Singulair and pneumonia

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.

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'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 son requires two forms of medications to stop the running nose, singulair and pediox. The two together were a very good combination and it did work. By eliminating the signulair on Oct. 6th, his nose is already running and he is coughing. We have tried Zyrtek and a few others I can't even remember, but none work as well. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I will be calling his pediatrician for other suggestions, but I know she will be against us taking him off of the singulair, especially since he has had pneumonia in the past.

I am a loving mother of a 5 1/2 year old boy. He has been on Singulair for over 3 years. In this past 3 years my son has suffered in an unspeakable amount. He came down with Rota Virus and was hospitalized at 2. He then came in contact with Pneumonia in the hospital while he was there. They automatically put him on Singulair, Zyrtec, Prednisone, and antibiotics to treat the pneumonia. Since that day, my son has gone though more tests than I have in my entire life. He has had asthma, sinusitis, leg cramping ( to the point he cannot walk for 2 years), IBS, Acid reflux,(they gave him laxatives for a year that made things worse and addicted to them also), stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea back and forth. He also got Erythema Mulitforme TWICE, while on this drug. All of which the doctors said could NOT be caused by Singulair. He has had several Upper GI's and CT scans. Along with Barium enemas, several hundreds of blood tests, and many many pokes and prodded that were not necessary. All since he has been on Singulair. He now has frequent bathroom trips, depression, confusion, and anger outbursts. He also has to go to the restroom every 5 minutes. He has had genital swelling, and many other aches and pains. None of which his "doctor" ever said could be a result of Singulair. I am 100% sure it was!!!! He currently has anxiety and emotional sporadic issues causing problems in school The teachers and counselors say that it is so strange because there is no TRIGGER and the outbursts are completely inconsistent. His preschool teacher and director are sure he has ADHD. Well, we had him tested and he does not have any part of it. He has no learning disability what-so-ever. So that brought me back to square one. He is in a positive loving enviroment. How could he be depressed and want to hurt everyone around him? He cannot sit still. He cries and says he is 'stupid" and "can't think" like the other boys. He has nightmares and cannot sleep alone. He is scared of everyone and everything. So, as I sit here crying, I realized that this has all been a reaction of his "medicine" Singulair. He never should have gone through all of those painful tests, only to prove they couldn't find anything. So many treatments and sound full advice speeches from his doctors. How could they be so naive and selfish in the life of my son?

When I called my pediatrician of 5 years, she told me that " parents that have children with behavioral problems will LOOK for something to blame their problems on." She also said "drug companies only put side effects on their labels to PROTECT the drug companies. (as she laughed at me) They are not always valid". Then she said "if you take you child off of Singulair you will be playing Russian Roulette in his life." Then she said that all children around 5 or 6 go though this emotional time in their lives." She told me that if I take my child off of Singulair that she would no longer be a part of his health regimen for his asthma. She told me to see a Pulmonologist for further treatment.
Who is paying who? This is my son's life???????? I decided to go with my mother-gut instinct and get him off of this medicine. No matter what. He has been a different person since. He is currently going though a lot of side effects and withdrawals (leg pain, insomnia, hic-ups, emotional distress) but every day is getting better. How can the drug companies say that this is a "wonder drug?" There are more reported side effected patients then clinical studied patients! How can a "medication" that stimulates the brain not be connected to other problems? This "medication" interferes with the bio synthesis and action of LTs and has been marketed as NOVEL medication against asthma and allergic rhinitis. Who the hell is playing God here??? The pocket books of Merck or our over PAID "doctors?" Who pays the price? Our children? Or us. Thank god I found this before it was too late. I would not be able to withstand the pain of losing my son due to their lack of scientific evidence. They are lucky I am one of the smart ones. I will not settle for less than Justice for the drug companies and their paid "doctors?" You all end up in the same place. HELL

There are 18 million people on this drug. Most of them are children. Please save a life if not your own child's life. Thank You

