Singulair and merck

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?

I was encourage when i read the post of the lady a few posts down,who picked up her prescription and it was covered in stickers telling her of post market side effects,a long time coming yes ,but it is happening none the less.Several articles on merck have noted flat Singulair sales,due to safety concerns,the word is getting out slowly but surely.I know we have been frustrated with how slow it is all happening,but it is happening.One of our hospitals here in cleveland now will list a doctors affiliation with a pharma company,important news for us that know what the implications of that could mean.We have had an education in the medical system,which quite frankly i found shocking,i don't think any of us will every fill a prescription again with out research,we have learned ,we are not the same,we must continue to change a system that is broken ,the dollar must be secondary to the health of all of us.I again urge all that still have issues to file a report with the fda,Keep on fighting

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.

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.

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.

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???

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.

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!!!

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.

I have a daughter who is almost 3 yrs. old. Her pediatrician prescribed her Singulair when she was 18 months so she's been on it for a little over a year. She has suffered from allergies since she was an infant although we've lived in Atlanta and Cincinnati since her birth - two of the worst cities in the US for allergies and air quality!! I cannot tell you how disturbing yet reassuring it is to read all of your posted side effects..I can relate to so many of your experiences! Its so ironic though b/c the initial reason our last pediatrician put her on Singulair was b/c she was feeling so badly from her allergies...but since she began taking it, she has had SO many more issues with not only her health but mental state. She has had serious aggression issues - taking it out physically on other children, her peers and our poor dogs and cat. She has tons of trouble falling asleep at night, is a very picky eater and has unexplained bouts of anger. When it started, we thought it was b/c like so many toddlers, she couldn't express herself. But she began talking at 18 months and could also sign and always seemed to communicate to us in her own way prior to that so that didn't add up. We've had a lot of external changes in our lives in the past year so everyone I've talked to about her issues has assured me that it was due to these and to keep on trying everything we could; that it was only a "phase". But the one thing I keep thinking about is how different she was prior to taking Singulair and how her mental well being changed so drastically from that point on. She was such a sweet, lovable child who was sleeping throughout the night (since she was 8 months old). She had a great appetite and loved trying new foods. She never had any aggression issues AT ALL before that. I even asked her previous caregiver abt. any aggression issues she had while watching her (which was up until 2 months before she started taking Singulair) and she said she never had ANY issues. In all, like so many of you posted abt. your children, she was a completely different child!! After going to her doctor this morning to have her checked for what I suspected was a sinus infection, he told me to absolutely continue giving her Singulair year-round in addition to 10 mg of Claritin (which is twice as much as children ages 4 to 6 are supposed to take!) and Nosenex spray for the next few weeks. It seemed like an awful lot to give a 2 yr. old so I started researching and came across this site. I am going to stop giving her Singulair today and look into some non-prescription alternatives. I take Oil of Oregano for my allergies since I can't handle the side effects of over-the-counter drugs so maybe my daughter can take this as well? I am so scared of how this drug has affected my child and hope that there hasn't been any permanent damage. I feel terrible that I trusted both of her doctors before researching this drug. I am SO thankful for finding this site and for reading your stories and will report back in a few weeks to update you on my little one's condition.

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.

My 7 yr old daughter has been off of Singulair for 12 days now. The change in her personality is amazing. She experienced two nights of strange dreams and waking in the middle of the night. We put her back on Flovent once a day as a substitute. Her aggression and frustration went away within days. She is so happy and content with herself. I can see that she is no longer frustrated by emotions that she could not explain. She's silly, funny, happy. She no longer hates us, pulls her hair, or tries to slap herself because she's thinks she deserves it. She has been on the drug since she was 3-1/2. We were doing family therapy to try to help her. This is no longer needed. She's back to her old self. What a shame no one warned us of this potential side effect. I also wondered how I missed the news story since I just found this site in September 2008. The news story about Singulair came out in March - just around Spring Break. Since we were out of the country, I missed the news. Isn't that a convenient time of the year to break a story? I'm sure many other families missed the news.

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?

