Singulair and weight gain

It has been interesting for me to read this posts. I have been wondering about the long term side affects to singulair- mostly because my 11 year old has been on Singulair for several years now. We spent many of nights in the ER for asthma when he was little and no Dr. did testing. When he was 5 his pediatrician tested him for allergies and put him on Singulair. We have had a great experience with it. I find it interesting that many of the health issues on here- joint pains, bouts of depression, weight gain...I personally experience all of them and i am not on any medication. My 11 year old does not experience any of the mentioned side affects. I wanted to find out long term side affects for my own personal knowledge. Prior to Singulair, he was on Zyrtec which was not a good fit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regardless of whether singular has weight gain listed as an "official" side effect, singular is: Montelukast Sodium (generic name), meaning, sodium is sodium, is Na+! Edema & weight gain WILL occur is individuals sensitive to sodium's effects.

i have been suffering from nightmares, irritability, moodiness, anger, hopelessness, agitation, hallucinations, fatigue, behavioral problems, withdrawal from my spouse, loss of interest in my everyday life.
i never put anything together about the weight gain until i read some of the responses on the web. I attributed to being 40 , loss of activity etc.

My name is Katie, I am 31 years old. I have been suffering with what doctors call Chronic Idiopathic urticaria for 16 years now. I was prescribed Zyrtec 14 years ago and remained hive free until I had my first son. After a complicated pregnancy and emergency delivery the hives returned full force. The doctor prescribed Singulair in addition to the Zyrtec.

The hives went away; however, I have so many other problems now. I have been seeing a specialist thinking I have lupus or some other disorder, but all my tests are normal. It wasn't until I had my singulair refilled yesterday that I realized instead of symptoms, what I am experiencing may be side effects.

-- I have gained 60 lbs.
-- I have horrible headaches almost daily
-- I am so tired that when I am not working it is impossible to even make myself leave the house
-- I have taken myself to the hospital 3 times thinking I was having a heart attack and told I suffer from acid reflux
-- I have so much pain in my legs/feet/back that I can hardly walk
-- My hands and feet like to go numb for no apparent reason
-- I am always anxious & moody.
-- Can't sleep
-- Clearly I am not myself. Lately, I have felt the quality of life I am leading is horrible.

Wouldn't it be something that I have spent all this time & money trying to figure out what else is wrong with me when it is the medicine I thought was keeping me well really making me sick. Why do the finest doctors not realize when your symptoms are actually side effects?

I am pretty out raged at this point. I would take myself off this medication today if only I knew how to control the edema.

My husband has been on Singulair for ten years now. It was a miracle drug for us as his asthma and allergies were ruining his quality of life. Little did I know that the Singulair would have such drastic effects as well. He is a police officer who has been through some traumatic events in his career. I attributed his irritability, depression, anger, severe nightmares, heartburn, weight gain, and puffy swollen eyes to post traumatic stress disorder. He stopped taking the medication about two weeks ago after his prescription ran out and he saw the FDA report. He is once again the man I fell in love with. Now I know what has been causing all of the changes in him, and we have decided he will never take Singulair again.

I am a 61 year old female and I had sinus surgery in Sept. 2008 and started taking Singulair about a week after the surgery. I started to gain weight very fast after taking the singulair. I stopped taking the medicine and lost 17 pounds without any strict diet, I started back taking the meds. after being off for about 3 months and have gained the 17 plus pounds back. The singulair helps my allergies but I hate the weight gain.

I have been on Singulair about 3 weeks and have been having mood swings, irritability, depression and nightmares. My doctor prescribed Singular after I complained about weight gain from Advair. I was diagnosed with asthma after having a bout with pneumonia last December 08.

Although Singulair has helped with my asthma symptoms, I have decided to stop using it after reading some of these postings.

Tremendous weight gain almost instantly from age 7 to now at age 8-1/2 . When my grandson started this medication we noticed the weight gain. The doctor assured us it had nothing to do with the Singular. We looked on line for information, but could find nothing about weight gain as a side effect. At last it has surfaced that children taking the Singular are also having a weight gain problem. We intend to stop this medication immediately. This is intended for the health and well being of children.

I have restless legs, nightmares and weight gain. Trouble concentrating, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, falling. I have been evaluated by a neurologist and no one has made the connection of weight gain to singulair.
Also, have high blood pressure that came on suddenly.

I have followed the South Beach diet and continued to gain. I am going off this drug and really appreciate this website.

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

My 10 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 5 years- I am in shock of all these postings! I logged on because someone mentioned the possibility of weight gain as a side effect. Has anyone experienced that?

