Singulair side effects

are claritin and Zyrtec the same

could anyone tell me if claritin is the same as singulair or what i could give my child that would help with the allergies/stuffy nose she was on singulair and was taken off

Oh my gosh. I am on this website because I googled "behavior issues with Singulair" Both of my children are on Singulair. One from as young as 5 months old. Both Pulmonologist, allergist and Internal med Ped. insisted that it was a safe drug. They aren't living with it. My 7 year old has taken it consistently for 5 years and recently upped is having behavior, aggression, insomnia and constant reports back from the teacher on his behavior. We had him psychologically evaluated and they found nothing uncommon to his age. All his issues are described in almost everyone of these side effect threads. I am just afraid to take him off and feel the blame if something serious happens. I am calling tomorrow for possible alternatives.

CONSUMERS UNION IS HELPING THE PUBLIC CONTACT THEIR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING LEGISLATION TO BAN TV ADVERTISING OF NEW DRUGS. PLEASE PARTICIPATE.

So happy to find this site. I never noticed My son never had an eye tick until last month, ironically we started giving him Singular on a daily basis about the same time. My son just turned two and is has also been waking up screaming 3 times every night. Have others reported this same problem...also he is on Pulmicort too, have you read that it is linked to Glaucoma and Cataracts? Do you think that this could be causing the tick? Please HELP! I want a parent's opinion before bringing this up to the doctor...they are so quick to jump to more drugs it makes me sick! Thank you! Any other children with eye "ticks" like really quick consecutive blinks?

Hi,

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

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

S.

OK MY DOC JUST GAVE MY 14 MONTH OLD SINGULAIR THE YOUNGEST IVE SEEN IN HERE WAS 2O MONTHS. WHAT WAS SOME OF THE FIRST SIDE EFFECT THAT YOU ALL SOW THAT I NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON

I'm wondering if some of you could explain how the leg pain was. My 20 month old has been on Singulair for 2 months for ?asthma (he's has bronchiolitis once and pneumonia 2x since he was 6 months old and a chronic cough). His medication "regime" in working great-absolutely no cough in 2 months from a child who I started to think coughing was normal for this age. 3 weeks ago we were driving in the car and he started grabbing his right leg say "ooww, boo boo". and now in the last 2 weeks we have had 3 times where he holds his right leg crying in pain and will not walk, will not stand on his leg. One time lasted for about 2+ hours-he went to bed like that and woke up fine, jumping in his crib. 2nd and 3rd time it lasted about 1 hour and then he was fine completely back to himself. We had him seen but decline xrays and to just watch it for now. The MD said it could be a virus in his knee. I asked about side effects to med and she doubted it. But I started reading and now I'm suspicious. The weird thing is that it comes on strong and goes away just as easily. Wondering if anyone else could describe their leg pain in more detail. Thanks!

My 4 yr old daughter has been on Singulair for 3 weeks and one day as prescribed by an ENT for her persistent sinus problems. I made the mistake of being too trusting and not reading enough about the medication before giving it to her every night for the last 3 weeks. She has been out of control. I blamed it on her oppositional personality but yesterday at my whits end, sat down at the computer to find some parenting advice to work with her temper, aggression, crying, whining etc. - Not to mention nightmares almost every night. When I made the connection to her behavior changes and when she started taking Singulair i found more info than I could imagine. She will never take this again nor will either of my other children or myself! I can't believe a drug with this severe of side effects is prescribed so freely and without any caution from the docs. I blame my self and hope there are not any long term effects from this useless medication.

my 6yr old daughter was put on singulair at the age of 4 she had a reaction to nuts and had the allergy testing she was put on singulair and claritin and nasacort .(so she has been on the medication now for 14 months) about 3and 1/2 weeks ago she quit eating we had her to the dr several times they said it was all in her head that she could eat if she wanted to.she was then put in the hospital for 4 days they did the scope down the stomach found nothing i took her off all her meds because i didn't want her taking them with no food in her. she came home from the hospital and i put her back on the meds as the doctor requested and within 2 days she was crying non stop hitting me and telling me that she wanted to kill herself and everyone around her.she was putting her fists in everyines face and was very angry.she would cry and tell us that she didn't know why she was so angry.we took her back off of the meds because we were treating her for the stomach acid from not eating and within 4 days she was like a new kid.she is now eating ..happy ..and doing good in school..this is the 3rd time this yr on this med that she has quit eating we were told that it was all in her head .after reading everyones comments on here i called her doctor today and he said it could be the medication but they would have to put her back on it to check and i refused.no more singulair or clairitin for my children

October 22, 1998 I had resp. failure (with intubation). My new pulmonary doctor put me on Singulair 10 mg once a day, a few weeks after. Within time, I started to have numbing and tingling in my face, arms, and legs. March of 1999 the symptoms worsened and started causing pressure in my face, arms, and legs, and anxiety started to kick in. I was told I had neuropathy and to take mobic. Symptoms getting worse, and went to a rheumatologist in June 1999, and he was suspect of singulair. The doctor thought that what I was experiencing was due to the singulair. He (the rheumatologist) discussed this with the pulmonary doctor and the pulmonary doctor did not believe this to be the case. Not forgetting, in March of 1999, I had a ct of the sinus area, and low and behold 1/3 of the cavity was and probably still is full of polyps.

As time went on, symptoms getting worse, and not one bloody doctor could figure out why I was feeling this way. In addition, at times, I was put on steroids for my asthma (not including my inhalers).

Two years ago, my body went into shock, leaving my left side very different than my right side. Affecting: my head, my face, my eye, my ear, my esophogus, my lungs, my arm, my leg.

