Singulair and heaven

Please contact me if you would like to help by sharing your story with the media,I am looking for stories of recovery after stopping the medication.Please use my private email under kate2 or just reply under this posting.Kate M.

I am a grandma to a 41/2 year old boy named Trevor. He has been on Singulair since he was 18mos. old. I am here to tell I am furious and heartsick to think that he has been subjected to a medication that can do the things it has done to him. I have NO DOUBT that Singulair is the problem. Our daughter and son-in-law have been at their wits end with
him and was one phone call away from taking him to a therapist (they needed one too!) The phone call to me on Monday, July 28th, was out of
sheer desperation. My daughter wanted me to look up the side effects for Zirtec. After looking that up and not finding anything I happened to remember that Trevor was also on Singulair. The actual side effects listed
didn't ring any warning bells with me. Somehow I happened onto this website and OH MY GOSH I flipped out and cried through every letter written by parents with the same side effects Trevor has. The compulsion, anxiety, anger and (heaven forbid) the threats of wanting himself, or someone he loves very much to die.This is absolutely unheard of for someone his age. I'm ever so thankful I found this website. Trevor was taken off Singulair that very day and within 3 days we had the sweetest,
most normal 4yr. old, on this earth. When I think what could have happened
had he stayed on it any longer...I can't!!!

Here is an example of the fact that the medical community recognizes that there are gene based drugs. Because Singulair is modeled to be a receptor antagonist to the cysLT1 receptor and the cysLT1 receptor is a gene, I'd say that Singulair should be described as a gene based drug. I don't really care how anybody wants to play with the definition. CysLT1 is a gene with known variations. Why isn't there just an "across the board" warning for all gene based drugs that unexpected side effects are possible???? And, that doctors should watch out for individual reactions.

WMJ. 2005 Aug;104(6):61-6.Links
Gene-based drug prescribing: clinical implications of the cytochrome P450 genes.Musana AK, Wilke RA.
Department of General Internal Medicine, Marshfield Clinic, WI, USA.

The Institute of Medicine recently mandated an increased effort to improve patient safety and reduce medical error. With the description of genetic polymorphisms in the drug metabolizing enzymes, the field of pharmacogenetics may improve medical care through a reduction in both therapeutic failure and adverse drug reaction. Investigators at the Marshfield Clinic in central Wisconsin are piloting the process of gene-based drug prescribing in a variety of contexts. This paper reviews the field of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genetics and explores factors that impact the utility of this information in clinical practice.

PMID: 16218319

I have been on Singular for the past three years. I usually take a tablet in the evening at the same time I take a baby aspirin and Nyaspan (cholesterol). I didn't seem to have any problems except waking up periodically throughout the evening; thought this was due to age (63). I was without my Singular for about 10 days and then got a new prescription filled. When I took the first tablet I went to sleep and was awakened by a "burning, prickly" sensation im my arms, chest, face and thighs. I went into the bathroom and found myself covered with what I would call hives. I felt hot. Thank heaven I had some liquid Benadryl. After about 30 minutes I finally could relax enough to get back to sleep. By the next morning all that was left was a slight red "glow"; could have thought I went for a tanning session. The pharmacist couldn't give me an answer; I am now waiting for my doctor's input. In the meantime...I'll skip the Singular. (next time it may affect my breathing)

My son age 3 was diagnosed with asthma about a year ago. Since then he has been sick constantly. Most recently his doctor has prescribed Singulair. He is aggressively pushing it on us. I stated my concerns to him, and he said there is nothing wrong with the drug.. he gets all the news letters.. and all the things I listed was the first time he heard anything.. I asked for his to refer us to a specialist and he wont.. I cant find anyone for a second opinion..My son needs medicine- at night i cant leave his side cause of his breathing.. The doctor wont suggest any alternate and I am stuck. I keep reading about all the people who are not taking singulair anymore- what what are they taking? I am completely lost here!

My son is 10 ½, and had been on Singulair for almost 6years to treat his well controlled asthma and allergies. We have had behavior problems with him for years, but it seems to have gotten worse this school year, when his grades (he is in the gifted program at school) went down the tubes. Our family has been to counseling, where it was suggested we put him on ADHD meds. We resisted, but things had reached the point that I was ready to give the NEW meds a try. ARGH!!!!! Then my sister sent me a link for a story about the teenage boy who committed suicide. This was several weeks before the Singulair/suicide stories were in the news. I did some research, and I started reading these posts. It was like I was reading descriptions of my son!! I talked to several pharmacists and none of them knew of any behavior problems attributed to taking Singulair. Talked to his pediatric pulmonary doc, he knew of no connection, but said to try taking him off. He thought the allergy/asthma would be OK since he also uses an inhaled steroid every day. Well........... I thought I could see a difference in 4 or 5 days, my husband thought I was wishful thinking! But, since then everyone in his life agrees, he is a different kid! No moodiness, no unexplained anger, more on task, sleeping better. I could go on and on. There is no doubt in my mind, the differences started when he stopped taking the Singulair.

Here is some perspective for you all. I take Singulair and do well on it and in ACTUAL studies it has one of the safest safety records. Understand that post marketing reporting does not mean there is a correlation between the event and the product. Throughout the life of a drug the companies must disclose any report of side effects reported to them REGARDLESS of causality. A popular antihistamine that is OVER THE COUNTER also has suicidal thinking/behavior listed in its post marketing section. However, just because patients who had reported having these thoughts while taking the product doesn't mean it was a result of the product! Maybe they had a depressive personality and were also on multiple other medicines to treat that. You must look at the "Adverse Reactions, Warnings and Precautions" sections of package inserts to see the side effects that were actually seen in studies. You can die from ulcers derived from over use of aspirin or ibuprofen. Decongestants can throw off your blood pressure and these events are documented in actual studies! Listen to your bodies when taking any med. If you feel differently report it to your doctor.

