MONTELUCAST for child's asthma. Advice please. e

[Crazylikeafool]

My dd aged 11 has a persistent cough for the past few weeks. The doctor has prescribed Montelucast.. Can people please share their experiences?

I take it (since an asthma flare around Covid times). What I would say is though it says take it at night, I take it a few hours before bed or it gives me bad dreams. If I take it earlier, it’s not a problem.
I’ll admit I wondered if I still needed it and didn’t take it for a few nights..I still need it! It’s helped keep my asthma stable.

Ooof I don't like to share this because asthma is a serious condition and needs to be medicated. However, we had a really bad time with it.
DC was prescribed it age 6ish. We didn't notice an immediate change, and at that age children constantly change and develop anyway, especially in their personalities. DC grew up to be quite an anxious child, always a bit nervous and scared of many things. It wasn't overly serious- we never needed outside help- but he was always that kid who worries that someone was going to fall or what if the house went on fire, that kind of thing.
Aged 11, we went to the hospital for a check up with a new consultant. Consultant had a chat with DC, in which DC told him about a few worries he had (stuff like second hand smoking, traffic congestion affecting his lungs etc) and the doctor said straight away to stop the Montelukast. He was of the opinion that it was causing anxiety in my DC, and told me that he was seeing it all the time with children and teenagers.

DC came off the tablets, and honestly, within a few months, he was happy, healthy, laid back. A completely different child. He's grown up now, and is still a measured and sensible sort of person, but it really shocked me how we kept him on medication that affected him without really realising it.

Also- his anxiety was a trigger for asthma, so it was ineffective physically too.

I'm not going to tell you not to give it to your child, because treating asthma is so important, but I'd keep a keen eye on it.

I take it. Like pp it gave me disturbing dreams, so I take it in the morning. Asthma is well controlled.

Monteleukast has been an absolute game changer for my DS. His asthma which had been fairly easy to control previously became much more severe after he had Covid and he was struggling despite ever increasing doses of both his inhalers. Once he started monteleukast he was back playing his sport at regional level within a few weeks having been struggling to even complete training sessions before. He's had no side effects.

If you want to google, it's also known as Singulair in the USA. I think the side effects have been publicised a bit more widely there.

My 17yo has been on it since he was 4. Lifesaving game changer and no side effects.

Thanks everyone. I had googled it & read some of the reviews which is why I posted. I read it was causing depression also & suicidal thoughts.. The doctor said there's no side effects..
Is there anything else I could speak to the doctor about trying first? Ventolin used to be a commonly used one

I've had two dc on this dc1 had to stop it because had vivid nightmares, sweats and wet the bed (even when had it earlier).
Dc2 it's been like a wonder drug. Been on it for about 2-3 years now. Was having regular asthma attacks and chest infections. Hasn't has one chest infection since. Had one asthma attack in that time.
I'd definitely try it out and see how you get on.

My DS takes it. Absolutely life changing for him.
He was always in A&E for nebulisers and steroids and hasn't been in for the past 4 winters. He still gets very chesty but not the way he was

We were warned about the bad dreams and the chance of anxiety but DS didn't have any side effects at all.

I would give it a go and keep a close eye on him.

I have severe asthma since I was a teenager and take this. I would take it

Not everyone responds to it.
Some people get weird dreams and mood changes.

For everyone else it is like a bloody miracle. I love mine! And so much easier than inhalers.

The only way is to try it and see.

Hang on...has your GP prescribed monteleukast as a first line treatment? Your DS is not a known asthmatic already on inhalers? That's unusual, and not what the current NICE guidelines say. I would query that to be honest.

Talk to an asthma nurse or a pharmacist. They may well know more than the GP.

Yes took dd to the gp earlier & was prescribed Montelucast for mild asthma. I rang the GPS office after to raise my concerns after reading side effects (gp said no side effects) he rang back & said if we choose not to go with the Montelucast an inhaler is the next step.

Your GP offering this as a first step is quite concerning and isn't often a drug they prescribe first.
They really need to be prescribed an inhaler, usually the blue one first. The next step is the brown one, to be taken daily. Obviously there are more inhalers after this but that's for severe asthma etc. Montelukast is usually offered as a last resort, if other methods aren't controlling it.

Also, there is a fb group for this, which explains the horrific side effects for some people.

My son has been prescribed it since he was 2, but we stopped using it, as he has other health problems and the negative side effects aren't worth it in my opinion (for him)

Does your surgery have an asthma/respiratory specialist nurse? I would ask for an appointment with them if so. Monteleukast is a drug which can be literally life saving but it's not the usual first line treatment for asthma and it can have significant side effects. A salbutamol inhaler would generally be the first medication that's tried - look up the NICE guidance, there's a flow chart on what should be done in terms of diagnosis and management of asthma. I'd be asking why the standard guidelines aren't being followed.

I read the list of side effects and decided against it. We just rely on inhalers.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to bring her to a different doctor asap, she's taking bronchostop junior (on pharmacist advice) at the moment.
Is it even asthma? Could it be just a chest infection that needs antibiotics?

I used to use Mantelukast with no side effects. Changed to a Fostair preventer inhaler instead, maybe you could ask about that?

Yes I'll ask about that thanks.

Are you in the US?

No, the U. K.

Montelukast NOT. First line in the uk. You need a diagnosis first really. Ask for a peak flow meter and do a diary
Do not use the montelukast. There are potentially serious side effects with this drug and you should have been thoroughly counselled about them prior to agreeing a prescription. Your GP should know this as this drug has been the subject of an MHRA warning
If you son is asthmatic, he is sold enough for Symbicort 100/6 1 puff twice daily plus as needed. This is a combination inhaler. If you have a respiratory nurse at the Surgery ask to see her. Hopefully she will know more than the GP. I am a respiratory specialist nurse working in Primary care but can't really give any more advice than this