Your Opinions on Singulair

My son has ashtma and after he was hospitalized 4 years ago, he was put on it for awhile. He takes it whenever he gets any type of chest infection. I have never had any problems with it. He stayed the same. It's the inhalers I hate. When he needs to use it he gets very hyper!!! He gets so wired he can't sleep and talks non stop!!!

Hi - My son has asthma and the cingulair finally helped him. I have been very happy with the result. He was having wheezing issues every week at gym and now we have no problems at all.

I can't say I know much about singulair, BUT
In my opinion you shouldn't treat her for symptoms she doesn't have. For one thing, you build a tolerance making the meds less effective when you need them most. and for another its NOT like an innoculation, which are preventative. She has never had an actual asthma attack so what would you be treating her for? As for when she is ill, Singulair wouldn't help her breathing during an episode.
She would still need to use an inhaler if things got bad.
And last but not least LOL, NO DR can predict what will happen in the future,

Eg. When I was pregnant with my boys the MD would measure, and do U/S and tell me that my child was going to be 10 pounds, and that I should induce, OR do a C section.

I refused, because none of my other children were that huge.
they were born at 7lbs, And sure enough so was this baby.

Same thing happened to my SIL, they said hers would be 10lbs, and it was born at 5lbs.

I am not saying that she wouldn't be predisposed to Asthma, but there is no way to say for certain based on a few colds,
My boys whom are 3, 4 and 13 are ALWAYS SICK, especially since starting school.

Just some food for thought

http://health.yahoo.com/asthma-medications/montelukast/he...

If you give the body what it needs, you will not have symptoms. You child does not have a singulair deficiency.

Symptoms are the body's way of telling you something is lacking. If you medicate away the symptoms - the body will give you a "louder" message with another issue. Listen to the body.

Medications have side effects - nutritional supplementation have side benefits.

I have a number of presentations available for you see at www.nosickvisits.com . I created this site to tell my family story.

L.

If you would like additional information or specific recommendations, please contact me.

My son has seasonal allergies and was on Singulair for a long time - I didn't have any issues at all. He now takes Claritan which works wonders but it's less and less each year - I believe he is growing out of them. The only thing you can really do is try it - pay attention to your daughter and if you feel the side effects are worse than the help - then switch her to something different. I am sure that Sindulair is not the only med out there. Good luck

My daughter was on Singulair and she did not have any behavioral issues but the pediatrician did take her off it because it caused her very bad headaches. When she stopped taking it the headaches went away.
If her pediatrician suspects asthma then why doesn't he have her tested for it? My daughter has asthma and that is the age she was tested. This may be the reason for the bad cough she gets a few times a year.

I have two thoughts about the Singulair to share with you and I hope they help. My daughter was put on Singulair after being diagnosed in November with Reactive Airway Disease. Every month after that she got an ear infection, which is a side effect of the medication. She was put on 3 courses of antibiotics since the ear infection and sore throat did not go away, and then in April, she developed a fever for 13 days straight, once a day, along with stomach aches. I took her to the hospital on day 13 and after being admitted and seeing and Infectious Disease doctor, they determined she was sick from taking too many antibiotics. It was crazy! So now I am very, very cautious if a doctor wants to put her or my younger daughter on an antibiotic. You need to make sure she needs it! I wouldn't give it to her without a diagnosis. Believe me, it was high stress and fear for about a month, and I wouldn't want anyone to EVER go through what my little girl endured! Good luck to you and let me know what you decide to do...P.S-She also has wicked coughs, but she has allergies and Zyrtec once a day has done the trick. :)

Hi Gerri,
My son (now turning 10) has been on Singular a few times over the past several years, and I never noticed any undesirable effects. Not that they can't happen, but it wasn't my experience.
Good luck

M.

