Singulair and asthma

my granddaughter has been on singulair since she was 5 months old she is now 6yrs old and it does control her asthma, but lately i have noticed a lot of the symptoms posted here. Headache, stomach pains, nightmares, sleepwalking, and the episodes are getting more frequent. When she does this mostly at night it is scary to me especially when she is crying for help and you don't know how to help her. I was searching for something else and was brought to this site, like i was meant to see it and it really scared me. I have already called her doctor and got an appointment for tomorrow. I want her off this medicine as soon as possible.

I wrote a post few days ago about Singulair and how great my daughter is doing since she started to take this medication three months ago.
Then I started reading about all the side effects that other children had because of Singulair. I GOT SO SCARED!
So scared that last night I stopped giving Singulair to my daughter.

From January to September my daughter had asthma every other week. She was put on steroids (prednisolone) every time she couldn't breath. Then in September the pulmonologist said we have to take control of the situation because so much steroids can damage a little body.
She made me feel I had been a terrible mothers since I always refused to give her singulair.
She convinced me and then I started Singulair, but now I feel worst because I have the feeling I am giving poison to my daughter even if her asthma is under control.

My 7 years old stopped Singulair 12 hours ago, I do not know what is going to happen now. Of course I cannot call the pulmonologist anymore in case my ds gets bad.
Somebody here said that she is giving her son Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, Culturelle probiotics, vitamin c, and changing his diet - increased magnesium and decreased dairy.I will love to have more information about this alternative way of controlling asthma. I do not remember who wrote this post. If there is a web site of a doctor I can contact i will do right away. I live in New York.

I need help. Thank you so much.

I would like to know who is NOT experiencing side effects from Singulair.
We are not.
My 7 years old started Singulair three months ago because of allergy issues. She had asthma attack every other week, running nose all the time, she was so miserable, she missed many days of school and she couldn't exercise .Since she started to take SIngulair her allergy improved, no more asthma, no more running nose. SIngulair did not change her way to be. She is doing very good in school (she is above the average..) she does piano, ice skating, she is purple belt Tae Know Doe, speak two languages, she is doing great in everything. Of course she has her "bad moments" but which child does not?
I tried homeopathy, but it did not work, she got worst and worst. I was supposed to give SIngulair to my daughter a year ago, I did not because I was afraid of the side effects. But I wished I had started before because I could have avoid so much steroids since she had asthma most of the time. The doctor convinced me to use this medicine when she said " You think SIngulair has side effects, yes sometime it does, but do you know the danger of using steroids so frequently in a little body?" Then I thought I had to give a try. I am glad I did. Of course I keep watching my daughter behavior closely and reading all the possible side effects of this medication. I forgot to say that beside singulair my daughter is also taking Pulmicort, two puffs once a day.

Well, after reading all of the postings here, I feel like I just dodged a major bullet! I took Singulair for a little less than a week in combination with a couple of other meds to get a bout of uncontrolled asthma reined in. All was well for 4 or 5 days and then suddenly I began to itch like crazy - I had a massive outbreak of hives (and this was while taking Prednisone, which is used to TREAT hives). Well, long story short, the doctor felt that it was most likely the Singulair and told me to stop taking it. I did and did not have another outbreak of hives. Now I'm actually rather thankful to have gotten the hives if it meant getting me off this medication before it could cause more serious issues!

I am totally upset by reading the posts here. my son is just now 8 months old. he was put on singulair when he was just 6 months old. at first it seemed to be working...for maybe 2 weeks...then everything went crazy. he was started out on it when his pediatrician stated that he had asthma and apparently was on a very high dosage of it. they started him on 10 mg of the oral granules. before taking it he was a very happy baby, even with him being so young i never had any problems with him crying excessively or being massively irritated. since he started on the medication he has had massive irritability spells, constant fussing and crying and cant seem to fall asleep at night let alone stay asleep very long. i had taken him to the emergency room on christmas eve because a new problem showed up. he now was having a massive hard time breathing, he had a persistant cough, congestion in his chest and was almost always gasping for air. the staff at the hospital were in disbelief when they were informed that his pediatrician had put him on singulair at such a young age and at such a high dosage. i am now in the process of obtaining a lawyer and filing a lawsuit against the pediatrician for medical malpractice. this drug is very dangerous for anyone especially children. i would suggest anyone else having these problems with their child and this drug do the same. it can apparently cause long term lung damage, pulmonary disorders and even death. my son has been off of the medication since christmas eve and has already done a massive turn around. he sleeps well and through the night again, his breathing has improved and his cough is almost gone. they did say in the E.R that he has congestion in his chest due to the singulair but it should clear up over time with the help of zyrtec. please help make a stand and protect our children from the dangers our own pediatricians present to them.

