To ask about montelukast for asthma

[Rainandsunplease]

I’m phoning GP tomorrow to discuss my asthma plan and he usually discusses the option of taking montelukast. Obviously will get advice from him tomorrow but can anyone here say what taking montelukast is like; did it help and were there any side effects? I currently take fostair and ventolin if required. Have started to get very mild nosebleeds in the last few months which I have read is a side effect of inhalers. Does anyone else get this?
I have adult onset asthma.
Thanks!

No personal experience, but we think it led to sleep disturbance in our toddler. Might be worth reading up on side effects and whether timing of medication can help with it.

My child started wetting the bed each night which noone had explained could be linked.

Beware nightmares ..

Awful stuff.

Our DS took it for a while aged about 3/4 to help manage a tendency to croup in winter. Never noticed any side effects at all.

I take it and it works really well for me. I used to get asthma badly depending on allergens especially in the autumn, using montelukast I'm virtually symptom-free, rarely need to use blue inhaler. I don't think I've had any side effects, if anything it helps me sleep, but I'm aware it does have side effects for some people.

It was a miracle drug for my DD, no side effects and helped her so much.

My Dd has taken it for a few years. Before she was having really bad asthma episodes quite often and having to go to a and e/ missing school.

She hasn’t had any side effects at all - no nightmares or anything.

I was moved from Seretide to fostair it is cheaper. I had a year of problems with asthma, had chest xrays, blood tests, etc. Was only when I was at asthma check up and mentioned that I had been swapped over that the nurse said she thought it might be the fostair it does not work for everyone. They put me back on the seretide and I have been fine since. I would seek an asthma clinic check up not just a chat with the gp.

Its worked really well for DS as a young teenager. No side effects.

took it for a few years worked wonders, but now I am on fostair 200/100 instead of seretide and montelukast which is even better as a 2 in 1. For all those above seretide (preventer inhaler) and montelukast (blocking allergens and a bronchodilator) do not do the same thing stop comparing.

My son had two attempts at trying it age 3-4, it was awful. A really calm, loving boy became aggressive, tearful and had nightmares both times. It has a government warning. I know others who say they had no side effects but there have been a lot of reported side effects. Go carefully.

I've been on it for a few years. I went from struggling with my asthma constantly to barely having to think about it except for when I'm sick with a cold or something.

I had no real side effects apart from it making me sleepy - but you take it before bed so that's no hardship. No morning grogginess either.

I did have more vivid dreams for a while but they were nice dreams - not nightmares.

It’s a marmite drug. You either get in well with it and it works wonder almost immediately or it’s the work of the devil and gives some bad side effects.
Trouble is you don’t know until you try it.

For me it is a wonder drug, I take it in the morning otherwise it makes me feel ‘unsettled’. Asthma nurse had no problems with me doing so.

Didn't work for my DS

Adult onset asthma here and I take montelukast along with my fostair inhaler and fexofenedine for allergies. I found it helped a lot to be honest and haven’t had any side effects. Have been on it for a few years now

Please search out the Facebook group on this medicine. In America they have in the last 12 months put a black box warning on it as they've finally recognised the severe risk to mental health it causes. There are campaigns to have it banned over there full stop. In recent months the British media is picking up on a it a little bit not as much as other countries.

My ds was on this age 1 for just 4 months and it changed his entire personality. He was hospitalised in the end and it was only the luck of one of the paediatric drs making the link and immediately taking him off it that made us get back to normal. It took us almost a year to get our happy boy back.

Video about Montelukast below

m.youtube.com/watch?v=WDDDHWrX9fc

My son has been on it since 18mnths, he is now almost 14. He also takes 3 inhalers, 8 steroid tablets a day and is on azythromycin longterm for his brittle asthma.

I did find that one one of my kids could rap amazingly when taking this. He was two. Only while on it.

I think it was a bit unsettling...

Miracle for my DD . She started it when she was only 4 and is 14 now. Really helped with her virus / cold induced asthma

It's been a wonder drug for my son. He started it at 4 and he's 13 now. We attempted to wean him off (under instruction of his consultant) but he was admitted with two asthma attacks a week apart. So he went back on it. We were due to try and wean him off again early last year but due to covid the consultant advised us not to until things calm down as he is a severe asthmatic.

I can't say I remember any side effects to speak of. He remained my lovely happy little boy. He is now my moody teenage git who can occasionally be lovely but that's down to the hormones rather then the drug.

We've been lucky, I just hope we can finally get him weaned off at some point soon 🤞🏼

For those above please stop spreading misinformation, if your child became quote 'the devil child' after taking it they were either taking wrong dosage or just at a bad developmental stage, it should not do that that is not common at all.

also for those saying they would like to wean of the drug there are alot of us that have chronic asthma which therefore is not feesable and that i ok.

is ok *

@Mally2020

For those above please stop spreading misinformation, if your child became quote 'the devil child' after taking it they were either taking wrong dosage or just at a bad developmental stage, it should not do that that is not common at all.

Isn’t it listed common, on the leaflet? I remember being alarmed when my 18mo was prescribed it.

My two children went on to have asthma, one with life threatening brittle asthma. We gave him montelukast, it made no difference to him mentally nor physically (it didn’t work). Our consultant told us montelukast worked on 1/3 of children and because it is easy to give, it’s offered before preventer inhalers (which we all know are notoriously hard to give to small babies/toddlers twice a day).

@Mally2020

For those above please stop spreading misinformation, if your child became quote 'the devil child' after taking it they were either taking wrong dosage or just at a bad developmental stage, it should not do that that is not common at all.

It is unfair to put down the experiences of those who have found difficulty with this medication. You don't give your credentials to do so? I think all who have said they had problems also acknowledge it works for others. It is dreadful watching the effects on your child if they are affected. Have a look at government and NICE guidelines that tell prescribers to be alert for neuropsychiatric side effects because of the number of reports about it. It is also an issue outside of the UK.