box warning on the label that would also help parents to know the seriousness of the side effects.If you have questions you can send me a private email and I will do the best I can to direct you in helping in your State.

My God! My son is 6 years old and this morning I gave him Singulair. I been extremely concerned with his behavior and the things his been saying. "My life is boring" "I don't like anything about my life" "I don't like my brother".
You must understand, this child was so loving, an excellent student and in a conference with the teacher this past Monday the teacher suggested that he had ADD. Very disturbed by this observations...I was thinking about taking him in to see a specialist. I also enrolled him in two different sports (which I being meaning to do for a while, anyways!)
THANK GOD MY MOTHER IN-LAW saw the news and called us immediately, after reading all this information there is no doubt that SINGULAIR is the cause of my child's change of personality and behavior. Unfortunate it is, because the medicine really kept him from the asthma episodes.

My mom-in-law has had asthma since she was a child. She had lots of trouble with wheezing, etc. She tried the natural solution: RespirActin as an adult a few years back and said that it took care of her wheezing for good. She is a nurse and did her research on this first.
I am going to try this with my son after I do a little research and talk to some natural health product experts.
I will let you all know how it works!!