These are all drugs people, there are potential side effects. There are also side effects to those "natural" over the counter remedies that are not nearly as regulated by the FDA or studies by the drug companies.

To anyone out there who has experienced side effects to singulair timed to when you started it, talk to your doctor, stop taking it and see if it goes away. Same advice for any product prescription or over the counter medicine. Side effects can be a combination of many factors (what other meds are you taking?) But understand for many people this product is the safest and most effective treatment for them. The FDA and Merck are reviewing all information to see if there is any correlation to the reporting. But singulair been around for about 10 years and prescibed to billions of people and is known to be one of the safer medicines out there overall.

In between the legitimate posts on this site I get the sense there is a lot of ambulance chasing going on. People looking to cash in on this big drug companies. We want drugs, we want them cheap and with no side effects which is not a reality. Keep stepping up the regulation and make the companies hire more lawers to protect themselves and jump through even more hoops and see what happens to the price and access to new meds. Even better, see how regulation has impacted the development of new medicines around the world (here's a tip, it will dramatically decrease). Drug companies certainly aren't perfect but which industry is?

Please, when taking any medicine over the counter, prescription or herbal supplement listen to your bodies to see if the potential benefits of the product outway the risks or side effects. Report any changes to your doctor.

My daughter who is ten has been taking singular for two years. My uncle and my mom had both told me about the recent report. I was outraged. Since I didn't see it myself, I got online to check it out. I am so pissed off. My daughter has at times seemed to be depressed, my husband and I just thought it was a phase. She was never consistently depressed, more of an up and down thing. And she was fatigued from time to time. I never made the connection to Singular. I mean seriously it's an allergy medicine. And I always read the label. Never once have I ever seen a label say " may cause depression, or suicidal thoughts." I immediately took her off of it. Her last dose was 3/27/08. I noticed a difference almost right away. With in a day or so she seemed to be happier. I am so pissed off at myself and the doctors. of course I would have no way of knowing singular could cause this. I guess as a mom I feel like I should have know. I feel horrible!! Never once have they ever said anything of these reports. The FDA will be hearing from me. They hand out the medications like candy and have no idea what it really does to people. I just PRAY that my daughter, my nephew ( who was also on it for quite some time) and all these other kids out there have no lasting side effects from this medication. God Bless you all I will be praying!

I have been crying for almost 24 hours now. I cannot believe what I am reading and hearing about Singulair. My son has been to hell and back again and again. I cannot say for sure the Singulair is the culprit. But after reading all of the other stories on this website, I am convinced it is a strong possibility.

My son is 11 years old. He has severe allergies and asthma. He takes many, many medications for this including Singulair. He as been on Singulair for about 8 years now (my best guess because he has been on it for sooooo long.)

My son was diagnosed with ADHD in pre-school. He has taken many medications for the ADHD, but none have ever done any good at all. We thought some of the medications even made things worse. Now, I'm not so sure.

After exhausting all the ADHD medications, our pediatrician sent my son to a psychiatrist and a counselor. The psychiatrist put him on 2 different antipsychotic medications. Again, neither one did any good and seemed to make matters worse. The psychiatrist sent my son to a psychologist to be tested for Asperger's. For those of you who don't know Asperger's is a high functioning form of autism. The psychologist ruled out Asperger's by diagnosed ADHD and Anxiety Disorder. He did not prescribe any medication.

For some unknown reason, I've only given my son the Singulair off and on for the last year. My son had the best year in school ever. However, his pediatrician was still not satisfied. He sent him to see another psychiatrist at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. We were told he is believed to have more than one disability. He is believed to have ADHD, Aspergers, Teurettes and a possible 4th medical problem that has not yet come to light.

We are scheduled to see a neurologist at Children's Hospital on the 15th of April to rule out any medical reasons for his tics. We see the psychiatrist again on the 18th of April.

I am so tormented by this recent news. Has all of these problems been caused from him taking the Singulair for so long? Although he has had his best year in school yet, he still has a lot of problems. Are the side effects of the Singulair permanent.

The other side of the coin is this: It is also very scary to watch my son not be able to breath. Asthma can also be life threatening. What is a parent supposed to do.

Also, I now don't know whether to keep these appointments that are coming up. I hate so much to put him through more. He has endured enough doctors and tests to last him a lifetime. However, what if it is not the Singulair and there is help out there for him that I am not aware of.

Please if anyone else has had a similar experiences e-mail me. I would love to hear from you.

God Bless everyone who has been through this kind of hell.

singular killed me. now i m typeing thisfrom heaven :(

I have just read several side affects that concerned parents have posted. I trusted my doctor to give my 4 year old daughter the best medicine for her allergies, he put her on singulair. I was not given the severity of the side affects of this medicine. Sadly by reading the change in behavior, that my perfect angel was lashing back phsically which was not her demeaner, she would through little fits over things she never did before. My daughter passed 2 weeks ago in her sleep. The one who taught me how to love myself is now in heaven. Robbed like a theft in the night. Her death is still unknown, by the stories I have read. I know what killed my baby!