I have been depressed and anxious not knowing what the heck was going on with me.

Recently ruled out thyroid, and lupus, and possibly ms.

Last weekend, I reviewed the letter from the rheumatologist (dated 1999) and the ct report from March 1999 (regarding the sinus/ polyps) and made copies to present to a pulmonary doctor that I have recently been seeing.

This past Monday the 10th, I had my appt with him. He knew of my situation from the last few visits (in addition, I had met him this past March for a pulmonary rehab program, and thought he seemed to be knowledgeable and compassionate). While waiting for him to enter the exam room, he had read those reports before entering.

The doctor looked at my hands (red as a beet and swollen) and said "You have Churg-Strauss Syndrome, and get off the singulair."

I had done my homework from a few weeks ago, where I looked up untreated polyps.
Untreated polyps, can turn into vasculitis. There are many types of vasculitis, to include Churg-Strauss Syndrome.

I then cross ref CSS and singulair, and low and behold, BINGO!

I have been suffering for ten years, physically and emotionally because of this drug!

There is also recent updates from the fda (fda.gov) regarding singulair, of which most recently includes anxiety and depression.

I suggest before taking singulair, be aware of the side effects. As soon as a side effect comes up, contact your doctor. Also, be aware of existing conditions (like me, sinus problems and asthma) for this could lead to churg-strauss syndrome.

This info is indicated on the actual disclosure (the paper insert that indicates studies, side effects, etc...) not the handout that is given with the drug.

By the way, I am now working with a new rheumatologist in Los Angeles (Cedar-Sinai affiliated) and a new neurologist.

mdklezmer

I was put on Singulair about three weeks ago, and noticed immediately that my mood had changed. I am an adult ,and felt this sense of sadness, anxiety, solitude, not wanting to be around anyone. I took myself off the drug and have tics all over my body and eyelids ,which is driving me crazy! I even had heart palpitations ,which are very distressing. Today it seems to be better, and this is day three off the med. The only way I can explain how I felt on this drug is doom and gloom.

My son now 12 has been on Singulair for 5 years, ever since we moved to Florida and figured out he is allergic to half of the crap that grows here. The only problem my son seems to have is that twice he has gotten thrush from it, from not rinsing his mouth out and then eating something right away. While I am now watching him for the other side effects listed here. He is still the same charming funny bright child he has always been. Still on the Honor Roll and still in gifted classes. Singulair isn't for everyone, but it does work for some!

Hi, All

I normally do not post on websites, however, the issues that I read about in other toddler has me concerned for my grandson as well..

He started to live with us in Georgia three months ago. He was 20 months old. Over Labor Day weekend he developed a severe sinus infection and virus with a fever. Against our better judgment then, we allowed his doctor to prescribe an antibiotic which seem to help him for about two weeks, but her began having excessive mucus and coughing constantly. He had no fever. When we returned to the doctor, they suggested that he use Claritin because he had no infections, but a lot of mucus and drainage. Claritin worked, however, the side effects were he was a little sluggish. The doctor recommended trying Singular. We tried it for three weeks. Over that three weeks, we noticed that his appetite decreased and his aggression level increased where he started a fight with another toddler. He is normally an easy going little boy. He has been very aggressive lately, plus he has had dry coughing and gagging worse than when he was on Claritin. When I read the literature that says this medication causes sinusitis, I immediately decided to discontinue it. He will not be using this medicine again. It may be great for some children, but they really ought to make parents aware of the side effects. They are awful.

I was first given Singulair at the age of 21. At which time, I quit a job in which I have yet (at 28) to match its income. My doctor continued to give me samples as I could not afford the medication. During this time, I was very depressed, contemplated suicide often and was given a serious of antidepressants-non of which helped. For one reason or another, I stopped taking everything. At which time, it seemed I had a new lease on life. I went back to college, finished my degree, and got a job in decorating. My asthma began acting up again, and again I took singulair and again had to be given antidepressants. I wound up quiting that job too and worked a serious of low paying jobs. Again, I quit, and again found the urge to "live" again. I never connected the two, until this past week. I was given singulair again by another doctor on Wednesday. Thursday I had nightmares, Friday I spent the day crying, Saturday night I began to think of leaving my husband (I also did that ALL the other times I took the drug and we've been together 14 years-I love him). Today is Sunday, I normally go to bed around 12 or 1 a.m., but I am making myself stay awake and have all day. This drug has ruined a large part of my life, please, if anyone notices even a little depression with this drug, Stop!!!! It is not in your head, it is this drug!!!!

I'm a 61 year old female who has been on Singular and Asmanex (puffer) for about 3 weeks. My sinuses are greatly improved and so has the cough. HOWEVER, I have had horrific nightmares, and last night, (obviously sleepwalking) went downstairs, had a left over taco (one of two) and went back to bed. Today, I went to have a taco for lunch, found just the one, and asked my husband if he had the other last night, NOPE! He was even asleep on the couch, guess I was quiet, but I always microwave on a paper plate, with one on top, found in the garbage. Last week I was sad, for no reason, and I have had bruising. "Sleeping with snakes and tacos."