I was searching for a site with the side effects of Singulair for my son who is 10 and has been taking Singulair since he was 2. It was a life-saving drug for him and his life has been wonderful since then (as far as asthma goes). He is a very athletic boy who plays every sport he can and he is still a little overweight with cellulite and love handles. I had heard that maybe it might be the Singulair so I decided to check it out. Little did I know about all of these other side effects. He's been taking it for so long that I assumed his depressed personality was just the way he was. He has also had such horrific nightmares and he's convinced he has a ghost in his room that shakes his bed that I was really starting to consider that maybe he might. His brother sleeps in the same room and does not have any of these experiences (also on Singulair). I am SHOCKED! I only read about 20 entries but I'm going to read more. Has anyone had the weight gain problem? Thank you for anything you can share.

I am a 50 year old women. I had bronchitis that turned into severe asthma.
Could not stop coughing. I have been on Singulair for over a year. Have had weight gain, Hand numbness,Stomach problems. Even had an colonoscopy but turned up nothing. Now I understand after reading all these posts. The weight gain alone was driving me crazy. Limiting myself to 1200-1400 calories, eating only lean meats and vegetables.Exercising and loosing MINIMAL weight over a 4 month period. I felt like I was doing something wrong. Ive thrown my Singulair away after reading your posts. Will figure out something else if my allergies and or asthma flairs. Just not worth it. Will repost after Ive been off a while.

My 13 yr old daughter was put on Singulair along with Asmanex and Clarinex for her asthma about 6 weeks ago. Everything seemed to be going very well at first and her symptoms were starting to get controlled. I started noticing after about 3 to 4 weeks that her temper and attitude were getting much worse. Anyone with children this age knows what I mean but this was like a 180 degree turn for her. Her actions were becoming totally out of character. Before I knew it she would cry and get highly upset over the least little thing. Week 5 came around and things totally bottomed out. She came home from school and WAS NOT HERSELF. Made comments about how she hated her life and it was not worth living. Later that evening we had a big argument because I was telling her nothing was worth saying that. She went totally out of control and I had to physically restrain her to calm her down. It appeared everything was better so she went to her room. I went down to check on her and she calmly told me that she had taken advil and tylenol pm and things would be better for her forever now. We went to the ER where they made us wait for at least an hour, then finally took her back. She had to drink two cups of charcoal and was poked and prodded repeatedly. They did a catheter to get a urine sample. She was very cooperative but also was in a complete daze so who knows. The poor child couldn't even lift her head up when she started the vomiting to get rid of the drugs. It was very upsetting and sad. Her heart rate and blood pressure went very low and I really thought in the back of my mind that this was it. Finally, after several hours she started coming out of it and they sent us home. The next evening when she was starting to really come around she proceeded to tell me how she had been seeing a man walking around in her bedroom at night and she was afraid to go down there. Breaking down and crying telling me about all of the horrible nightmares she had been having recently and didn't know why. I thought what am I dealing with here? This just isn't her. Three days ago I heard about singulair in the news and looked it up on the internet. OH MY GOD THIS SOUNDED LIKE US!!!!! I immediately had her stop taking it and the next day phoned her asthma specialist who agreed she should stop now. We are going to watch her for two weeks and see if any symptoms return and then decide if she needs something else or will be fine on just the Asmanex. As a side note, she also mentioned being unable to concentrate in school (unable to do even the simplest math problems) and that her brain felt confused or like something was missing. She said this had been bothering her for several weeks. I know it was this drug. They really need to take this off the market NOW and stop flirting with disaster. The only reason I posted this was to let others know they are not alone.

My M.D had prescribed Singulair approximately 3 months ago. I was extremely hesitant to take it and did research online before i made my final decision. I am/was fortunate not to have many of the side effects as stated in the other postings. Upon filing the second refill, I noticed I was putting on weight. My eating habits and daily routine has not changed prior to taking Singular or during taking the course of taking the pill. I started to become very concerned and I too found this site. I can tell you for a fact, that there is a very definite side effect of weight gain. I have gained weight all over my body, not only limited to the stomach area. As a result, I too, will NOT continue taking this pill, not only because of the weight gain, but in addition to the fact that my allergies are still bothering me. I am going to try Zyrtec, which is now an over- the -counter allergy pill. Zyrtec, until last year, was by prescription only. In final, to all those that are complaining of weight gain and various serious side effects, you are not crazy, The symptoms you are experiencing are real. Good luck to all of you.

My son is off singulair for two weeks now and is showing improvements. He was on it for 7 years and at the beginning we blamed it on steriods, even though his dose was low. When he went off the steroids, the behavior didn't stop. I questioned the allerist if the singulair could be doing it, but was told no, it doesn't have those side effects. I don't blame the doctors because they weren't given the info. He was extremely emotional, cried for no reason, had no confidence, didn't like himself. We on more than one occasion have told his older sister that when he hits his teenage years we would have to watch him for suicide, as his reaction to problems was sooo out of whack! He was on motrin for headaches 4-5 days a week(blamed it on sinusses). Unexplained stomachaches. These symptoms came on over years, not right away. I have always thought that the steroids had done damage because he took them when he was so young. Until the news reports hit, and I started reading other people's stories and doing the "OMG, that's my kid!", I never put the problems on singulair. I was still skeptical, but took him off. His symptoms immediately got 100x's worse for a week. But funny thing is, his headaches are gone, his stomachaches are gone and he seems much less emotional. The strangest thing is, EVERY night, he comes in to kiss us good night 7 or 8 times, and sometimes by the 7th time he is crying and can't explain why. This has been going on for YEARS, EVERYNIGHT, never a break. It stopped! Just stopped cold 7 days ago. Comes in once, says goodnight, leaves and falls asleep. I know this isn't a coincidence. After years of wondering what's wrong with my kid, now I feel like I've been poisoning my him for 7 years. I'm not skeptical anymore.

