Singulair and personality

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.

This is just amazing to me. My son was prescribed singulair for asthma when he was 8, he is 19 now. I only kept my son on this medication for about 4 weeks. I noticed a HUGE change in his personality, defiant and very fired up. I took him off, because there was just no talking to him. It made a difference, he was back to normal. I said something to his doctor, and he didn't know what to think, he said that the drug shouldn't alter his personality, it's an asthma medicine. I'm glad i listened to my gut instinct and took him off. My doctor just prescribed singulair to me for severe allergies and i wanted to see what the side effects where. I had NO idea i would see the side effect, that i knew my son was having 10 years ago, when this medicine first came out. I am speechless...

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.

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.

I just read an article dated 9/1/08 that stated that the American Lung Association just cleared Singulair as causing depression and suicide. They had researchers study the results from the original test trials because they are supposedly more accurate than after market reports. The article is at ******. I cried when I read this report. My now 8 year old daughter has been on this medication for mild asthma since she was 4. We have thought the stomach aches and tantrums were related to moving to a new town around the time she started taking singulair. But, 3 months ago, she all of a sudden started having depression, ocd about germs, afraid she might hurt herself and then depression and suicidal thoughts. She has been off meds for 8 weeks and still has some problems with thinking she wants to hurt herself and feeling down. She is normally very happy and our family is happy and normal, but dealing with this is difficult. How long does it take to get out of their system?

My son, who just turned 14 this month, was on Singulair for over 2 years.
He was diagnosed with reactive airway disease and possibly Asthma--and prescribed this awful drug-even back in 2004. The doctor said how wonderful this med was and prevents any further attacks.. So, for 2 years-every night, he took this mood altering, destructive drug. He lost all interest in school, his athletics-soccer, skateboarding, biking..in fact became almost a vacant , very unhappy, child-had stomach aches, joint pains and reflux--why--I brought him to the doctor and Pediatric center so frequently--all they kept saying his --his asthma is better, much be other issues...Even after the March 2008 suicide--his doctor said-that is just an isolated incident-just monitor him--It is a good drug. Right, month by month his behavior escalated to wanting to die, no reason to go to school-he said he was stupid and a failure and why don't I understand there is no reason to his life. A usually happy fun-loving boy -my son- didn't want to live. Nothing made him happy-I started to believe what the doctors said--maybe something or someone at school (bully, pedophile??) caused this change. Terrible nightmares and vivid dreams...Until this past July, I asked him want to go to the library for some books or dvd's...he went ballistic-threw everything off his computer desk and tried to break his chair. He is not an aggressive boy but this behavior was becoming a daily issue. Along with everything flying off his table, was his bottle of Singulair pills. It then dawned on me..I have been poisoning my only son. The child I know and love and gave birth to returned within a few days--although I am worried sick about further asthma attacks --all the doctors can prescribe is a steroid drug-asthmex or Pulmicort.. I cannot understand nor comprehend why this drug is being prescribed for children and young adults. The guilt I live with is terrible as my son has lost 2 years of his life--
and thought there was something really wrong with him-At least we woke up---in time--how about some other parents..thinking it's just normal adolescent behavior for their child or their fault???

I have 2 sons with asthma that have both been taken singulair (the oldest for 3 years & his brother for 2). My younger son's asthma got alot better since he was diagnosed & he was recently taken off Singulair thanks also to my husband hearing a report about the moodiness caused. When he was on it he would cry for no reason, get very irrational & seemed to think the world was against him. In just 2 weeks he is happy & cheerful and has told me he thinks it is due to being off singulair. His older brother's asthma has gotten worse over the years & I'm concerned about taking him off but he too has crazy moods. Just tonight he started a new soccer team & got crazy & suddenly didn't even want to participate in something he loves (wanted me to let him quit right then) until we argued enough he reluctantly participated. He then came home complained of a headache (which is also way too frequent) and now has been asleep for hours. Are there any alternatives to this drug? I'm a stressed out mom that doesn't deal well with these mood swings. He is normally a social butterfly & a sweet kid but lately seems more withdrawn, more irritable (especially tonight) & complaining about leg cramps in addition to these frequent headaches. I can't deal with too many more of these evenings & wonder if all these things are possible side effects. I'm glad to see my other son doing well but miss his normally sweet brother! Even his siblings think he is acting crazy :(

I have just come across this website and I am so upset. My 10 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 8 years. Since she was 2 years old. About 3 years ago I spoke to her pediatrician about the fact that I was concerned that she had been on it for so long and about the possible long term side effects. She brushed me off and told me that there weren't any.

Over the years she has complained often of stomach aches and pains. We even had her on Miralax for a couple years because the Dr. was sure it was constipation. The last couple of years she has been complaining of leg cramps and I sort of brushed that off as "growing pains."

She is extremely emotional and has serious mood swings. I even asked her Dr. about ADD and she said it was just her personality. I am almost in tears typing this because I have no way of knowing if her actions are because of her age, her personality, or because of this medication. She has been on it for so long that I wouldn't know what her personality would be if she had never taken it.

Her asthma tends to be seasonal and she hasn't had an attack in years. I took her off the meds as soon as I read about the disturbing side effects that hit too close to home. I am upset that her Dr. never warned me about these side effects (that were not listed on the label) and didn't take my concerns seriously.

She is very small for her age and I was concerned that the medication may have stunted her growth....little did I know there were so many other dangerous side effects. I just hope and pray that she doesn't suffer any long term negative effects from this medication that I have given her, thinking I was helping her.