Hi everyone, I just want to say thank you for all who shared on this site. I am a 47 year old woman. I have spent several hours reading posts last night and today, and discontinued my Singulair last night. I have been taking it for approximately 4-5 years for mild asthma. Since then my health has gotten worse and deteriorated rapidly in the past year. I have had chronic chest congestion leading to frequent infections. Have had pneumonia three times in the last three years and frequent bronchitis. In the last eight months I have been on antibiotics more often than not, along with Singulair and Advair and frequent rounds of prednisone. Still I continued to worsen. I have had a rash on both legs since March which clears up with a shot of prednisone, but comes back within a few weeks. I've been going to bed nights by 7:30 and still find it hard to get up and go to work. Energy levels would vary, but some days I literally felt as if I could not keep putting one foot in front of the other. I have always been the quiet, serious type and prone to depression, but this past year it has been getting progressively worse. I have become very antisocial and even missed my son's wedding because I was so stressed out about it. I have also had alarming hair loss and just feel that my body is in a very depleted state.
My doctor, an allergist, ran a number of tests, but could find nothing. He finally referred me to a specialist at a University. He did a bronchoscopy and tested for tuberculosis and sarcoidosis because I had very similar symptoms to both of those diseases. They were both negative, but they found a rare form of bacteria in my lungs that doesn't respond well to medication. They felt that it should run its course eventually. I'm sure all of the immune suppressing drugs I have been on have made it difficult to recover from this. Aside from a two week prescription for a form of sulfa which they felt the bacteria may respond to, I am off all other drugs. For congestion they have prescribed a therapy vest instead of medication. I am very anxious to see if being free of Singulair and Advair helps me to recover more quickly. Already on day one I feel a better outlook on life and even went on a shopping trip with my mother today :-) I can't say at this time what role Singulair has played in all of this, but am anticipating an improvement after reading all of your posts. Thank you.

Update...Today is the 11th day my 7 yr. old son has been Singulair free! He was taking it for "cold induced" asthma. He never had the typical asthma where he needed an inhaler. He got RSV when he was almost 3, then whenever he got a URI it seemed to go straight to his lungs, so the dr. prescribed Singulair and Xopenex (to be used with a nebulizer). I had asked the dr. a few times to take him off Singulair because he seemed to be doing much better and I wanted to see how he would do without it. The dr. would say "oh, let's wait until summer or let's wait until allergy season is over" and kept putting it off. I just had some sort of bad "feeling" about it. Of course, I look back now and know with certainty that his wierd behaviors started around the time he started Singulair. I am relieved now because his erratic behaviors are almost totally gone!!!! When I heard the news I decided to take him off the Singulair immediately. I was nervous because he had a cold and a bad cough, but did it anyway. You know what? He is fine! His cough is almost gone now without the help of Singulair! He is much happier and can actually focus on doing his homework without getting up from his chair until he is done. Before he would get up about 10 times and just couldn't sit still. He has a better attitude about everything now! He is doing great! I hope everyone who was taking this and stopped is doing better! I learned a valuable lesson from all this. I won't put him or my other son on anything until I research it! I will not trust anything anymore, and that in itself is sad, but true. Good luck to all!

I am currently a junior in college and I have had severe allergies my whole life. Last summer my doctor prescribed Singulair and I really liked it as an allergy medicine (except for pollen). As a person, I am usually optimistic, happy go lucky, and always trying to make people laugh. I am also an avid learner, and I love school. I usually never miss class...well that was until last fall. I would get up everyday for my 930 class and take a shower and then for some reason just go back to bed. As Christmas approached- I failed my first class, got pneumonia, went on probation for my honor fraternity in which I was an officer, and was close to losing my academic scholarship. I changed my major to something easier in order to bring my grades back up this spring. I was actually excited about my new classes but then the semester started. Same routine- get up, take a shower, sleep and cry all day. I have lost most of friends due to my antisocial habits, gained 45 pounds to become 180 lbs on my 5'1 frame (borderline morbid obese). My parents and lifelong friends were worried I was going to commit suicide due to my downward spiral. My mother and doctor didn't want me to go on antidepressants in fear i would gain more weight. So they decided to change my ADD medicine which helped but not a lot. Then the suicidal effects of Singulair hit the news. I stopped taking it and within a week (spring break) I was back to my normal self like nothing ever happened. Except something did happen- I lost a huge part of me that is going to take awhile to get back. I was so convinced that I was causing the depression on myself and that I was crazy. Now the end of my school semester is wrapping up and I have a lot of catching up to do. There are times out of habit that I still act antisocial (which is completely uncharacteristic of me), but I'm hoping that will fade and I can get back to truly being myself. It's just so scary for me to think that there are unsuspecting prescription drugs that can cause so much pain. If I didn't have my family and true friends supporting me all year and sticking with me through all this, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be here today..