Hi,
I'm a 38 year old woman who went on Singulair in September of 2006. By December of that year I started experiencing heart palpitations,dizziness,and nightmares that stayed with me in my waking hours. By January of 2007 I was having full blown anxiety attacks. My doctor ran every test under the sun and I went to several therapists. By the end of January my doctor had me on Effexor, and several other short term aids such as atavan. The summer of 2007 I started experiencing stomach pains and sever diarrhea. As much as I loved my 20 pound weight loss, it was not a lot of fun. Again every test under the sun showed nothing. This spring I heard of the concerns of Singulair and immediately went off of it. Within a few weeks I felt like my old self. I am still weaning off of the Effexor and my asthma is not as good as it was on the Singular, but it is worth having my health and my life back. I feel that Singular almost ruined 2 years of my life. It should be taken off of the market.

What you will not hear elsewhere: Though Singulair is likely safe, it is ridiculously over prescribed. Singulair is indicated for the treatment of allergies and asthma. For allergies, It has not been shown to be more effective than Claritin (which is now generic and over-the-counter). In fact, when Merck-Schering were trying to add Singulair to Claritin, they found it no more effective than Claritin alone (sound familiar?). In this case, they decided not to manufacture this new pill. The most effective agents for allergic rhinitis are inhaled nasal corticosteroids. Flonase is now available as generic fluticasone, and is much more effective then Singulair (which is not generic), Claritin or the combination of the two. Regarding asthma, the updated 2007 NIH guidelines recommend inhaled corticosteroids for asthmatics of all ages. The data is overwhelming, clear and convincing. Singulair, which has much less of an effect is considered alternative therapy by the NIH. Yet, Singulair remains one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for asthma.

I aged ten years in a month. My legs lost any muscular power and I needed help to get up our 3 steps to the front door. My eyes are sore and my balance is also affected. What I do not know is how long am I going to be affected like this. I began to think that I was starting with either motor
neurone disease or Parkinson's disease.
Muscle weakness, loss of balance, bad dreams,anxiety, irritability.joint pain.sore itchy eyes and difficulty focusing on printed pages.
A., Yorkshire, England.I am 69 years old and prior to Singulaire I was pretty fit for my age.

I have been reading a book on anxiety and phobias,it says that the Gene # 23 is shorter for people pre dispositioned for anxiety,If this is the case it makes sense as this drug works genetically,,so i wonder the % of short 23 to long 23, and that would give Merck its % of adverse side effects...betting its more than they are saying.As far as the doctors still saying this is a small %,they are just not asking the right questions,The insurance companies should have a record on clients that filled prescriptions for singulair and anti depressants and adhd drugs.If we all cn figure it out in a week ,Well what does that say

POLL: If you or your child have been adversely affected by Singulair could you please reply to this and let me know what ethnicity you are and skin tone. (fair, med., dark, etc.) I'm interested in the demographics of this drugs effects.
Thank you!

Also next year, Merck’s going to start reporting payments it makes to doctors who speak on behalf of the company and its products. That stops short of Lilly’s plan to report payments both to doctors who speak for the company and to those who serve as consultants.

Merck and Lilly are both staying a step ahead of the congressional shotgun on this one — the Physician Payments Sunshine Act that’s rattling around the halls of Congress would require drug makers and medical-device companies to report payments to docs...................................Just betting my docs name is on this list...

I have been on singulair for several months or more. In the last month or so I have had a handful of breakdowns emotionally, crying like a little baby some worse than others. I feel paranoid but i don't know if that is just a case of anxiety.Leaving the house has become an issue if it is a bad sad feeling day. I just learned about an investigation tonight and googles it. It lead me here.

I don't know what to do.

My Daughter is almost 11 and has been on Singulair since the age of 3. She has some very serious signs of anxiety. I was never told of any of the possibilities of these kinds of side effects. As a matter of fact the doctor never discussed any side effects. I only know what I read on the prescription information almost 8 years ago. I am horrified to find out about this information. She has also been complaining for a very long time of spasms and pains in her legs which I have brought up to her doctor and he claims they are and have been growing pains. She came home from school the other day and was devastated over some bullying that had occurred toward her that day. I was heartbroken to listen to this from her knowing I cant be at school to protect her from this unnecessary garbage and at the same time was waiting for the 11 o'clock news on the singulair information. Now reading all of this, I am sincerely concerned about what is really going on in her mind after I watched her get up the next morning on her own at 5:30 a.m., ready by 6:00 in a full blown anxiety attack about going to school, and dreading going period. I will be speaking to her doctor immediately and I will be removing her from this prescription to see if there is a difference.