Our daughter is 17. She started taking Singulair June of 2000, 8 yrs ago. Upon hearing the side effects I insisted she stop taking the drug due to the fact that she also showed extreme signs of agitation, irritation & was always angry & frustrated by everything & everyone around her. Her standard comment was " I know I'm mean & rude". As a parent you know your child & we knew something wasn't right but never suspecting this drug. She as a young child never exhibited any of these signs. She was evaluated by 2 psychiatrist in these past 8 yrs., ADD was one of the diagnosis & our concerns that there may be some bipolar symptoms. After taking her off the Singulair there has been an obvious improvement that is evident to all the family members. The Singulair did an outstanding job of helping with her allergies which are severe & also contributed to multiple sinus surgeries. But the trade off? We are absolutely convinced & she is too that the Singulair had a debilitating effect on her personality. She once again talks, laughs & is such a joy & pleasure to be around. I will add that she never felt any suicidal tendencies, but just severe agitation, irritation, impatience & her reactions to situations & people around her were completely out of balance. I will always be convinced given our experiences that Singulair was completely responsible for 8 yrs. of heartache for us as her parents & 8 yrs. of misery for her.

I'm a 66 year old female who took Singulair for 6 months. I could perceive no positive effects on my breathing. My doctor prescribed this drug as treatment for my COPD. It took some time for me to realize that it was having negative effects on my personality. I was moody, sad, weepy, depressed, all conditions that are contrary to my usual positive outlook on life. A week after I stopped taking Singulair, I could tell that I was reverting back to my upbeat self again. Although I can tell that this drug has changed me. I will never take this drug again, and I recommend that others research it thoroughly before taking it.

In September of 2007 my then 13 year old daughter was put on Singular for mild asthma. At the time she was a straight A student, vice president of our school and a popular girl who's guidance counselor described as "the glue of her grade" because she was so well liked. In November she told me that she was struggling with advanced Latin and Science. She asked to drop down to on grade Latin so we did. In December her science teacher notified us that she had a C average. She told me that she thought she had ADD/ADHD and she couldn't keep up. At the same time she was having a lot of problems with friends at school and we just attributed it to being 14. 3 weeks ago we discovered that she is significantly behind in English and it was then that she told me that she is been having horrific night mares. She said that they usually involve someone killing her or her killing herself. She said that they were so graphic that she couldn't repeat it out loud. She also said that she would feel waves of anxiety that would come over her at school and she would act "witchy" to the kids in her class for no real reason. She said that sometimes when she is trying to do her homework she will read the same passage for 2 hours and still have no idea what it's about. She also said that the suicidal thoughts from her sleep happened during they day and that she had thoughts of her harming herself. Fortunately her pulminologist told us that this may be caused by singular and we immediately took her off of it which was 2 weeks ago. She has only had 1 "bad dream" not even a nightmare since. She had one anxiety attack 3 days after she was off it and she describes her moods as the "cloud lifting....slowly". Now, we have to pick up the pieces. Her grades have suffered, her friendships have suffered and most of all her self esteem is very low. I'm grateful that we found out the cause but I feel as if my daughter lost a year of her life and I worry that because Merck won't admit there are side effects we can't find out how long it remains in their system. Is anyone else concerned about the long term affect and has anyone pursued a class action suit to try to get this drug tested properly?

WOW Where to start. My 15 month old Daughter was put on it for "SUPPOSED" allergies which she don't have... But that's a totally different story. Anyways she was put on the granules. After taking if for about 5days I noticed VERY Significant side effects IMMEDIATELY. She would NOT eat for anything in the world which is odd because my 25lbs 15 months old (Mind you she was only 5lbs 4ox @ birth) was a Pigglet lol She also became VERY Winey & Clingy...She also began to have "Night Terrors' and when I say Night terrors I mean the full blown ones last about 20 minutes or so and the first one scared me to death I thought my little baby girl had went blind. The terrors started about Night 2. We took her off the Singulair before I found any of these Side Effect write ups and of course AGAINST Doctor's advise however I put her back on her Claritin. Her nose is drying up and Congestion is gone after rushing her to the ER with 104.2 fever and got her on Anti-Biotics & Albuterol. (Still another story lol) We noticed the next day a HUGE Difference is her personality and she was sooo HAPPY again. The first full day off the drug she slept through the night in her own bed WITHOUT a terror or even a bad dream. IT'S A MIRACLE I proclaimed that I had enough common sense after only 4days to get that mess out of my Daughter's Body. Needless to say she is a piglet again here only about 5 days after taking her off the med. and happy as a 15 month old should be lol

My daughter has been off of Singulair for about 6 weeks now and is still having "explosive" reactions to minor issues. My daughter's personality is better - no more dark thoughts, etc, but the anxiety/aggressiveness is still hanging on. Anyone having similar issues? We are also still dealing with the OCD behaviors as well. She is 4 and I really think her brain chemistry is still altered. At what point should I recognize that this new child may be my new reality? I would really appreciate any thoughts from those of you that have been off for more than 6 weeks. Are you back to 100%?

I am writing in response to the last posting and to all others out there who worry about long lasting effects. My son was on Singulair for about 3 years (ages 3-6). He was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in Kindergarten and we took him to a psychologist and psychiatrist and read a lot on anxiety to try and help him. But despite some success with his behavior using exposure therapy, his mood kept getting worse - he seemed more depressed, and started talking about death. That's when I got desperate and went to the web and googled anxiety and Singulair and found this site in January 2007. After reading post after post describing children suffering in the same way as our son, I immediately stopped the medication, though the doctors were reluctant and assured me the medicine was safe.
Within a day or so I saw a noticeable difference in my son - like a cloud had lifted. The most troubling of his symptoms - such as the talk of death - went away quickly. But his anxiety did not immediately go away. Anxiety - especially over time -can lead to patterns of thinking and habits that can outlast the original problem. Whenever he felt anxious and overwhelmed, he would act out, become easily upset, and was unable to work things out rationally. We continued working on behavior management. One technique that I found very useful is the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) method outlined in "The Explosive Child," by Dr. Ross Greene. I also enrolled him in social therapy groups. He also got support at his school. After stopping the medication, he really began to respond to all these interventions. He steadily got better, and by the beginning of 2008 we all noticed a significant shift - not just our family, but his teachers and group counselors. Now he just seems like any other kid. Every once in a while a new situation will raise his hackles a bit, but then we just take it slow, and help him overcome the fear.
Today, when I see him humming a song to himself, skipping down the sidewalk, or shouting out a hello to a friend, I remember that there was a time when I had stopped expecting him to ever do these simple things, and I am so thankful for the parents who posted here in 2006 and 2007 and gave me the courage to follow my instincts.
I have faith that your children will keep improving. But if they are still anxious, there is a lot you can learn about anxiety - either in books or on the web - that can help you understand and enable you to give your child the support he or she may need to navigate their lives as they recover and begin to form new habits and thought patterns.
Good luck!

