Singulair and smile

IS THIS SITE AN ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS?

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

My daughter was on Singulair for about 4 weeks this spring. She went from an outgoing talkative 15 yr old to being withdrawn and sad. Her symptoms were feeling hopeless, headaches, stomach pain, constantly tired. She was sleeping 9-10 hours at night without feeling like she had slept at all. She would fall asleep in class (not her normal at all). Her teachers noticed that she had stopped participating in class and seemed "sad". I took her to her pediatrician and she ordered blood work and an ultrasound of the abdomen-all of which came back normal. I toyed with the idea that maybe she was becoming clinically depressed. I researched her symptoms and came across others who had similar symptoms while on Singulair. I took her off Singulair and have noticed an improvement in her mood. Her teacher commented yesterday that it was nice to see her smile again and being happy. She told her that she noticed that she had seemed "sad" these last few weeks. I hope that they take seriously these potential problems with this drug. I will never allow my daughter to take this or any other related drug.

An element of the side effects of Singulair that are listed here are musculo-skeletal symptoms. Quinolones such as levaquin are known to cause those issues. Singulair is a quinoline, while not the exact same category, their roots are similar. It makes the possibility that the symptoms have a common cause worth pursuing.

Here is an example of some poor rats in Tokyo that were selected to prove that the symptoms in humans were real. Maybe we should tell the levaquin board that at least some of their problems have been known since 1997.

1: Toxicol Pathol. 1997 Nov-Dec;25(6):635-43.Links
Toxic effects of quinolone antibacterial agents on the musculoskeletal system in juvenile rats.Kashida Y, Kato M.
Drug Safety Research Laboratory, Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. JDN07402@niftyserve.or.jp

Quinolone antibacterial agents have adverse effects on the musculoskeletal system in humans, consisting mainly of myalgia and arthralgia, and additionally of tendon disorders and rhabdomyolysis. The present study was conducted to examine the toxic effects of quinolones on the musculoskeletal system in juvenile rats using light microscopy, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Single oral administration of 900 mg/kg pefloxacin (PFLX) or levofloxacin (LVFX) was found to induce lesions in the muscle + fascia, tendon + sheath, and synovial membrane, in addition to articular cartilage in the fore- and hindlimbs. Articular cartilage lesions were not necessarily associated with changes in the muscle, tendon, and synovial membrane, or the reverse. Among all lesions, the ankle and elbow showed the highest incidence and severity. Changes were more severe in the PFLX than in the LVFX group. Lesions in the muscle + fascia, tendon + sheath, and synovial membrane were similar and characterized by edema and increased number of mononuclear cells, many of which were positively stained with BrdU, as well as vascular endothelial cells in the Achilles tendon sheath and synovial membrane in the ankle. Electron microscopic examination revealed an increased number of fibroblasts and macrophages and collagen deposition in the matrix of the synovial membrane and tendon sheath. Capillary endothelial cells were hypertrophied, increased in number, and stratified. These results suggest that quinolones have toxic potentials in the muscle, tendon, and synovial membrane in addition to articular cartilage, and that local vascular hyperpermeability may contribute to the development of these lesions.

PMID: 9437810

A two days off of singulair my son started with a sore throat and headache that didn't go away for 5 days., three days after that started he ran a low grade fever for two days. I've read about others who had the same thing happen, so if your just getting off the singulair you may feel like your getting sick.

My daughter is seven years old. She was diagnosed with asthma when she was around two years old and, for years, suffered with the night cough associated with childhood asthma.

When Singulair came along, my initial reaction was that of joy. My husband and I could not believe that we no longer heard coughing throughout the night. However, while on this drug, we also noticed that she underwent a change. Sometimes, she seemed terribly sad and withdrawn. Other times, she became angry and even aggressive. We rarely saw her smile. It also seemed like she was in some sort of fog much of the time. About a week ago, I found her on the floor of our office. She had just gotten out of the shower, and I was getting her pajamas for her. The towel was not around her and she was shaking violently and crying. She explained that she had the chills, but it was clear that she didn't even comprehend that her towel was not around her. We all know our kids, and, I'm telling you that this scene was frightening. This was not at all my daughter.

In addition to the mental/emotional changes, she also had physical symptoms including sudden and frequent headaches, fatique, stomach pain, and bed wetting. A day after her "breakdown" in our home office, my husband called me from work and told me that he had just been reading MSNBC and that there was an article about the negative side effects of Singulair. When he listed things that matched what our daughter had been going through since on this drug, it was both comforting and horrifying. I am relieved to know that there is nothing wrong with my daughter psychologically, but I am furious that she and so many others have been treated like guinea pigs. We took out daughter off Singulair the very same night that my husband came across the article on Singulair, and she hasn't had any of the mental or physical symptoms that she had been experiencing...the change was that drastic. Currently, we are only using her inhaler and Benadryl at night. She has a doctor's appointment next month, and I will tell the doctor about our experience.

I have my little girl back, but I can't help but wonder how many families are going through this and do not have a clue that Singulair could be the problem. Other than reporting this to our pediatrician, is their another agency I should contact?

