Singulair

Updated on October 22, 2008
J.L. asks from Senoia, GA
23 answers

I took my 21 month old to the pulmonologist on Friday after a year of wheezing when he has a cold. She said it sounds like asthma and put him on Singulair once a day for prevention and albuterol for his "episodes". Has anyone had their child on this? I have noticed that he is more hyper and isn't sleeping as well. He woke up at 3:30 this morning and I heard him laughing and playing. I love how happy he is but worry about being so "hyper" and not sleeping as well thru the night. I have only given him the Singulair so far - he hasn't needed any of the Albuterol treatments yet. Any suggestions? Is this to be expected? I want to help him so he doesn't have wheezing but worry about his sleep!

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K.R.

answers from Atlanta on

My son has been on Singulair for a while and I haven't noticed it keeping him awake. Try Xoponex instead of Albuterol. It doesn't seem to make him hyper and works great! I do use it with a nebulizer. Hope this helps.

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A.M.

answers from Spartanburg on

Both my children take singulair and we have had wonderful success with it; however, despite the directions I only give in the mornings. I have not noticed hyper behavior I did it because it was the easier time for me to remember. I do have an adult friend who experienced sleep disruption with taking singulair. I also take it, but in the mornings, and I have no problems with it.

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M.S.

answers from Greensboro on

Hi J.,

Please, I recommend you google Singulair and also Albuterol. Neither is safe even though I realize your concern with the Asthma attacks. Asthma has increased exponentially with the invention and use of additional chemicals. Over 100,000 synthetic chemicals are in use today. Most of these cause either neurological damage or respiratory damage. I have friends whose children are now symptom free from Asthma just by detoxifying their homes. My sister, who is a retired social worker who formerly licensed daycares, will tell you that the cleanest daycares had more asthma attacks, ADD, ADHD incidents and also more chemical poisonings and incidences of SIDS.

I know I can not detox the school systems and the malls but I can build my children's immune systems at home so they can fight off the toxins when they are not here. My children don't even catch colds. Asthma is a horrible thing to live with and can lead to other conditions as well. I truly believe it IS preventable (and it can be done inexpensively).

If you would care to email me or call (Verizon cell ###-###-####) I would be glad to give you some additional information.

God bless,

M.

2 moms found this helpful
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V.B.

answers from Savannah on

Call you pharmacist and educate yourself on these medications. Tell the pharmacist and your M.D. your son's symptoms. The albuterol can increase heart rate, thus the "hyper" behavior and awakening at 3:30 am. Good luck and remember you are your son's advocate, stay on top of all medications.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Savannah on

My friend's son is on singulair for asthma too. And I can tell you the Albuterol is what is making your son hyper!! Doesn't matter if it is the oral or an inhaled version, it is a side effect that can happen. I'd talk to his DR about it and see what else you can try for the shot term times.

Good luck!
S.
www.shariegraf.scent-team.com

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M.G.

answers from Atlanta on

Hey J.! I know you are concerned at this point. My daughter was placed on singular when she was 9 months old for the same reason. She has also received Albuterol thru the nebulizer since then as well. On top of that she takes Pulacort through the nebulizer nightly for preventative measures. What is making your child hyper is the Abluterol. That will happen at first. Your childs system will get used to it soon and not give that affect so much. I have had nothing but positive experiences with these medications and my daughter (now 2 years old). My daughter has been healthier since placed on these meds and has not suffered from upper resporatory flair ups nearly as much.
Best of luck!!

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K.R.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi J.. It's is the albuterol making him hyper. Like someone else mentioned, try giving it to him earlier. As for the singulair, it should be given at night (for asthma, daytime for seasonal/nasal allergies) because asthma symptoms are worse at night.
Good luck!
K.

