‼️ Asthma Medication Warning ‼️ Montelukast (Singulair) ‼️
Just to note: this is based on our experience and research/ advice I believe to be from reputable sources (links provided) but please speak to your healthcare provider and do your own research. Asthma should always be taken seriously.
Over 4 years ago our child was prescribed Montelukast after another hospitalisation following an exacerbation of asthma symptoms. At the time of prescribing we were warned, on the way out the door, that “this medication could cause nightmares for some children”. My child was put under consultant care for their asthma and took this medication daily as prescribed.
Fast forward to Spring this year, we had a child who was withdrawn, depressed, easily frustrated and frequently having huge outbursts of anger, some of which ended in them hurting themselves. School reported a child who was academically where they needed to be but who was having issues concentrating and having huge problems regulating their mood. They did put steps in place to help but we had reached a point where there wasn’t anymore support they could offer.
We went to the GP and I tried my hardest not to cry whilst I listened to my 8 year old child tell a GP they wanted to do themself serious harm. The GP sent me a link to a website which stated at the top “if you have any concerns please contact your GP” 🙄
With little help forthcoming from the NHS we started looking for a private councillor, waitlists in our area ranged from 3-6 months and beyond.
Then, one day, I was revising respiratory function for uni and it occurred to me that I have never looked into the medication we have been administering daily in much detail. What I found was alarming to say the least. The first link was a government warning which included the following:
“The most frequently reported reactions in younger children (up to and including 12 years old) were aggression, nightmares and anxiety”
and included a link to a Yellow Card Scheme for reporting issues with medication.
I looked at further studies, research and anecdotal evidence all of which highlighted the issues that many people have experienced whilst on this drug.
Although not fully understood it is thought that Montelukast affect neurotransmitters in the brain, like serotonin and dopamine, which play a role in mood regulation. Additionally, it may increase blood-brain barrier permeability, allowing more of the drug to reach the brain and potentially disrupt its normal function.
I’m not blameless. I should have read the enclosed information leaflet. I should have looked online when we were first given those pills. I should have highlighted these issues at his 6 monthly reviews with the asthma consultant however, because we are there to discuss asthma, I have never thought to raise the behaviour and mood issues that came to a head in the Spring. BUT how many of us question what we are given and told will make us “better”? (I’m definitely not medication bashing, I think modern medicine is wonderful usually!)
We had a pre-scheduled review a few days after this realisation and we sat in front of a consultant who admitted he never asks his patients or their parents about behaviour or mood, he said that from that day on he was going to start asking.
We stopped the medication that day, with the consultant’s support. There was a withdrawal period (which potentially was even worse than the months before it), but slowly our child has come back to us. The difference now is night and day!
I’m not usually one to jump on the social media soapbox but I wish I had known about this before starting the medication so I just wanted to provide our experience and some supporting evidence to be spread in case there’s another family out there feeling lost like we were.
Link:
Montelukast (Singulair): reminder of the risk of neuropsychiatric reactions
www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/montelukast-reminder-of-the-risk-of-neuropsychiatric-reactions
More information:
www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/symptoms-tests-treatments/treatments/montelukast
The Yellow Card Scheme for reporting issues with a medication:
yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk
#asthma #montelukast #singulair #medication #warning #children #anxiety #NHS #asthmaandlunguk
nc as I’ve shared this from my facebook