Hi!
I am concerned when I read your e-mail about the doctor saying that your daughter could be diagnosed later with asthma? How do you know it is not asthma now?
My daughter (now 9) has what is called Cough Variant Asthma - this is asthma that exhibits like a cough. Please know - that although it is not a wheeze- like you expect an asthma attack to sound like - it is most definitely an asthmas attack and her coughing is signaling that she is not getting the proper air in. Her triggers are cold and exertion. My girl is on Singulair once a day (in the a.m.) and I have to tell you that what has rEALLY helped her is the ADVAIR disk - no asthma attacks (coughing attacks) even when she plays soccer.
I have a wonderful pediatric allergy/asthma specialist in Rockville Centre, New York - who is kind and explains things. If you are near here, please let me know and I will give you the info so that you could pay a visit to her.
Also, I would strongly suggest that you bring your doctor to a lung or asthma specialist and have her treated. The constant coughing is suffering and it is up to you as the Mom to get it addressed so that she can live with the asthma so that it doesn't control her life.
Wishing you well!
p.s. no problems with the Singulair.

I would like to tell you about a wonderful product called Juice Plus. It is whole food nutrition that boosts your immune system. They come in capsule and gummy form for children. Dr. Sears loves it and sees amazing results with his pediatric patients. There is currently a Children's Health Study where one child could go on the product for free for up to 3 years with a sponsoring adult. It's a fantastic supplement that everyone should be taking. You can check out my website (lswiftjuiceplus.com) and watch the video. I have met many people who have told me their asthma symptoms had improved dramatically. I hate to see your daughter take medicine that is just a band-aid and not good for her system. Good luck!

Gerri-
i have 3 kids, 2 have been diagnosed with asthma and one has not been to a specialist, but my feeling is he has asthma too. they all seem to have allergies of some sort. so, i have 2 kids on singulair and 1 on claritin. for a while my oldest was on singulair too, but it seemed to make his asthma much much worse so i switched him back to claritin. if your child doesn't have any asthma symptoms right now, then i would just try claritin. if that doesn't work then try singulair. good luck.

Hi Gerri,

Both of my boys have severe respitory issues. My oldest was diagnosed with RSV when he was 3 months old and given daily nebulizer treatments. Once he turned 2 the doctors put him on 4 mg Singulair and we have never used the nebulizer again. In fact, in the 2 1/2 years he has been on this medicine he has never even had a cold. We've seen no signs of any behavioral issues whatsoever.

This past Friday we had our youngest son (just over 2 years of age) put on Singulair as well. He has been following his brother almost to a "t" with his asmathic symptoms. I am hoping the medicine the same way it helped his older brother. Although he has only been on it for a few days we haven't seen any changes in his behavior either.

I am a fan of Singulair. Really hope everything works out for your daughter. It is awful watching your child struggle to breath and not being able to do anything to help.

A.

SAHM of 2 boys ages 4 1/2 and 2.

Gerri
My children do not show signs of asthma, yet. I am a moderate/severe asthmatic (diagnosed at age 2 after many false diagonses of pnemonia and being sent home, and then test that I hope my children will never have to endure), and have fear of them developing my problems. I do not know the effects of singular on children, but I find it helps my asthma when I use it with my other medications.

But not being a confirmed asthmatic, I would not push unnecessary meds.
I do not see how using singular now, could benifit with a later possible diagnosis.
I think you need to get another opinion, perhaps your child needs to see a allergy or asthma specialits, if the pediatrician thinks that is the issue, they could confirm the symptoms.
Over the counter Claritin or Zyrtec could help with allergy issues, if you think that could be triggering the coughing.
I take claritin daily with singular, advair x2, and albuterol 1-6x a day, and occassionally oral steriods.
But as I say, I am a moderate asthmatic.

I must say there were some meds I took as a child that I would never want my children to take. It was like I was put on speed. I still take some of them, but the effect are not a strong now after 25+ yrs; Albuterol inhalers/Ventolin will have these effects, especially when the child first starts taking them. Also steriods.

I wish your child the best. And hopefully if she has asthma, it will be mild and easy to control. I grew up limiting my daily activities, and school activities due to my symptoms. See another pesiatrician or specialist and see if they come up with a close or similar determination as far as medications go. Ask about the side effects, and get an idea of the side effects vs. the symptoms.

