Montelukast and Anger: What Users Say

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2020

Montelukast for Allergic Rhinitis "I was given this medication, Singulair, for chronic nasal congestion and rhinitis. After about 2 months, I started to notice my mood changing. I was more argumentative, almost to the point of aggression. When I started to have bizarre dreams, I then researched the side effects of this drug. Here is what was listed: mental/mood changes (such as agitation, aggression, anxiety, trouble sleeping, abnormal dreams, sleep-walking, memory/attention problems, depression, hallucinations, thoughts of harming yourself/suicide). I immediately stopped taking this medication (it wasn't helping that much anyway) and these side effects have stopped completely. PLEASE be mindful of ALL the side effects of any medications you are taking! I never would have believed that something to help with nasal congestion could cause such problems."

• Kdh...
• September 26, 2019

For Asthma "My daughter had her life ruined by this drug! Had I known I wouldn’t have given it to her! It was good for the asthma at night at first. Then she started having nightmares, odd behavior, aggressive & hyper. The asthma nurse said it was a phase & put the dose up. The next day she was suffering with awful headaches and started to hallucinate...wouldn’t go out in public & ran into oncoming traffic because her brain told her to. Had panic attacks, admitted to hospital for the headaches. I mentioned the drug, they ignored it, took her to doctor who prescribed it to her and he said the drug had crossed the brain barrier causing inflammation and prescribed antibiotics...discontinued it...improvement but my girl will never be the same again...she’s now diagnosed with severe anxiety, OCD & SPD...under CAMHS, mental health, had school counseling...and still to this day no help with withdrawal didn’t go into any detail, no doctor, nurse, or pharmacy will acknowledge that this drug has done this to my girl."

• Meg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 22, 2019

For Asthma "Yes, the anxiety and depression are absolute side effects of montelukast. The weight gain and the anger too. I think if you are a younger person at all or a woman who already gets mood swings or related side effects from birth control, stay away from montelukast!"

• MM ...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 10, 2018

Montelukast for Allergic Rhinitis "I am a parent of two children. Both children took Singulair for allergies. Both children had issues while taking Singulair and experienced withdrawal effects once I stopped the medication. My daughter developed tics, tremors, anger, rage, OCD, anxiety, mood swings, and agitation, to name a few side effects. My son developed frequent urination, muscle issues, joint pain, and sadness. Both my children developed a hypersensitivity to all artificial sweeteners, dyes, and all emulsifiers/preservatives as the inactive ingredients are made up of most of these items. Their hypersensitivity to artificial sweeteners, dyes, and emulsifiers/preservatives still continues even though they stopped the medicine."

• MM ...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 10, 2018

Montelukast for Allergic Rhinitis "I am a parent of two children. Both children took Singulair for allergies. Both children had issues while taking Singulair and experienced withdrawal effects once I stopped the medication. My daughter developed tics, tremors, anger, rage, OCD, anxiety, mood swings, and agitation, to name a few side effects. My son developed frequent urination, muscle issues, joint pain, and sadness. Both my children developed a hypersensitivity to all artificial sweeteners, dyes, and all emulsifiers/preservatives as the inactive ingredients are made up of most of these items. Their hypersensitivity to artificial sweeteners, dyes, and emulsifiers/preservatives still continues even though they stopped the medicine."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2010

Montelukast for Asthma, Maintenance "My 4-year-old son was on this for a year. It worked wonders for his asthma but made him a very violent and aggressive child. We didn't notice the changes in his behavior until he had been on it for over 6 months. His fits of rage became more and more frequent. We finally decided that we would take him off to see if the Singulair was the cause. We noticed changes in him the first day he was off of it. He is back to being my sweet and loving child with no rage and no violence. It is a great drug for those that don't have this side effect."

