Any of Your Children on Singulair?

Hello Jenn
The only thing my kids experienced was hyperness. I stopped using regular cleaning items in my household and started using regular white vinegar instead. My son 4 at the time out-grew asthma by 7 and has been playing football ever since and he is 15 now.

My son started taking it when he was 3! But he kept getting really bad ear infections! When we switched docs they took him off it and said that was a common side effect, but last year we decided to try it again and the ear infections come back! He would only get them when he was taking that! My niece who is 3 takes it and she has no problems, so I guess it depends on the child. If he starts to develop ear infections ask if they can switch to something different!

Good Luck

My son is on singulair for the last couple yrs. and he has not had any side effects at all not even when he first started taking it. I usually give it to him at night.

Hi J.. My son started on Zyrtec when he was 2 and it didn't really work, so they switched him to Singulair. He was on this for about 2 years and we didn't see any side effects, but my concern was how long would he be on the medication. I didn't like the open ended answer by the doctor, that as long as it worked, why would you want to take him off of it? I did some research and changed some things we used in our home. One of the main things was the types of cleaners and laundry products that we used. I started using a more natural line of products and about 6 months after I switched out, we took him off the Singulair. He has not been on it since....he is almost 8 years old. Obviously, trust your doctor, but it is good to explore your options. If you wanted to know more about the products that I use, just send me an email. I would be happy to help.

My 12 year old son has been on Singulair for about 3 years now. He has seasonal allergies and mild asthma at times. It has not affected him negatively at all. He plays soccer and basketball on local teams and is very active and outdoors a lot. It has definately helped him feel better and we both can tell if he doesn't take it for a while.

I have a son who takes singulair for seasonal allergies. He started take it when he was six and it worked well for him. He did not have any problems with side effects and I only gave it to him to get him through allergy season.
B., mom of 3 boys

My son is almost 3 years old, and has been on Singulair since Sept of last year. We have had no problems with side effects, and it has done wonders for his allergies and asthma.

I am always concerned when I hear that a child is on medication. Does he really need this. I mean, how bad is he suffering that he needs it. Did you ask, or did your doctor just suggest it. Unless your son is really suffering you shouldn't use anything like that. His body will get used to it, and not defend itself from all the allergens in the air. Another thing to worry about is ruining the lining of his nose.

I have heard reports that the drug could cause depression and is something to be aware of and watch out for. You could do a google search on Singulair or visit this site: http://www.medications.com/se/singulair. If you see a decrease in activity and not his usual self, definately report it to your doctor and request another med.

Hi J.,
Our daughter is 4 1/2 years old and as been on singulair since last year. She has "seasonal asthma" too and it really helps her alot. She also has an inhaler. But I think it's a great drug for my child ahe doesn't really have any side effects. At first she was alittle tired but that was only just for a couple days. Good luck

J.,
My son (2 years old) was put on Singulair for allergies. I haven't seen any side effects. He take this daily in the evening and his symptoms have improved. He was allergy tested, was yours? I actually went to a pediatric allergist & had him evaluated. My pediatrician was going to put him on something else (without even having him tested). If you are concerned, I would get him tested just to make sure. This way you will know what he is allergic to & will know what to avoid!

My 6 year old daughter has been on Singulair for the past 3 years. It has been wonderful. She was on Zyrtec, which did nothing for her. The singulair gives her immediate relief. She deals with Fall and Spring allergies, so at the first sign of headaches, sinus congestion, etc. I know to start the Singulair. Those last few days of warm weather we had here in PA stared the allergies because everything is beginning to bloom for the spring. She has been on allergy medicine since she was alittle over 2 years old. I hope this helps.
J. (SAHM of 2 girls age 10 and 6, married for 13years.)

Our doctor put my daughter on Singulair at about 16 months old and it has been a whole new wonderful world. She was diagnosed with asthma at 10 months old and we were in and out of the hospital all the time. Everytime she would get a cold it would cause us to go back on the nebulizer. The Singulair seems to keep it from going to her lungs everytime she gets sick. We still have to use the nebulizer some but nothing like we used to. We have had so side effects and I recommend it to everyone I know. Good Luck making your decision.

My son has been on singulair for 5 years and he is 8 , I see no side effects ( tired or hyper) and it has made such a big difference in him with his allergies

Hi Jenifer,

My now 17 year old son has been using Singulair with great results since he was 9. He only uses it during the heaviest allergy seasons. We had taken him to an allergist to determine his exact allergens, and alot was seasonal related. No side effects noted with him. Only problem was remembering to take it during allergy season...best wishes.

