Saturday, March 08, 2008
Allergy Medication And An Increased Risk Of Suicide?
Suicide and a common allergy medication
Click Here to read the entire article.
My son is on Singulair to control his asthma and it has done wonders for him. BUT this is the second time he's been on Singulair. The first time changed his behavior terribly. He became like a child possessed. He would run in circles for hours crying and screaming and pulling at his hair. Eventually he would wear himself out so badly that he would just drop wherever he was and fall into a deep sleep. He also became very violent. He would bite his brother HARD for no reason. And he would also punch, scratch and growl at us. On Monday I called the pediatrician and explained what was going on and she said that Singulair wouldn't make him behave that way and that he must be going through a phase or maybe he was getting another ear infection and that must be the cause of this behavior. I had gone over every variable and the only thing different for him was the Singulair. I made the decision to take him off the Singulair even though I was advised that this was the best treatment for his asthma. As his mother, I know my son and his behavior was not normal and I felt badly that he was going through this. At times his behavior was almost manic. Six months later we visited our allergist for our yearly appointed and the Little Man had been suffering terribly with asthma so the allergist asked me to give the Singulair another try with the stipulation that if I felt uncomfortable with it, or if I noticed any changes in behavior, I was to take him off of it. Not that the allergist believed that the Singulair caused his odd behavior the first time, I think he was just trying to humor me.
During our first time on Singulair I had asked other mothers on an asthma message board if anyone else's child had experienced anything like this on Singulair and a few mothers had responded that their children had and that they had also been dismissed by their doctors. I don't know why my son is fine on it now and why he wasn't the first time, but in my heart I truly believe the Singulair made his behavior change. When we took him off of it he was fine and acting normal 2 days later.
My heart goes out to the family in the above article. I hope that the FDA and physicians start to take these side effects seriously. No family should have to experience what the Miller's are going through.
Thanks to Gina at Allergy Moms for bringing this article to my attention.
A Queensbury couple is blaming their teenage son's suicide on the allergy drug Singulair. The drug's manufacturer says they've been alerting doctors and pharmacists to the potential for danger, but a NewsChannel 13 investigation reveals the drug maker's notification program, at least in the Capital District, is weak and ineffective, putting allergy sufferers at risk.
Cody Miller was an active 15 year old who took his life on August 4, 2007, just 17 days after starting Singulair for his fall allergies.
Usually he took Allegra but during his back to school physical, his pediatrician made the change. Singulair was FDA approved for treating asthma in February 1998 and in 2003 got the green light to treat seasonal allergy symptoms.
Millions of people have taken the drug.
Click Here to read the entire article.
My son is on Singulair to control his asthma and it has done wonders for him. BUT this is the second time he's been on Singulair. The first time changed his behavior terribly. He became like a child possessed. He would run in circles for hours crying and screaming and pulling at his hair. Eventually he would wear himself out so badly that he would just drop wherever he was and fall into a deep sleep. He also became very violent. He would bite his brother HARD for no reason. And he would also punch, scratch and growl at us. On Monday I called the pediatrician and explained what was going on and she said that Singulair wouldn't make him behave that way and that he must be going through a phase or maybe he was getting another ear infection and that must be the cause of this behavior. I had gone over every variable and the only thing different for him was the Singulair. I made the decision to take him off the Singulair even though I was advised that this was the best treatment for his asthma. As his mother, I know my son and his behavior was not normal and I felt badly that he was going through this. At times his behavior was almost manic. Six months later we visited our allergist for our yearly appointed and the Little Man had been suffering terribly with asthma so the allergist asked me to give the Singulair another try with the stipulation that if I felt uncomfortable with it, or if I noticed any changes in behavior, I was to take him off of it. Not that the allergist believed that the Singulair caused his odd behavior the first time, I think he was just trying to humor me.
During our first time on Singulair I had asked other mothers on an asthma message board if anyone else's child had experienced anything like this on Singulair and a few mothers had responded that their children had and that they had also been dismissed by their doctors. I don't know why my son is fine on it now and why he wasn't the first time, but in my heart I truly believe the Singulair made his behavior change. When we took him off of it he was fine and acting normal 2 days later.
My heart goes out to the family in the above article. I hope that the FDA and physicians start to take these side effects seriously. No family should have to experience what the Miller's are going through.
Thanks to Gina at Allergy Moms for bringing this article to my attention.
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1 Comments:
That's really scary. Always trust your instincts. I've had to when we tried Reglan for my girls. That's another one that can cause depression and suicidal thoughts. I hate that doctors dismiss you. You know your child better than anyone... Glad that he's ok on it now. He's probably matured and it changed how his body responds to it.
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