I would be interested to know how many of those who took Singulair needed to take antibiotics more frequently than they did before they took Singulair. I'll see the response then I will tell you why if it turns out that is a predictable side effect.

I have read what everyone has said about the side of effects of Singulair. I really thought it was safe as for I researched the side effects and the clinical pharmacology. I also really trust our pulmonologist. My daughter started taking singulair at the age of 3 due to asthma induced pneumonia. She will soon be 4. She also has had terrible nightmares, which I dismissed as night terrors. She also complains at times it hurts to walk and her legs are tired. I thought she was over reacting and just wanted me to carry her....maybe not! I have decided to take her off the medicine today. I don't want to take the chance of her having any type of emotional side effects. It is not worth it for "mild" asthma which hasn't been confirmed, just assumed due to her age.

"OH MY GOD"!! Is all I have been able to say since I learned about this on Friday!!! Reading all these posts is just like reading a diary about my 5 1/2 yr old daughter. She was diagnosed with asthma when she was just 2yrs old....continual trips to the ER because she was wheezing, breathing sounded like she had swallowed something and it was lodged in her wind pipe, lethargic, high temp, etc only to be told it was bronchitis, pneumonia, a viral infection etc., until she was referred to the pulmonologist and he told me it was asthma, never the other diagnosis she was given, so he put her on SINGULAIR. Shortly after she started SINGULAIR she became an entirely different little girl. Threw "OUTRAGOUS" tantrums/fits, was "wild", moody, poor attention, uncontrollable, angry, screamed and cried all the time, very defiant.......just this being that I didn't recognize as my sweet affectionate little baby. Even the "please and thank you's" and the hugs and kisses just because eventually slipped away. I sit here today recalling the day that I was at my desk at work and called this doctor's office, spoke to the nurse and said to her..."I think that SINGULAIR is causing her to act like a totally different person, something is wrong, this is what she is doing, and I told her the symptoms, I think it is the medication"!! She spoke with the doc and called me back only to say, "It cant possibly be the medication, it isn't a steroid type med that causes behavioral problems, it has to be something else"! So knowing how well controlled her asthma was on this medication, I "fell for it"....who wants to see their child in such distress with asthma (not knowing that I was in fact right about the med being the culprit)?! Months went by and her behavior got increasingly worse, she would literally whip things off a counter with one stroke of her hand, she has knocked over 20 pound 4 foot high stereo speakers and took a big chunk out of my wall, she has hit and bit, the list goes on and on-keep in mind she was just 2 at the time. She was very unsafe to be allowed to play outside with out being in a fenced in back yard because she would dart to the street and pay no mind to that scared mom yelling for her to STOP, it was like she was in another state of mind, a different person, you could look at her face and see in her eyes, my baby just wasn't there. When she was 3 she got upset at day care lodged a toy at the teacher and jumped over the loft for no reason. She has been knick named "klutz butt" because she has been so unstable on her feet, she trips over her own 2 feet, falls all the time and we just look at her like, how in the world did ya do that---is that related to SINGULAIR as well?!?!? She was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder, worked with an OT/PT, her behaviors got increasingly worse and I had no idea what was going on with her, I took her to see neuropsychologist and was told definite sensory issues, possible obstinate defiant disorder, taught how to do "the hold" when her behaviors got so out of control that either she was going to hurt herself or someone else, she has torn her room and the house apart in these fits of rage, at 4 took her to see a child counselor and told "Oh classic ADHD for sure"! All along I have told people I just don't feel in my heart that ADHD is what is going on with her, I think it is something else...her kindergarten teacher commented that her abilities in school are inconsistent, I note now that after her dose increased she forgot everything she knew academically and people thought I was crazy when I told them yes, she knows her ABC's, can identify numbers, etc! The behavioral things that this girl has done are just sooooo unexplainable and to now see all the posts that others who have loved ones on this drug have dealt with brings some relief to my mind to know that I am not crazy! but it brings deep sadness and anger to know that I suspected it to be the SINGULAIR early on and did not go with my gut and take my child off this drug!! She has been on this med since she was 2, she is now 5 1/2. In September 2007 her doctor suggested she be taken off SINGULAIR and put on Flovent because Flovent covers better......I was too scared to take her off (imagine that) so she did not come off SINGULAIR until January of this year- BEFORE I became aware of the risks. I have a strong glimpse of my baby again.....less and less of these horrendous fits she used to throw, less crying and screaming, her breath doesn't have that wrenched smell, she is doing much better in school, easier to get along with, is happier these days. I am now struggeling with the fact that after these last 3 1/2 years of literal turmoil and having been ridden with such anxiety of raising this child that acted like such a monster thinking that she was always going to be this uncontrollable child with all this anger and it would only get worse as she got older.............it's now a habit of being on the defense all the time, waiting for the next shoe to drop.....but that is over! so now we have to re-adjust our life....this is a horrible feeling to know that this medication has ruined the first forming years in my child's life and strained the bond between her and I.
Where do I go from here??? Do I call her doctor and start screaming at him? Do I call an attorney?? What do I do??? I know what I have done is thank GOD that I have the opportunity now to regain my sweet little baby and pray to Him that there are no lasting side affects from SINGULAIR!!!
If someone knows what it is that we are to do please feel free to comment me.