Along with uncharacteristic depression from using singulair for only a few months- I experienced ( and still now, after 1 week prior to ending my daily dosage) terrible lower calf cramps I have never experienced before. Not only do I get quick searing pains in my legs at night, but my calf muscles are very sore whenever participating in brisk physically activity. I hope these side effects will terminate shortly- because for an athletic thirteen year old high school freshman, depression, lack of energy and physical pains are not making the beginning of young adulthood a very enjoyable experience

My Daughter has been the same way .. she had the headaches, stomach pain, very depressed .. she has missed 6 months of school she was afraid to go to school, shopping, and being left alone.. I have put her on medication for her depression, and anxiety . i have her in therapy for this... she is not the same child i just want my beautiful daughter back..We are having a hard time with her from school to he social life.. and from her tring to kill herself.. My daughter is only 13 years old...I think someone needs to pay for this... please there must be help out there...How long must this go on before people (FDA, Merck, ALA, etc.) will take this seriously?!?!?!?!
I want my beautiful katelynn back........................
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My son Tyler was 5 when he started taking it. He was on it for approx. 2 weeks when he started bleeding out from his ears. I phoned Merck and made them do an incident report and mail it to my sons primary care doctor as well as myself. Tyler was in the 2% that had that had happened to. I was infuriated and I tell everyone I know how the I was deceived by not being told of all the side effects.

I wanted to post an update on my contact with the Congresswoman's office , which I am communicating with.The ALA study we were all so upset with,was originally done by Merck,what a surprise!The FDA did contact me and state that they look at all the available data and have even reviewed this site.I am reiterating how important it is to contact your representative in Congress,they are trying to form a coalition for better notification practices.Our Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is working with other members and looking for more to contact her office, that have families they represent.Also the Parents United for Pharmaceutical Safety and Accountability group that Jenna has formed is a very important tool.I will hand deliver it to Washington if we get enough people to get involved.The FDA is taking more time than we would all like but,if they have hired more staff and hopefully that alone will expedite this investigation along.I hope the awareness level rises when WBZT out of Boston airs our stories.Again Please Make a nuisance out of yourself with your Congress Rep. it will help to make it a law to expedite important information on added side effects to the doctors and pharmacist .All of us need to come togehter as one voice and it will make a stronger statement.When the advocacy website is up and running,we can all help by taking the time to contact those who have posted to sign up and get involved.The importance of this was stressed to me by the Congresswoman's staff.I also walked in a Suicide Awareness and Prevention walk over the weekend,I took the opportunity to hand out flyers I printed. They contained information on the serious side effects such as suicidal thoughts and actions, so people that may have had a loved one die from suicide and taking SINGULAIR could make the connection.Many have not made the connection and they are unaware of the link!!!!!!!
I am looking for all avenues to travel, any ideas are appreciated.I have scanned a print out of a sheet that is an alert to post in schools and emailed it to Jenna,if you would like a copy send me a private email and your email address.A family member worked with the School nurse in her hometown and made this a communication tool.You can start at that level and just white out the name of the town and the nurse add your own or nothing just the alert.We went to all the local schools and there is no liability it just states the facts,good for the bulletin board in community centers also!Do what you can to help,it is grass roots efforts that brought this country to what it is now.Even through disappointments we still have the freedom to try to make change.Kate M.

IS THIS SITE AN ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS?

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

My daughter had been on singulair from the time she was 8 yrs old until she was 14. This will sound as if I am a horrible mother but I just thought that she was a raging bitch. Without my knowledge, she stopped taking her Singulair for a few months and she became a different person. She was so sweet and loving. One night she came in my room having an asthma attack and I asked her if she was taking her meds, she admitted that she had stopped taking her singulair and I got on to her and immediately got her prescription refilled. Within a few days of taking the singulair she turned into a raging, screaming emotional wreck, a TOTALLY different person. I feel so bad that for 6 years of her life I put her on medicine that caused her to have screaming, uncontrollable tantrums, and severe mood swings that caused her to be miserable. It does seem to be the only thing that effectively controls her asthma symptoms but the emotional havoc that is causes her and the people around her is not worth the benefits. We have an appt. with her doctor to see what other options we have.

One more thing:

It is imperative that you file an "Adverse Events Report" with the FDA. Insist that your or your child's doctor does as well. Doctors are NOT mandated to report adverse reactions of a drug to the FDA. The system is currently voluntary.