My sixteen year old son, five year old son and three year old son are all on singulair for allergies. My three year old actually has asthma. They have been on the med for about a month. The singulair has been working just great so far as symptoms are concerned.
My five year old has complained of hearing people call him by name...people that were not me, my husband or his brothers. He says he doesnt know who it is but it's not us. Several times a day he says, "Mommy did you call me?" "Someone called me." He has also told me and my husband about a few bad dreams that were very vivid. Needless to day, after the second time my son complained of hearing voices, we no longer have given any of the boys the medication.AGJ Chesterfield, VA

My 7 year old son has been on Singulair since this spring for a dry hacking cough and allergies. The Singulair worked great clearing up his symptoms. We have not seen any behavioral changes. Our doctor said he only needs to take it during fall and spring when his allergy induced asthma is the worst. Both times that I have taken him off of it for a seasonal reprieve he has developed a VERY PAINFUL STOMACH ACHE. He doesn't vomit, but he rolls around complaining that his tummy hurts. I have seen other posts concerning stomach aches when on the medication, but I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience when they went off of it. Even if he forgot his medication a couple of days, the stomach ache will present.

We have a 5 year old daughter who has been on singulair for about 2 - 3 years. She went on singulair due to coughing asthma. We were soo happy about how well the medication worked, it took about three months, but wow, she finally got over her coughing and was living a more active life. I actually was soo impressed with it, I remember mentioning it and promoting it to some of our daughters friends' parents with children in similar situations....wow do I ever feel awful. Anyway, our daughter came down with a terrible flu a few weeks ago and although she didn't seem feverish, had not one, but 2 night terrors, something that we have been worried about and comforting her with for a couple of years. These 2 threw the 2 of us over the edge this time....we thought we had to get her to a psychologist.....she was terrified, and although we were holding her and comforting her, she was still screaming for us, and there was NOTHING we could do this time....we were doubting ourselves and the environments she was exposed to......what could have happened in her life to make her have such awful dreams??? It was about a 1/2 hour later when my husband asked about the possible side effects of the singulair.....I ran and grabbed the pamphlet, of course this is the first time that I actually sat down and read it, which I should have done some time ago....anyway it was then that I discovered how many issues weren't normal that everyone just kept ensuring us was fine. We had been questioning ADHD for some time, and had actually had it on our list to discuss with her teacher as she was sooo hyper on a regular basis...at the age of 5 she still couldn't sit through a movie at a movie theater, as much as she loved going, she couldn't sit through it....anyway, the only thing that made it difficult to think she could have ADHD was she was such a great learner. She was very eager to learn and loved learning and teaching things. But when giving her instructions or asking her to listen, she'd be so jumpy. She complained of severe leg pains which we chalked up to growing pains...poor thing! Her temper tantrums were out of this world.....she is a child that is soo full of love, but when she was in tantrum mode, she was soo destructive and she would feel soooooo awful for her actions, it was like she couldn't control herself. We just feel awful that we couldn't help her and we didn't realize that what she was experiencing was not so much disobedience, but an imbalance due to the medication. We have since taken her off the singulair, we took her off of it immediately following reading the pamphlet. We found that she was VERY emotional for about 3 days, then she pretty well recovered. She has since become a normally active 5 year old, she is soo good, and has not experienced any night terrors, complained of leg pains, and absolutely no tantrums. Oooh how we love her so much.

My three year old daughter was on in as a baby and it was great for her asthma. I stopped it for a year and now she is 3 and has started it again about two weeks. She sleeps at least 12hrs a night and has a nap. This is someone who slept maybe 8hrs a night and never a nap. Actual the sleep is so much its kinda worrying me. I have a hard time even waking her up. What should I do?

