To be worried about dd taking montelukast for her asthma?

[Trewser]

Sorry, posting in here for traffic. Dd is really struggling with her asthma and has been prescribed this today. The side effects can include depression and suicidal thoughts she is anxious and a worrier as it is. Does anyone else take it?

My DD2 started taking Montelukast for around 6 months when I realised that one of the side effects was sleep disturbances and nightmares - which explained why her sleep had got progressively worse. She always took it last afternoon, but we switched to mornings for a few days and she was a different child, then we were advised to come off it. I would caution against giving it in the morning if sleep is not affected as it is supposedly less effective. DD doesn’t have asthma but suffered from recurrent chest infections (due to prematurity) and didn’t get ill at all while she was on Montelukast so it definitely helped.

Oh god. Her sleep is crap already. Reslly worried now

I read about the side effects and was so anxious of putting DD on it.

It's been a life changer though. She was in and out of hospital for chest infections and pneumonia, constant rattling, shortness of breath, cough... started Montelukast in May and she hasn't been in hospital once since starting.

I guess all you can do it monitor the side effects and report back to your GP/consultant if you're concerned.

My husband takes it, and it works so well that his emergency inhalers keep going out of date! He very seldom needs to use them.

Son who is 8 has been on it years and no side effects. He takes it in the morning though. It’s really helped with his asthma no admissions for years he does get unwell with it when he has a cold but otherwise he’s doing well.

It's been a game changer for DS age 8. He's had no hospital admissions since being on it.

Dd took it for several years. She developed horrible anxiety and they took her off. If I were going back in time, I would still give her the medicine. We made the best decision we could at the time. Just know that wven though the warning label says watch for depression and suicidal thoughts, you need to watch for anxiety too. I wish someone had told us that or more of her doctors knew about that. It took getting in front of the right doctor to get the problem fixed.

She's just texted me saying her chest hurts and her teachers say she shouldn't be at school. Gp checked her oxygen today and it was fine and only slightly wheezy.

Every night she wakes up panicking and I'm completely exhausted. Can't take any more time off work. She's got all the inhalers plus these new.pills

As a 37 year old I've only had positive experiences since using Montelukast for the past couple of years:

1. Bad colds used to lead to steroids for low lung capacity. Montelukast has taken this away completely.
2. I barely ever (maybe once per month) feel the need to use a reliever (and if so it's for comfort rather than actual need)
3. I used to 'feel' that I needed to take my Symbicort every night. I still do take it of course, but not because I feel wheezy, it's because it's simply preventing rather than relieving.

I didn't even think about side effects, nor have I experienced them, so can't offer advice in that respect. From reading other replies it seems like a bit of a lottery. I would recommend trying them on a pilot basis. If they work, they REALLY work, so would recommend them in that basis

I have taken it for about 6 months now,the only thing that helped my time time asthma symptoms. No side effects.

Weird this thread came up as I had this discussion with our GP this afternoon!

DS has been given enough montelukast to cover the winter months. He’s 8 and has mild asthma which is allergen triggered and he is highly unlikely to encounter the trigger so I was questioning the need for a daily medication outside the brown inhaler and also what I had heard about side effects.

She said the reaction is very rare but the success rate is very high. It works by targeting the leukoteine receptors - if your allergen is one of the receptors which it works on then it literally will be life changing. So it’s a bit hit and miss but when it works it’s a game changer.

She told me the chances of his mental health being affected were very small.

I will try it for 60 days in the morning and review!

I've been taking it in combination with steroid/LABA inhaler for 18 months now. I now rarely take my blue inhaler and haven't had any side effects. It's made such a difference!!!

It was fantastic for my DD but she started sleep walking after a while so came off it. Thankfully her asthma didn’t revert back to where it was when she went on it initially.

Well she took her first one last night. She's off school today so still sleeping. Plan today is thoroughly hoover her room and dust everywhere. She has to try this pill as we just can't go on like before. I'm hoping even a few weeks respite will help.

If you read the side effects of any drug it would scare you off taking it. Yes some people will react badly to any drug but for many many more they can be complete game changers.

Ds (10) has been on montelukast and a combination of other drugs for years (I think he was 2 when we added in montelulast) and the combination has meant he isn’t in and out of hospital.

Yes, its the in and out of hospital thats a real worry. She's in the first year of A levels, desperate to do well and is distressed by the idea of missing one day, let alone many days in hospital. So we have to try it.

Hopefully it helps here. Hope she feels better soon

Hello,
I have a DC with severe asthma. They took montelukast from 6mos old to 10yrs old. It saved their life.
The inhalers can only do so much.
I agree with others, give them to her and just observe her to see if she gets the anxiety/depression symptoms.
Their asthma is also allergy related to dust mites. I note you plan to hoover and dust her room while your DD is home sleeping on her room? Can I suggest you not hoover/dust while she is recovering from asthma attack? Hoovering and dusting puts some extra dust in the air and can cause asthma attacks. I was always advised to hoover and dust with the child preferably out of the house or at least out of the room during cleaning and for a couple hours after dusting/hoovering. I have to hoover every other day and dust every week.
I hope you have a hoover with hepa filter too?

Yes we have a filter. I am planning on moving her downstairs for a few hours this afternoon to do it then. Cat has been banished outside also.

And I always damp dust which i think helps.

Good trewser. Thank you for taking my advice in good spirits. I did not know if you knew about the hazards of cleaning. I felt, better safe to mention it even if you already know. Damp dusting is perfect. I do that too.
At least she is past the age of stuffed toys! That was a nightmare when my DC was little and refusing to understand why they could not sleep with 999 stuffed toys.
Best wishes.

I suffered from terrible night terrors on it. I only realised when I stopped it how bad it was. I was sleep walking to the point I wouldn't stay in a hotel by myself in case it happened.

My ds has taken Montelukast since he was 3yrs old.

It stopped him from being admitted to hospital nearly every month. It was an awful awful time.

He's now 12. Happy, healthy and thriving.
He does religiously take his preventative inhalers and Montelukast every night.

I honestly feel that Montelukast was a turning point for us.

Montelukast was a complete game changer for my young daughter. We've tried to come off it under the guidance of her hospital consultant a few times but her symptoms always return so it's not worth it. She's had no ill effects and the difference it's made to her own quality of like and our family as a whole has been huge. Her consultant's view is that it's far better for her to have well controlled asthma and be taking montelukast, than having to rely on either large quantities of inhaled or oral steroids. Give it ago, it doesn't take long to get out of the system anyway if it doesn't agree with your daughter, c. 3 days from memory.

Did they stop when you stopped taking it wellhellohi? That sounds very frightening.