Montelukast and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Lit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2017

For Asthma "My little son took that poison for less than 2 weeks two years ago. He is still suffering with bad side effects like tics, anxiety, anger, sensitivity to light, symptoms of autism sometimes, feeling tired, changes of mood, and behavior problems. :( It is devastating. I am sorry for all the kids who took it or are taking that drug, and I am also sorry for their families."

• Mou...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 26, 2015

For Asthma "I had vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), and recovering from it was a very painful experience for me. I was 10 at that time, and I wasn't affected much. I had asthma before, montelukast helped me to beat asthma without nebulization and inhalers. With an increase in asthma attacks, the intake of montelukast increased. I started to get anxiety, nightmares about various things, and my VKC experience haunted me. Tremors occurred, and my chess skills went down. I hate that drug and discontinued it. The increase in dosage ruined me."

• Ast...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 14, 2016

For Asthma "I have had asthma ever since I was born. Montelukast helps me breathe every day. If I don't take it, I can't breathe, but it causes me severe stomach pains, sometimes anxiety, depression, red blotches on my face, I get the sweats, and nausea. These are some of the long-term effects I suffer with. I would not suggest taking it eternally."

• A...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2018

For Allergic Rhinitis "Not sure if it's because I started using this medicine at the end of spring (summer not as severe), but so far this has been THE BEST medicine I've tried. If there's a day where I feel like I need something on top, I take Claritin (as recommended by my doctor). I no longer use nasal spray. No more Benadryl making me drowsy. As for side effects, I am normally a bit of an anxious person, and I have seen no increase. Still as happy as can be, no nightmares, no depression. No fatigue, no cold sweats at night, it's been great! However, my menstrual cycle has been the only thing that has DEFINITELY changed. Went from a 28-day cycle to a 35-40 day cycle!! Talk about a lot of confusion when that time came around and nothing happened. I keep close track and am very in tune with my body, and yes, this has definitely changed my cycle. Other than that, I am so thankful I can live more of a normal life. I can't wait to see how it holds up when it comes to sinus infection season."

• Ell...
• July 27, 2020

Montelukast for Asthma, Maintenance "I stopped taking Montelukast after several years. Learned of an FDA warning re: cognitive effects. My breathing has worsened significantly in recent months. My breathing worsened this spring 2020 post-MS exacerbation. My air conditioner was occupied by birds - mgmt. neglect of outside grill to prevent birds, bats, etc. I also use AC for MS. Tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 April 2020. Started nebulizer yesterday to complement Advair. I will try Montelukast again. Mood-wise I did not notice anything significant. Anxiety per MS is a given - like living on the edge of a cliff. Stupidity reigned in mgmt as they refused to clean the air conditioner for pathogens. They violated Fair Housing Law - acted in accordance with Human Rights. 30th Ann. of ADA 7-26-20!"

• Mag...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2021

For Bronchospasm Prophylaxis "Ok, I have been to so many doctors over the 32 years of this chronic cough that I have every single day. I’m at the end of my rope with this cough. The doctor asked me if I had a post-nasal drip. I said, “Yes.” He prescribed Singulair. I have been taking it once a night for 9 days. I’m not sure if I would really notice any of the effects spoken of here, cause I do anyway suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, and pretty bad temper. I will say that it took like five days, and I’m starting to feel a difference in my coughing. It’s not as aggressive and does seem to be getting better. I don’t think I will get over it completely, cause I’m sure it’s become chronic, but I can live with this mild cough."

• Ala...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 27, 2020

For Asthma, Maintenance "I've mild asthma, exacerbated by exposure to chemicals and exercise in extreme weather. May 2020 diagnosed with mold allergy, GP prescribed montelukast—it's modestly reduced symptoms. Suffer from depression and anxiety, generally well-controlled, despite the stress of COVID. Fast-forward to Sept. 2020—depression/anxiety much worse. Frequent suicidal ideation and anxiety that’s much more palpable physiologically. Lost my job, fired for having 'compatibility' issues—very uncharacteristic of me. I see a pattern of suicidal ideation and increased anxiety, agitation, isolating, and quicker to anger than usual and how it's negatively impacted me the past 5 months. Psych dropped me after 3 years—feels incapable of adequately treating me (we'd gone through many med changes since May with no improvement). I see the temporal connection of starting montelukast and am wondering if it's been the culprit all along. Can't believe none of my doctors thought of this despite its black box warning nor gave me any heads-up."

