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Community Views: Singulair Experiences

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By Editorial Team

3 min read

Singulair, also known as montelukast, is one of those asthma meds you either love or hate. It is an immunosuppressant, reduces inflammation, and stops the airways from narrowing. We asked our community how they felt about Singulair, and we definitely received a range of different responses when it came to experiences.

Disclaimer (Updated July 26, 2022 - 2:21 PM ET):Singulair has a boxed warning, the strictest warning from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It has this warning because it may cause mood or behavior changes. Because of these possible changes, the benefits of Singulair may not outweigh the risks in some people. Singulair should only be used by people with allergic rhinitis (hay fever) who have not responded to or cannot take other treatments. If you have any mood or behavior changes when taking Singulair, stop taking the drug and contact your doctor right away. For more information about Singulair and to access prescribing information, please visit this page.1

We asked our Facebook community: If you’ve taken Singulair, what has your experience been like? Here are the most common responses.

Positive experiences with Singular

Many members expressed that Singulair tremendously improved their asthma symptoms and had nothing but positive things to say about it! Some have not experienced any side effects and said the medicine has done wonders for their asthma.

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  • "Been using for years. No side effects."
  • "I’ve used Singular for 24 years. It was a game-changer for me. Went from being hospitalized 8 to 12 times a year to 1 time in the last 20 years."
  • "My asthma isn’t fixed by any means, but it helps me be more active and helps keep the really bad asthma exacerbations at bay."

Alleviates asthma symptoms

Below are some of the asthma symptoms reported that were alleviated by Singulair. These tablets are meant to help reduce wheezing, shortness of breath, and the number of times you need your rescue inhaler. However, these experiences can be different for everyone. Some experienced a decrease in nocturnal asthma symptoms and a reduction in mucus.

  • "It helps my nighttime asthma coughing."
  • "Helps me avoid bronchitis, so I love it!"
  • "I no longer build up mucus in my lungs resulting in throwing up. Keeps my lungs clear now."
  • "It helps me control my pollen allergies, and this keeps my asthma moderate rather than severe."

Negative experiences with Singulair

Despite there being tons of positive feedback on Singulair, many also shared their negative experiences. Some members have reported changes to their appetite, causing extreme weight loss or weight gain. Others talked about the very severe neuropsychiatric side effects such as suicidal thoughts, mood changes, hallucinations, and depression.

In March 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new warning label due to the risk of neuropsychiatric side effects arising for many taking Singular. These side effects were first reported in 2008, and much research has been conducted since. You can read more about this here.

Mood changes

Members have shared that Singulair created disruptions in their personalities and caused them to act out of character. Despite the medicine helping to alleviate asthma symptoms, many had to stop taking Singulair as it negatively impacted their day-to-day lives along with their mental health.

  • "Helped my breathing wonderfully... turned me into a forgetful and monstrously mean person. Too many mistakes and mental instability to counter the benefit."
  • "I feel like it made me crazy. I was super moody, felt like I had raging PMS all the time."
  • "Never had any issues with mental health or depression, but after a week on it, I was experiencing severe depression."

Hallucinations and night terrors

In addition to the mood changes, some people with asthma have also experienced hallucinations and sleeping problems due to taking Singulair. Several of the comments described their night terrors and how they drastically affected their sleeping patterns. It can be a very frightening experience, especially when these nightmares regularly occur.

  • "Night terrors, suicidal thoughts, crying uncontrollably, night sweats... It was horrific."
  • "My son took it and had hallucinations in the middle of the night. It took it happening 3 times before we realized it was the medication."
  • "Night terrors. Like, they were so bad, I couldn’t sleep afterward, and I’d be thinking about those dreams all day. It got to the point I didn’t want to sleep."

Thank you for sharing your Singulair experiences with us!

We appreciate all of our community members who took the time to share their experiences with Singulair. As you can see, the experiences range, and it can affect everyone very differently. If you are experiencing these more negative side effects, we highly advise you to speak with your doctor right away.

What has your experience been while taking Singulair? Share in the comments below!

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