Some of these stories read like a diary of our life.our son went from a reasonably confident, happy, somewhat easy going 10/11 year old to a now 16 year old with no confidence, somewhat paranoid, dealing with depression and tremors so bad that he could not hold his pencil to draw a straight line in drafting. He often says he hates his life, can't see any hope for the future and feels he is a failure- he is an honors student with a nearly perfect 4.0 average, yet he is never sure it is enough.

some of it we put down to being a teenager, who had inherited hubby's fathers shaky hands. some we figured came from my dad and his troubles with ocd and depression. i have worried, cried, prayed, ranted and begged for things to be different for him.

what changed at 10/11 years of age? he started taking Singulair. at first a low dose but about 3 years ago the doctor uped the dose to full strength, the symptoms also escalated - however he had entered the teenage years and changes they go through.

the allergist last year,put him on Pulmicort and at that point did not need the Singulair but through a misunderstanding we kept giving it to him. hubby is a pharmacist and questioned it, he has never been wild about Singulair because he says it opens you up to infections.

which may answer a secondary question of why he has had more cases of bronchitis and has had 3 bouts with pneumonia, more since the dosage was raised.

i have to wonder if the history of depression in our family made our son more open to the symptoms and side effects of the Singulair. the suicide part of it really scares me as my uncle and aunt both committed suicide, we didn't need any push in that direction. we have talked extensively about it and he assures me he does not consider it an option.

i know some kids take it no problem, but this recent set of reports, and the fact that the FDA has changed the warning labels 4 times in a year, causes me to take notice for him

please pray that we can see some improvement as he is now off of the Singulair. I stopped mine last year due to recurring ear infections. now i am especially glad i did. i have felt very hopeful today that this may be an answer to prayer. two days off and he had a good day today.

My almost 7 year old son was prescribed Singulair 3 years ago for severe asthma and allergies. It worked great--for a while. No hospitalizations, incidences of bi-lateral mucous plugs and pneumonia decreased, etc. I thought it was a miracle drug for him. This past summer/fall however, the nightmares, sleepless nights, multiple sinus infections, moodiness and mild anxiety, extreme hunger (he can now eat my 6'7" 260 lb. husband under the table and my son only weighs 52 lbs.), thirst, leg pains, reflux and very frequent complaints of stomach aches and nausea, etc. began. He was even admitted to our local Children's hospital in November for a severe upper respiratory infection that affected his asthma and blood oxygen levels and for the first time ever, did not respond to therapy. He was on oxygen for 3 days. Not realizing all this was likely due to Singulair, I took him to his ped. pulmonologist, pediatrician, ped. allergist, a ped. gasteroenterologist, and an ENT. None of our doctors suspected the Singulair--and I still have confidence that they are all good doctors. In December, he had surgery to cauterize the inferior turbinates in his nose and remove his adenoids to try to alleviate the sinus infections. At the same time, we had an upper G.I. series done to see if we could find what was causing all the stomach aches and reflux. The GI doctor found nothing. I am just sick to think that Singulair did all this to him, that we put him through surgery to try and "fix" the symptoms, and doctors and parents didn't know enough about the side effects of this drug to suspect it as a possible culprit!! I called our pulmonologist and pediatrician this morning to report my suspicions and took him off it. I sure hope his symptoms will improve.