• not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2020

For Allergic Rhinitis "My doctor gave me montelukast for allergies. It makes me sleepy, so I take it at night, and I can breathe better. But the side effects are leg cramps, every muscle hurts, feels like I just want to collapse and cry, can't seem to wake up and get out of bed, depression, anxiety, anger, irritation easily, bloated and gassy. I told my doctor that I stopped taking it, and it affects my mood, and she said that must be what's wrong with my son, he's on it too. I stopped taking it and am just going to do Claritin or Flonase."

• Kri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "Was prescribed this for allergies and possible asthma problems last year. Only took this med for a couple of days because of the side effects. It gave me sinus pains and cold-like symptoms, essentially worsening my existing issues. It made me scared that I had caught COVID (despite no one around me being sick) but subsided a day after stopping the drug, so these were side effects, not symptoms of a virus. While I didn't take it long enough to get depressed, the first night I took it I did feel really restless and almost paranoid, like it had heightened my anxiety. I'm not sure if this was a legitimate side effect or just my knowledge of this drug's reputation, but I am HEAVILY leaning towards the former."

• Kri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "Was prescribed this for allergies and possible asthma problems last year. Only took this med for a couple of days because of the side effects. It gave me sinus pains and cold-like symptoms, essentially worsening my existing issues. It made me scared that I had caught COVID (despite no one around me being sick) but subsided a day after stopping the drug, so these were side effects, not symptoms of a virus. While I didn't take it long enough to get depressed, the first night I took it I did feel really restless and almost paranoid, like it had heightened my anxiety. I'm not sure if this was a legitimate side effect or just my knowledge of this drug's reputation, but I am HEAVILY leaning towards the former."

• sun...
• May 21, 2017

For Asthma "I have asthma and especially exercise-induced asthma, making it hard to run or do other high-intensity sports. This works like a charm to shut off my asthma and exercise-induced asthma, and also resolves allergies. However, it does seem to give me crazy dreams, makes me sleep in more than I normally would, and seems to increase my preexisting anxiety (but since I know this anxiety might be due to the medication, I am fairly capable of reminding myself that it's not real and moving on). I only take it when I really need it because of these side effects. As an adult, I feel I can manage the side effects, but I'm not sure if it would work for kids. This drug has been absolutely life-changing and essential for me in controlling my asthma!"

• gre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2021

For Asthma "Singulair helped while exercising, I wasn't short of breath while exercising. But a month into taking this medication, it hasn't really helped at all, and I am having side effect symptoms of severe headaches, mouth pain, stomach pain, diarrhea, depression, dread, skin rashes, and tremors. I just couldn't believe that Singulair was causing all my problems. For me, the side effects are not worth it."

• Tya...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 2, 2018

For Allergic Rhinitis "I started taking this 4 days ago, and ever since I’ve been feeling extremely anxious and haven’t been able to sleep well. Went to the ER yesterday because I nearly fainted. Turns out, this medicine was most likely the culprit. Stopped taking it yesterday, so hopefully the effects wear off soon."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 21, 2020

For Allergic Rhinitis "Doctor has advised me the drug 10 mg as my airways had severe swelling even I can't talk 3 words together due to the shortness of breath, but this med did magic, resolved my issues, and made my life comfortable. However, it has some side effects like aggression and anxiety, but I did deal with that. I strongly recommend this med for allergies in the respiratory system."