P.S. One note about leg pain - both my older sons suffered from this, and the oldest didn't take Singulair. I have always assumed they were growing pains, but who knows? I will say that ibuprofen is very effective, along with rubbing their legs.

My daughter has been off Singulair since March 29th. In my previous posting I explained that she had taken it for 2 years and last December started to experience stomach pain, and she became very anxious, agitated, and obsessive compulsive. We had every test possible and her anxiety only grew worse as the weeks went on. In February she was admitted for panic attacks and was given Paxil and Risperdal. When we stopped Singulair we noticed definite changes with her mood swings, personality, and affection. We saw a side of her that over time we forgot existed. She is so much better, but still on the medicines from her hospitalization. We have an appointment to discuss reducing these meds. But has SINGULAIR been out of her system long enough? She endured so much emotional stress that I know just stopping the Singulair will not be the cure all. Any input from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

I spent the weekend reading about the development of Singulair. The early studies recognized that the first phase of the acute asthma response bronco-constriction was probably not caused by leukotrienes. They identified histamines and prostaglandins as the probable sources. I don't think that changed because the Singulair literature states that it should not be considered as a treatment for that. Leukotrienes were a source of inflammation caused by eosinophils and mast cells present in greater numbers (than normal) in airway tissue. So, it was beneficial to find a way to decrease that.

The cysLT1 receptor was identified as source of the signals that tell the cells to produce leukotriene. The receptor, a gene, consist of 337 (they think) amino acids. They modified a compound that would bind to that receptor thus blocking the cells ability to produce leukotrienes. This compound is very specific. It was formulated to bind to the "model" receptor. This compound will not even bind to cysLT receptor sub-types. (That is the good thing.) There is an enormous amount of research that discusses the genetic variability of the chemical reactions that occur in the leukotriene (calling it this for simplicity) pathway. We are also seeing that a number of researchers would like to use gene profiles to predict whether patients will respond favorably to different asthma/allergy drugs. ALL PATIENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW IF IT IS INHERENT THAT SOME PEOPLE WILL NOT RESPOND TO SINGULAIR OR RESPOND ADVERSELY.

There are many studies from the 1998 era that conclude that montelukast is not effective for everyone. Those researchers stated that it can be predicted that those people who are going to respond favorably will do that within the first 14 days or so. That conclusion would be consistent with a genetic component for efficacy and safety of Singulair. Those doctors concluded that those who did not respond within that time frame should not take Singulair for fear of harming them. That makes good sense.

The Italian researchers wanted to know if there was more going on than blocking leukotrienes in the action of montelukast. They set up a "test tube" study regarding montelukast, the cysLT1 receptor, and some t-cells that they selected. Why? Researchers always have something on their minds. They observed the death of these particular t-cells.

Montelukast is a quinoline. We basically know of quinilines and quinolones as compounds that were invented as broad spectrum antibiotics. They work because they interference with bacterial DNA so they cannot replicate themselves. Montelukast is a quinoline modified to bind with the cysLT1 receptor (a gene) and prevent that gene from activating. That's consistent with what a quinoline/quinolone does.

So what does montelukast do in blood plasma if it does not bind to the receptor because of genetic mis-match? (If montelukast does bind, then a chemical reaction has occurred and the liver will break down the by-products. Montelukast metabolized in 10-12 hours.) What happens if it doesn't bind? How long before it breaks down? Does it produce toxic by-products?

I want to know what happens to lymphocytes such as t-cells just because montelukast is a quinoline. Maybe nothing but what's up with the Italians researchers? I want to know if montelukast has the capability to interfere with lymphocytes who can clone themselves. That could be a good thing under circumstances when these lymphocytes are causing inflammation. But it could be a bad thing in the case of normal individuals with no problems.

I want to know if the bad side effects are due to the fact that the body has to break down and metabolize a quinoline that did not bind to the receptor for which it was created. The side effects of Singulair are strangely similar to what is observed in the quinolones such as levaquin. I have not as yet been able to compare montelukast as a quinoline to levaquin as a quinolone. I am hoping to find something on these categories. There may be no reason to worry that they cause similar damage. But frankly, I think that there is. There is some terrible chit happening to some people. The scariest is the neurological damage.

All of these questions would be in the everybody pharma knows to ask category. I don't know where the answers are. I haven't found them as of yet. Maybe there are no answers. We have to remember that Singulair and Vioxx were released in the same year. They have continued to be drugs under the current executive management of Merck. If the Vioxx marketing promoters had their ghost writers, why not the Singulair marketing promoters. The genetic component appears to be widely accepted but we haven't heard one thing about even that.

I think that it is sad that maybe the marketing of Singulair as one stop shopping for asthma/allergies may have destroyed the original concept. I really think from reading the original work that they knew that they couldn't engineer a drug for one size fits all. Everybody gets harmed when information is withheld.

Shame on the allergist who yelled at the mother who wanted to discuss issues. Does he know exactly who is allergic to Singulair and who isn't? Get him a dunce hat. Just because Singulair is marketed for allergies does not mean that you cannot be allergic to it. See the power of Madison Avenue? The ad agencies focus group these drugs to death. The ad agencies cleverly craft the product information. A good piece of legislation would be to prohibit consumer drugs ads.