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M.F.

answers from Atlanta on

I myself take singular and have used albuteral the inhailer (neb machine) usually makes kids hyper even grown ups. I haven't heard of the singular making anyone hyper but it's possible. Just remember that you should give the medication since oxygen is necessary for your blood and brain, I ran into a police officer once in my doctor's office her son had not been given his medication by a babysitter (albuteral treatment) because she didn't think he was really having a hard time breathing and he had a stroke, yes a stroke a 7 yrs old he now has his right side of his body limp use's a cane. So the mother that is very worried that folks shouldn't take any medication has gone to the extreme in saying that it will harm your child it will not everything has side effects I do think you may want to consider an air cleaner in the room or changing the filters in your furnace more often and buying a really good one can help but Atlanta's air is one of the worst mainly in the summer. Walking out into the sun can harm you as well but we all walk out side, so please give your child the necessary medication and call your doctor to see if something needs adjusted. My best wishes to you and your family happy new year. There is a medication just like albuteral that can be given that doesn't give the jitters and hyper activity so much ask about it to the doctor or nurse.

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K.D.

answers from Atlanta on

Just FYI - Albuterol is similar to Clenbuterol...that is a widely sought after "steroid" that men & women take to lose weight. It works too!! That's what is causing the hyperness.

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K.M.

answers from Atlanta on

My 2 1/2 year old has been on Zyrtec (not singulair, but of the same ilk)for a while now. The albuterol is probably what's making your son hyper and unable to sleep. I'd try to keep from giving it to him too close to his bedtime. That's a very common side effect.

Hope this helps!

K. M

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H.M.

answers from Albany on

My son started having asthma problems when he turned one and was given singular once daily and pulmicort one treatment a day. It really helped alot. He went from going to the er from once or twice a month to growing out of it in a year. He did take albuterol for when he had his occasional episode and it made him very hyper and he had a hard time sleeping at night. i shortend his nap in the day and tried to keep him up a little later at night so he would sleep all the way through the night and he got the rest that he needed. what i really didn't like is that while my son was taking the albuterol treatment he would get very jittery and had a hard time sitting still. like his hands and head would shake. A few minutes after the treatment though he would stop being so jittery. He did take xopinex before he was put on the albuterol and it didn't make him as jittery or hyper but it does cost more.

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C.B.

answers from Macon on

My son has been taking breathing treatments since he was 10 months old. As he gets older, he seems to be growing out of the asthma. Albuteral made him hyper as well and the dr switched him to Xopenex. You may want to talk with the dr and see if Xopenex would be an alternative for your son.
Take Care,
C.

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S.F.

answers from Athens on

I would not put my child on any daily medications at such a young age. There are plenty of natural supplements that will do the same actually better than Singulair. My son actually got sick from the Singulair, it made his symptoms worse. And yes it would make him very hyper. Go to this site and type in any question you have about medication and if you read the material they will answer your question or send you to a site that will. You will usually find a supplement replacement. Any med that causes side effects, which they all do, is not worth it! He is already ill, why add to it? Supplements don't have harsh side effects in most cases they make you feel better or just plain good! Your body eliminates what it doesn't need when it comes to natural supplements. I mean really natural vitiams, minerals, and herbs. It always good to have a good diet, you may want to type in the milk you are giving him also. I bet you anything that is one of the main culprits! If he has been on alot of antibiotics they can cause a host of problems. Ck this site out. I hope this helps. http://www.mercola.com/2004/jun/9/antibiotics_allergies_a...

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J.D.

answers from Savannah on

Hello!

I, too, have recently started my 2 1/2 year old son on Singulair. He is always fighting a runny nose and cough. He is in daycare, but nothing over-the-counter has worked. I asked my pediatrician about it, since I have recently started it as well, and am doing so well. After completing a round of antibiotics, we started the new med. So far, so good. My child, too, is waking up in the middle of the night. I have just chalked it up to a stage he is going through. Ever thought about that? Hang in there, hopefully it will work out. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the body to get adjusted to a new med. Also, a hidden benefit, it has worked well for his ecxema.

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R.M.

answers from Spartanburg on

My son was on singulair for a couple of years. He was also very hyper after taking this drug. He got to the point where he was having 8 treatments a day while on singulair, albuterol and a steroid. A nurse friend of mine suggested we ask the doctors to try him on zyrtec instead of singulair and he went from the 8 treatments a day to the one mandatory treatment over night. He does not seem to be as hyper now as he was on the singulair. Hope this helps you.
R.