My 4 year old son started taking singulair when he was two. I don't think I picked up on his behavior change right away b/c I thought that he was just entering the "terrible two's". But over time, his allergist added on Nasonex (I know the docs say that it doesn't cause side-effects b/c it's a nasal spray, but I don't buy that...it's a steroid, plain and simple) and more recently zyrtec was added on for his hives. Well, the zyrtec was the straw that broke the camel's back. I mean, he has been a real "handful" since the singulair, but after zyrtec was added 5 months ago - let's just say he was completely out of my control. His meltdowns were so bad that I couldn't go ANYWHERE with him. I either got a sitter or just didn't go anywhere. He became aggressive, defiant, emotional, unhappy. And to top it off he started to have serious "autistic-like" self-stimulatory behaviors (grinding teeth, squinting eyes shut, flapping his hands, punching himself...). At this point my life had become a complete nightmare, and my poor 10 month old son was getting NO attention b/c my 4 year old was so out of control and aggressive. I was afraid for the baby's safety...oh, I could go on all night. This medication has impacted my marriage, my finances, my sanity. Shortly after he started Singulair I had to go on an antidepressant b/c it too so much out of me just to be his mommy. Anyway, a week ago I had him scheduled for a psych evaluation (thought for sure we were going to walk away with either autism or bipolar diagnosis), but two days before I decided to look up the meds he is on and BINGO! All of these posts sound like what we have been going through. I stopped all of his meds that night, cold-turkey, and he has been the most pleasant little boy I have ever met!! My husband and I have fallen in love with him over the past week - we had no idea he was such a sweet child.

Now, while I'm ecstatic that we have found the answer to our nightmare, I also feel SO STINKIN' ANGRY! We lost out on 2 years with our sweet boy, there were times when we raised our voices at him when he just couldn't help himself - he was suffering inside!! When I went to talk to the allergist about my findings this past week, he said, "well, maybe he just had a good day. I'd like to see what happens if he goes off all his meds for a week". Well, there you have it, he has been off for one week and he's an absolute angel. He has an amazing heart and is so caring!!!

Singulair is awful (and so is zyrtec). Please don't give this drug to your children. Research other alternatives (I am giving my son Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, Culturelle probiotics, vitamin c, and am changing his diet - increased magnesium and decreased dairy. I came up with this after hours of research...).

There is a woman on this site whose daughter committed suicide after 3 years on Singulair. This is no joke and the FDA needs to get with it.

BTW, I used to date a Singulair rep (I knew there was something I didn't like about that guy:)

My 3 year old daughter was put on Singulair for her asthma and supposed allergies. I did not notice any behavior issues, but when I read the very very fine print saying that it could cause stunted growth AND had had no clinical trials in children, I took her off. I have cured her asthma with herbal supplements (a combo that fights bronchial inflammation ans desensitizes the liver to minimize/eliminate allergic reactions - from GAIA labs, look up asthma/bronchitis / allergy). She is now 11 and has not needed any treatment of any kind for at least 6 years now.

My 8 year old daughter was on singular for 3 years and she was very active and a little hyper, after taking her off of singular now for almost 8 months she has incurred a tic, I have brought her to a neurologist and he says no its not from the medication or a side effect from it but I really think it is, she has a few vocal and 1 involuntary movement, this is so terrible that these medications that you think help your children are really hurting them, my daughter was on asthma medications since she was 3, and then the neurologist suggests that I put her on an anxiety medication I told him NO, you are not going to make my child stoned I will find other ways to help her with this problem because what I have read is there is no medication that clears tics, they go away on there own and I believe this I will not drug my daughter she has been through enough with all this medication that has caused this. So I do believe SINGULAR and a few others are responsible for our childrens behaviors.

My 7-1/2-year-old son was on Singulair for 5 months for asthma and possible allergies. He had been on medication for ADHD for almost a year at that point and had been doing well with it. Singulair made him into a monster. He could not be reasoned with and was constantly overreacting to everything. Just asking him to put on his shoes caused explosive reactions, even to the point of threatening us (his parents) with bodily harm if he did not get his way. We unexpectedly stayed the night out of town and did not give him his Singulair for a few days and started noticing that he was much more rational, calm, and more like his old self. I had heard of the depression risk with Singulair and googled about it this morning and was floored by the amount of children with these type reactions. It is now listed as an allergy for my son and I will never give it to him again.

I posted serveral weeks ago about taking my 5 1/2 yr old off singulair. He has done great as far as the asthma, no problems what so ever. The main reason I took him off was due to his behavior. Very moody, hyper, aggitates easily and so on. Well, after the 2nd week, he was like a NEW child...very calm and behaving in school. Well, he has pretty much regressed back to the behavior before taking him off this med. He has now been off of it for 5 weeks. His teacher asked me last week, if I had to put him back on this med, because he was getting back to his old ways.
He is currently going the an evaluation for ADHD. I have stuggled with the fact that my son may suffer from this and have tried almost everything to avoid medicating him...I was really hoping this was the culprit to his behavior..He had been on singulair for over 4yrs...Is it just going to take longer to see the full effect of NO SINGULAIR???

