experiences with singulair and kids please

[Denine]

DD was just started on Singulair today, she is 6, almost 7. How long for it to kick in? DD just keeps coughing and coughing. Will it take a few days or weeks? We go back in a month for an evaluation.

 

[momsully]

MY DS7 has been taking Singular and Zyrtec every night with dinner for about a year. It takes a couple of days to kick in but it makes a huge difference. If we forget and he skips a night he is usally wheezing the next morning.

 

[sau418]

DD 3 has been on it for about 4 months now, it took a week to really help her, but she is wonderful now.

 

[Denine]

Thanks.

Man, I hope it kicks in soon. I am this close to taking dd to the ER. She can't stop coughing tonight and I can't give her any more albuterol.
She coughs more when she lies down. I hope if I can get her to sleep, she will be ok in the morning. Or at least ok as she has been.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep an eye on your child. DD had been on singulair for about 2 years. (To answer your question, it kicked in and worked for her almost immediately)

BUT, she developed terrible facial tics. This is a common side effect that is not widely known from this drug. We did research on this and made the decision to take her off of it, We went to the Pediatrician about this right away as well, and she told us that she was thankful we already took her off, as that is the first thing she would have told us to do. The neurologist that she works with told her this is a very common side effect.

She developed the tics at about the 2 year mark. She has been off of it for about 6 months and they are slowly going away. Thank Heavens for that. She is still on her inhaler, but doesn't cough at night any more.
there are other side effects to keep an eye out for as well. Another side effect is mood changes.

I KNOW how much the coughing is horrible, we went through that for several months and I thought singulair was the best thing since sliced bread, because she finally stopped coughing.

ALL I am saying is please keep an eye out for these side effects. I know not all kids are going to develop the side effects, I just want you to not go through what we did, and what DD had to endure because of her tics.

 

[Tiffer]

My sone used to take it over 10 years ago and it worked well for him.

I knwo that all drugs have side effects, but there has been ALOT in the news lately about Singulair and suicide.

From the Singulair Website:

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: SINGULAIR is not a rescue medication. Always carry a prescribed rescue inhaler for emergencies or sudden symptoms. For asthma, SINGULAIR should be taken once a day, in the evening as prescribed, whether or not you have, or your child has, asthma symptoms. If your or your child's asthma symptoms get worse or there is a need to increase the use of fast-acting medicines, call the doctor at once. Side effects are generally mild and vary by age, and most commonly include headache, ear infection, sore throat, and upper respiratory infection. Less common side effects that have happened with SINGULAIR include behavior and mood related changes [agitation including aggressive behavior, bad/vivid dreams, depression, feeling anxious, hallucinations (seeing things that are not there), irritability, restlessness, suicidal thoughts and actions (including suicide), tremor, trouble sleeping]. Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing.

 

[Denine]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep an eye on your child. DD had been on singulair for about 2 years. (To answer your question, it kicked in and worked for her almost immediately)

BUT, she developed terrible facial tics. This is a common side effect that is not widely known from this drug. We did research on this and made the decision to take her off of it, We went to the Pediatrician about this right away as well, and she told us that she was thankful we already took her off, as that is the first thing she would have told us to do. The neurologist that she works with told her this is a very common side effect.

She developed the tics at about the 2 year mark. She has been off of it for about 6 months and they are slowly going away. Thank Heavens for that. She is still on her inhaler, but doesn't cough at night any more.
there are other side effects to keep an eye out for as well. Another side effect is mood changes.

I KNOW how much the coughing is horrible, we went through that for several months and I thought singulair was the best thing since sliced bread, because she finally stopped coughing.

ALL I am saying is please keep an eye out for these side effects. I know not all kids are going to develop the side effects, I just want you to not go through what we did, and what DD had to endure because of her tics.

So sorry to hear this happened. Glad the tics are reversing themselves and thanks for the info.

 

[Denine]

Yikes.

I hope this doesn't happen, but I will keep an eye out for mood changes

Thanks.

 

[JessicaR]

Does she have asthma? Is she taking anything other than the albuterol and singulair? Singulair was very effective when my son took it for asthma/allergies in combination with advair. For us it took about a week to notice the effects.

I hope your daughter is feeling better today.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

PLEASE watch for behavioral side effects! They will not tell you this unless you push for it, but a (supposedly) small number of children may have behavioral side effects.

That's what happened to my 10-11 year old son. He went from being a really great student, always able to keep up and always getting good grades... always happy and very easy for everyone to deal with... to grades dropping, inability to concentrate, and anger... oh, the anger and frustration we were dealing with.

I just couldn't understand it, because he had NEVER been this way before. We tried so many different things, we talked to him so many times... and he would just cry and say he feels so angry and he doesn't know why.