My son is almost 4 but has been on Singulair since he turned 3. We saw an immediate improvement in his allergies and asthma and thought it was a miracle drug. That is until we started to see our sweet, outgoing little boy change into something we barely recognized. We thought maybe it was just a stage he was going through or something and didn't connect it to the Singulair until his doctor accidentally wrote his refill prescription for 5 mg. instead of 4 mg. After about 2 weeks on the 5 mg. his mood swings increased substantially. He cried for hours everyday at school. He had previous trouble with his emotions at school on the 4 mg. as well. He continued to cry and throw fits at his preschool so often that he was ending up in the principals office. At home, he became clingy and so emotional that he would cry about everything. After doing some research on Singulair, I immediately took him off the drug. Within 1 1/2 weeks off of the drug, my little boy was a different child. I thought maybe I was the only one who had noticed until his teacher came to the car and ask what happened. She said that he didn't even resemble the same child that started school. He is sweet, and calm. He can take discipline without crying and gets praise every day instead of going to the principals office. His trouble sitting still and listening to the teacher are gone and her push for us to have him tested for ADHD has ended. He is now a star student. The only difference is the removal of Singulair from his little body.

About Singulair and being INCOMPATIBLE:

Merck acknowledges that there is a certain percentage of patients for which Singulair is "NOT EFFECTIVE" because of incompatibility issues. That problem is "all over" the research reports and clinical trials. Merck is even conducting research trials to try to determine why.

The issue of being incompatible as the reason for negative adverse side effects is not recognized as of now.

WHY? If Merck can recognize that Singulair is not effective or some patients, why doesn't it recognize that for others it causes negative side effects???

Everyone should go to 2004 postings for a reality check. It blows my mind that people were reporting disturbing behaviors/moods in their children in 2004 and we're still talking about it in 2008. Where's the oversight?

My 18 yr old daughter has been on singulair for several years and has complained this week of numbness in her feet and toes. I have told her to stop the drug. Is this a reversible side effect? Does anyone know if there is anything else to do?

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

I notice vivid dreams/night mares the first night. The second day I notice thoughts of running of to very far places. The third night severe chest pains, extreme anxiety, irritability, and thoughts of suicide. Now I have been treated for depression in the past but never attempted suicide. After the third day of singulair i wanted to take a gun to my jugular vain in my neck and pull the trigger. Oh the joy of a panic attack.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I cant imagine subjecting a child to this medication.

Please seek alternatives and protect your children.

Thank you so much for this site. My 3 year old son was prescribed Singulair this morning for some mild asthma. I am pretty conservative about giving meds so i was doing some research and am so thankful I found this site. I haven't picked up the prescription yet and I will not be.
God bless you all and I pray everything turns out okay for your little ones.

My 11 year old daughter had been seen by a doctor to control coughing and wheezing brought on, I believe, by allergies. When she was 5 or 6 years old, she had an asthma attack and it happened again this year when we could not control the coughing and she was short of breath. That is when Singulair was introduced to her. about 4 weeks after taking medication, her heart started beating irregularly (called heart palpitations), and she was experiencing chest pains. (very frightening for mother and daughter). The Coughing subsided, and she was feeling good prior to the last week, when this started happening. After all the researching, the minor side effect is palpitations, however, how healthy is this and what else is going to pop up unexpectedly?

Hey, maybe those ancient people who invented yoga were on to something when they say to do "your o-o-h-h-m-m-s-s-." So hum those ohms every day and increase our resistance against nasal infection.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 166. pp. 144-145, (2002)
© 2002 American Thoracic Society

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brief Communication

Humming Greatly Increases Nasal Nitric Oxide
Eddie Weitzberg and Jon O. N. Lundberg
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Karolinska Hospital, and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. E. Weitzberg, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: ******

The paranasal sinuses are major producers of nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that oscillating airflow produced by humming would enhance sinus ventilation and thereby increase nasal NO levels. Ten healthy subjects took part in the study. Nasal NO was measured with a chemiluminescence technique during humming and quiet single-breath exhalations at a fixed flow rate. NO increased 15-fold during humming compared with quiet exhalation. In a two-compartment model of the nose and sinus, oscillating airflow caused a dramatic increase in gas exchange between the cavities. Obstruction of the sinus ostium is a central event in the pathogenesis of sinusitis. Nasal NO measurements during humming may be a useful noninvasive test of sinus NO production and ostial patency. In addition, any therapeutic effects of the improved sinus ventilation caused by humming should be investigated.

Key Words: exhaled • sinus • sinusitis

I am a mom of twin boys who are 3 1/2. They were 9 weeks premature so we battled RSV for the first two years of their life. Allergies are also an issue therefore, they were put on Singulair at 10 months old. It really seemed to work for them and things seemed to be going okay but once they turned 1 1/2, their behavior started to change. They were constantly throwing toys at each other, sippy cups at people across the room, screaming for no reason, etc. Some may say it was normal behavior for little toddlers. Then the "terrible two's" set in. They started biting, pushing, screaming over anyone who talks to get attention, not listening and for two kids that slept through the night....all of a sudden that stopped too! My husband and I mentioned it to the pediatrician and also tried to going through the state (developmental clinic because of being premature) thinking that we would get some answers and everyone seemed to think it is a combination of their age and the fact there are two of them....sibling rivalry. We now deal with two kids that use to sleep through the night, now end up in our bed every night to fall asleep because they don't like their room and their erratic behavior is stressing my husband and myself out. When they are good, they are great but when it gets bad....it is a nightmare! I even find it hard to get people to watch the kids because they are too much to handle! After reading these postings I realize I am not the only one with kids going through this and that the common link is SINGULAIR! I am not giving this to my boys ever again and I already put a call into the pediatrician to discuss my findings. I have a sense of relief to know that it is not only my children who's behavior is like this but I am scared because I pray that there is not any long term effects that can not be corrected once this drug is out of their system. I just want my boys to be healthy and okay!