My sister took her son to a specialist in Saratoga, that was very good. if that is in your area...

my 4 year old was on singular until recently. 4 mg a day. it did not cause any behavioral changes, and it helped her tremendously. i would not start her on singular unless she is specifically diagnosed with asthma. i have heard that each child responds differently to singular. so your experience may be different from others. good luck

My son (6 1/2) has been on Singulair for three years. He only takes in for 3-4 months (May - July or August, depending). It nixes the cough completely (in about four or five days - he does have to build it up in his system it seems), and I'm now at the point where he can actually take Singulair every other day (if he hasn't been outside a LOT during the day) instead of every day. It has not caused any behavioral outbursts with him, partly (I think) because he is sleeping better at night, and more rested during the day. That being said - all people react to medications differently, so if your ped will give you a sample (2-3 weeks worth, maybe?), it would let you test it out without spending the copay. (We did that the first year; now I just call him at the end of April and he calls in a script for us..)

HTH
L.

My son has seasonal and food allergies and asthma triggered by upper respiratory infections. Our allergist put him on singulair in the spring when he was four and had a constant cough and runny nose. He is also on the pulmicort flexhaler. His symptoms definitely improved. I did not make a connection at the time, but his behavior was greatly changed. My sweet little boy was having melt-down after melt-down and would also get very angry and aggressive at times. After he had been on singulair over a year I asked our doctor if he could cut back on some medication since he had been symptom free for so long. He went off the singulair for over a year and did great. This spring (he is now six) he had the constant cough and was put back on singulair (it is the go-to drug for allergic cough, as zyrtec and claritin do not help the cough as well). The cough went away immediately, but I noticed a drastic change in his behavior in the first two days. He was back to his melt-downs and was aggressive again. I gave it a few weeks to see if the symptoms subsided as his body adjusted to the medicine. There was no improvement, so I took him off it again. His behavior improved within a few days. My neighbor's six-year-old also had a similar experience. My doctor said that you typically see behavioral changes within the first few days and they go away within a few days of stopping the medication, so you could try it out for a few weeks to see if your child reacts. I've decided to keep my son off of singulair and give him zyrtec if/when he needs it, even if it is not as effective.

Do not over medicate your children. If your cild is not diagnostic with asmathma do not give him singualr. If he has resporatory issues then treat those individuals as needed with a neabulizer, etc.

Please don't medicate for a condition your child doesn't have --- it really makes no sense. It would be like taking heart medicine because your father had a heart attack.

If it were my child I wouldn't do it. Not because of potential side effects, but because she hasn't been diagnosed with asthma. Your daughter gets a cough a few times a year, and apparently you are dealing with it. She should have medication when she is sick, but not year round. I'm not against medication, but I don't think anyone should take a daily medication if they don't absolutely need it. Wait until and if she is actually diagnosed with constant breathing issues. My 3 1/2 year old gets croup a couple of times every Winter, and we just wait it out.

Hi Gerri
I don't have any particular experience with Singulair but I do prefer to use natural/homeopathic remedies whenever possible. There is a product that Market America distributes called OPC-3. My son is 3.5 years old and has been taking it since he could drink out of a sippy cup. It's an extremely effective option (all natural) that has helped many people - adults and children alike - with asthma, allergies, & arthritis. You can find more information about this product at www.shopwithcarrie.com. (Just click the link on the left nav bar for OPC-3.) There's a little video clip that you can watch and tons of clinical studies and other information that you can provide to your daughter's pediatrician. It's another option for you and your daughter...
Best of luck with whatever means of treatment you decide. :)

Hi Gerri. My daughter was on Singulair from age 3 till 6 1/2 (she is 7 now) I took her off of it because of the behavior issues and the night terrors. She has been off of it since August 2008. Her behavior has gotten better but I think that it was a way of life for her to feel so anxious. I don't like the side effects of singulair but it did work. I'm trying to find something different for my daughter because Spring is a horrible time of the year for her. She has been suffering since Mothers day with this. Good luck and talk it out with your ped.

My 4 1/2 yr old son is currently taking Singulair and I haven't noticed any side effects on him. He took it for a couple of months a year ago when he was 3 1/2 and has been taking it for about 1 month so far since we've moved to NJ (plus a dose of Zyrtec each night). My husband was worried about him taking it, but the doctor said it is just until the pollen goes down which is only for about another week or so.