I noticed a lot of postings about weight gain on Singulair, which is nowhere listed by Merck as a possible side effect. My 15 y.o. daughter experienced sudden weight gain at the age of 9 when she was actually underweight (BMI went from 17 to 21). To make a long story short, after being off Singulair for over a year, she is now over-weight, and diet/exercise have never made a big difference (gymnastics, swim team, figure skating, trampoline, etc.) Extensive labwork is always normal & there is no family history of obesity. It's a shame the quality of life of a child is RUINED by a drug that is deemed to have "no side effects", and the many drs. & specialists out there take it very lightly. We continually worry about our daughter's self-esteem, risk of diabetes, and other complications from weight gain which is not hereditary and goes on unexplained by the drug co. Reversing this weight gain has been nearly impossible. Everytime I hear a news report about our children being overweight and obese, it makes me angry because I think about the many kids that are taking this highly prescribed drug (for even the mildest allergy or asthma) and who knows how many parents don't make the connection!

My daughter has been on singulair since age 3. I can't believe all the side affects that other children are having on the medicine to. This answers so many questions for me. We have been battling with leg cramps,stomache pain,bedwetting and weight gain. My daughter instantly gained weight over night and is constantly hungry, I never could understand why and I have taken her to a gastrenologist and he never had a answer either. We went to a ENT for constant sinus infections. I had her tonsils removed and seems to be doing better. I definetly will be taking her off the medicine immediatly. She also has been having trouble in school, I wish I would have known about this sooner. I feel terrible about having her on this medicine all these years wich has caused nothing but pain and alot of doctor and hospital visits!!!!!!!!

My son 10, has been on Singulair since he was 4 yrs old for Asthma and allergies. His last dose was 3/26/08. He has always been my emotional child, he is 2yrs older than this younger brother. Some of his side effects included headaches, stomaches, leg cramps, emotional breakdowns, major mood swings, crying outbursts over small situations, night sweats, lack of motivation, weight gain, ADHD, wishing he were dead and the list goes on. His younger brother has always been involved in sports but he was always too afraid he would get hurt. This medication has robbed my 10 yr old son from 6 yrs of his childhood. Since he has been off Singulair he feels motivated and looks forward to joining the football team his younger brother plays for. I look forward to meeting this new young man who for so long has been hiding behind this so called allergy medicine. I am so thankful to know that my son can look forward to a bright future without these side effects. God Bless you all who are going through this as well.