Why does Singulair cause these symptoms? I am going to give my explanation which is only a HYPOTHESIS. This should not be categorized as any thing but an educated guess. This is not backed by scientific research because nobody will do any research that would appear to anger
Merck even if people are suffering in the thousands.

1. The original research that preceded the development of Singulair (montelukast) seemed to focus on the theory that asthma was caused by an unusual immune response to certain pathological stimulus. There are many references to the observation that a high percentage of asthma sufferers are people whose asthma is caused by fungus. Many people suffer from asthma and are told that they are allergic to dust mites. Dust mites can live only because the fungus aspergillus pre-digests the
food source that dust mites can then absorb. Other sources of fungus occur in the home due to dampness or problems with wood rot.

2. The body's immune system fights certain categories of pathogens such as bacteria and fungus by creating nitric oxide which kills them at the site where they try to enter the body. The mast cell is the immune cell that is responsible for the production of nitric oxide. Mast cells are found in the skin, airways, intestines etc. The mast cell is capable of many different types of biochemical functions that are designed to signal other cells or other chemical responses. When the mast cell knows that pathogens
are present and nitric oxide is NOT produced, then it signals other immune cells to be sent to the site of the infection. Thus in the case of asthma, it is known that excessive numbers of eosinophils appear in the airways and these cells create inflammation.

3. Singulair was developed for asthma and later allowed to be prescribed for other reasons. I believe that montelukast probably creates a source of nitric oxide that prevents the mast cell from signalling for other immune cells to arrive at the source of infection. I arrived at that conclusion from studying the chemical structure of montelukast, the chemical structure of the gene cysLT1 receptor, and the chemical structure of the cell wall of fungus which would be what the mast cell uses to determine "what to do in order to kill the fungus."

The researchers who invented montelukast first had to clone the gene-cysLT1 receptor meaning that they had to be able to identify the gene and replicate it. Then by trial and error they had a find a "chemical"
that would bind (connect chemically) to the cysLT1 receptor. The theory would be that montelukast would take the place of the fungus or other pathogen and thus prevent the gene from reacting to produce the
responses that the sick patient with asthma produced. Merck says in the literature that montelukast binds with the cysLT1 receptor in order to prevent the mast cell from signalling the eosinophils to arrive in excessive
numbers that cause inflammation. I believe that montelukast is also causing the production of an amount of nitric oxide that is actually killing the pathogens that are present. For one thing, I would think that it
would be dangerous to incapacitate the immune system in that way without providing a way to kill the pathogens. I don't believe that the asthma response is just allergies to something like dust. Pollen from trees and flowers is loaded with fungus spores.

4. IF, IF, IF, montelukast does actually produce nitric oxide, then it does so by binding with the gene. Any place in the body where a molecule of montelukast encounters the cysLT1 receptor (a gene) then the corresponding molecules of nitric oxide are produced before the liver enzymes break the montelukast molecules up. Nitric oxide is TOXIC and
INFLAMMATORY. So let's look at the symptoms in regard to the location of the cysLT1 receptors. The location of these symptoms would not be places in the body where the mast cells normally encounter fungus or bacteria. The cysLT1 also has other functions in that it communicates with the cysLT2 receptors. Obviously, nitric oxide
should not be produced in these locations because of the signalling effect of nitric oxide on other physiological functions.

a. intestinal pain - the cysLT1 receptors are located in the small intestines
b. leg pain actually caused by vasculitis - cysLT1 receptors are found inside blood vessels- consistent with the fact that montelukast causes
Churg-Strauss
c. some people who didn't have asthma develop asthma - the cysLT1 receptors are in the airways
d. nightmares, depression, neurological damage - when montelukast penetrates the blood brain barrier probably due to unusual conditions of blood pH or electrolyte imbalance then nitric oxide in the brain causes neuron damage and excitoxicity

5. Why do some patients not experience side effects? Probably because genetically they are completely compatible with the model that researchers created when they cloned the cysLT1 receptor gene. I didn't not find any information about whether researchers knew that there are many different variations of this gene.

6. IF, my theory is even close to being correct, then why doesn't Merck do anything about researching these side effects. Maybe because nobody in the company knows how this drug works but the researchers who created it. All of the Merck literature is very vague about any biochemical information.

Again, this is just speculation and hypothesis. I have made an attempt to put this in simplistic language and therefore sacrifice scientific accuracy. But, I think that you will get the point.

SINGULAIR IS VERY DANGEROUS TO PATIENTS WHO EXPERIENCE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS. DOCTORS SHOULD JUST REALIZE THAT
THOSE PATIENTS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE MODEL FOR THE DRUG.

My daughter is 7 and was just put on Singular as a preventive medication for croup which she gets when she has an infection. She is not on a daily inhaler nor does she have asthma attacks at school. I asked the doctor for an alternative to the pulmicort breathing treatments b/c the prolonged use of this caused her to have dental issues (8 cavities) and he gave her singular. I am concerned of the side effects in the reviews of this medication but I need some relief for my child. She has been on the medication only 1 day is frequent urination a side effect and can it come on that quick? If there is another medication that doesn't have the side effects apparently singular has please let me know.

I am so thankful I found this site! My 4 year old son who suffers from asthma & allergies was just prescribed Singulair on Tuesday 10/21 along with Pulmcort inhaler & Xyzal.The doctor said to give him these daily for a month due to it being Fall. I do not like the idea of him being on any drug let alone 3 at one time. So today I started to do research on them. I will NOT be giving him the Singulair ever again!! He only had it the past two nights. He only had one pill on Tuesday night and by Wednesday night at his basketball practice he was saying he was tired and laying on the floor...this is so not like him. I believe it probably was from this medicine already having an effect on him. I am glad I found this site before he started to have these horrible symptoms that so many innocent children have had. I am going to call his Doctor and ask for something else to give him. What have doctors prescribed for your children in place of Singulair????