Finally after talking with my aunt about it, she asked about his medications. I hadn't given it any thought, because the allergy nurses had already said there wouldn't be ANY side effects from the allergy meds. At this point I had already removed him from a couple allergy meds they had prescribed him that we felt were unnecessary (and we were right... he was fine with way less meds. They started him out with 5-6 meds the day his allergies were diagnosed! ), so we decided to try taking him off the Singulair and switch to Claritin (Zyrtec in the spring/summer), and see what happened. (At this point we had been getting allergy shots for about a year or so, too.)

Well, not only did his allergies respond well to the OTC meds, but all the behavioral issues just melted away. I am not kidding, it was like I got my sweet, happy boy back! And last year, he made merit roll the first 3 semesters and honor roll in the fourth semester.

The allergy office was against taking him off meds, so I didn't tell them until a couple months after the fact, when I knew what the results were. At this point, it was starting to show up on the news about the risk of suicidal behavior, so I felt they needed to hear about our experience with it. When I told them, then they admitted that this can happen to a small number of children, and that they were glad I took him off the Singulair (funny, they were against it until I told them how well he responded to me taking him off...)

I'm not saying every child will react to this medication the same way, I just want parents to know to watch out for it. I'm so glad my aunt finally helped me make the connection. We could still be dealing with those issues if not for her, but instead, my now 12 year old son is still just as calm and in control of himself as he has been all of his life (except while on that medication).

 

[wall*e2008]

Singulair is a not a rescue type of drug. It needs to be in your blood stream before the allergen causes an asthma (some use it for allergies).

 

[JessicaR]

This is likely a good read.
http://www.singulair.com/montelukas...ssible-side-effects-of-singulair.jsp?WT.svl=1

What are the possible side effects of SINGULAIR?
The side effects of SINGULAIR are usually mild and generally did not cause patients to stop taking their medicine. The side effects in patients treated with SINGULAIR were similar in type and frequency to side effects in patients who were given a placebo (a pill containing no medicine). The most common side effects with SINGULAIR include:

stomach pain
stomach or intestinal upset
heartburn
tiredness
fever
stuffy nose
cough
flu
upper respiratory infection
dizziness
headache
rash



Less common side effects that have happened with SINGULAIR include:

increased bleeding tendency
allergic reactions (including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat [which may cause trouble breathing or swallowing], hives, and itching)
behavior and mood-related changes (agitation including aggressive behavior, bad/vivid dreams, depression, feeling anxious, hallucinations [seeing things that are not there], irritability, restlessness, suicidal thoughts and actions [including suicide], tremor, and trouble sleeping)

 

[Tosie]

Both of my kids have been on Singulair during their difficult "seasons." My dd is just coming off of it for the year. She has never had any side effects and it definitely keeps her in check during the spring and early summer.

Once she starts, it usually takes about 4-5 days to kick in.

 

[Denine]

Thanks again for all your replies. I will definitely watch for behavior changes.

We go back in a month to determine the effectiveness of the singulair. I take advair for my asthma, but don't know if I want the inhaled steroids in her if she doesn't need them.

It is scary to have to put your child on a medication with so many side effects, but asthma meds are limited for kids. She doesn't use an inhaler well at all!

 

[JoanGirardi]

My son has been on singulair for several years now. From what I remember, it took a few days to really kick in, and we had to continue his rescue inhalers for a while until it did. Once it started working, though, he was able to discontinue the inhaled steroid, and his albuterol use dropped dramatically. We were warned to watch out for the side effects, but were thankful that none materialized. Good luck to you. Asthma is no fun, but the right medication can make all of the difference in the world.

 

[dispor]

She doesn't use an inhaler well at all!

I am curious what you mean by this. Is she using a spacer with the inhaler?

 

[qtwns]

My son started experiencing mood changes and I never put 2 & 2 together until I read a post here one night about Singulair. I switched to OTC Zyrtec and Viola! I got my old kid back!

 

[monorailsilver]

I didn't know about the facial tics.

My ds has been on it for almost a year. At first we did notice some behavior issues & we did mention it to the allergist since we took him off of it & he said not to & most likely it had nothing to do with it.

He was almost growling at times. I can't describe it but he was odd. He would pent up all his energy & tighten all his muscles (like a body builder) & growl.

But between the Singular & getting a T&A he breathes so nice now.

 

[Denine]

I am curious what you mean by this. Is she using a spacer with the inhaler?

Yeah, she was using a spacer, but as soon as she inhaled, she coughed it all out, so not enough stayed in her lungs.

 

[Denine]

I can't determine the effectiveness yet. DD's throat infection (tonsilitis?) has turned into bronchitis. She is still wheezy and her lungs are noisy. Don't want to use medical terms.