Hi All -- I am reading the effects that you have posted, and while I agree that after taking singular for 4 years, I do have the some of symptoms listed... BUT.. NOW I BREATH... I was living from nebulizer treatment to treatment, on Prednisone 4-5 times a year, had no energy and was afraid to do any exercise at all because of lack of breath. I used to negotiate with my Doctors on trying everything before taking Prednisone because of the side effects which are also mood swings and major anxiety... since taking Singular I have had a life -- I am aware of my asthma and allergies but have had pneumonia only once...

PLEASE -- Weigh the options... consider death through lack of breath and life - compared to suicide ... both are not living.

While the anxiety of Singular is real - through experience so is the ability to breath, live and when you are aware of it - the anxiety is manageable. NO DRUG IS WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS... you need to balance the pro's and con's for you and your family. Make conscious and informed decisions, work with your physicians.

I have a 19 month old baby and she was prescribed Singulair when she was 15 months old after a bad bout of pneumonia. So she has been on it for 4 months and I haven't seen any severe side effects. To be honest, I am one of those people that follows whatever her pediatrician recommends and I trust that after 25 years as a doctor, he knows what he is doing. But all of these reports are now terrifying me. I haven't noticed any change in her behavior or moods, and she has always been a very rambunctious baby so if there has been any change (like increased aggression or anxiety) it is hard to tell in such a small child. Has anyone had any experience giving Singulair to a child this young (under 2)?

Behavioral changes started when my son was 3 years old and on Singulair, 4mg chewables. He became more angry, irritable, and even stated a few times that he wished he were dead. He has had trouble concentrating and has frequent nightmares.

I just returned from the ER with my 8 year old daughter who was put on Singulair again. She initially took it for about 1 year about a year ago or so. Her pediatrician felt the current cough and stuffy nose was due to allergies, I insisted yes, but also causing her asthma to flare and said that in the past the Singulair did not stop the progression of the symptoms into a full blown multi medicine needed to control her asthma occurrence and perhaps we should use Proventil and Advair to get her back on track. Now after 5 days of Singulair she is on oral steroids, Proventil Inhaler and possible has pneumonia and she has HIVES all over her body! The ER doctor said not use the Singulair and in 2 days I could start the antibiotics if she is still coughing and has fever, Oh yes, I forgot to say the past 2 nights she has had a low grade fever 100-101.2 degrees.
I think MD's are to quick to push a drug they think is safe and newer instead of using good old fashion time proven remedies like Proventil and a short burst of oral steroids.

My 4 yr old son has been on Singulair for 2 years now After having what was close to pneumonia, his pediatrician decided that we should try Singulair. He suffered from allergies all year round and both sides of the family also have a history of allergies. We went over the indicators to decide whether or not there was a good chance that he would develop asthma. Yes, we found there was a very good chance. We were told that Singulair is the one drug that could actually prevent him from developing asthma - so OF COURSE we said okay. He started so young, that we never really realized that this wasn't just his "personality" - you know terrible two's, then independence, then along came his baby sister...on and on. Anyway, he has always been an overly-emotional child, hyper, etc., but then it was like every little thing bothered him and he would throw fits about "nothing". One day I told him to stop acting this way and while crying he said he couldn't stop and asked me to help him to stop. How heartbreaking! He goes to preschool and can't sit in a circle for more than a couple of minutes without being reminded by the teacher to sit down. He has been especially aggressive - saying how he just wants to kick something or push his sister down. He has always been a restless sleeper, but just recently he has been telling me about his terrible dreams - things you would never expect to hear from a 4 yr old. I thought he was a hypochondriac b/c he was always complaining about something hurting. I was reading about ADHD and decided that maybe this was what he had - everything fit quite closely to these same behaviors. I called the pediatrician's office to see if this may be his diagnosis and instead they told me about the possibility that Singulair might be to blame. They told me take him off of it and see how things go. It has only been 3 days. I have not seen any improvement and his is very itchy and scratching like crazy. I'll let you know what we find out.