My 12 year old was on Singulair from age 4 to 10. We too thought it was a life saving drug. The doctor then put my youngest son on it for allergy cough etc. That is when all hell broke loose. He immediately had signs of depression, anxiety, anger, nightmares, ocd and facial ticks. We took both boys of this drug and I will never use it again.

I've told every doctor that we visit about this and they have basically said they haven't heard this as a symptom. When I told his immunologist this was a symptom he said that if I'm telling him it's a symptom then they aren't going to dispute it. His lack of surprise led me to believe that this wasn't the first time he heard this. This is the same doctor that put my 12 year old on this drug as part of a study through U of M. (At the time, the drug wasn't available for 4 year old)

I would strongly caution anyone about the use of this drug and I wish I had done more research. My son has been off it for 2 years and still has
lingering effects.

On the fda;s cder web site is a calender of meetings,there is also a calender for tentative meetings,tentively scheduled on dec 10 and 11 is a meeting of asthma allergy,risk management and drug safety,we know they hired public relations so we wonder if maybe they will be there,as this investigation comes to an end,i wonder is there more we could have done,i don't think so,i am perturbed that we were not contacted after we filed our reports,as i wonder how they will get the rest of the story.It is my understanding that these meetings are open to the public,unless otherwise specified,there is no specification on this one yet,i hope if any one is in the Dc area and they have a chance to go they will tell us what is said.I hope they look into the chances of some having maybe perm issues and give us guidance,they have been silent for so long as we have battled this in the dark.If by scheduling this meeting the investigation is over and they have a conclusion and our not going public yet ,well shame on them,if there is one thing we are disparate for is information as to what to do next,heres hoping every one,keep fighting

I am re-posting this from June. I believe that we have many reasons to suspect that Singulair does indeed penetrate the blood brain barrier. I personally believe that under certain unusual conditions that Singulair can cause neurological damage. I tried before to put together a scenario of brain biochemistry that could explain how this can happen. Of course, I am just hypothesizing and all of my ideas will not prove to be totally correct. From the number of postings here regarding neurological symptoms, I believe that there is an answer out there somewhere. Why the FDA is not searching for this answer is a complete mystery to me.

I believe that it is possible that Singulair causes the same biochemical response in the brain that is cited in this study -- thus causing neurological damage.

"Thus, elevated NO production leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate release, and excitotoxicity may contribute to neuronal death in neurological diseases."

IS SINGULAIR CAUSING THE DEATH OF NERVE CELLS IN SOME PATIENTS? DOES THIS HAPPEN - ALTHOUGH INFREQUENTLY- BECAUSE OF GENETIC OR BIOCHEMICAL FACTORS OR BOTH?

June 12th
2008
2:56 AM
I have stated many times that I am not an expert. I just post what I find. This has been a mind boggling journey for me. This is way over my head but I struggle to read and understand. Finding answers to why children are suffering from neuro-psychiatric side effects is worth the effort.

I have made the following observations.

1. Some quinolines are known to be able to cross the blood brain barrier.
2. Molecules that ionize are known to be more likely to be able to cross cell membranes. So if montelukast ionizes as a result of change in blood pH to sufficient acid conditions, then it could be possible that it does in fact cross the blood brain barrier.
3. We know that there are cysLT1 receptors in the brain.
4. We know that researchers believe that montelukast may bind at the arginine of the cysLT1 receptor.
5. We know that arginine contains four nitrogens. And montelukast contains one.
6. We don't know what happens to those nitrogens. Are those nitrogens converted to nitric oxide?
7. We do know what macrophages create nitric oxide as I posted.
8. We do know that if something cause excessive nitric oxide to build in the brain that there would be damage to the neurons.

Some people may remember when I got stuck at the astrocytes, the cysLT1 receptors and glutamate. I keep looking for research reports that may shed more light on this.

Titre du document / Document title
Nitric oxide causes glutamate release from brain synaptosomes
Auteur(s) / Author(s)
MCNAUGHT K. S. P. (1) ; BROWN G. C. (1) ;
Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, ROYAUME-UNI
Résumé / Abstract
We determined the ability of pathological levels of nitric oxide (NO) to cause glutamate release from isolated rat brain nerve terminals using a fluorometric assay. It was found that NO (0.7 and 2 μM) produced (4 and 10 nmol/mg of synaptosomal protein) Ca2+-independent glutamate release from synaptosomes (after 1 min of exposure). Spermine/NO complex (spermine NONOate; a slow NO donor) and potassium cyanide (an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase) also caused Ca2+-independent glutamate release. Preincubation of synaptosomes with 5 μM 1H- oxadiazole quinoxalin-1-one (an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase) had no effect on NO-induced Ca2+-independent glutamate release. Ca2+-independent glutamate release produced by NO was greater in a low-oxygen medium. NO, spermine NONOate, and potassium cyanide inhibited synaptosomal respiration with a similar order of potency with respect to their ability to cause glutamate release. Because NO has been shown previously to inhibit reversibly cytochrome oxidase in competition with oxygen, our findings in this study suggest that NO (and cyanide) causes glutamate release following inhibition of mitochondrial respiration at the level of cytochrome oxidase. Thus, elevated NO production leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate release, and excitotoxicty may contribute to neuronal death in neurological diseases.
Revue / Journal Title
Journal of neurochemistry ISSN 0022-3042 CODEN JONRA9
Source / Source
1998, vol. 70, no4, pp. 1541-1546 (29 ref.)