I am a 32yo male and a Paramedic and it has been a living hell for the last two years. Here are my side effects and then my story. Anxiety, anxious, Irritable, high heart rate, leg calf pain, horrible sleep, bad nightmares, depression, suicidal thoughts, thoughts of hurting people, hate being around people, fear of heights (I used to rock climb daily), dizzy- if I move my head too fast or spin around with my son, weight gain(could be unrelated) arm cramping, frequent urination, and mood swings from crying to anger in just a few minutes. Not like me at all! First few years looking back, I was just became irritable and short with people. The last year has been horrible depression and anxiety along with the other side effects. I like many of you who have written here have had many of the exact same side effects. I had a stressful job at times and worked 24 hour shifts. I have always loved people, and enjoyed meeting new people. Not any more!! Two years ago my mother who lives 3.5 hours away asked me why I was in such so anxious all the time. She said, you are not the laid back and carefree man I know. I thought it was just due to some stress about being recently married or the job. The changes took time and I did not realize them or see them. Looking back, others knew something had changed.
Knowing about medications for my job and how to research them, I looked into every possible side effect and how Singulair worked before I started taking it. Looked good in 2004 with no major side effects. A little over a year ago my father became sick. He was going to battle cancer, but before he could, he would find out he needed a heart valve replaced. He got the surgery, went into cardiac arrest at home a week later, and was given CPR by my mother. A local police officer shocked him and got the heart out of V-fib. I slept with him in the ICU almost every night. He died a week after that and my wife was 7 months pregnant. Talk about stress. The baby came and I stopped working to raise our new little boy. I became short with my wife and started to pull away from being around people. I started to have bad dreams with twisted and morbid outcomes. I had suicidal thoughts out of nowhere and would wonder, where did that come from. Just as soon as they would come, they would be gone or I would think about something else. I got dizzy all the time and started to get carsick if I wasn't driving. I used to be able to read while riding backwards or sideways in the ambulance without a problem of feeling sick. That was not like me at all. I would snap at anything and became almost OC about everything. Thinking all this time the last year that I was just depressed about loosing my father whom I was very close too. Our little boy ended up having some medical problems and the insurance company would not pay the bills. More stress! My wife an EMT-Intermediate blew out 2 disks in her back on an ambulance run, more stress again. More insurance problems. I became a basket case! More anxiety, more depression, never got a full night sleep, mind racing, calf pain soo bad I would ask my wife to rub them, arm pains and finger joint pains at night. I also had a high heart rate of 100 almost all the time. Heart palpitations and a few times it felt like my heart was empty off all the blood and would beat very hard in the middle of the night lasting only a few seconds to a minute. Weight gain, moody all the time. I thought just due to all the normal stress in life.
Two days ago I went for a hard hike and came back with a pounding headache. Excedrin always does the trick for me. Not this time! I had seen a second of a news where the anchorman was talking about Singulair. Googled "Singulair problem" and found this site. I freaked out!! Almost all of you are talking about all the problems I have had as well!! This medication is making us go completely mad!! Tried to go to bed two nights ago and my mind was just racing. It has been Singulair the whole time. The only medication I take. It has made me nuts. My head was pounding the worst I have ever felt and my heart was coming out of my chest. I was awake since 3:30am and read the story of Cody Miller. This poor boy had no chance with this drug. He brain was not fully developed like an adult at just 15 years old. He wouldn't be able to fight the suicidal thoughts like I can. I have been to a lot of hangings, suicide shootings, and drug overdoses. I have seen plenty of death.
I called his mother a few hours later and explained to her that by them going to the media and getting the story out, prompted me to look into Singulair side effects. And that they just saved my marriage and my life. I explained to her that she did nothing wrong by giving Cody the medication for his allergies. It works great for the asthma and allergy symptoms for me. But, it ruined the last year of my life! I felt like I was going to have a stroke shortly after talking to her. I had my wife check my blood pressure and it was 154/100 (normally 120/82). Got grandpa to watch the boy and went to the ER. After my lab results came back and talking with the doctor, we decided it was a panic attack and who knows what the side effects of coming off this drug will be? I had stopped taking it the night before. Thanks to all of you who posted here and thanks to Kate and David Miller for speaking up. You saved my life. This medication got worse over time for me. It got worse as the stress level went up. I have been off it for two nights and already feel much more calm and was sleeping fine, until the little boy woke up and wanted a hug, or bottle. I hated almost everyone, I was short tempered, anxious, OC, and wanted to hurt people for no reason. I want my life back. I want the old me, the care free happy go lucky guy! I already feel better and will write hear as the days and weeks go by. I will never take Singulair ever again!! Not one stupid pill!! Look to those close to you and see if they notice changes. Even those of you who have been on it for three years like me. The drug company knew what was up the whole time. Bad men and women who want money over telling the truth. Maybe not everyone taking Singulair will ever have the side effects soo many of use have been living with, but to those of you that notice changes! Throw this medication away now and never touch it again. Get your life back!!! Be the old you again. I will go back to Albuterol (the only medication I used to take). Read the stories about the two year olds and the five year olds that cry all the time and are angry all the time. Little kids tell it like it is. It's not until they get to work for large drug companies as adults due they lie about side effects and wait years to publish paperwork saying that post marketing research shows all these negative side effects. They knew all along.

My 9 year old son has been on Singulair for about four years for asthma and allergies. It did wonders for his asthma and allergies. However, since starting the medicine, has experienced rages, anger, impulse control problems, extreme mood swings, violent and destructive behavior, repetitive behaviors, bed wetting, weight gain, bad self thoughts, ADD, paranoia, peer social interaction problems...shall I go on? He sees a psychologist once a week for counseling and a psychiatrist periodically. He was diagnosed last year with major depressive disorder and mild ADD. He was placed on an antidepressant, an antipsychotic, and an ADD med. My big-hearted sweet boy gradually faded away. When I heard the news about the FDA investigation last week, I did some investigating myself. What I found was gut-wrenching! The Singulair went in the trash. This drug has stolen four precious years of my sons life and made the entire family suffer! We have been through hell. Only four days off the medication and he is already feeling better and looking like my happy boy again! We are slowly weaning him from his psych meds. I am full of hope now for him and his future and my family's weel-being but I am FURIOUS at Merke!!!