I have an 8y.o. daughter that has been on Singulair for about 3 years now. Since she started taking singulair she has been absolutely miserable! She cries at everything, is very moody, has leg pains, wont leave my side and is tired ALL the time. She has circle under her eyes, she looks like she hasn't slept a wink in days! She has been off her Singulair for about 5 days now and she is a totally different person. She has been "happy-go-lucky" and full of herself, she has even woke up happy (which hasn't happened in I dont know how long). She was put on Singulair by our Doctor b/c she had Pnemonia two times in a row. She has Allergies and Asthma and for the past 3 years has been on: Singulair (4mg), albuterol, flovent, Zyrtec, and Flonase. That is just too much for a little girl to be on. She hardly eats at all, gets headaches. I just see such a difference when she is not on it but, what will she take in place of this? My husband also takes Singulair (he is miserable all the time), he doesnt sleep at night and is always tired. Anyone have alternative to this drug?

I am a pediatrician and my and I take care of my one year granddaughter is with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma. In her past history other than her usual problems she developed an episode of ketotic hypoglycemia after a viral syndrome.
I started her in Singular as she was having nocturnal episodes of cough in spite of having Pulmicort twice daily. As soon as she was started in Singulair she developed restless episodes of irritability. She never behaved that way before. She is now sleeping well all night after she had discontinued Singular.

I had been taking singulair for over two years. I am 70 yrs old and in good health except for light asthma, allergy problems. My doctor took me off it. It did some good in the beginning but the last four mts I was continuing to get wheezing and bronchitis infections. I also had a lot of leg pain and was tested for all kinds of blockage, etc. I experienced very painful leg cramping, toes twitching, etc. The only way I could stop it was to pull my toes forward as the worst happened at night and woke me up. I finally found Leg Cramps with Quinine an all natural homeopathic med. It worked like a charm. I didn't know that this was a side effect of Singulair. Since I am off singulair just two weeks. It was replaced with Flovent an inhaler ( 2 puffs 2 x a day to begin and then later it will be 1 puff as the inflammation gets better. It also comes in granules. I am feeling much better and now I am ready to stop Leg Cramps as I feel the singulair may have been causing the problem. While taking Singulair I also had stomach cramps with diarrhea. I will not go back on Singulair. If the cramping returns, I will definitely go back on Leg Cramps with Quinine (available in any pharmacy over the counter and very inexpensive.

My 3 year old is on 5mg of singular daily for her constant allergy issues and has had NO trouble at all with it. Her personality has not changed.. she's happy, outgoing, friendly and MUCH better than she was before she started the medication. Prior to starting she was constantly dripping from her nose, she had both ears filled with fluid, had bags under her eyes and was tired and grumpy all the time, due to allergies we could not get under control with other over the counter or prescription meds. Since being on Singulair she's been 100% better than she was. I'm sad to hear that others are having so much trouble with it, but I can say that I am happy my little girl is feeling better.

I found this web site while searching side effect of Singulair. My Son - 7 years old is experiencing same issue - Severe random leg pain in both legs or 1 leg as mentioned by few others. He can not walk when it happened and I have to carry him. The pain disappear in 2-3 days or sometimes it takes 5-6 days.

We did X-Ray and doc could not find anything wrong.

Others..who are facing same issue...I would appreciate if u can send me an email to ****** so that we can talk in detail.

I was surprised to hear that Merc, the maker of singulair update their side effects 4 times in one year to include depression, anxiety, suicide, and suicidal thoughts. It was prescribed to me cos of my allergies and asthma. I never really took singulair on a daily basis because it made me feel so tired and out of it. So i would only take it when my allergies were very very bad, like having a bad sneezing fit or nose would be runny non stop which would be at least 1 to 2 times a month. My asthma wasn't really that bad, i would get it when my allergies would act up like i mentioned before. When the fires in California were going on my asthma started acting up because of all the ash in the air. I was having asthma attacks every day. Since singulair works great for asthma i started to take it everyday and noticed my asthma went away. The first couple days were fine..and after two weeks i started noticing i was becoming anxious and irritable. Also depression sunk in...So i wondered what was causing it. I wasn't going trhough any major life changes. So i looked up singuliar side effects and noticed the four new side effects that i mentioned above...I stopped taking the pills to see what would happen and i felt emotionally better but the asthma came back..id rather suck on my inhaler then be anxious and depressed.