• Ful...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 15, 2022

For Allergic Rhinitis "I went on this medication (10mg) after a massive immune system meltdown that saw my allergies flare with severe fatigue and anaphylaxis-like reactions to perfume. I think it helped as a mast cell stabilizer, but I'm not sure I would recommend it. If you had asked me while I was on it if I had any side effects, I would have said no (especially because of how comparatively sick I was when I went on it). However, I have recently weaned myself off this after five years, and I am much better off it, and I definitely did have side effects. I'm less anxious, agitated, and impulsive. I have less brain fog (although this was worse in withdrawal). I had no interest in intimacy, but I no longer feel so dead from the waist down. My digestion has improved, I have less gut pain and diarrhea. I had weight loss resistance, even when on intake below 800 cal. But now I'm dropping weight without doing anything different. It will be interesting to see if my five years of high iron storage drops now too."

• Tom...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 7, 2020

For Allergic Rhinitis "I have been taking the generic of Singulair for probably 4-5 years. I was having horrible sinus infections and a stuffy feeling in my head continually. It completely relieved me of this problem. I have had some anxiety occasionally, however, I’ll take the trade-off."

• Jen...
• February 8, 2018

For Allergic Rhinitis "Horrible side effects. I put my 5 yr old on this and she started having anger issues and anxiety. After several months, she started having tics that became severe to the point I thought she was developing Tourette’s syndrome. After research, I found this happening to thousands of other children. I immediately took her off this medication and just pray that the tics go away. I’ve heard with some kids they never did. Just awful, I was never warned about the tics, just the anger."

• gen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 3, 2018

For Allergic Rhinitis "I have been taking this drug once daily for about 2 weeks. I have had one anxiety attack and noticed first one shoulder started to hurt, now I am at where both shoulders, both knees, both arms, and both legs hurt now. I have stopped taking it, and now I have to be taking something for the pain. I am still congested after a month, so it has not done any good and only caused me another problem on top of the allergies."

• Kun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 18, 2020

For Asthma, Maintenance "Please, please, please do not take this drug, montelukast. If you are on it right now, please quit. Given to my 14-year-old son for seasonal exercise-induced asthma 2.5 weeks ago. After about a week of taking it, he would be very anxious during the day, overthink each and every thing, wake up with night sweats, and generally be bogged down unreasonably. Made those two weeks on it a living nightmare. He had issues at school and listening to me. Stopped it 2 days ago and already seeing improvement in his sweating and mood."

• car...
• August 20, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "I cannot use montelukast again. I used it for one month, and it gave me bad side effects: painful stomach, shortness of breath, blocked nasal, headache, anxiety, panic, sleeping issues. I stopped two months ago, and some side effects are still here with me. What an awful drug."

• Fig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "It worked very well, and I suffered no hay fever symptoms at all and felt I could breathe clearly for the first time in weeks. However, I fear it might have worsened my mental health. I started having vivid dreams, which was fine, but then I became extremely paranoid, and things went back to normal for a while. I cannot sleep properly anymore, and I constantly feel like a part of me is missing. My life improved, and nothing else but my use of this drug changed, so some part of me feels it’s connected. I also experienced a much faster heart rate, which was really scary. IDK, maybe I just had a bad experience, but I will certainly not be taking them again and will just live with my severe allergies and asthma."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 12, 2025

Montelukast for Asthma, Maintenance "It helped a lot with excess congestion and tightness in the chest. However, it was not worth the crippling side effects. These included insomnia, waking up multiple times throughout the night, severe anxiety, irritability, nightmares, and suicidal thoughts. If you have any history of mental health issues, or even if you don’t, I would be extremely cautious when taking this medication."

• Anonymous
• April 27, 2009

Montelukast for Allergic Rhinitis "Tried it and it worked great except for the side effects of depression, anxiety, agitation, depression."

• pre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 21, 2013

Montelukast for Asthma "Very good for asthma and allergies, but my mood changed for the worse. I woke up angry for no reason and very irritable. Made my anxiety worse too. I stopped it."

• Tay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 4, 2020

Montelukast for Asthma, Maintenance "I’ve been using this medication for a few days, and the anxiety is so bad. I think I’m going off of it. It was so expensive to buy, but I can’t handle the way it makes me feel."