I have got to share my great news with anyone who will listen. My daughter has been Singulair free since Friday of last week. She has no idea that we are not giving her this pill at night and we haven't discussed any of our recent findings in front of her. In other words, she has no incentive to behave any differently than she ever has. The changes are so dramatic that at times it's hard for me to believe. On three different occasions today she made note of her positive change in mood (keep in mind she is 7). Right after school when she was going over some of her graded papers she pointed to a smiley face on her paper. She said, "Mommy, that's how I feel today." I replied, "That's great honey. Is there a reason why you are so happy today?" She stated, "I don't know why, I just am." Then a few hours later I overheard her talking to her younger brother at dinner say, "Will, I haven't cried at all today." Of course he didn't have much of a reply. Then at bedtime, she said, "This has been the best day ever!" These are all statements that quite honestly I have never heard her say before. It warms my heart to know that I do have a "normal" child in there. She's been on Singulair since she was 3, before she could verbalize many of her feelings. All we have known are negative, grumpy feelings and emotions.

But these are not the only changes we have noticed. I have had to wake her up for school the last two mornings in a row (hasn't happened since she began school). She has always been such a terrible sleeper and seems to never really get as much as she needs. She hasn't been so obessessive in the last two days about playing with her best friend. She actually asked if she could play cars with her younger brother instead of going to the park. She has eaten about half as much as she normally does. She has developed such a ferocious appetite that weight has become a huge problem. She has handled disappoints in stride when the same trigger would have totally set her off a few days ago. The list really does go on and on.

I can honestly say that the only thing that has changed is the absence of Singulair. I pray that I continue to discover more of my daughter's great qualities.

I have wondered so many times over the last few days, "What if I hadn't been listening to NPR?" I would have had no other reason to look into the matter further. All of our stories need to be told to the greater media. There are millions of children on this drug and based on this message board, millions of children sufferring negative side effects. Please join me in this crusade!

I am devastated!! Everything that I am reading about your children is describing my son. He has been on Singulair since "06 and was hospitalized for 10 days in '07 for suicide thoughts and possible attempt. Before '07 and singulair he was happy,popular and class favorite. He was very charming and played well with others. After '07 and the singulair, he became very angry and defensive towards everyone. He isolated himself and had a bad attitude. We longed to just see a smile and guess what? We saw one last night! He has not been on Singulair since friday night. 3-28-08. I can see a difference in him now. Thank God for all of you sharing your experiences and lets all pray that they will not have longterm problems from all of this. God Bless you! Reecesmom

OK heads up heard from doctor,for him to report the torture my son . has endured on this drug,he needs documented proof that it stopped when we stopped taking singulair,our word is not enough.The road blocks are going up the hoops you need to jump through are getting high.Bring it on i say mr merck hope you are reading this,you have messed with the cub of a very mad lioness and as in the wild i will chew you up.Document everything every smile every twinkle in the eyes every good nights sleep

I posted on Thursday about my 10-year-old son's personality and mood changes on Singulair. He has now been off the medication for 4 days. Here is what I have noticed: He has been much less explosive as far as his anger outbursts - only one or two since Friday versus 1-2 an hour prior! He is much more tolerant of his sister. In addition, last night he went to bed on being asked the first time versus taking 1-2 hours to get him to bed. This morning he was a bit easier to get up but he is 10 and wanted to sleep late. That is understandable, I wanted to sleep in too. No big deal here. He came home after school with a smile on his face today, something I have not seen in a while. This was a difficult day for him as his favorite teacher is leaving on Friday due to a health problem and will not be back for the rest of the year. This would have sent him into a hysterical crying fit before, but he has been understanding and very able to handle the situation at hand. A few more things that we have noticed are that he came home and did his chores being asked 1 time versus multiple times with threats and punishment to follow. He also practiced his guitar without being asked!! This has not happened for months on his own. Tonight I asked him to help get the food on the table for us to eat while he was on the computer and he jumped up and came quickly. Prior to being off the medication this was similar to a nuclear meltdown with crying, screaming and slamming things with him having to leave for a time out.

I am so thankful that we were able to do away with the medication without major problems. I am so hopeful that many other parents will have the same results that we have when going off the medication. Please if you have any question or doubts do not hesitate to contact the prescribing physician and talk things out. May God bless you!!

Dear Howard, just like to let you know that you may be in the 10% category who suffer from the adverse side effects of Singulair, but such is the ignorance of educated men like yourself who take what is given by a physician and swallow it down with a smile, I'm sure you would be very familiar with the saying knowledge is power, so empower yourself and read up on the side effects of any other drug that you may be taking. Further more I would suggest to you to ask your doctor about Symbicort, its only one inhalation twice a day(an oral steroid) very potent and powerful with an excellent safety profile, you normally taper that drug down to one dose a day or when you need it. Next time Sir College Educated Professional, report the event to the drug and safety of the company or the FDA.

I am a 35 year old male, college educated, professional. I started on the Singulair for Asthma three months ago. At first I thought this was a miracle drug, making my Asthma almost disappear. After 3 weeks I noticed a sense of paranoia, always wondering if persons were speaking about me, how my co workers perceived me, worried about my wifes perception of me, my bosses opinion of me, almost totally unbearable. This carried on until I read this sight.

I have been off the drug for almost two weeks, I am beginning to feel better now. Thank you all for the information. To any parent that has a child on this drug: take them of it! As an adult I was going crazy, can't imagine how a child would be.

I have been off Singulair for 10 days and I feel great. I am actually myself again!!!! I wondered why I had turned into such an irritable old grouch the last couple of years, because I have always been pretty calm, cool and collected. I am sleeping wonderfully well now and I wake up like I used to with a smile and a kind word instead of growling at the dogs and smirking at the husband and cussing all the cars in my way to work.

Thanks for this site.....I have always thought that I knew the meds I took well, but this one fooled me for sure.