• Gme...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 19, 2019

For Allergic Rhinitis "DO NOT GIVE THIS MEDICATION MONTELUKAST TO CHILDREN!! I never write reviews. I am writing this one because NO child should have to endure what my child went through on this medication. Dark thoughts, rage, tantrums, depression, unable to sleep, night terrors. Years of going from specialist to specialist trying to figure the cause and treatment. Finally found a doctor that said to stop the Singulair. My child is grown now. This drug stole his childhood. I know they say that you should take these reviews with a grain of salt because there are a million people out there benefiting from this drug not writing reviews. Not ONE person should have their brain function impacted this severely from a medication. And children can’t always verbalize how they are feeling. Please think twice before giving this drug to your children. There are support groups on social media regarding these horrific side effects. Thousands of parents recounting similar side effects and worse. Some child/teen suicides."

• Gme...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 19, 2019

For Allergic Rhinitis "DO NOT GIVE THIS MEDICATION MONTELUKAST TO CHILDREN!! I never write reviews. I am writing this one because NO child should have to endure what my child went through on this medication. Dark thoughts, rage, tantrums, depression, unable to sleep, night terrors. Years of going from specialist to specialist trying to figure the cause and treatment. Finally found a doctor that said to stop the Singulair. My child is grown now. This drug stole his childhood. I know they say that you should take these reviews with a grain of salt because there are a million people out there benefiting from this drug not writing reviews. Not ONE person should have their brain function impacted this severely from a medication. And children can’t always verbalize how they are feeling. Please think twice before giving this drug to your children. There are support groups on social media regarding these horrific side effects. Thousands of parents recounting similar side effects and worse. Some child/teen suicides."

• Kel...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 12, 2019

For Asthma "My seven-year-old son was given montelukast from the age of 2 for his asthma. We were not told of any side effects at the time. Although since an increase in his medication from the age of six, we noticed a massive change in his behavior. He went from such a happy, outgoing child to the complete opposite. Constant mood swings, aggressive, angry all the time, hating himself, terrible nightmares to the point we can not get him to go to bed. We became that desperate trying to help him, we even looked into seeing a therapist when my mum just by chance saw a newspaper article on montelukast explaining someone’s terrible experience and how it changed them mentally and emotionally. We have just stopped him from taking the drug after all these years and seeing my happy boy coming back. Just wish I had read up on it sooner."

• Kel...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 12, 2019

For Asthma "My seven-year-old son was given montelukast from the age of 2 for his asthma. We were not told of any side effects at the time. Although since an increase in his medication from the age of six, we noticed a massive change in his behavior. He went from such a happy, outgoing child to the complete opposite. Constant mood swings, aggressive, angry all the time, hating himself, terrible nightmares to the point we can not get him to go to bed. We became that desperate trying to help him, we even looked into seeing a therapist when my mum just by chance saw a newspaper article on montelukast explaining someone’s terrible experience and how it changed them mentally and emotionally. We have just stopped him from taking the drug after all these years and seeing my happy boy coming back. Just wish I had read up on it sooner."

• Ang...
• May 21, 2016

For Asthma "My daughter is 7 years old, and she had been taking Singulair for 4 years. It worked great. But for the last 3 months, my daughter started having extreme anxiety issues over little things, to the point where she wasn't herself. Saying things like nobody loves me, I am a bad kid, you should just get rid of me. She was having tantrums, outbursts of disruptive behavior, major mood swings, and crying hysterically at night. I researched and researched what was causing this behavior and came across side effects of her meds. It was worth a try, even though it could alter her health, but her mental health I was way more concerned about. By the 5th day of her being off the meds, she was back to her normal, loving, and positive self. I will never give it to her again."

• Vir...
• August 25, 2016

For Asthma "There is a gap between the known side effects of this drug and doctor education. We placed my child on it unaware that it causes nightmares and violent behavior in children. He did experience both, to the point where he was almost removed from a regular classroom in 3rd grade. I had a nurse friend educate me, and we did take him off. The nightmares and violent outbursts have completely gone. It doesn't happen to all users, but it did for my child. We switched and are managing with saline spray and Flonase with success. It almost ruined my child's life at the time. I also filed a complaint to the FDA on our experience on this as well."