I think this fact is part of the reason it has taken so long for the truth about this medication to be revealed.

Also report your "Adverse Events" directly to Merck, Singulair's manufacturer. I believe drug companies are REQUIRED to report to the FDA.

I am wrong about these facts, somebody correct me please.

To anyone new to this site whose child is on Singulair and having problems consistent with the adverse reactions to Singulair documented on this site: take your child to the doctor as soon as possible and tell them you believe that your child is having an adverse reaction to the drug. Do not let yourself be talked into believing that Singulair does not have these side effects. Too many of us right here can confirm that it does. Even though the prescribing information for this drug has been updated to include a warning about these adverse effects, and the FDA is conducting an investigation into the safety of this drug, not all doctors are aware and some are simply unwilling to believe. If you hear "anecdotal evidence", "highly unlikely," or "I've never seen it happen" uttered during your visit, know that your doctor is making excuses for not knowing accurate information about this drug.

Doctors may attribute your child's behavior to their personality or developmental stages. But any child on Singulair should be removed from the drug if a consistent pattern of different or abnormal behavior is present. Most children do not fly off the handle for no reason, have night terrors, prolonged, violent temper tantrums, and act anxious, angry, sad, hateful, disconnected, or withdrawn most of the time. Most children do not have behavior problems that consistently leave you feeling like the worst parent in the world and completely mentally exhausted at the end of each and every day.

Tell your doctor that you want them to prescribe another asthma maintanence medication with a documented low risk of side effects. If your doctor trivializes your concerns or refuses to honor your request, FIND A NEW DOCTOR! YOU are the expert on your child, not someone who sees them a few times a year for a few minutes at a time.

After Singulair has been stopped, watch for a positive change in behavior over the course of several weeks. Make sure you have rescue medications on hand in case needed.

Most importantly, GO WITH YOUR GUT. "If something doesn't feel right, then something ain't right!"

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

Hi Everyone,
WBZTV out of Boston interviewed my family this evening about our singulair experience. They seemed very interested in this story as it relates to how families and individuals have been affected by singulair and will be airing it soon....don't know the exact date yet. My son was able to say on camera that it made him feel "crazy" inside when he was taking singulair and that he feels "much better" since he stopped taking it. We told them we feel lucky to have gotten through our experience but there are so many others who have suffered and are currently suffering very badly as a result of the side effects of singulair.
I think the FDA and Merck now need to stand up and start taking some accountability for a drug that is admittedly "over prescribed". Doctors should be divulging the potential side effects of ALL drugs BEFORE prescribing it so the patient can be fully aware. I mean c'mon the warnings are on page 28 of a 33 page patient information pamphlet. Don't you think it should be on page 1? OK, maybe page 2.
They need to black box this drug. People have lost their lives to it and doctor's need to take their fingers out of their ears!

I am happy I found this website to express my concerns about singulair. My husband and I are still shellshocked about how singulair turned our lives upside down. My son was on singulair for 5 years. During that time he had extreme anxiety, nightmares, stomach aches, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, difficulty in school, aggressive behavior. We were at our wits end when we sought therapy at an anxiety clinic a year ago. He never went on any antidepressants or anti anxiety pills, just behavioral therapy. He went to therapy for approximately 5 months once a week. At the time he started therapy, I happened to switch doctors for his asthma due to an asthma flare up. He went to a pulmonology specialist at CHOP. He was taken off of singulair and put on other inhaler medications. Slowly, we began to see improvement in his behavior. I was holding my breath, thinking I was imagining his improvements and hoping his symptoms would not return. My son is now 9 years old and has been off singulair for one year. His horrific symptoms are gone and he no longer needs therapy. He is a happy, active nine year old. He had a successful year in second grade last year. I never realized it could have been singulair that caused his symptoms until I heard it on the news. His symptoms were always related to "behavioral problems". It was such a heart wrenching, frustrating experience because we could not figure out why he was behaving this way. My heart goes out to all the families who have experienced devastating symptoms. I contacted merck and the FDA. I want to contact my state representative. I am looking forward to seeing the results of the FDA study. I am curious how they are obtaining their data because I was never questioned about the details of my experience.

