Singulair and monster

I have been on and off Singulair for roughly a year and half, and after reading some of these posts I have a much better understanding of where some of my feelings are coming from. When I first began taking Singulair, it really helped me breathe a lot better and I was convinced it was the best drug on earth. Slowly, over time, I began to notice that I was becoming slightly more irritable but didn't really think much of it. I got off the drug for several months because I don't enjoy being on medication. I wanted to see if a nutritional approach would help me ward off my allergies. After a few months of being off Singulair, I began to have difficulty breathing during allergy season and went back on the drug. It really helped my breathing in a big way; however, my irritability began to return. I thought I was just becoming overly stressed, but when I heard about the moodiness that can be caused by Singulair, I decided to once again get off the drug. I was off of it for several month, and have recently begun using the drug again. I haven't even made it through my first 30 days and I'm becoming a monster!! I'm yelling at my wife like crazy. I seriously felt for the first time in my life that committing suicide would be a good thing and I keep telling myself in my head how bad I suck! My temper is off the charts! I feel like I literally have no way of holding my rage back. It's like I'm an audience member to my own MMA fight. I'm absolutely getting off of this product tonight! I will keep you posted on how I feel after a couple of days not taking this drug.

Just an update. Went to FDA.gov and submitted a complaint and then called Merck and told them as well. The rep I spoke with sent me to the prescribing information, how am I supposed to know about any of this? I am not the Doctor, I can't prescribe meds! She pointed out that this the mood changes is in the info...that I don't get b/c I am not the doctor, duh! Anyway I just wanted to vent and tell about our experience. Will give an update tomorrow after I talk to the ENT. I have also decided to take him off of any and all allergy meds for a good long time. I would rather wipe a runny nose all day and have my happy baby boy back then to have to battle a monster...

Well I just got back from my psy. appt. for anxiety for myself my 11 yr old son was the one on the monster drug anyways I made sure I told her about all this (she treats only adults But still thought I'd mention it) & even mentioned this w/s I dont know if she'll check it out but at least I feel like I'm holding to my promise about spreading the word about this I have posted it on a birth community with hundreds of parents on it, I have told the allergy doc, reported the S/E's to the FDA, I told my therapist & also my son's therapist Both were in shock!! & also I will be tellling my son's psy. next week when he sees him, I want all the docs to know what is happening to hundreds of ppl on this drug maybe some will actually look at the other meds someone takes & think hmmmm maybe try stopping the singulair to see if they improve?

I hope I'm helping I feel as though I am, too bad I have no idea if the docs will even care or listen But At least I feel good for telling them our story :)

My son is three and a half and has been taking singulair for a little over two years. But only when his seasonal asthma flares up or when I know it is that time of year that he has problems. While taking singulair he has always complained of headaches, stomach and leg pains, and of course it never occured to me that it could be a perscribed medication. However after hearing the affect it had on another little girl and that leading me to research it to find all of these postings from other parents. What really brought on the investigation is the last week. My sweet little boy turned into a monster. He kicked, hit, screamed, pinched, bit, scratched or anything he could do to physically hurt you. We were all freaked out by this because he is such a sweet, gentle little boy, one of his teachers made every excuse she could think of. Because this was not in his character at all, then of he did it to her. She described it as a switch going off inside him. I believe he was also hallucinating, he told me someone told him to do it. This is by far the most scary thing I have ever been through and will never give my son singulair again. Further more I am going to pass this information along to all my friends and family and hope and pray that it makes is to everyone so this madness this perscription medication causes.