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 4037, 35400007527188.0230

My 5 1/2 year old son began taking 4mg Singulair in the p.m. and an inhaler (asmanex) in the a.m. We were still having trouble controlling the asthma and his Sing dose was raised to 5mg. & within 1 week of the increase he began having terrible facial tics and aggravated behavior (defiant, poor listening, easily frustrated and angered) The tics were in the form of opening and closing his mouth, as if you were trying to clear your clogged ears after a plane flight. This caused him much pain in his jaws and facial muscles, so he would tic and then cry as he was in pain. This ramped up his anxiety and it made the ticking worse. He has been off of all asthma medication (cold turkey) for 5 full days. He has episodes where the tics happen for 10 min -1/2 hr, other times during the day it is one here and one there. He does not want to leave the house to do anything, even his favorite activities. Thank god I found this site (and others like it), as I got some answers and some hope. We went to see my cousin this week who is a neurologist and he never heard of the correlation of Singulair and neurologic side effects like these. He said that (hopefully) the medication side effects will cycle through and resolve the ticking and behavioral changes. If not we are probably looking at a Tic Disorder which is in the Tourettes Family.He put my son on a very low dose of Klonopin to mellow out his anxiety and help reduce the tics, but has only been on it for 1 1/2 days and it usually takes a wk or 2 for full absorption and results.I have since sent him and my pediatrician and allergist links to this site and others. I think that I see some improvement in my son, yesterday I thought he did better and my husband thought it was a worse day, I think we have totally lost our perspective and objectivity on this. If anyone out there has a time frame on when they saw significant recovery and positive changes I would love to hear from you. This is a total nightmare and if it is this drug, someone is going to pay. My prayers go out to all who are going thru this.

http://www.medications.com/q/taking_5_yr_old_off_singulair_how

A series of articles published by the Boston Globe in 2001 revealed

that the number of children enrolled in clinical trials in 1997 was

16,000: by 2001, the number reached 45,000. The Globe found that children

enrolled in clinical trials had suffered and died, and that ethical

standards had been violated.

Financial incentives for parents, physicians, and researchers had undermined

children's welfare. Children are currently being recruited with Toys

'R Us gift certificates. Parents in need of money are offered as much

as $1,000 to "volunteer" their children for drug experiments that involve

risks of harm. The physicians

who are engaged in such coercion receive as much as $5,000 in kickbacks

(euphemistically called, "referral fees") for the recruitment of children.

None of these disturbing facts were brought to the attention of the

U.S. Congress when it passed the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act

in 2002. The evidence, however, shows that children are being deprived

of existing, more protective federal regulations under 45 CFR 46, Subpart

D, and are being subjected to foreseeable risks of harm and discomfort,

often on the basis of a presumed potential risk for which there is no

empirical evidence. The FDA

acknowledged that before FDAMA the use of children as subjects in phase

I safety drug studies "had been primarily limited to life threatening

diseases and children who had the disease" in question.

The policy prior to FDAMA protected children from harmful experiments

in accord with the 1983 federal regulations (45 CFR 46.404-409). Following

passage of FDAMA, however, federal policy broadened the criteria for

inclusion of children in research generally and for participation of

children entered in high-risk experiments. In 1999 the FDA acknowledged

that the post-FDAMA policy change "led to an increasing number of proposals

for studies of safety and pharmacokinetics, including those in children

who do not have the condition for which the drug is intended."[64

I have been taking singulair for about one week now. A few days ago I noticed abdominal and intestinal pain. Last night I got abdominal pain and fever. I called two doctors and they said it was probably not the singulair. But then I read their web-site for side effects. And one is possible intestinal infection with fever. I can't believe this. I don't understand why the doctors would not say anything or take you off of it. Thanks

Any time your or your child's physician wants to prescribe a new medication, ask that they check the DailyMed website for the most recent FDA approved drug labels to get information on ingredients and side effects. This website is maintained by the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health and has information on 4039 approved prescription drugs. Accurate information may also be found on the websites of medication manufacturers.

Other websites, as well as medication reference books physicians have in their offices, MAY NOT have the correct information.

Many medications, including some inhaled asthma medications, contain lactose, which may be contraindicated in individuals allergic to milk protein.

Don't take chances with your or your child's health. Ask doctors lots of questions and don't be afraid of offending anyone!!!

Read replies to this message.

My son is almost 5 now and has severe food and inhalant allergies, along with sever asthma. When he was 3 he was hospitalized for 4 days because of his asthma. I have been warned that only 1% of asthmatics will ever be hospitalized, so I've made sure he stays on all his meds. He has been on Singular ever since he was 15 months old. At first it was a God send. Everyday was a constant challenged, fussy, icthy red eyes, constant flow of mucous and wheezing. I would have to pin him down 6 times a day with the inhaler, but when Singular came "poof" it was like magic. He was on Singular when he was hospitalized and is now on 3 meds; Zrytec, Singular and Q-var all given to him everyday. Lately we have had some major issues come up for him. I think I have the next J. D. living with me. NO FOR REAL. My next step is a shrink. You might think I'm mean for saying it, but I don't know how else to describe it. When I was driving he asked for some gum, because I wouldn't let him pick out his own piece, he got out of his car seat and started hitting me over and over again, pulled my hair and tried to "break my arm" as he put it. I had to pull over and I couldn't get him to calm down he kept slapping me in the face and kicking me not only was I embarrassed, but it hurt, I was crying. I have finally come here trying to see if other children, who are on Singular, have had similar episodes. He is a very good boy most of the time and aggression is a hit and miss. I don't know what to do.