I too filed a report with the FDA after I ended up in the hospital for 3 days after being on Singulair for 8 days. I never heard a word from them...never wanted to ask any questions, or follow up. This is crazy! People are having more than just "side effects" from this poison, and based upon the number of complaints here on this site, it's not just a few of us. I don't see how this can continue to go on. It is so frustrating...people are getting hurt, and dying from this stuff. How long must this go on before people (FDA, Merck, ALA, etc.) will take this seriously?!?!?!?!

I'm starting my first day today taking my son of Sinculair after reading all the post. I'm here because I was searching for answers as to why my son's legs were hurting all the time. He is on several medications and Sinculair being on of them.. Also in the past year he has been put on antidepressants, and now maybe I'm wondering if it's necessary at all that maybe it's been the Sinculair.
My son is 10 yrs. old and been using Sinculair for 3 yrs. I'll post back in about a week if I notice any changes.

Thanks for the update Kate,as we wait with interest in what Merck has to say,I hope it is not a repeat of the Lung Associations report.To review past clinical studies,i dont know feels crazy,to ignore post marketing reports,well ignorant.My fear is after making my report to the FDA,that was the end of it not one follow up for further information,not one question on how our recovery was continuing nothing.All my letters to my congressman not one reply,i did not ask for a reply,but if someone wrote to me as often as i write,i would at least want to rule out stalking.Clinical trials are what they are,they are for profit,and not the profit of the participant,but profit for the companies and clinics holding trials,this by itself is a conflict of interest.We must continue to demand change the very future of our children demands it.Those of us who have seen the ravages of this drug must still shout out till we are heard our experiences do count no matter what the out come of this investigation.Good luck to all keep fighting

Hey to All.
I know that the ALA study got everyone upset and I am happy we all emailed her.We all pretty much got the same response from Heather,defending the study and the integrity of the results.If only this investigation would conclude!
The Merck company contacted our Senator and indicated there was a conclusion and then ,they never got back to her before the weekend.I will have news early in the week.Please everyone just keep on voicing your concerns by reaching out any way you can.Sometimes it seems unbearable and I have to take a break with the communications on this website but,I continue my communication with my local contacts and the FDA.
I would love quick results and everyone would love this to get the publicity this story deserves but,if you look at how far we have come getting attention focused on this drug it is amazing.
This website has been here for years and people have complained and nothing has been accomplished until now.Our system is so broken it will take time to fix it.Drugs get approved everyday and when they are put out for multi use,the population benefit -risk ratio changes and there is little oversight on this matter.
The problem is much bigger than just notification of updated side effects,which indeed is why our son died from this drug.It is reporting adverse events to the FDA and the drug company and following up on your report.We can only fight within the system of the government that is in place at the moment and push for change to take place in there programs.
This is what has take place as of this year,The FDA's new 'Safe Use "iniative(which when it gets further developed will increase our partnerships with physicians as well as patients) and the July 2008 AAM report" Education in Safe and Effective Prescribing Practices" which aims to address the education of the next generation of physicians on how to best use medicines.This may help in notification practices and over prescribing but, we want the drug companies to lose the unprecedented control over the clinical research and and evaluation of there own drugs.What other company in the USA, gets to self regulate.Change will come ,we have asked for accountability by having a signature exchange when new and updated side effects are found.Full disclosure of all reported adverse events to doctors from the company representatives,with signature required upon full understanding of the benefit -risk ratio change. A prescriber should know all the good and the bad about a medicine they have chosen to dispense,if not then they should not be able to dispense it.If we were not knowledgeable about selling mushrooms and we sold the poisonous ones ,because we did not take the time it would take to educate ourselves about them,would we not be legally responsible for our actions.
Accountability is what we are asking for and maybe the candyland doctor prescribing practices would stop.They seem to ,not have a responsibility to their patients and the company has no responsibility to the prescribers,so who is responsible for our safety?
I will keep fighting for real change and all you people must do the same ,make an appointment with your representatives and have them contact our Congress representative of NY,maybe with enough onboard we can get the legislation we need to put a law in place for proper notification practices.Kirsten E. Gillibrand Member of the US House of Representatives 120 Cannon House Office Builing Washington, D.C. 20515
This is how change is made ,if you want to help please go forward and do this and don't stop until they listen.I am always willing to do whatever I can,it is physically exhausting and sometimes I just have to step away but, my daily review of this site has not stopped and my fight will continue.Dave and I sit here and our hearts just break for all but, we need people to push their Representatives they do work for the people just remind them of that.Any one with questions or that wants to communicate via private email just ask for my email address or phone number or leave me yours and a time and I will be sure to contact you,Kate M.