My son will be 6 in June. He has been on singulair since he was 2. About a couple of months ago I noticed a change in his mood. Like he was depressed. Getting very upset if he couldn't do a certain thing. To the point of crying. Also crying if we get on him for something and not yelling at him just talking to him. He's always seems to be in a daze all of the time. And when you ask him a question, you sometimes have to ask him several times. To be 5 he is very hard on himself. He thinks he should be able to do anything and be good at it or he is very upset. He also thinks that everyone else is smarter than him when he is one of the smarter kids in his class. His teacher tells us. I feel he may of always been depressed but am just now seeing it, with him in school. Like many of the others, he has a hard time falling asleep unless its the weekend and we let him stay up later. He also at times has bad stomach aches, to the point hes crying. After reading some of the things people are going through, I'm going to stop giving him the singulair to see if his symptoms go away. Now I'm convinced that thats whats causing it.

(A divorced father)
My son has been on Singulair now 5 years and I am in the middle of fighting to get him off. My son is now 7 years old and has been diagnosed with allergies (no test have been done which I find very odd), which leads to a case of mild asthma. This past weekend his mother forgot his Singular on Friday so I could not give him any till the next day, where we met at his soccer game. Saturday night I gave him his usual pill and thankfully due to his exhaustion from playing out side all day he went to sleep in 10 min. vs 3 hrs later which is the norm since Singulair seems to jack him up.
He also has red puffiness under his eyes - most likely allergies.
Seems depressed - just driving down the road and I look at him in the rear view mirror and he just sits and stares into space. When I ask what's wrong he either says nothing or I am tired.
He will try to tell a story or think for himself and just stops mid sentence and says " never mind I am just confused"
He will be having fun one moment and just starts crying or gets depressed.
He was throwing a ball in the house (yes I know) and accidentally knocked a glass over breaking it - he went running to his room, crawled under his bed and sobbed profusely for over 30 min.
He has a hard time doing / focusing on homework - becomes bored very easily.
Does not want to go outside. I will take him to allot of cultural events/ hands on or participation events - he will not try anything. He is unsure and will not come out of his box so to speak.
I spoke with his doctor who was reluctant to take him off, but then agreed that if it was OK with the ex, to take him off for a week to see what happens.
The fun part: My ex is convinced that since he has been on Singulair for 5 years he is fine and does not need to come off it.

1.) Son is diagnosed with mild asthma or allergy induced asthma.
He has never had an allergy test done and has not had a lung function test in over a year.

2.) It is documented that our son has four outbreaks a year. (sounds like the changing of the seasons) but is given Singulair all year round and the dosage has also been increased.

3.) Since the court order, ordered my ex to enroll our son in sports (she would not let him play anything) he does not wheeze or cough uncontrollably.

4.) Since I had to battle to get our son on my insurance I have cut her control issues off a little, but she is refusing to take him off Singular just for a week to see how he reacts. Although I do agree that he should have some form of allergies medicine.

5.) When I found out about the side effects of Singulair, I also found that his doctor was getting ready to add two other allergy medicines to his portfolio - totaling 3 different meds.

I see our sons behavior getting worse and I watch him turn into something he is not and with a controlling individual not believing anything about the side effects it looks like I will have to rely on the medical system to prove my point. I do believe he needs to be accurately tested for allergies and given a regularly lung function test but most of all since he is now on my insurance, a second opinion and a 3rd to narrow down what the situation is and an alternative medical procedure that is fit for the symptoms.

My 13 yr old daughter was put on Singulair along with Asmanex and Clarinex for her asthma about 6 weeks ago. Everything seemed to be going very well at first and her symptoms were starting to get controlled. I started noticing after about 3 to 4 weeks that her temper and attitude were getting much worse. Anyone with children this age knows what I mean but this was like a 180 degree turn for her. Her actions were becoming totally out of character. Before I knew it she would cry and get highly upset over the least little thing. Week 5 came around and things totally bottomed out. She came home from school and WAS NOT HERSELF. Made comments about how she hated her life and it was not worth living. Later that evening we had a big argument because I was telling her nothing was worth saying that. She went totally out of control and I had to physically restrain her to calm her down. It appeared everything was better so she went to her room. I went down to check on her and she calmly told me that she had taken advil and tylenol pm and things would be better for her forever now. We went to the ER where they made us wait for at least an hour, then finally took her back. She had to drink two cups of charcoal and was poked and prodded repeatedly. They did a catheter to get a urine sample. She was very cooperative but also was in a complete daze so who knows. The poor child couldn't even lift her head up when she started the vomiting to get rid of the drugs. It was very upsetting and sad. Her heart rate and blood pressure went very low and I really thought in the back of my mind that this was it. Finally, after several hours she started coming out of it and they sent us home. The next evening when she was starting to really come around she proceeded to tell me how she had been seeing a man walking around in her bedroom at night and she was afraid to go down there. Breaking down and crying telling me about all of the horrible nightmares she had been having recently and didn't know why. I thought what am I dealing with here? This just isn't her. Three days ago I heard about singulair in the news and looked it up on the internet. OH MY GOD THIS SOUNDED LIKE US!!!!! I immediately had her stop taking it and the next day phoned her asthma specialist who agreed she should stop now. We are going to watch her for two weeks and see if any symptoms return and then decide if she needs something else or will be fine on just the Asmanex. As a side note, she also mentioned being unable to concentrate in school (unable to do even the simplest math problems) and that her brain felt confused or like something was missing. She said this had been bothering her for several weeks. I know it was this drug. They really need to take this off the market NOW and stop flirting with disaster. The only reason I posted this was to let others know they are not alone.