You know what the sad part about all this is for us parents who have lived through this and we just know it is the Singulair who did the damage to our children, that no matter how many times you report this to the FDA and Merck (first of all, Merck could care less unless of course, now they look at it more closely because there was an actual death reported and they fear the biggest monster of all - a lawsuit - it is fear of losing money that may actually cause Merck to take some overdue action) - no one will truly listen. Again, now they may start to listen because a death is actually documented. It all boils down to profitability. The profitable pharmaceutical market in our country makes it difficult to get things done properly for the benefit of the patient. There is just too much money involved. For every parent I meet, 3 out of 5 have their children on Singulair - how alarming is that?! Pediatricians have been bombarded by pharmaceutical sales reps promoting this drug as the cure all and frankly it will be the demise for many particularly children.
Again, I can only speak for myself and also what about all the other parents who listed all these side effects even back when I posted my own child's in 2005 on http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=20829&name=SINGULAIR

Too much of a coincidence. And I respect everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I believe that most of us are here on this board out of concern for ourselves, our own children or others - those who are happy with Singulair - why are you here reading this? I just don't understand what would bring you to this board to read these posts if you are defending Singulair not concerned about it.

5 year olds do not talk about suicide...period!!!

My child was on no other medications. I have reported this to Merck and the FDA and have also changed pediatricians after a lengthy discussion with her. I cannot speak for others.

The issues with Singulair are far from over. Stay tuned.

I started taking Singulair last Oct. 2006 for allergic asthma.
Within the month, I gained about 15 lbs., & no amount of working out reduced it. I had recently lost a friend/teacher to cancer, & had people staying in my house for all of October. I was a monster, unable to control myself (although I realize the situation was challenging). Over the past year, I often was irritable & have struggled with low immunity. I went on a month long Buddhist retreat in August, got off the stuff, & have felt GOOD. Symptoms have returned since being home, but I'm taking just regular
Loratidine & am OK. I feel there is something wrong with Singulair...that it wore down my immune system even more, & was taking a toll in some way. I will not use it again.

My daughter is 5 years old and has been on singulair for 1 week. i have already noticed a dramatic change in her behavior. she has become irritable, mean, nasty, and emotional. she has had me in tears on a daily basis. she has turned into a monster. we will be calling the doctor in the morning!

hi i have been taking this medication for over a year it is really good. when i am taking it i have absolutly no asthma attachs. but their are a lot of side effects i too have mood swings and get easily upset. i am always sleepy, in the days but not in the nights. i have terrible joint pains. worst of all i have gains about 35lb. i am 17 and before i started taking this medication my weight was 135-140 but all of a sudden since i started taking singulair in in the space of an year i an 170lb. thats weird. i have not change my diet honestly. i have even cut down on what i eat. and i still gain weight. the thing though is when ever i stop taking the pill i get very sick. as my asthma turn in to a monster. i really dont know what to do. when i am off the pill i also get sore throat and my glands get swollen but once i am back on the swelling goes down. and i never suffered from this before i started taking singulair. so i dont see why i suffer from it when i stop taking the pills. please i need some help and answers.

My 7 year old son was only on Singulair for a month before I pulled him off it. He went from being a easy-going, sweet, loving little boy to a monster who growled at us! He got angry easily and anything set him off! He developed an anxiety about going to school (he loves school and does well). After many sleepless nights I realized all this started soon after he started taking the Singulair. I took him off and the changes were immediate. Every day he is getting back to his sweet, mellowl, mild-mannered self.

My Daughter has been taking Singulair for 4 weeks and has demonstrated many of the sideffects listed in these here pages.
Before Treatment she was a well adjusted little girl who cared and loved her younger sister of about 1 year 8 months and was very easy to care for now she actsa like she is possesed by some freakin monster she is calm one second and just explodes in a fury of rage kicking screaming .
She also has night mares shuddering boddy itchy skin and has scratched it that bad it bleeds extreme irritibility fatigue tantrums that last an hour or so i stoped treatment today all of the information i have read on www with google searches have all but 3 percent reported good treatment with no apparent unwanted effects.

I see no similarity of 'aspertame disease' with the experiences we have had with singulair. If you've lived it, you know it is unmistakable, singulair is the culprit. My daughter has had aspertame before & after her singulair nightmare & never had a problem. Singulair turned her into a monster. No singulair, no monster. If it quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Singulair is poison.