My son is 3 and has been on Singulair since around springtime (I think... I've lost count). Anyway, during this summer we noticed his behavior had just gone straight to hell. At first I was attributing it to the wonderful world of the three year old, but it was just getting ridiculous. He was having countless meltdowns, screaming bloody murder (I mean SCREAMING to the point of going hoarse), hitting, punching, slamming, banging, crying hysterically for ridiculous reasons, yelling out during the night, and showing OCD behaviors. I was fearing that he might have ADHD/OCD until my husband stumbled upon this website. I remember hearing stories about teenagers having horrible side effects from singulair, but didn't think it was affecting my son at 3. As I read the entries on this website I felt like they were talking about my son.

I am taking him off of it to see what happens, but now I'm nervous that his asthma will flare. He's had quite a few asthma episodes since the fall allergy season has started. I suppose he'll need to go for awhile to get everything out of his system to see if the behavior changes, and then I hope to find a new preventative. We have Pulmicort and Xopenex and an inhaler ready!

*UPDATE* Well, it hasn't quite been two weeks since I've taken James off of Singulair and - I am not kidding you - his behavior improved the FIRST day. I want anyone who reads this to know that I am not an "alarmist", I DON'T freak out over everything I read, I do a lot of research (kind of obsessive myself :), so please understand that I am not one to usually write things like this...I mean, I pushed my allergist to give it to him in the first place! There are plenty of kids out there that are fine on Singulair, but some are not. I didn't make the connection to the Singulair since the average three year old is irrational and unpredictable anyway, but I KNEW something wasn't right. It wasn't just tantrums and whatever, his overall personality had done a 180. In the last two weeks my son has returned. He still, of course, has three year old moments, but he is back to the caring, loving, curious, excited, social, happy kid I had last year. One of the worst things we were seeing two weeks ago was bedtime behavior. BAD OCD behaviors - everything in his room had to be PERFECT. The curtains couldn't have a peek of light shining through, there could be nothing on the floor, everything had to be in order. He would obsess about things (creatures) coming into his room, when we would say goodnight and close the door he would scream and cry like someone was stabbing him and was petrified. The FIRST night that we stopped the Singulair he laid his head on his pillow, said goodnight and went to sleep. Please keep an eye out for personality changes in your kids.
*November update* it's been almost two months since we took James off Singulair and we haven't seen ONE BIT of the horrible behavior that we had w/ the Singulair! Normal "three-year-old moments", but no return of the "devil child", no OCD, nighttime freak-outs, violence, or any of it.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!!

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.

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

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

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 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.

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.

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

I first read notes on this site in February 08 when our Doctor prescribed Singulair. My 7 year old daughter is a silent asthmatic which prompted me to push past the side effect warnings written here and give it a go. Rach had strong side effects for the first two weeks & then seemed to settle, so I persevered with it. The drug didn't seem to have no effect on her asthma flare ups but the doctors didn't believe me and encouraged me to keep going. After 6mths I called it quits and took her off it. She's now back to her normal self. No longer emotional, her school work picked up immensely, no more nightmares or unexplained body aches. She does still have tummy aches but they are subsiding. She's been off singulair for 3 months now. Every doctor and pharmacy I spoke to denied the side effects and promoted the product. To anyone researching this drug, do your little one a favour and don't use Singulair unless it is a last resort. There are so many other alternatives out there.

I have a 4 year old that was on Singulair for 17 days. He has always been a strong will child, yet he was always manageable. Those days that he was on it, and a couple of weeks after were the hardest weeks I have ever had with him. Within days of taking it I began to notice an extreme change in his behavior. He was moody, angry, he was beginning to be aggressive. He wasn't sleeping through the night anymore, and even began wetting the bed, something he hasn't done since he was two.

It was prescribed for his asthma, he couldn't walk five steps without coughing and wheezing. It did work, but I didn't think it was worth it. I went in to see his doctor, she said the aggression wasn't a side effect of Singulair in children, but had been recorded in adults. So she said it was fine to take him off of it. And to control his coughing he could just use 2 puffs of Flovent twice a day.

Well, he's been off of it for almost 2 weeks. His first days off were the same if not worse. He was even moodier than usual. I started thinking it wasn't the Singulair. He became exhausted, sleeping in the day. Was still angry and not sleeping at night.

But as he heads into his 2nd week off Singulair, he seems to be acting normal again. :) Normal for a 4 year old anyway. He's been sleeping through the night for the past few days and has been happier. He's playing again with his toys in a non-aggressive way. He just seems like he's becoming himself again.