Hi, I posted 2 yrs. ago about this drug. I am telling you I am a stay at home mom and am around my daughter 24/7. I witnessed her going from a sweet, happy, out going, often called a social butterfly child to a child i did not even know. When she took this stuff for 3 months. it was HELL!!! I honestly thought my child was going crazy. She had stomach problems, anxiety attacks, headaches, red eyes,3 urinary tract infections, her legs hurt and seemed swollen to me, weight gain, ear infections which had not had since she was 3 (while taking this she was 8), nightmares, crying all the time, school teacher noticed it, dance teachers noticed it, they said she was very forgetful, and seemed spaced out. Her dance teacher asked if something was wrong with her. She has been in dance classes since she was 3 and has always loved it. She would call me from school and dance classes saying she was tired and her stomach hurt all the time. She is the type of kid that always has cared about the way she dressed and looked and always wanted me to fix her hair. She completely stopped caring and it was a fight to get her in the bath. So not my kid. The day she said mama i do not know why I am so mean, I do not want to be me is the day i took her off this junk against the doctors advice. I know 150% that it was caused by this drug. I will never forget what it did to her. I tell everyone i know please do not give your child Singulair.

I was on singulair for years for asthma. At first it seemed like a big help and I didn't put two and two together for a long time that it was causing problems. hair loss, weight gain, racing heart, rising blood pressure, dreams, irritability, memory loss, leg and muscle pain, and much more.
I have gone back to using theodur (theophylline) it has worked for 50 years for me and many others without the side effects of singulair.

Back in the 90's when the drug companies first started promoting all these new asthma drugs, especially the puffer$$, they got together and got the fda to take off the combo medicines that contain theophylline off the market, saying they 'didn't work'. So they removed marx, quadrinal, tedral, quibron and a host of others from the market...to clear the path to market their new designer asthma medicines. They almost got rid of theophylline too, but the pulmonologists put up a fight as it is one of their important meds. Theophylline is a terrific bronchial dialator. They also removed theophylline from primatene, an old standby over the counter medicine for asthmatics.

The reason they want rid of the theo and related drugs is because the patents have run out and they can't make any $money$ off them.

So welcome to the nightmare of singulair and others. Hope this little history helps.

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

My 9 year old daughter has been on sigulair since she was 5. She just recently started having trouble with concentration and behavior. She is always sad and cries alot .She is an honor/gt student but just recently has been having trouble with her school work.She has also begun to hurt her brother and talks about how she wishes she was dead.We are really concerned and she began counseling. Her nuerologists says it could be depression but im thinking i should take her off singulair.She has had headaches,stomach pain,depression ,mood swings and weight gain.

My daughter has been taking Singulair for almost 2 years now. She's 71/2 years old now. It seems like she's very hard to wake in the mornings and complains that she's still sleepy despite 10 hours of sleep. Also she makes a very strange sound during the night like she's scratching her throat and complains of sore throat in the mornings. Has anyone else had this experience with Singulair? I want to take her off. Is it safe to stop this drug without weaning it?

My daughter will be 2 in June and she suffers with asthma she has been taken diff meds such as xopenex, pulmicort, orapred, and now singulair. i researched all the other meds and took her off but the asthma specialist said she needed the pulmicort and i asked her pediatrician what he thought and he prescribed singulair he said it was completely safe and i had nothing to worry about but now i am very much worried because my daughter is only 21 months old and can not tell me exactly what wrong if anything. she has only been taking this singulair since last night so it has been twice she has taken it and last night she had a nightmare. she was fussy going to bed, it took a long while to wind her down she normally falls asleep between 9 and 10 pm last night she went out around 12. her lungs r very sensitive and i want her to get better but a lot of these meds have really bad side affects and who's to say what will be the long term affects and thats what i worry about the most. i just don't know what to do and I'm very worried. i came across this site by accident but I'm glad i did cuz now i know that this is not safe to give my 21 month old daughter.

I've been on Singulair for just over one year. The Rx worked wonderful for my asthma. But I've also had chronic hives during that time. They usually start around my neck, face and arms and then continued to spread from there. I used Benadryl to control the hives. The hives got more intense as I continued use of Singulair and the Benadryl became less effective. I was also told by my doctor that the drug would not cause hives. After reading the posts here, I will never use it again. I also experienced some weight gain and eye twitching, which has been noted by other postings.

Thanks for all these posts! My 4 year old daughter has a history of allergies which have in the past led to sinus infections and bronchitis. We used Xopenex and Pulmicort with the nebulizer along with Vazobid and Delsym and cleared up the bronchitis during Christmas 2007, but her pediatrician suggested her taking Singulair as a preventive medication for her allergies. This medication has turned our household upside down. She has taken it every night for 3 weeks and the side effects are the same as others have posted.......aggressive behavior, severe defiance to simple tasks, nightmares, stomach cramps, wetting accident at school (first time ever), weight gain, bruising, and vomiting. When told "no" she replies with wanting to kick me and tells me she doesn't want me as a mom anymore. The devilish behavior is intolerable. She was never like this before she started taking Singulair, and I am so thankful that I found this website quickly enough to put 2 and 2 together, and I am taking her off of it TODAY!!!