In late March I went to my Doctor for allergy Meds. He prescribed Singlair. Within two weeks I began feeling as though I had an upper Resp infection (I did have one). My Doctor put me on Levaquin an antibiotic. Then I began feeling as though something was crawling all over my face,& my face began to burn. I went to the ER one week later & was informed that I had Pneumonia. Along with the antibiotics I was still taking Singulair & albuterol inhaler & Allegra D & Histanex cough medicine. I have had Pneumonia 2x before but this time was 2x as bad. It lingered on for over a month. Then I started to smell really bad odors kinda of like a sweaty locker room. I called my Dr's office his nurse thought it was weird & never heard of it before. Then I lost my sense of taste & smell. Finally I went to my Dr on 5/17/07 he informed me that if my sense's doesn't return in 3 weeks to notify him & he would order a CT scan. The scan was ordered & was negative. I still have no sense of smell or taste. Dr's nurse thinks it is psychological. I went to ENT Dr was given a steroid which didn't work. My Dr also asked me to try nasonex nasal spray but that doesn't work for me. Now it is August 1st & my senses have yet to re-surface. Although I can taste sweet, bitter & sour but couldn't tell you what it is I am eating. I also suffered pains in my legs & feet, was really exhausted & had bad dreams.
Please reply if anyone else is or has suffered the way I have & continue to suffer.

MY 5 YEAR OLD SON HAS BEEN ON SINGULAIR FOR 7 WEEKS THIS PAST WINTER MY SON HAS BEEN VERY SICK HE HAS HAD PNEUMONIA SEVERE COLDS,EAR INFECTIONS,HIGH FEVERS TESTED FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS,AND A LYMPH NODE REMOVED THE WHOLE WINTER THERE SEEMED TO BE NO CURE FOR HIS SICKNESS AFTER MANY ANTIBIOTICS AND ASTHMA MEDS THE DOCTORS DECIDED TO ADD SINGULAIR TO HIS DAILY MEDS WE THOUGHT IT WAS A MIRICAL DRUG HE HASEN'T BEEN SICK- ASTHMA AND ALLERGIES UNDER CONTROL.WE STARTED NOTICING SOME NEW THINGS GOING ON WITH HIM HES VERY ANGRY,IRRITABLE,HITTING PEOPLE BUT THE WORST FOR US IS HIS VERY VIVID NIGHTMARES HES SCARED TO SLEEP HE SEES THINGS-- IT WILL TAKE US 2 HOURS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO GET HIM BACK TO SLEEP HES SCARED ALL THE TIME AT NIGHT I DIDN'T KNOW WHY? HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VERY GOOD SLEEPER WE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH SLEEPING BUT FOR THE PAST 6 WEEKS HE WAKES UP SCREAMING CRYING AND JUST PLAN SCARED LASTNIGHT WILL BE OUR LASTNIGHT OF THIS HORRIBLE MEDICINE PLEASE BEWARE OF THESE TERRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS WE ARE OUR CHILDRENS ADVOCATES

My daughter is 5 years old and has been on singulair for 1 week. i have already noticed a dramatic change in her behavior. she has become irritable, mean, nasty, and emotional. she has had me in tears on a daily basis. she has turned into a monster. we will be calling the doctor in the morning!

My daughter was born with a breathing condition(never pinpointed) that kept her in intensive care for almost 2 weeks. As she grew she seemed ok. Then pneumonia appeared at 1 1/2yrs. and she has been hospitalized 5 times since with various forms of pneumonia(walking, single, double) since. We moved from the city to the 'burbs and all seemed well. She would take the occasional Xopenex(Abuterol made her nuts). To make a long story short, after 2 years in the new house new symptoms appeared. All of a sudden there was coughing at night that would not stop. We went to a new Dr. and he prescribed Singulair. This was October of '06. Soon thereafter, the behavior began to get worse. Tantrums and extreme moodiness began to become more frequent and her school work began to suffer. We've just been informed that the school is recommending holding her back. When I talked to the teacher, she indicated that my daughter has gotten "worse" since Christmas. Teacher also does not believe that there are any learning disabilities. I know that it is the Singulair. She has the constant stomach ache and no appetite to speak of. All of the professionals are assurring me that Singulair is safe. She is not on this nasty drug any longer... Waiting for changes...