I read some things were people said they didn't notice a change in their child, but it's taking some time for my boy to get back to "normal."

My 8 yr old has been on singulair since May. I never put two and two together until reading these posts. He has been having anxiety at night..crying and looking terrified saying he can't stop the scary thoughts in his head. Tonight I felt so bad for him...because I can't make it go away. I am hoping with tonight being the last night on singulair he will not have such a hard time at night. He also says it's very hard to get to sleep at night. Poor kid. I also know he's a sensitive kid but it seems a bit overboard in the last few months....like getting upset and just not knowing how to handle his emotions so he just shuts down. Please message me if you've had similar experiences. I'm calling his dr. on Monday to figure out some other options if there is any. My son started with a cough in March and finally took him to see the dr. in May and she heard wheezing and started him on singulair and then added zyrtec. I know they control his coughing (wheezing...slight asthma) because if we miss a dose he coughs all day the next day. I'm a bit scared to go off it...but hope it stops the anxiety and moodiness. He had his first asthma attack last week too...and I wasn't prepared as we never have had to use the inhaler...so I didn't have it with us. Anyway, hoping he doesn't get too bad taking him off...and I hope he is able to control the scary thoughts by going off of it too.

Just wanted to offer a follow-up on our daughters behavior since getting off Singulair and Advair. AMAZING difference. She is a pretty normal 12 year old now. The most noticable thing to me is her voice. On the drugs she always sounded so gruff and angry. Now she sounds sweet. She smiles so much more and is not eager to become angry. I can reason with her more now when there is a disagreement. It will be a long process to break habits of behavior that have developed over the past ten years, (yes, ten years, she started these poisons when she was two years old) We are very hopeful for her future. I am so very thankful that I was led to this site.

Today is 4years exactly that Matt had his one and only asthma episode,that sent us done the road of singulair disaster,7 months of the drug now thanks to Kate who went public with her story.Each new day brings more hope for a full recovery,although the road is long and strewn with guilt and anger.First i was angry with my doctor,then Merck now the FDA,but the guilt always stayed with me.Ive spent hours on wouldas couldas and shouldas but none the less it is what it is.I have had an education in things i really didn't want to know,the medical system,the justice system,and our government.I have written hundreds of letters reported 3 times to the FDA,never a response other than your email was received,called and reported to Merck twice,they were always ready and willing to take my info,so today i wrote to the FBI asking if they could investigate corruption at the FDA,proberly they will laugh and trow it out,or maybe even put me on a list of some kind,but i will leave no stone unturned until some one explains to me how this happened in America

I have a 4yr old boy who has been on singulair for 5 months. Before he began singulair he was the most happy, kind, gentle, loving boy. We had an awesome close relationship. I enjoyed just sitting there watching him play. I could not wait for him to learn something new, but EVERYTHING has changed now. I took him off of singulair on Sept 19, 2008 after accidentally running into this site while looking up children and OCD. Thank God I did. It has been 12 days since I found this and took him off. I couldn't type then because I was to upset. My son who never had ANY mental problems or anxiety is now completely riddled with it. Instead of playing all day care free like 4yr old are supposed to do, my son spends his days now clinging to me in fear that I may leave or go into a room without him and he will not be there to open the door. He obsessively has to open every door now. He spends his days getting upset at the smallest things. He now gets mad at everything I say, or I don't say it right. Our relationship is not the same now, and I am devastated. Before Singulair he slept through the night every night. Now he wakes up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom and say "are you still there mom?" ok "I love you" "Don't let the bed bugs bite" I have to answer "I love you to" and "you either" If anything different is said he will go nuts, and he will obsessively say this over and over and over again. This is not my son. He is a totally different person. I am so very scared that this poison has permanently ruined him. I mean he is so young and his brain is developing. It has been developing with this poison in it, that has ruined him. It has been 12 days and he is still doing the same ocd stuff. He still seems really agitated. His muscles hurt, his tummy hurts, his eyes hurt, his ankles hurt, and he has diarrhea. My beautiful boy is now mentally and physically SICK because of singulair. I feel really bad to, because I did not know at first that the singulair was causing this and I was always getting on to him for his behavior and putting him in his room. At pre-school a couple of days after first giving singulair to him he started crying ALL DAY at school, and I made him stay there because I thought it was just because he had gotten a new teacher and he needed to get used to her. I feel terrible!! Does anyone know if the ocd will go away or has he now learned the behavior?