Just read an FDA article out today, I believe. The FDA is looking to publish quarterly a list of "potential problem drugs". That is fantastic! But where will this information be posted, and how often should a medical prescriber visit and hunt for such information?

I still maintain every medical professional with the appropriate credentials to prescribe any medication should be required to register with an email address with a database within the FDA to immediately communicate this new-found quarterly list, as well as any investigations launched (as with Merck/Singulair). Wow - what a concept.

I suppose I should be somewhat more optimistic with a slight move in the right direction - but I know with all my heart neither my daughter's pediatrician, nor my personal intern will receive, nor be aware, of any of the quarterly "lists".

Will keep trying to get a change within the FDA.

Welcome a board singulairsurvivor. I received back an email from the woman at the lung association,she was of course sorry for our experiancr,and went on to say the scientist that reviewed the data were some of the best,and the association has no ties to any product.then as i am watching the updates on the hurricanes,i am inendated with singulair commercials as once again it is allergy season,so what a windfall for Merck that this article came out this month and not next....Coincidense i think not shame shame shame on you.To all those unsuspecting people about to get their prescription .i am sorry

This article was published by the Wall Street Journal some time ago...but the point being if clinical studies of Mercks were questionable for want of a better word ..cheating..why would you go back to review old studies ...as surely now they are all suspect...............................................This week’s JAMA lands with one article that says some published studies of the drug were actually written by uncredited ghostwriters hired by the company, and a second piece arguing that Merck didn’t appropriately report mortality data from two studies of Vioxx in Alzheimer’s patients................................................

Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. researchers found no evidence to support regulatory warnings that Merck & Co.'s Singulair asthma and allergy drug, taken by millions of Americans over the past decade, may be linked to depression or suicide.

The findings will be published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the American Lung Association said in a statement on PRNewswire today. The study was sponsored by the association, which doesn't endorse products, it said.
HOLY COW

Please add me to the list of people with an extremely adverse reaction to Singulair. I had been taking 10 mg Singulair since 2005 after sinus surgery In June 2008 after returning from vacation I didn't get my prescription refilled in a timely manner and went without it for ~one week. In July I got a new prescription filled for Singulair and also began taking Advair Diskus 250/50 and AllegraD after an increase in asthma symptoms. I first thought the anxiety attacks were from the AllegraD as the "D" is for decongestant and contains psuedo-epinipherine. But the anxiousness continued and got worse after stopping the AllegraD. I then stopped taking the Advair (and also a nasal spray that I use called Flonase also since 2005) but was still in a major depressive episode with daily thoughts of suicide. It wasn't until I stopped taking the Singulair on August 23 that I started to return to normal. My normal does include a history of depression for which I take 10mg Paxil daily. Like the post from the psychiatrists wife noted, I am not sure if there is a direct scientific connection between these events. I do know that I never want to go back to that place I was in. I am shocked at the speed with witch I started to feel good after stopping the Singulair. I still have low grade sad feelings but I have stopped planning my own death. I always took my dose of Singulair in the morning and ~one hour later would begin to feel anxious. My evenings were tolerable with emotions slightly better. I simply stopped taking the medication without tapering and I am beginning to deal with what happened to me. Thank you all for sharing. Thank you.

SINGULAIR AND ZYRTEC SAME MEDICATION made by different companies. Be careful!

I have been reading all of these posts and have another question. I hope that someone can help. My daughter, 8 years old, has been on Singulair since she was 4. She is normally a very happy girl with a wonderful disposition. For the last year or so, she has been having trouble getting herself to sleep at night. She says that she hears things in her head such as ringing or "noises". A few hours before she knows it's bedtime, she cries and when we ask her why she's crying, she can't give us a reason. We initially thought that she was crying for no reason because she didn't want to go to sleep. I remember reading about the side effects of Singulair causing mood swings, etc., but her's are not violent mood swings. Just very emotional and has a hard time coming down from the "episode". I'm at a loss...I have not talked to her doctor yet about it, but have told her that we will make an appointment this week to discuss it with him. My husband suggested that maybe it sounded like she was having a panic attack or anxiety attack. I hate to label her as that at such a young age. My mind now goes back to the side effects of Singulair and maybe this is to blame. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Concerned Mom