I have a 8 year old daughter that has been on Singulair since she was 2 years old. When she first started Singulair, she was also put on Flovent (an inhaled steroid), along with Albuterol for what the doctors call reactive airway disease (similar to asthma). Her triggers were allergies and having a cold. Her first flare up of mood swings alerted me to take my daughter off the Flovent. She seemed to improve a little, but still had behavior/moody issues. I had chalked them up to the "terrible twos", and not really thought much of it. As time went on, I became accustomed to the behavior that my daughter was showing. When the few complaints of stomach pains, headaches, and leg pain came along, I managed to explain them away with reasonable explanations (example: growing pains, eating too much, not enough sleep, etc.). As my daughter went off to school, I heard numerous complaints from her teachers that she lacks focus, cannot complete a task in a timely manner, easily gets distracted, and at times (more than not) is a disruption to the class. At home, I noticed a strange "tick" going on with her blinking, the constant need to repeat herself, and the battles with bursts of crying to get her to do ANYTHING. SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG!!! I was on the edge of having a full work-up of mental tests. I have her see the school social worker weekly and I keep a constant communication with her teacher regarding her behavior. I decided to look up side effects regarding this medication. I first looked at the website for the manufacturer and saw nothing alarming, nothing about behavior affected side effects. I looked into mental disabilities (autism, aspergers, ADD, ADHD, etc.) and saw no common link to her behavior. Then I came to this site and MY JAW DROPPED!! Everything that my daughter has experienced, TO THE LETTER, has been experienced by other children. The weight gain, the occasional pains, the strange behavior. I decided that NOW is the time to act. I have seen my daughter's doctor and discussed my concerns. We are going to wean her off this stuff starting TODAY! Fear of a serious relapse of breathing problems is making us very cautious. I am kicking myself for not making the connection sooner. Wish us luck that this drug has not destroyed her chances of getting better and that this "asthma" can be controlled another way without such serious side effects.

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

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

I can not THANK ALL OF YOU enough for posting this information. I am so tired of being tired, constantly clearing my throat because I feel like it is constricted, weight gain, blurry vision. I have been on "the poison" for so long I can't remember but NO MORE! My script has run out and I will not be refilling! I hope to see improvement in a few weeks!

27 yr old healthy male. Have red-irritated eyes, occasional sneeze and runny nose, live in Denver (highly polluted). Come to think about it, never started having symptoms until after about 1 yr of living here. Symptoms have persisted for 2 yrs now. Maybe I should move?

doctor thought was allergies, so tried: Patanol, Singulair, Claritin, Duramist = no help. Eyes are still itchy, eyelids are embarrassingly red (I look like I'm high all the time). After 4 months on Singulair, noticed significant weight gain, dehydration, and sensitivity to light. Couldn't work out, play paint ball. Urine was always dark yellow. Singulair seemed to help at first, but as time went on, symptoms were worse and had additional problems, weight gain, etc. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control, and I am really depressed b/c there seems to be no solution.

I complained of some loss of vision (i.e. blurriness, hard to focus), so doctor sent me to ophthalmologist. They prescribed glasses and said I have dry eye like that person posted on Nov 18th. They told me to wash my eyes with baby soap. No help! These people have no idea what to do, I got fed up and quite taking Singulair after reading this website. I hope to lose weight and start working out again. I can't believe that doctors prescribe Singulair and have no idea (NO IDEA!) of all of us who must suffer from this terrible drug.

I don't do drugs, drink occasionally and have really cut down trying to get this problem solved. I have become sensitive to caffeine, if I drink coffee, my eyes hurt so bad, I can hardly keep them open. I'm going to do as much research as I can to find a solution. I trusted my doctors - bad idea!

I have been taking Singulair for about a year and a half now, and my mild asthma is totally better. I have noticed a decrease in my shortness of breath, coughing, etc. and my allergy symptoms I struggled with for over 30 years are GONE. I also take Nasonex, so I can also attribute the improvement to that drug. But, I have had dramatic cycles of hair loss, which my hairdresser and doctor have attributed to "stress" even though I am not experiencing more stress than normal (except about the hair loss!) and the main thing for me is weight gain. I am a slim, petite 36 year old and I have gained at least 15 or 20 pounds since I started Singular. I have not decreased my activity level ( I am a waitress and walk about 5 miles each shift easily) or increased my food intake. My doctor and gyne keep telling me it's due to slowing metabolism, and implying that I'm slowing down in activity. I am not. I think it's the Singular, but I'm afraid of the allergy symptoms returning. Anyone else with significant weight gain?

November 25, 2007 - I am a 42 year old woman, tall very thin, and always in good health. I was prescribed Singular for mild asthma symptoms, ie.. asthmatic cough-very mild, heavy feeling in the chest, constant sore throat (my work requires me to use my voice a lot). Initally my symptoms improved, I was thrilled! But, after about a month I got up one morning and thought I was having a stroke - my head was killing me, and my heart was pounding so hard! I took my blood pressure only to find that my normally low pressure was now 144/105! My pulse ws nearly 100 beats/min. That's just while I was sleeping! I was shocked! The only meds I was on was the Singular. I decided to do a little experiment on myself. I immediately stopped taking the Singular and kept a record of my blood pressure. It took about 3 days for my blood pressure to come back down to normal levels. I have noticed some weight gain as well. I will not take this drug again!