Has anyone ever had tons of weight gain while taking Singulair? I have been on this drug for about four years now and my weight has increased to more than 50 pounds of weight gain! I have a lot of aches and pains, leg cramps at night, insomnia, but the asthma has improved. I still get my once a year very bad attack with bronchitis, etc, but the improvement was great.

I have had everything else checked out for my weird continued weight gain and everything is normal. So I am checking out this drug and one other I am on for thyroid. (No, it's not my thyroid, my thyroid tests are normal now). It doesn't matter what I do I gain weight. Just wondering if this drug is causing it. My doc told me it was the cause of my insomnia and suggested moving it to the A.M..

I am tired of this weight gain, and it is starting more physical problems, like my bad knees. I ahve always been active and my eating habits haven't changed. Dieting is not working either. Any suggestions? Anyone else gaining unexplained weight?

Thanks!

My almost 7 yr old has been on Singulair since he was 4. He was first diagnosed w/ allergies at 3 1/2 after having 3 sets of tubes, several episodes of pneumonia & bronchiospams. He was put on Pannaz (aka Blues Clues medicine since it's a bright blue color) first and has been on it the whole time just increasing the dose as he's grown. We added the Singulair when he got to the point of playing, coughing, gagging & puking. These 2 meds combined have done wonders for him! We've tried using 2 other meds in replacement of the Pannaz and he started the whole coughing, runny nose bit after 3 weeks.

My 4 1/2 yr old was put on Singulair last fall, Extendryl & QVar (for asthma) in March. He hasn't had the ear infections that my other son had, but he had the virus that turned bacterial and then microplasmic all in 1 1/2 weeks, the pneumonia, the bronchiospasms ~ we haven't used neb treatments since March.

For us, these combinations work wonders!

And about the cavities post I read, my kids just went to the dentist on Tuesday for their yearly check up and all are cavity free. They don't floss either. So I can't say that I've noticed a correlation between using Singulair and cavities.

Coincedence? Maybe. I have chronic sinusitis. My doctor prescribed an antibiotic for my infection and Singulair (double dosage) to help with my sinusitis. After 3 days I got muscle aches across my back. I stopped all medication. My doctor said it must have been the antibiotic, Singulair would not do that. A month later he encouraged me to go back on Singulair. I was also taking antibiotics again, a different one than previously. Same thing happened. I got muscle aches across my back, but a little worse this time. I came off the Singulair, and the muscle aches disappeared. About a week later, my asthma was acting up. My family doctor suggested I take Singulair, but only the regular dose. I seemed to be doing fine. My ENT doctor wanted me to increase the dose again. He did not believe Singulair caused any problems and if I was handling the one dose per day, the muscle aches would not have come from Singulair. I increased my dose and within three days I began to get muscle aches all over and flu like symptoms. I now have pneumonia. Maybe all this is coincedence, but I will not touch Singulair again!

I am a mother of a 2.5yr old who has been on singulair for 6mths due to bouts of pneumonia and constant breathing problems. I have been trying to pin point what is causing him to suffer these bouts and if it could have anything to do with behaviour changes and I am stunned to read some of these side effects. My lovable boy has turned into a right monster, he doesn't sleep well at night, he screams for no reason, inflicts pain on his siblings, spits and hits me, he seems on edge and he even looks like death warmed up!!, He is very pale and his face is drawn. i am at my wits end with his constant whinging and crying. I have not told my paediatrician this information as I honestly thought that he was going through the terrible two stage in a big way!!, But now I think that maybe Singulair could be the cause of his personality change. I shall follow up with paediatrician ASAP. If anyone can shine a light on my problems please contact me.

Upper respiratory infection that turned into pneumonia.