My 9 year old son was on Singulair for about 4 weeks. His whole personality changed. He cried all the time, he would not sleep alone, he had headaches, dizziness, tummy aches and horrible nightmares. His whole bodyy broke out in a rash and even now after 2 months of taking him off he is still covered in a rash. He was so sad all the time and so irritated. He would yell at us and was so angry all the time. He still is not back to himself. I see where people say their kids are back to their old selfs. I know my son is better but he still is having a hard time focusing in school and crys easily. He seems as though he is not the same child. I wonder if these side effects can cause permanent damage in some way. This is all so scarey. Drs. need to talk and help these children, NOW

My 9 year old daughter has been on singulair for about 5 months now and she is moody and not a very nice person sometimes. Now she in complaining of headaches and even cry's with the pain I want to take her off but I am a bit scared that if I take her off to quick this might be harmful can anyone let me know if they had any problems when they stopped their childs singulair.
Worried Mum
Australia

Hi, I have written on this forum before. Our son (6) was on Singulair for over 3 years for Asthma. Over those years, his whole personality changed; it happened so slowly, however, that we assumed that those changes were "phases". We stopped Singulair 16 days ago, and we have seen big changes in our son. Thus, I want to summarize our side effects by describing the changes in my son:
Suddenly no more fears (nightly waking up scared to death, and fear of being alone in any room in the house during the day), sleeping through the night, less agitated and less aggressive, better listening skills (again!) and more interest in learning (this was a child that once loved science and did math at age 3. He lost interest in anything that had to do with learning). He draws happy faces again. He is also less nervous. He lets us hug him again, and tells us how much he loves us.
Some days are better, some days are worse. There are times he still tells me that he wants to "throw himself in the trash" and other negative things about himself and his life. We also still see obsessive compulsive behavior (a tic where he touches his head and then his legs from his feet up, driving me crazy), but it is slowly getting less severe. But overall the changes are very clear.
As for the Asthma: we still use Flovent once a day: so far we had no setbacks. Our doctor noted the side effects, but was rather surprised about them. Obviously, I will NOT EVER give my children Singulair again, no matter what the doctor will tell us.

My daughter took singulair for a number of years because she was asthmatic and the doctor recommended that she takes one each a day. At 13 she started acting differently and I thought it was just growing up and being a rebellious teenager. I later found track mark on her arms and she was hospitalized under suicide watch. She was not allowed in school until she had numerous therapy sessions. On top of everything she was giving topamax to control her anxiety and depression and now missed so much school that she has graduate a year later.

My son is off singulair for two weeks now and is showing improvements. He was on it for 7 years and at the beginning we blamed it on steriods, even though his dose was low. When he went off the steroids, the behavior didn't stop. I questioned the allerist if the singulair could be doing it, but was told no, it doesn't have those side effects. I don't blame the doctors because they weren't given the info. He was extremely emotional, cried for no reason, had no confidence, didn't like himself. We on more than one occasion have told his older sister that when he hits his teenage years we would have to watch him for suicide, as his reaction to problems was sooo out of whack! He was on motrin for headaches 4-5 days a week(blamed it on sinusses). Unexplained stomachaches. These symptoms came on over years, not right away. I have always thought that the steroids had done damage because he took them when he was so young. Until the news reports hit, and I started reading other people's stories and doing the "OMG, that's my kid!", I never put the problems on singulair. I was still skeptical, but took him off. His symptoms immediately got 100x's worse for a week. But funny thing is, his headaches are gone, his stomachaches are gone and he seems much less emotional. The strangest thing is, EVERY night, he comes in to kiss us good night 7 or 8 times, and sometimes by the 7th time he is crying and can't explain why. This has been going on for YEARS, EVERYNIGHT, never a break. It stopped! Just stopped cold 7 days ago. Comes in once, says goodnight, leaves and falls asleep. I know this isn't a coincidence. After years of wondering what's wrong with my kid, now I feel like I've been poisoning my him for 7 years. I'm not skeptical anymore.

Follow up to my post earlier today...

I took the my son to the doctor this morning and he was somewhat dismissive of the recent reports on Singulair...says he's had a lot of kids on the drug and never heard a peep about side effects until last week when the report on suicidal tendencies showed up. He did advise that when these kinds of behavior changes happen after a new drug is started he would recommend that we stop taking the drug no matter what it was, but I still felt uncomfortable with his response to us.

I felt like he was accusing me of making it up or only coming up with it because of recent news and message board posts. In fact, I made the appointment BEFORE I saw the posts. I was worried about his behavior BEFORE I saw the posts. It's just that seeing the stories from everyone else basically confirmed my suspicions that it might be the drug causing the problems.

I feel like I definitely wasted OVER AN HOUR waiting for a doctor to spend five minutes making me feel small.

Last night was the last time my son will take the drug, and I don't care what the doctors think of me.

This is an update. We took our son off Singulair 10 days ago. We continue with Flovent once a day, and the asthma has not deteriorated. My son's overall mood has gotten better, he is less aggressive and became very verbal about how much he loves us. He is still emotional but not as much as before: while he still wants to cry at the drop off a hat, he manages to stop himself after 15 seconds. That is a huge improvement. Things are by far not back to normal, but overall I see my old son shining through.
However, we still have an issue with obsessive compulsive behavior. We have an appointment with our pediatrician this Thursday.

Both of my children are taking Singulair. My seven year old son has been on the drug for 3-4 years and we've noticed no problems. However, I am becoming very concerned about our three year old daughter. She was put on Singulair in November/December 2007 along with the other allergy medicines that she was already taking: Nasonex, Rynatan and Zyrtec. However, our allergist took her off the Rynatan and Zyrtec in mid-March and replaced them with Singulair. Since then, the child will not go to bed as she has in the past. She tosses and turns for an hour or hour an a half EVERY night. I've considered that maybe she needs to do away with the afternoon nap BUT she is still restless even if she hasn't had a nap that day. She is also doesn't want to get up in the mornings. We practically drag her out of the bed. This is very unlike her. She used to wake up easily every morning with a smile on her face and ready to go. Now she's a grump throughout the day and cries easily. My husband and I have decided to take her off the Singulair and see what happens. We already know that she is sensitive to some medications. We had an experience with Levalbuterol and Pulmicort (nebulizer treatments) in February that was scary. The pediatrician wanted her on the treatments 2X a day for 6 wks. The child was out of her mind on these meds. If someone had videotaped her and covered her face, I would not have know that it was my child. These meds. changed her entire personality. She took the treatments for 4-5 days and we decided enough was enough. As soon as we stopped the meds. she was back to her old self. She WILL NOT take them again unless there is absolutely no other alternative. I've decided that I've got to be more vigilant about watching for possible side effects of medications.