Thank you for this site and all who posted! My daughter at 6 years was put on 4 mg of singulair for the later half of the winter last year for preventative measures after repeated visits to the doctors for bad colds and coughs resulting in wheezing. They told me she had "cold induced asthma." My daughter has had no previous asthma or history of, any history of trouble breathing etc. I can honestly say looking back that I didn't notice any glaring difference in her personality last year. I didn't like the idea of putting her on a daily med but I trusted the doc and asthma specialist and was told I could take her off in the spring 07 when the "cold season was over and most threats had passed. This year, at age 7, I was told to start Singulair again a week before school started in August 07 as a prevention med for the upcoming germ/cold school year. The dosage was increased to 5 mg due to her age. Note, she is a tiny, petite girl with not a huge amount of weight gain from prev. year. Let me tell you, September and the begining of October while on this med, my daughter was extremely irritable, down right nasty at times, crying very easily, tantrums, lacked a desire to do her homework and not very focused. In short, this was NOT my daughter. I didn't recognize her and it scared me. I like others who've posted, would try to blame her behavior on outside events or troubles. Anything to try to understand what was going on and explain her behavior. Sadly at first, Singulair didn't occur to me so I just kept battling with her to the point of almost asking for psych. help. Thank goodness I didn't! It was like a light bulb went off in my head as I was about to hand her her singulair one night. I went to the internet, read these posts and saw some of the exact same things being quoted. Coincidence? I think not! I stopped giving her the Singulair it's been 2 weeks now and the results are so dramatic and obvious to me. I had my daughter back! I, like a lot of you was told it was safe! My pharmacist told me that while there were studies on adults with a small % reporting agitation, there have been no studies in children. I find that amazing considering so may children are prescribed it. Last note - report your symptoms to your doctor, even if they don't agree with your findings. It may eventually help others in the future if enough of us report. Thanks to all of you and good luck.

WOW!!! I am in awe reading these posts! I recently began taking Singulair. It has been about a month now. I have experienced sore throats, irritability and also weight gain. I noticed that my appetite hasn't changed much, but I gained I know at least 5 lbs. I decided to check out the side effects of Singulair and I'm glad I did. I won't be taking it anymore. I am also taking Zyrtec. I have been taking that for about 6 months now and I didn't notice any problems with taking this med.

My 8 year old son takes it as well and I can say that he has not had any problems that I am aware of. I guess each person is different.

I thought I had some new foreign disease, but now I think it's the Singulair! Thanks to those of you who have posted, I think I have finally figured it out! Since about May, I have had extremely itchy skin (like I am covered with bug bites, even though there is nothing on my skin to itch from), headaches, hair loss, weight gain, bloating, lower back pain, vivid dreams, night sweats, extreme sleepiness (taking naps during the day--I only do that when I am VERY sick), and general anxiousness. I was tested for hypothyroidism (that wasn't it), and went to my OBGYN to see if I had started menopause (I'm 43--she said that's not it, either). I hope if I stop taking Singulair, all this will go away. I hope this really is the cause of the strange and seemingly unrelated symptoms. I was starting to think I had something scary when it might just be from medication!

I am a 60 year old man who has had allergies and asthma as long as I can remember. I've tried most of the medicines out there at one time or another. I hate the side effects of most asthma meds (especially broncodilator inhalers) and have learned to avoid them and manage my symptoms more through lifestyle (diet, exercise, clean environment) than drugs. I decided to try Singulair starting about 3 months ago to see if it would help with the mild night time chest tightness I would often still experience. I have to say its the best asthma med I've ever taken. I am about 90% free of asthma symptoms, and can sleep through the night without ever waking up with constricted bronchia. I don't use inhalers at all any more. Occasionally (2-3 times a week) I'll take a Claritin if I start to feel allergic symptoms breaking through. The only side effect I've noticed from the Singulair - and I noticed this from day one - is extremely vivid dreams. Luckily, I kind of like this side effect so I'm OK continuing with the Singulair. Also luckily, I've never experienced the aches and pains, weight gain, or other symptoms descibed by others on this site. The one thing I worry about is that this drug may be hard on the liver, as the liver metabolizes it. But since I don't have any symptoms of liver problems, I guess I won't worry too much.