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S.E.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi!

My youngest has been on breathing treatments since she was an infant. My oldest is on them too...asthma.

So, we use Singulair daily at bedtime. Then, at the first sign of a cold, I start the breathing treatments. I use Pulmacort. Its' side effects are not noticeable to me. I use it in the morning, afternoon, and again at bedtime with no problems. It's more expensive, I think, but well worth it. Of course, check with your doctor to ensure dosage, and frequency of dosage is accurate for your little one.

Good luck...it does get better as they get older! At one point I was giving my girls 80 minutes worth of breathing treatments a day but now they're just on singulair and on a breathing treatment only when necessary!

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B.

answers from Augusta on

My son is 3 and has asthma and its the albuteral that makes um hyper , mine isnt on singular but the abuteral has been known to make kids hyper.

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A.C.

answers from Athens on

I am very against Singulair due to what it did to my son. He was put on it for recurrent sinus infections that caused wheezing. It turned him into a very sick little boy. He was around 1 and 1/2 at the time and could not tell us a lot of what was going on with him but here are a few things was saw and suspected were happening. He did not sleep. He constantly cried for no apparent reason. I think he was having headaches because he would hold his head a lot. He stopped eating almost completely. I think his stomache hurt. He screamed when we put him in the bath. I think he was dizzy and his depth perception was off. After a month of this my husband and I realized that the syptoms started around the time we put him on singulair and we took him off. The crying for no reason and screaming in the bath stopped almost immediatley. The eating took a while longer. I think he had decided food hurt his tummy and was scared to eat. He lost about 10 lbs. due to this. Not good for a naturally small boy. Now, you might think all of this is just my assuming what was going on but I have a cousin who was on it when he was 12 or 13 for the same reason as my son and he had the headaches, dizzyness and stomache pain I described. He went off of it and returned to normal. He was on it about a year after my son was and his mom asked his doc and he said that new research had been done and these symptoms were now listed on the brochure as side effects. I don't think these side effects are worth a baby suffering the way my son did. If you are concerned or start seeing these side effects discuss the options with your doctor. There are other meds out there for respitory problems. Singulair is one I will never use again.

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L.F.

answers from Charleston on

Take him off sincular agfter a few days see if the systom go away.

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W.C.

answers from Atlanta on

my nephew is taking singulair,he has asthma he has an episode about every eight months, so recently his dr put him on this 5months ago this month he had an echo don and they found that his pulmonary artery has pressure on it i dont know what this means, the dr didnt want to discuss this over the phone said wait until his next appointment which is three months away,i cant wait,it is a worry if you know anything about this please let me know,i think the singulair works but not for all it takes time, thank you

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A.D.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi J.,

Yes this is totally normal, especially for me and my circle of friends. My daughter was diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis at 8 months and was immediately given an inhaler, and told to give albuterol treatments and pulmicort twice a day for prevention. My Directors daughter is 2 years old and she is going through the same as you are. Her daughter gets albuterol treatments for "episodes" and singulair for prevention. Each child has different child affects. I feel like the medication makes my daughter hyper, however my it makes my Directors daughter go to sleep through the night. It just depends. I would not worry and just continue to follow to Doctors orders.

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T.H.

answers from Charleston on

One of my sons was on Albuterol, Prednisone and Xopenex through a Nebulizer of and on. I have taken him to a Allergist since he was 2 and he was tested for Allergies when he was around 4. Albuterol does make them extremely hyper and if you look at their pupils they are dilated. It's a steroid for the lungs and I just would use it when the wheezing is at it's worse. My boys all take Singulair and have decreased the amount of attacks. Although my boys just have the seasonal allergy triggered asthma. If you have anymore questions email me direct. Good Luck. Mom of 3 boys!

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V.H.

answers from Atlanta on

The albuterol is a steroid and it works. You may see increased hyperactivity but him being able to breath is worth it. My son is on the same regimin. If the singulair is causing the hyperactivity change the time of day you give it. My doctor says that it is supposed to be given over night because it makes kids drowsy but she said that she has heard that it causes some kids to have a reverse effect so they have to take it in the morning. Good luck.

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