• Vir...
• August 25, 2016

For Asthma "There is a gap between the known side effects of this drug and doctor education. We placed my child on it unaware that it causes nightmares and violent behavior in children. He did experience both, to the point where he was almost removed from a regular classroom in 3rd grade. I had a nurse friend educate me, and we did take him off. The nightmares and violent outbursts have completely gone. It doesn't happen to all users, but it did for my child. We switched and are managing with saline spray and Flonase with success. It almost ruined my child's life at the time. I also filed a complaint to the FDA on our experience on this as well."

• Mom...
• October 13, 2010

Montelukast for Asthma "My son has had asthma from the beginning, he was placed on Singulair at 18 months. It did seem to help, but he has now developed side effects, and we have taken him off of it. He becomes very agitated and aggressive. He is normally a very calm and sweet child. It took a while to put two and two together. We took him off, and his sweet nature came back. Truthfully, it scared me how much this medicine affected his mood. It works great for asthma, but we won't use it anymore."

• Jes...
• June 9, 2019

For Asthma, Maintenance "I’ve been taking this medication, montelukast, since I was 7, and I am now 19. Since taking it, my asthma has been average. The mental side effects, in my opinion, outweigh any good effects it has had on me. I suffer from bouts of anxiety attacks and increasingly dark thoughts. It makes me aggressive. I find myself having severe mood swings. Every time I take a break from it, I find myself feeling better, but as I begin to take it again, I have another mental episode. I feel this drug needs more labels of warning and should not be prescribed until more research into the medical effects has been done."

• MxV...
• September 5, 2011

Montelukast for Asthma "I recently was on prednisone for over a week because I could barely breathe (in spite of taking 500 mg of Advair 2/day and Maxair several times a day). Towards the end of my steroids, I was still breathing very poorly, but then I started taking Singulair, and immediately my breathing became absolutely normal with not one hint of wheezing or breathing difficulty. Also, my nasal allergies/sinuses have improved considerably since I started Singulair. On the other hand, I have noticed pain in my ear (possible ear infection), and my mood appears to be a bit more aggressive than it was before taking Singulair. Overall, I would highly recommend it."

• Ton...
• April 30, 2018

For Asthma "DO NOT USE SINGULAIR IF YOU HAVE HAD PAST PROBLEMS WITH DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. Here's my story. I was put on Singulair when younger, so I decided to ask my GP to put me on it again (22 now). It helped with my asthma a lot, but I had to stop after 2 weeks as I was getting bad dreams and had heard that to be a side effect. So I went back on the inhaler and decided to only use Singulair when doing vigorous activities. I took one yesterday, and the dreams came back, and I also woke up today in a bad mood. I decided to take another pill today to keep the asthma under control while working, and within an hour I was easily irritated, depressed, and anxious. This continued, and these emotions amplified until I was extremely angry. At the time, I didn't know what was going on, so I got even more emotional and ended in a dark downward spiral. I've dealt with depression in the past, so I just assumed it was 'one of those days.' It wasn't until I googled Singulair and mood that I realized it was the Singulair."

• Fea...
• December 13, 2016

For Asthma "This medication is poison. I don't recommend. My 5-year-old was on this for 3 months when I noticed her behavior changed, a bubbly, happy, and active child had turned into a sad, tearful, tired, and unhappy child, with every little thing making her angry and depressed. I urge anyone who's taking or is thinking of giving this to their child, as soon as you see the littlest change, stop! It can really affect you or your child's life. If only I had researched or my child's doctor had advised me well instead of brushing my worries under the table, I would have never given this to her."