First of all, finding this website and these stories is a divine intervention! I have a 3 year old that started on singular for food and mold allergies about a week and a half ago. Immediately he complained of an upset stomach which the allergist told us may happen but that was it. The days ahead he became a totally different child - angry, overly emotional, moody, and the only thing new was the Singular. His brothers saw the drastic change too. Thank goodness the worst was over our Spring Break. I am in a support group called MOCHA(Mothers of Children with Allergies) and thought I am going to email everyone my story and see if anyone else has experienced what we had. ( My Dr. also told us he had no complaints on the drug and it was safe. I decided after 5 days, that I was taking him off of it to see if his personality would return. Well, with in a day only off of it, he was not as agitated and less angry so I knew it had to be it.) Almost all of the responses were negative and people were so relieved that it wasn't in their head and that it was the drug. Since just yesterday, one has also decided to take her son off of it. And I am sure many others are going to follow even to just see if by being off of it for a week any of their old self returns. This drug at least for children should not be prescribed!

My son, who is now 12, has been taking singulair since he was in the first grade. He has always been emotional and we just figured that was his personality. A few years ago, I stopped his medication because his personality changed. He was extremely irritable and not happy. Once I stopped the medication he returned to his happy go lucky self. In November of 2007 I started him on the medication again after the doctor telling me it could not be Singulair that was causing his change in behavior. My son is an honor student, very active and has always liked school. In December he described having feelings in the morning at school and in speaking with his counselor, we thought he was having some type of social anxiety. He refused to go to school and he was grumpy and was crying very easily -something we had not experienced for several years. He was not himself and we blamed it on his maturing and the change from elementary to middle school. When I read the article about singular last week, I immediately took him off of Singulair without telling him anything. He went back to school on Monday and when he came home I asked him about the feelings he usually had every single day. He told me he did not have them that day. The next day I checked again and he did not have them again. He is also very calm and very much like his old self. There is a connection with Singulair and his problems. Singulair is probably a beneficial drug for many patients and many patients probably do not experience side effects, but it apparently can effect others severely. When prescribed, doctors should monitor children to make sure it is not having a negative effect and parents should be well informed by the doctor upon receiving a prescription of Singulair.

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

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

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

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

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

Our 7 year old son has been old singulair since he was about 3. I can't even describe in words how I feel as a parent knowing now what my son has been going through. He (just like the others) has been very emotional and become very timid and has had a couple of panic attacks. I really began noticing it when his doctor bumped up his dose several months ago. He began talking about death and morbid things quite frequently. His doctor also has diagnosed him with ADHD. Over the past several months I took him to the doctor for extreme leg pain and once to the emergency room for crippling abdominal pain. They couldn't find anything wrong with him. We've taken him OFF of singulair forever and few days ago and him bright and positive personality seems like is beginning to come back. I just hope that he has suffered long-term damage from taking this medicine. At this point, we can only hope and pray that everything will be fine.

It's interesting to read about children who get angry for no apparent reason while on Singulair. We experienced this with our 5 year old son also. His Kindergarten teacher always brought this up to me that he would never take responsibility for his own actions, but blame everyone for what happened. He was the same way at home. He was extremely sensitive about everything! If we laughed he would explode thinking we were laughing at him. He constantly said that no one liked him and that he was stupid.

As soon as he was taken off the Singulair, little by little the sensitivity disappeared. He became, again, the strong confident little boy we once had.

I think this is a huge side effect of Singulair that will get over-looked because of the major side effect - suicide. If Singulair is causing children to feel such a poor self image, the side effects may well linger on longer than we thought. We must reassure our children that they are special, and well loved, and get them off, I'm not saying we all haven't done that because I know we have or we wouldn't be here worried sick seeking help. I just think they need that extra hug.

We actually told my son a few days after we took him off that the reason he got so angry all the time was because of singulair. We assured him that he would feel great again soon and he didn't have to worry about that "feeling" anymore. Like many other parents, even within about 3-4 days our son's personality started to shine again. What a joy it is to have him back.

When I saw this story on in the news I could not believe it. My 9 year old has been taking this for 2 years and has had all of the problems I have read with other children. We too were told it was add or ocd or bipolar or some other
medical term. Never once was this one and only medication questioned.
I cried when I realized I had been torchering him with this allergy pill.
He has been off of it for 4 days now and says he " feels like a brand new me"
He is happy, fun, interested in everything and no more headaches or stomach pain, or depression.

Please take your child off of this medicine if you are not sure and contact your MD. Listen to your child and your instinct as a parent.

I posted a few days ago about my son, 9 yrs old who had dramatic changes in his personality since he started taking Singulair last year. My little boy actually told his therapist he wanted to disappear, I was terrified. The night we saw this report on the news we stopped the medication, that was 4 days ago. As of yesterday my son is happy, laughing, giggling, running around the house and doing everything a child should be doing. I actually sat down last night and cried, I can't believe that a medication could do such horrible things to people. I am lucky that my little man has come back to me, unfortunately others have not been as lucky. I will fight this as far as it needs to go, please contact me if anyone needs my story. I will be going onto other websites to see if we can get our stories heard.

I posted on Thursday about my 10-year-old son's personality and mood changes on Singulair. He has now been off the medication for 4 days. Here is what I have noticed: He has been much less explosive as far as his anger outbursts - only one or two since Friday versus 1-2 an hour prior! He is much more tolerant of his sister. In addition, last night he went to bed on being asked the first time versus taking 1-2 hours to get him to bed. This morning he was a bit easier to get up but he is 10 and wanted to sleep late. That is understandable, I wanted to sleep in too. No big deal here. He came home after school with a smile on his face today, something I have not seen in a while. This was a difficult day for him as his favorite teacher is leaving on Friday due to a health problem and will not be back for the rest of the year. This would have sent him into a hysterical crying fit before, but he has been understanding and very able to handle the situation at hand. A few more things that we have noticed are that he came home and did his chores being asked 1 time versus multiple times with threats and punishment to follow. He also practiced his guitar without being asked!! This has not happened for months on his own. Tonight I asked him to help get the food on the table for us to eat while he was on the computer and he jumped up and came quickly. Prior to being off the medication this was similar to a nuclear meltdown with crying, screaming and slamming things with him having to leave for a time out.