I just want to thank all of you for these posts. I had gotten online about a year ago after reading about hallucinations and nightmares from Singulair use in kids. I only found company-linked sites then. My son had been having night terrors and once told me there was a clown in his room sitting next to me ( I know, creepy). He also had bruises all over his legs, but his doc at the time said "Well, he's three. " It looked like he'd been beaten. I took him off it immediately, and his asthma worsened. His pedi convinced me it was a bad decision to pull him off ( He is also on Flovent), and that Singulair is one of the best preventatives, etc. So, we put him back on it. Over the last year, (he is now 4 and 1/2) he has also gotten worse and worse. I have had to restrain my son on many occasions, and he often seems to "switch" without warning from a great mood to a monster. He also throws toys, hits me, screams abruptly for no reason, has horrible anxiety ( has progressed from chewing his nails to biting the skin from his fingertips), and has destroyed almost every toy he owns for the past 2 years, despite pretty harsh punishment on our part (removing all his toys from him for progressively longer periods of time, throwing away toys he chews on or breaks) None of it has mattered, and my husband recently brought up the possibility that he needs to see a psychiatrist. Well, the medication thing came back to my mind, and I've had that feeling in my gut lately. His very loving grandmother recently said he seems so angry and negative, and she has repeatedly referred to him in the past as a "tender soul" , always happy, loves everyone. I have been so sad lately, fearing that others will never know the real him. SOMETHING has happened to our son, and I am thanking God I found this site. He will get no Singulair tonight. I will post again after a few days and let you all know if there is a difference.

I am so glad to find your web site. My now 4 year old starting taking Singulair in January to help with his chronic ashtma. After a month or two I mentioned to my husband how crabby my son had become. He blew me off and said he's three what do you expect. Now in August I have had the worst few months of my life. My loving sweet child has turned into a monster. We were ready to go to counseling, anything to figure out what was wrong with him. He has always been a little strong-willed but you could a least talk things out with him. On Singulair he was horrible. I can't even explain the anger he had, the tantrums he would have. I called the allergists and told him I was taking he off the Singulair. That was about 3 weeks ago. I could tell within the first couple of days a change in him and now everyday he gets better and better. My sweet little boy is coming back. Thanks for sharing and making it easier for this mom to have verification that other people are dealing with this also. Remember parents read all the labels and remember that you know your child better than anyone.

My 2 year-old daughter is having similar behavior issues to those described here. Her doctor put her on Singulair in the spring, and we noticed a change in her behavior, so I took her off of it. Now, after having more asthma symptoms, a new pediatrician prescribed it to her again. When I told the doctor that it had turned our daughter into a monster when she took it before, the doctor said she didn't believe it was the medicine. Well, after one day of taking it this time, I told my husband that I was having deja vu, that our daughter was behaving exactly the same way. He said, "Well, she IS two"--implying that he didn't believe it was the medicine either. Well, yesterday, when he came home from work while she was in the middle of a horrible fit, he said, "Don't give her Singulair again." She is normally a sweet, well-rested, sociable little girl (yes, she is 2, but even if she throws a tantrum, she can usually be reasoned with or distracted. . . but not on Singulair). On Singulair she's a tantrum-throwing mess.

My 9 yr old started to take this drug and now has complained about urinary problems. He said it feels like he has to urinate all the time. I took him to see if he had a bladder infection and the test was negative. Anyone have urinary problems?

After five days my hot flushes returned, ringing ears, strange morbid mood, but the big clincher was the MONSTER headaches like a 'high blood pressure head ache', would stretch in bed when moving especially around 4-5am and wham the headache would pound/bound. Headache would calm down if I got up and had coffee. After 4 days I started to get worried and stopped Singulair after 5th 10mg dose, and now two days later headache, jaw pain, pain in upper shoulder muscles and at C-7 spinal vertabrae are all gone and I'm not so over whelmed or dizzy.
What was good? I did not have to use my inhaler for those days, but this certainly is not a 'magic bullet' if you suffer with symptoms that are so dramatic and scary!
Do they prescribe too high a dose?, should it be every other day or once a week? Are they really certain about interaction with other medications and vitamins etc?
I do not think I will try it again, I felt like my headache was on the verge of a CVA!
From a Canadian who was given a prescription i now cannot use.......