• New...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 14, 2019

For Asthma, Maintenance "I had adult onset of asthma in 2013 (also had it as a kid). My allergist put me on 10 mg Montelukast (generic for Singulair) per day in the evening or before sleeping. I really thought that after short-term treatment my asthma would subside. However, that has not been the case, which means that I now have to take this medication every day probably for the rest of my life. It has been a miracle drug for me. I have nighttime asthma where if I don't take Montelukast, I wake up in the middle of the night with chest tightness, wheezing, and coughing. With it, I am able to sleep properly without any symptoms. From time to time, I do break the 10 mg into half to make it 5 mg, and it still works well for me. Luckily, I have not experienced any physical side effects, though psychological side effects are tough to assess. I've read it can cause mood changes, anxiety, aggression, etc. While I don't have an extreme case of these symptoms, all of us suffer from these things from time to time, so it's not so black and white."

• Anonymous
• October 17, 2012

For Asthma, Maintenance "My son has been on this medication since he was four. He is now 8. He has been a tough child, and I have had some suspicion that something is awry. After reading some of the responses, I had an ah-ha moment. He has been irritable and having tantrums lately. It is rare that he is happy. He nags and whines. He has no asthma symptoms, but I'm not sure if this is due to this medication or if he has outgrown it. I am taking him off this medication and see if I see a change in his disposition."

• Ell...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 9, 2019

For Allergic Rhinitis "My child is only 14, and I have to say this medicine DOES NOT WORK. Please don't let your child take this. She became extremely aggressive and even had really dark ideations. This drug is scary. If you're reading this, parents, run as far away from this drug as fast as you can. The saddest part is my child ended up in the hospital because she tried to overdose, and no doctor warned us about this! If there were zero stars, I would give this drug zero, maybe even lower in the negatives."

• Lex...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 13, 2015

For Allergic Rhinitis "When I developed late-onset asthma and lost my sense of taste, in addition to the chronic nasal allergies, I was finally put on this. It works wonders for allergies - no doubt about it. But ... poor sleep, vivid unpleasant dreams/nightmares. Increased anger & irritability (husband says complete personality change), severe & worsening memory problems. Last two weeks strong salt taste in mouth? Don't know if this is relevant? Any way, going to try to come off it, but not looking forward to return of allergies..."

• Nee...
• February 20, 2017

For Asthma "Soooo, I started taking Singulair (montelukast) for about a month now. It's been helping my asthma a lot, but I've been having horrible depression. I'm very angry most of the time. Everything and anything anyone says will make me irate. I've been having suicidal thoughts. Honestly, I would rather cough up a lung than be crazy because of this medicine."

• Ell...
• November 22, 2016

For Allergic Rhinitis "Although this medication seemed to help my allergy symptoms, my mental health took a terrible turn. For the last few months, I've been having crazy outbursts, going 'from 0 to 100' very quickly on an emotional scale. I became super aggressive, could not stop crying, and would lay in the bathtub having suicidal thoughts. I know now that it was this medication, and my doctor told me to STOP taking it. These side effects could ruin someone's life, especially if the people around you don't understand why your behavior has changed. I've also been suffering from severe fatigue-fatigue that is much worse than my normal allergy fatigue. I'd recommend allergy shots instead, even though they are super inconvenient for many people!"

• Flo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 2, 2020

For Asthma, Maintenance "I’m really struggling with this. My child has been having terrible episodes since she was a baby. I found Montelukast absolutely amazing for her, it has literally kept her out of the hospital, but I thought I was imagining the terrible side effects until I read this thread. She becomes very angry quickly, having random outbursts. Has night terrors and hyperactivity. Cries uncontrollably about seemingly nothing. Can’t cope with the smallest of things. Is always thirsty, and the list goes on and on. How can 4 mg that helps so amazingly with her breathing do such awful things to her? I read the leaflet again and again, and all the symptoms she was getting were in the “uncommon” section, so I naturally thought I had got it wrong. Especially as she has special needs, but even more reason why I want her off it, as she can’t get a good enough assessment with all these side effects, and it can’t be good for her little brain. I’ve tried giving only when needed, but that isn’t recommended."