I am so thankful that we were able to do away with the medication without major problems. I am so hopeful that many other parents will have the same results that we have when going off the medication. Please if you have any question or doubts do not hesitate to contact the prescribing physician and talk things out. May God bless you!!

My son started on 5mg Singulair in 1999. Later that year and the next at the age of 10, my husband and I realized he seemed really depressed. I took him to his pediatrician, who talked to my son at length about anything that might be bothering him, if someone had try to touch him, etc.,etc. Nothing. He had been a really happy outgoing child. Now he was not. The next year in 4th grade he seemed to be worse. We kept an eye on him. There were no warnings whatsoever about Singulair causing emotional problems, depression etc. at that time. Shortly after he started 5th grade, we moved to another city with almost no air pollution in the area we picked to live, and he was still "down". But a few months after we moved, even though we left long time friends, etc., I took him off the Singulair, as he was not really having asthma. The kid got happy again--he was was my happy cheerful boy! I don't believe this is coincidence. Then when he started Middle School in 6th Grade, his school was old and dusty with no doubt mold problems and he started having breathing problems pretty bad again. We started him on Singulair again, for the next three years that he was at this school. He tanked emotionally. Hated himself. Was so depressed it was scary. I kept telling him it was adolescence and it would get better. Then he started a new high school, and was off the Singulair for 6 months, and he was happy again. Then he got flu and bronchitis and was back on it and emotionally tanked again, and never really came out of it. Though out these episodes a few times he told me he thought the medicine was making him feel weird. He last took the 10mg Singulair in 2006, the beginning of his sophomore year when he was sick. His depression exploded and he became suicidal. He was diagnosed with depression in April of 2007 and went on Zoloft. He was not on Singulair then. Then he became suicidal again in August of 2007. His depression medication was changed. He got worse. We found a psychiatrist who was able to help some, but could find no background reason for depression. There is some depression in the family, but none of these relatives became depressed until adulthood. He became suicidal again in November of 2007 and went through outpatient care at the local children's and psychiatric hospital. He came out somewhat better, with skills to help monitor himself. He had more med side effects and has changed meds again. Now he is on 40mg Prozac daily now and doing a lot better, and since we saw the news about Singulair a few days ago, he is extremely better. He is almost back. I would rather go the emergency room 5 times a year then go through this again. We were not given a choice. What are the long term effects of this drug for someone who has been on it through adolescence? No one knows. How can a drug with this sort of side effect for children be allowed on the market? I feel blindsided by the FDA and Merck. If his Dr. in 1999 knew about this side effect she would have never put him on this drug, nor would I have allowed it. I say sue the bastards.

My son started Singulair in the 7th grade and his personality changed but I never attributed it an asthma medication. He was on it and off of it for the next five years. On it again last year, he committed suicide on October 2nd, 2007. I consider his suicide a "side effect."

My son took singulair for over two years. He is now 9. Foe the last few years he has had a Jekyl & Hyde personality. Sweet as can be one minute then he will fly off the handle, calls us names, screams, breaks furniture. He also becomes emotional very easily. We have been baffled as out two other sons have never behaved in this way. I am now wondering if there is a connection with his behavior issues and his having taken Singulair for a long term.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I have a 12 year old son who has been on Singulair off and on since he was 10 years old. It wasn't until he started taking Singulair on a daily basis in 2007 that I saw a change in his personality. I thought it was due to him starting Junior High. He has always been a loving and mild manner kid.

He started having strong mood swings. Yelling, crying, back talking and being very rude and hateful. Then he would go through periods of depression. He wanted to sleep all the time. Wouldn't come out of his room for days.

He complained of Headaches and Stomachaches all the time. He said he had bad dreams and he couldn't sleep.

He even told his dad at Halloween he wish he could be like his costume (which was a skelton) DEAD!! Hearing those words come from my child's mouth broke my heart. Knowing that he could feel such sorrow and pain.

It wasn't until I read the Singulair article that things started making sense to me. I can't believe as a parent that I was giving my child a medication that could have caused him to take his own life. You could imagine how I feel right now. I stopped giving the Singulair. I'm hoping that he will go back to the loving and happy kid he was before this medication took over his body and mind.

And it's not only my son...My nephew who is 6 has been on Singulair for 2 years and he has become very emotional. He has outburst of anger and he is very short tempered. He has bad dreams and cries for no reason. I shared the information with my Sister-In-Law and she stopped the Singulair as well.

I hope my story helps all you parents that haven't heard the truth about Singulair yet. Be Safe!

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)?

In 2001 my daughter started Singular for about 3 years to treat what the doctors said was childhood asthma. After being on the medication for a few months she started having nightmares and was terrified about going to sleep. Unfortunately, I did not relate this to the medication. We did extensive research on the Singular before starting her on the med.. No- where did we find anxiety, nightmares, or impulsiveness as a side effect. Two years into the med we brought my daughter to see a psychologist because of the nightmares, who diagnosed her with anxiety and impulsiveness. We didn't medicate her for either; however, we did use behavior modification. Although the behavior modification helped slightly with the impulsiveness, it did not do anything for the fear she endured when it became nighttime. She would not go to sleep in fear of the nightmares until pure exhaustion hit. After being on the med for 3 years it stopped working so we took her off. A few weeks after being off a friend asked if my daughter was still on Singular because the FDA just came out with information about it causing vivid dreams that could cause anxiety that Merck seemed to have held back as a side effect. A few months of being off the med and the nightmares went away. Unfortunately, she was on the med for so long and because she was so young I don't know if this caused any long term effects such as the anxiety and impulsiveness that has now became part of her personality. Being 3 years old and taking it for 3 years how can that not make an impact on a child's personality. They are learning things at that age about themselves and the way they rationalize things. Fortunately, she is extremely intelligent and hopefully as she grows older she will mature enough to deal with the anxiety and impulses.