My 4 yr old son was put on the same medication. He complained of headaches everyday, I decided to take him off and gave him an over the counter cold and allergy medication. That worked out great for me

my son is on sigular and has had no problems

Yes, my son was on this for awhile when he was 1 and I did not notice any side effects. However, it did not seem to help him at all. I tried children's Benedryl and that did the trick. Good luck!

yes my daughter was on this medicine... it helped her out a lot. but she is no longer on it. She was put on it when she was only 10 months old, she was just onit for afew motnh though, we didn't see any side effects.
good luck

My son, who is almost 9, has been on singulair and some other asthma meds for 3 1/2 years now. We have not experienced any side effects from it. It has helped him to sleep better at night as he no longer has the coughing fits. I can definately notice when we take him off of it during the season. He is only on the meds during the winter season and does fine during the summer.

they had put my son on that before and i had to take him off because it made him very hyper...so i asked the drs to change and so they put him on zyrtec.. and that helps great with allergies...hope that helps

My son went on Singulair at 3 and did have severe side effects. "Adverse Reaction" is how it was put. He didn't sleep for 3 days. He was on the floor in a teantrum or running around - kicking, screaming, hitting, hysterical for 3 solid days, until it all worked out of his system and he recovered. I know that is an unusual and rare response.Eventually he went on Zyrtec, and today at almost 5 takes nothing!

Like Barb says, changing what the body is exposed to makes a world of difference. Over about a 3 month period we 'detoxed' our home and read everything we could, talked to people who got the chemicals out of their homes - No bleach,no chemicals, no artificially fragranced products, no body care products with artificial fragrance, colors, parabens, etc. We read up on the alternatives and now clean "grean". It actually is cheaper over all so the few products we have to buy "green" that we can't just use vinegar/ essential oil blends for, such as dishwasher soap, and fabric softener, are not outside the budget. Plus, my son is now OFF Zyrtec, and me and my husband are off our allergy meds. THAT alone is worth it!

Laundry, air fresheners & candles, and body care products seem to affect the biggest changes.

Also, we used NAET which sounds weird when you research it, but it WORKS. Safe, natural, non-invasive. The chiropractor helped a lot too.

Best wishes with your little guy and the new one!

Hi J.. I apologize but I didn't read the other comments or advice here. I just wanted to mention that my friends son had terrible allergies and asthma. She got all the harsh chemicals out of her home and replaced them with safer, cheaper non toxic items. Since she has done so everything has changed. No allergies or asthma. If you want to hear more about where you can purchase these products please contact me and I will share that info with you!
Good Luck!
A. P
www.greensthewaytobe.com

I have 2 on Singulair and a third who will probably end up on it because he has signs of cold/allergy induced asthma.
My 5 y/o was on Zyrtec but it did nothing for him so he was switched to Singulair (so far he is not asthmatic though just has SEVERE seasonal allergies).

My 4 y/o is an asthmatic, severe asthma attacks due to cold/allergies. Singulair works wonders for him...holds off MANY of his attacks and we use his neb less because of it!! Before he was put on we were using the neb VERY often and even had quite a few ER visits, since being put on the ER visits stopped all together and the neb treatments are only when he gets a really bad cold. He sees a Pulmonologist also every 6 months to check on his meds and see how he is fairing. He has Pulmocort/Albuterol in his neb as needed and Flonase inhalor for those bad allergy months. He has shown no side effects to the Singulair.

My 1 1/2 y/o is showing all the signs that our 4 y/o did (minus the ER visits as we are able to control his attacks with the neb) so we will probably be talking about putting him on Singulair within the year.

Our oldest is on Zyrtec, so far this one works for him and he has not been switched.

J.,

My son, almost 15 months, was just put on Singulair (one month ago) for his asthma type symptoms. Because he is so young, there is no definite test to verify if it is actually asthma or not. He has had NO side effects thus, and his symptoms have decreased significantly. I highly recommend.

J.,

My son was put on singulair for awhile but it didn't seem to help him. They use to say that he had seasonal asthma but that is not the case anymore. He is actually doing nebulizer treatments and an inhaler and he is 5.

Hi J.! I don't have any kids on Singulair, but I'm a pharmacist, so I thought offer some help. The best thing that you can do is to go to your pharmacy and ask for a patient information pamphlet on Singulair. They should be able to print one out for you if you don't have one already. These give good basic information, including common side effects. One of the things that's necessary with this drug is to give it to him every day, even if he isn't showing any signs of allergy. This medicine doesn't work like regular cold and allergy medicines, and you need to take it daily to get the benefits. Also, try to give it to him at the same time every day. If you miss a dose, give it to him as soon as you remeber, unless it's fairly close to the time for the next dose, then skip it. Never double up on pills because you missed one. If your son is on the chewable tablet, make sure he thoroughly chews it to get the proper absorption of the drug when he swallows it. Often times, chew tablets are rougher than tablets meant to be swallowed, and if he swallows a large portion he could scratch his esophagus or even choke. Good luck with the medicine, and your expanding family!