Wow! I can't believe what I'm reading. My son just turned 5 years old. He was put on Singular when he was 2 years old because he constantly had sinus infections. For the past year, I've just used it off and on when he starts to get stuffy. He is very well behaved, but has has trouble with nightmares. He just told me a few weeks ago that he knows that monsters aren't real, but he can't get them out of his head. I know people think I'm a softie because I let him fall asleep with me every night (his dad puts him in his own bed after he's fast asleep), but he is petrified to go to sleep by himself. I didn't understand it, but I could see the terror in his eyes. It all makes sense, now. Sometimes he plays so well by himself in his room, but other times he doesn't even want to go to the bathroom by himself because he's scared. I'm betting he was taking Singulair during the times he was scared to go into the bathroom himself. Unbelievable. We have to get the word out about this drug. I feel like such a horrible parent for not searching for these side effects sooner.

I came to the website to see if Singular suppressed the immune system because he's been getting horrible cold sores in the fall for the past 3 years. It seems to correspond with the time he started taking Singular. I know that Singulair can't cause cold sores, but if his immune system was suppressed, his body can't fight off the virus. 80% of us have the virus that causes cold sores, but most of our immune systems are able to keep the virus in check. During a cold or other illness which compromises the immune system, cold sores can pop out.

In any case, I've already flushed the remainder of his pills. He's also complained of stomach and leg aches. In fact, the docs made him give-up milk thinking he was lactose intolerant but it didn't help the stomach aches. Hopefully giving-up Singulair will help his tummy aches, too.

I also have a child who has been on this drug for about a month and as I sit here and read these blogs the more I am remembering complaints made by my son. He has been getting into trouble at school lately, irritable, angry, sad, leg pains, stomach aches and also having trouble getting to sleep at night. I am an RN and it took me to glance at the pill bottle today to realize that I needed to do a little more research about this drug when I saw that it said "mood changes and depression". I feel horrible because after a great 2nd grade year I was disappointed that he was not behaving as well this year. I know know that the $60.00 wasted and tiring reprimanding was all a waste of my time! I owe my poor son an apology as I will be taking him off of this drug today! More information and advocacy needs to be available especially when core users are children who have little to no voice!!!

It's so scary reading these posts. Making me wonder if I've made the right decision for my 6 year old. We have just started taking Singular for asthma, it has been only 8 days. The last 5 of these days she has nothing but stomach pains and diarrhea. She has missed 5 days of school because she can't leave the bathroom. Is this normal????
Last night was the last pill she will have.

i have a son who is 2 years old and suffers from asthma. we have been prescribed the singular 4mg tablet, when i read the possible and common side affects i started wondering if it was really going to benefit him.. now that i have read most of these posts i'm really starting to think it would be best to not try him on them.
if anyone has any helpful advice PLEASE reply back to me

STRANGELY ENOUGH THE CORRECT INFORMATION IS SHOWING UP IF YOU HIT REPLY SO DO THAT!

GUESS WHAT, WHEN YOU CUT AND PASTE THE SIDE EFFECTS INTO THIS WEBSITE THEY DON'T ALL SHOW UP!

MISSING IS:

BEHAVIOR AND MOOD RELATED CHANGES

CHECK FOR YOURSELF ON THEIR WEBSITE BECAUSE THEY ARE THERE!

MY APOLOGIES TO ALL FOR AN ERROR IN MY PRIOR POST. WHEN I CUT AND PASTED THE INFORMATION FROM MERCK'S WEBSITE NOT ALL OF IT APPEARED IN MY POST FOR SOME REASON. THE CORRECTED INFORMATION IS BELOW. CHECK THEIR WEBSITE FOR YOURSELVES TO VERIFY THIS.

THIS IS FROM THE PATIENT INFORMATION:

"What are the possible side effects of SINGULAIR?

The side effects of SINGULAIR are usually mild, and generally did not cause patients to stop taking their medicine. The side effects in patients treated with SINGULAIR were similar in type and frequency to side
effects in patients who were given a placebo (a pill containing no medicine).
The most common side effects with SINGULAIR include:
• stomach pain
• stomach or intestinal upset
• heartburn
• tiredness
• fever
• stuffy nose
• cough
• flu
• upper respiratory infection
• dizziness
• headache
• rash

Less common side effects that have happened with SINGULAIR include:
• increased bleeding tendency
• allergic reactions
• behavior and mood related changes
• drowsiness, pins and needles/numbness, seizures (convulsions or fits)
• palpitations
• nose bleed
• diarrhea, indigestion, inflammation of the pancreas, nausea, vomiting
• hepatitis
• bruising
• joint pain, muscle aches and muscle cramps
• swelling

Rarely, asthmatic patients taking SINGULAIR have experienced Rarely, asthmatic patients taking SINGULAIR have experienced a condition that includes certain symptoms that do not go away or that get worse. These occur usually, but not always, in patients who were taking steroid pills by mouth for asthma and those steroids were being slowly lowered or stopped.
Although SINGULAIR has not been shown to cause this condition, you must tell your doctor right away if you get one or more of these symptoms:
• a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of arms or legs
• a flu-like illness
• rash
• severe inflammation (pain and swelling) of the sinuses (sinusitis)
These are not all the possible side effects of SINGULAIR. For more information ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Talk to your doctor if you think you have side effects from taking SINGULAIR."

d27gayle POSTED INCORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS OF SINGULAIR. I JUST COPIED THIS FROM MERCK'S SINGULAIR WEBSITE. THIS IS THE CORRECT AND UPDATED INFORMATION. THIS INFORMATION DOES LIST DEPRESSION AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR AS SIDE EFFECTS.

IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SHARE INFORMATION ON THIS SITE, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS CORRECT BEFORE POSTING!!!!!!!!!

What are the possible side effects of SINGULAIR?
The side effects of SINGULAIR are usually mild, and generally did not cause patients to stop taking their medicine. The side effects in patients treated with SINGULAIR were similar in type and frequency to side effects in patients who were given a placebo (a pill containing no medicine).
The most common side effects with SINGULAIR include:
• stomach pain
• stomach or intestinal upset
• heartburn
• tiredness
• fever
• stuffy nose
• cough
• flu
• upper respiratory infection
dizziness
• headache
• rash

Less common side effects that have happened with SINGULAIR include:
• increased bleeding tendency
• allergic reactions
• behavior and mood related changes
• drowsiness, pins and needles/numbness, seizures (convulsions or fits)
• palpitations
• nose bleed
• diarrhea, indigestion, inflammation of the pancreas, nausea, vomiting
• hepatitis
• bruising
• joint pain, muscle aches and muscle cramps
• swelling

Rarely, asthmatic patients taking SINGULAIR have experienced a condition that includes certain
symptoms that do not go away or that get worse. These occur usually, but not always, in patients who
were taking steroid pills by mouth for asthma and those steroids were being slowly lowered or stopped.
Although SINGULAIR has not been shown to cause this condition, you must tell your doctor right
away if you get one or more of these symptoms:
• a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of arms or legs
• a flu-like illness
• rash
• severe inflammation (pain and swelling) of the sinuses (sinusitis)

These are not all the possible side effects of SINGULAIR. For more information ask your doctor or pharmacist. Talk to your doctor if you think you have side effects from taking SINGULAIR.

THE FOLLOWING IS COPIED DIRECTLY FROM THE SINGULAIR WEBSITE.....

The side effects of SINGULAIR are usually mild, and generally did not cause patients to stop taking their medicine. The side effects in patients treated with SINGULAIR were similar in type and frequency to side effects in patients who were given a placebo (a pill containing no medicine).

The most common side effects with SINGULAIR include:

stomach pain
stomach or intestinal upset
heartburn
tiredness
fever
stuffy nose
cough
flu
upper respiratory infection
dizziness
headache
rash
Less common side effects that have happened with SINGULAIR include (listed alphabetically):

agitation including aggressive behavior, allergic reactions (including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat, which may cause trouble breathing or swallowing), hives, and itching, bad/vivid dreams, increased bleeding tendency, bruising, diarrhea, drowsiness, hallucinations (seeing things that are not there), hepatitis, indigestion, inflammation of the pancreas, irritability, joint pain, muscle aches and muscle cramps, nausea, palpitations, pins and needles/numbness, restlessness, seizures (convulsions or fits), swelling, trouble sleeping, and vomiting.

Rarely, asthmatic patients taking SINGULAIR have experienced a condition that includes certain symptoms that do not go away or that get worse. These occur usually, but not always, in patients who were taking steroid pills by mouth for asthma and those steroids were being slowly lowered or stopped. Although SINGULAIR has not been shown to cause this condition, you must tell your doctor right away if you get one or more of these symptoms:

a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of arms or legs
a flu-like illness
rash
severe inflammation (pain and swelling) of the sinuses (sinusitis)
These are not all the possible side effects of SINGULAIR. For more information ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Talk to your doctor if you think you have side effects from taking SINGULAIR.

Singulair caused terrible nightmares, vivid, evil dreams and tremors. After a while change of personality and aggression, irritability and anxiety. As soon as it was stopped the nightmares stopped and back to being normal. Very dangerous medication. (Adult)

Singular has been recommended to my 3 1/2 year old son. I didn't feel good about it, so I declined and decided to look up possible side effects. Wow! I will NOT be giving it to him!
I have always been cautious on giving him antihistamines because prior bad side effects (which I never heard anyone else complain about).
When he was a few months old, he had cold like symptoms (runny nose, congestion, etc.) and was really suffering. I gave him the over-counter Pediacare and he could breathe better but he became something out of a horror film. He screamed constantly for over 48 hours and did NOT sleep a wink! Like a "crack baby" or something. (I assure you I am not exaggerating). I too became sleep deprived and crazed by his constant screaming, it took me some time to realize it was the meds. When I quit giving it to him, he became normal again. I decided I had to deal with the symptoms and not give him meds.
A year later, different medicine, I tried again. Same results.
When he was 2 1/2 we took a road trip from KY to KS. I thought I would try Benedryl, he had 2 older syblings that it benefited. NOT for him. He became "crazy" and screamed to the top of his lungs for the entire 12 hour drive. I vowed never again (for him or his family).
I have had success with Claritin in less than normal dosing. With no side effects. I have been assured, however, that Singular would work better for the symptoms. No thanks.
I feel really bad everyone this has effected negatively. I understand the side effects first hand.
I too have heard of the "antihistamine blocker" but don't know if it works.
I plan on trying a "nettie pot" (natural alternative) and have heard great allergy success stories. You can get them for about $5 at Walmart.
Hang in there parents! Do what you have to do for your child. Trust your instinks even over the Peditrician. I love Docs but YOU know your child. :)