My 7 year old daughter has been on singular for 1 month. I have noticed weigth gain, crabby crabby and mean aggressive behavior....she used to be able to memorize her spelling words in school easily and now cant focus....she has seasonal allergies which 1 time brought me to urgent care because she was wheezing...so she ended up on this singular....i dont know what to do....she has anxiety and just cant focus...but i just dont know if it is the medicine???? or not???? i would have to say yes, her behavior is just mean and she is alittle sweet girl......i am sure there are 100,000 of 7 year old kids with successful treatments....where are those people???? i am going to take her off this medication

I have been taking Singulair for allergies for about 4 months now. I have been feeling very lethargic, achy, crabby and out of sorts for the last couple of months. I have also had an upset stomach, nausea and cold sweats here and there. I never really got headaches before taking this medication. I have been getting headaches every day as well. In addition to all of the fun stuff I listed above I have also noticed a bit of weight gain and bloating, but it's difficult to pin that definitively to the Singulair. I have a scheduled doctor's appointment next week to asses the situation.

It just occured to me today to look up the side effects of Singulair, as it is the only medication I am currently taking. Upon reading other people's stories on this site and contrasting them to my own symptoms I think I am going to discontinue use of this medication. I have factored in other influences in my life and I have not had any changes in stress levels or other outside influences to attribute the symptoms I am experiencing.

Thank you to everyone for posting!

I am just about to burst in tears from reading all this information. Our daughter is 4 years old. She is been in Singulair (for her Allergies) since she was almost 10 months. It been quite a rollercoaster for us. We have been told she is ADHD (although can't be diagnose until 6), she has almost all the characteristics. hyperactive, mood swings vary between days, now leg pains, nightmares, etc. Two years ago our allergist took her off Singulair but our pediatrician didn't agree, so we went back.
It has been very painful because our daughter is such a bright girl; we don't want her to suffer, not to be accepted because she is acting like this. From reading all this information my husband and I decided to take her off Singualir. Hopefully we see some changes that can give us a sense of relief. Any words of wisdom?

MY 9 year daughter has been taking singulair for 2 months and she has changed. She has twiching to where she has put marks on herself from doing it so hard against her body, I thought she was acting out for some reason but didnt know why and now I know. The change in sleeping patterns, moods, mean, physical, weight gain and me saying to her what is your problem. I should say what is the drug companys problem and the docs that tell you nothing of what could happen. Nothing but Health Food store meds now.

I am a 42 year old woman who gets reactive asthma every time I get a cold. My doctor always puts me on Singular to help clear my wheezing and coughing. I usually only take it for 1 - 2 months and then stop. This time I noticed some changes in my body that I am wondering if it is due to the Singular. I have a pain in my left side of my abdomen and I am bloated all the time. I have gained weight too. I was wondering if anyone else has ever had symptoms like these from taking Singular? If they don't go away after stopping the Singular I guess I will have to check things out.

I have been on Singulair for a little over a month now and my allergies and asthma are under control; however, I have a list of side effects that are a mile long. I have swollen, bleeding gums, bad nightmares, weight gain, severe bruising, hearing things that aren't there, severe fatigue, confusion, can't seem to remember anything, dizziness, sore muscles, change is stool color, joints have swollen and sore, sexual desire gone, headaches, ears ring. I have stopped today and have called my doctor about the bruising. It's a shame because my allergies and asthma have almost completely dissappeared.

My 16 year old son has been diagnosed with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis. The treatment is Singulair. I have not picked up the prescription yet, and after reading these posts, I definitely will not. It is so frightening to read these side effects. I'm going to bring him to my naturopathic physician asap.

Is anyone else taking Singulair for the same disease?

Hyper, anxious, weight gain, high blood pressure: I started taking Singulair in January after having some kind of allergy reaction to either the cats or something else. My GP suggested that I take it every day -but I'm quitting today. I have been so hyper the last three weeks and feeling -not well. It's like I'm off filled with dread and anxiety. Last week I ended up in the hospital with heart attack symptoms and with incredible anxiety,hyperness and high blood pressure! I never had any of these symptoms before then. I am healty cook and eater, a non-smoker, and was within 25 pounds of my normal weight for a 56 year old. Yes, it's gotta be the Singulair. It's the only medication that's changed. J. Haggerty

Starting taking Singulair two months ago in February for allergies. Around the same time, I started having hot flashes. So, I thought all my symptoms must be due to menopause. Severe depression, very vivid dreams, nervous, irritable, mood swings, tired all the time, weight gain and dizziness, and chest pains. I did not feel like myself. Like I was watching my life crumble and there was nothing I could do. Woke up today and realized that something was wrong. Googled Singulair side effects and was shocked to read that so many people are having the same side effects. Did not take the pill this morning - by 4:00PM - I already feel like a new person.

Weight gain, joint aches, knee pain, insomnia, irritability, depression...and the tests come out okay. So what is wrong with me? Why do I continue to gain so much wieght and the fatigue is horrible! Over the past five years it has snuk up on me but now I am thinking this Singulair is the culprit. I haven't had as much trouble with my asthma ...true...but I feel horrible. I am going back to using Advair as needed and my albuterol as needed. Goodbye Singulair!