My 4yr old has been on it for about a year. The docs thought it would help with her congestion, which it has. She has had no side effects. I did try to take her off and when I did her symptoms came back. So she's back on it. I haven't heard anything as far as long term use, which I am concern about. (If there is any problems using this drug for a long period of time) We have had a positive outcome using it.
A.

My six-yr old has been on Singulair for about 3 years. He takes it every night before bed year round. If he misses more than a day, he has horrible allergy-related asthma. My son has environmental allergies, peanut allergy, asthma, and eczema. He has improved so much over the years, but of course it is hard to tell what is the drug and what he is just growing out of. It did make him a little hyper in the beginning, but that seemed to stop after a month or two (if I remember correctly). I'd much rather have him on Singulair than constantly using his inhaler. It has been a life-saver in every sense of the term. We haven't been to the hospital once since he started it!

J.,
My son (2 1/2) was having some problems with reoccuring cold symptoms - nasal drip, coughing at night... The doctor prescribed singular for use while these symptoms were occuring. I've had to use it twice with great results. No side effects and worked well...
b

My daughter is 18. From the time she was 5 she was diagnosed with asthma, only after cronic years of sinus infections. We had a ENT remove the 90% blockage from the adnoids (sp) and tonsils leaving her still with asthma. She has environmental allergies and has been on pulmacort, asthmacort, Advir 250 and 500, singular, flonaise, zyrtec, and two or three other allergy oral meds. And bout after bout of Prednisone.
The singulair had the least side effects and is a non steriod drug. We however did not find it effective.
After 10 cronic years of many er trips (like 16 every year between Sept & Dec) and 125 mg of solumedrol and 62 days of steroids the VERY best route we found to help her asthma was taking the most natural non-invasive approach:

ALLERGY SHOTS
and
THE CHIROPRACTOR

In the long run it removed 400.00 to 500.00 maintenance meds that the Asthma/Allergist and Pulmonologist had her on
and she has been without any major asthma attacks SINCE she started at the Chiropractors office. AND NO Synthetic in her body and NO Steriods.

In ten years I have watched the amount of children @ Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in the ER double and probably 1/2 of that in the last 5 years alone.
Our own UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH linked Asthma/Respiratory Distress to disposable diapers in 1989. There is an 11 page documented study done on this in their archives somewhere -- do the research yourself, don't believe me.

The body can natuarally condition itself to tolerating allergies with the proper care -- My dd is living proof.
But I want to emphasise always consulting with your specialist. Peds are great, ours are wonderful, but we always choose a specialist for specialized needs.

I can't recall the name of the drug before Singulair came out...it was a twice a day, this 1 is a once a day. My son has asthma & allergies & was started on the one prior to this first. It was touted as the "wonder drug" for some...others it did nothing for. It worked SO well for my son that at some point he could stop the allergy shots. I can't recall at what point this med hit the public but it's the same as the old one & it's still a wonder drug for my son. At your child's age, we were still dealing with breathing machines, oral steroids, liquid broncho-dialators, etc.......a mess, essentially!

My asthmatic son began his hospital stays for breathing issues @ age 15 mos....he's now 24. Treatments for asthma & allergies have come LEAPS & bounds. 1 thing I felt strongly about was getting my son to a pulmonologist & away from the pediatrician for his asthma/allergies. My peds were/are great but peds have their limits. I let them treat my son for only so long before choosing to step away to a specialist....6-8 mos, maybe. My advice to you is to do the same. Everyone has their specialty & my son's condition was way better handled by a specialist than the peds.

Good luck!

My 7 month grandaughter was put on singulair during this winter season. She was having difficulty with her sinuses when having a cold. She has shown no signs of adverse reactions or side effects. The medicine comes in a powder form and we mix it with some of her soft food. Hope this helps. CINDY

I actually had at one time all four of my children on this. It works. But, my one son has adhd and bipolar and this is a stimulant and caused alot of problems for him causing him to become more hyper and easily aggrivated.

My son's pediatrician put him on Singulair last Spring for seasonal allergies. He had been on Zyrtec for 2 years, but each year his allergies get worse and last year he was borderline asthma, he was also on a nebulizer for a short while. He did fine on the Singulair, it actually worked great, especially in combination with the Zyrtec. He is taking both again this Spring as well. I start him back on in early March before he gets too bad. As far as side effects, I would just get a pamphlet from your local pharmacy, I'm not aware of what they are since he didn't experience any. Good luck!