I am amazed at the stories, but also feel somewhat validated. I have a 10 year old boy who has been on Singulair since he was 2. My husband and I often wondered why we had such a grumpy boy? He had such horrible tantrums until age 6. We often thought of sending to someone for anger management, but really it was the drug doing this to him and I'm the one who continued to supply it to him. What really makes me sad though, I don't even know what his personality really is-it's been altered for 8 years. I can't wait to get to know my real son...

I'm in the same boat with so many of you parents. After MY parents sent me a link to the news story, I broke down in tears. My 8 1/2 yo daughter has been taking Singulair (5mg) daily for 5 years.

She is the oldest of 3 and has some emotional issues we've always attributed to her personality: mood swings, rage that will last anywhere from 2 minutes to an hour, over-emotional, and yes, even at age 5 she said she wished she was dead. We were shocked, wondering where in the world that idea had come from. I can't say it was caused by Singulair, but it very well could be a factor. Our other two children just don't have the same issues she has with emotions. As a side note, over the years (and just yesterday as a matter of fact, she has complained of severe leg pain. Again, I never thought that would be a side effect of this medication.)

Lately, her allergy/asthma doc has been prescribing more and more meds for her and we have chosen to not give them to her. We will certainly remove Singulair from her regimen. As a parent, who can we trust? My child can't breathe if she's not on some sort of medication.

I would like to know, as another parent asked, if these side affects will subside once Singulair is discontinued.

I must say that Singulair works to control her allergy-induced asthma, but after seeing the story, reading comments here, and seeing my own daughter's behavior, I don't believe it's worth the risk. She's off this medication as of today!

I'm praying for each of you and your kids!

I am 24 years old and I took Singular for 4 days. The doc told me that it would help my headaches. OH my god, It was the scariest time of my life. I the first day I could not concentrate, next came the short term memory loss. I felt like the lights were on, but no one was home! I thought I was going nuts. I would not advise taking this drug at all. I went to the doctor and he told me I had all the side affects of the drug. Other side effects I had were nausea and stomach issues. The anxiety that you get from this drug is horrible and you feel powerless. I stopped taking it after 4 days and it took me 2 months to feel better and now I feel 100% myself, but I worry about the children that have been on the drug for years. I don't know if a person can recover after that brain has been damaged that bady. For all the parents out there, if you see a difference in your childs' personality STOP taking the drug.

Wow, I am totally floored by the comments, and I have yet to see the Suicide article. My son is 6 and has been on Singular for about 1.5 yrs. I was very concerned about his "negative" talking. He is an "excellent" student in school (behavior and grades). However, I just recently requested for him to take a "self-esteem" class offered at the school because he kept saying that he hates himself and displayed what I call "evil" behavior which is very different than his normal personality. He has a twin brother so I just thought it was result of one boy getting more attention than the other...his brother is a more needy child (healthwise and educationally). After taking the class, my son does not do as much negative talking, however, still does not act quite mean. Anyway, I am going to take him off the medicine and look for the change in his personality. I, too, was also told that there were NO side effects. This is a lesson to me to check with "real" parents instead of just relying on the Rx company's informative brochures on "their" medicines. I guess I will have to rely on Albuterol when he has uncontrollable coughing spells at night until we see the doctor. Thanks! DJ

Our son is nearly six and has been on Singulair since he was 2 y/o. We put is bad behavior down to the "Terrible Two's". He has always displayed signs of poor concentration, impulsive behavior, hyper and the list goes on. Last December his PED proscribed Bactrim for a resp problem and it was just last weekend where we hit breaking point. His behavior has become aggressive along with all of the other bad behavior to the point we have been called for meetings with his new school to have a Physical assessment done.
I researched Bactrim last weekend and it was described as poison which we took him off right away and, it was pure luck i stumbled across this website to find that Singulair may be the EVIL after all.

We took him off both medications 4 days ago and we are praying we see behavioral changes soon....Already i have noticed he is more settled and relaxed while watching TV etc.

Can anyone tell me how long it takes for the medication to leave their system?

I feel Singulair has completely destroyed the beautiful, peaceful personality of my 6yo. Although it's helped with her allergies and allergy associated asthma, this poison has destroyed her life - and all those around her. Her fuse is so sort, there is none. She's gone from a calm child to a spaced out, angry wild child - throwing tantrums like she's never thrown, hitting, screaming, shouting. She has no reasoning capacity, she often seems like "the lights are on but no one's home", she's absolutely inconsolable when in one of these "rages". The aggression is unbelievable and uncontrollable. She, herself, feels out of control and explains she wants to stop screaming, but can't. She hates herself, poor little angel. She's also experienced tummy pain, headaches and numbness in her extremities. This drug is despicable. We should all demand that it's removed from the market...immediately! And what about the doctors telling us there are no side effects? Children could be put on anti-depressants or ADD medication to relieve the side effects of allergy medication, and it's considered to have no side effects! Incredible! Does anybody know how long it takes to get this poison out of the system? I took my little girl off it two days ago and she seems to be experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms.

My 4 yo daughter has been taking Sinulair since last spring (Apirl 2006).

Worked great, I don't remember any side effects last summer. She was 2 & changed every day so it's hard to say. Now she's 3 & we've started it back up again at the start of spring. It's hard to say for a 3 year old what symptoms/side effects they are really suffering from. They aren't able to express themselves except mostly by actions. I just assumed her moodyness, crying jags, trouble sleeping at night were part of her age/personality.

Now, I'm noticing a definate problem getting her to bed every night. She will easily be up until 10 - 10:30 before falling asleep. This is even if I put her to bed around 8. She doesn't sleep well either. I'm pretty sure she's dreaming, but it's hard to say whether or not she's having nightmares. We've already made an appt with another doc to switch to something other than Singulair.

Too bad this type of info has to be sought after by the patient's & not provided at the time the medication is prescribed. I'll have to do more research regarding the physchotropic issues of this drug. They prescribe this for kids?