Singulair (Montelukast)

What is meant by Singulair (Montelukast)?

Singulair is a brand named after montelukast. This drug is taken by people who are suffering from asthma. This drug is used to prevent the shortness as well as wheezing of breath which is caused by asthma attacks to an asthma patient. It is used to minimize the occurrence as well as the frequency of the asthma attacks. This drug is also used to cure asthma symptoms such as allergic rhinitis, allergies, fever, runny and itchy nose. This medicine is also used to prevent asthma caused due to work out.

The mechanism of Singulair is as such that it blocks substances such as leukotrienes which are known to cause asthma in the first place. These substances also worsen the already caused asthma in a patient.

A chemical known as Leukotrienes is released when you breathe allergy-causing substance such as pollens. This allergy causes swelling in the lungs which cause tightening of the muscles which then makes it difficult for a person to breathe.

This medicine has been approved by Merck and is allowed to use by the Food and Drug Administration back in the ’90s.  Symptoms related to asthma were treated with this drug. There are many generic version of this drug that is available in the market and has been approved by the FDA. They include montelukast etc. Singulair is still known to be one of the most popular drug brands when it comes to treating asthma.

In the year 2008, many studies were made in order to study and investigate the cause of negative thoughts and change in the mood as one of the side effects of Leukotriene. But studies were made which showed that the drug can at the most cause insomnia with minimal side effects of hallucinations, depression, aggression, irritation, agitation, and depression.

Warnings related to Singulair:

Singulair is not instant when it comes to treating asthma that has already begun. Asthma that has already begun needs instant medicine to heal and requires fast inhalation medicine. Singulair shows a certain improvement in the symptoms weeks after being used regularly. In case this drug does not work or show some negative effect, it is advisable to call the doctor right away. Singulair if needed to be taken twice in a day need doctors’ consultation. It is important for your doctor to know your complete medical history before prescribing this medicine to the patient. Patients with medical history such as liver disease etc. can show a case of liver damage.

How well do pregnancy and Singulair go?

At the time of pregnancy, it is very important to go look for these drugs only if they are extremely essential.

The list of benefits and risks of taking Singulair must be openly discussed with your doctor. The passing of this medicine to breast milk has yet to be verified and should be consulted properly before getting it into the system.

Side Effects of Singulair:

There are no major side effects of this medicine. There are some general side effects that are shown by this medicine from time to time and are known to decrease with some course of time. These side effects include:

1. Having stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn
2. Headache
3. Having Tooth pain
4. Dizziness
5. Fatigue
6. Having stuffy nose, hoarseness
7. Having mild rashes on the body
8. Having an infection in the upper respiratory system
9. Ear infection
10. Having Sore Throat

Facing Serious Side Effects of Singulair

There are some major side effects that one can go through while taking these drugs. They are as under:

1. Having a skin rash, severe tingling all over the skin, going through any kind of muscle weakness, body numbness.
2. Change of mood and behavior, bouts about depression, or having suicidal thoughts.
3. Shaking
4. Having unusual bleeding, easy bruising and having purple dots under the skin
5. Serious swelling and irritation caused by sinus
6. Deterioration of the condition caused by asthma

Going through a serious allergic reaction is very rare to happen when it comes to this drug. It’s advised to take medical help as soon as you experience any of these side effects. List of some serious symptoms that can be caused because of the drug are:

1. Hives
2. Swelling and itching felt in the throat, tongue, and face of a person
3. Having trouble in breathing
4. Going through severe dizziness

Interactions of Singulair

These drugs have an interaction with the montelukast. It is important to tell your doctor all about the medical conditions that you are going through along with the medicines that you are taking right now. Any kind of medication dosage can show its interaction with Singulair. It is still a fact that drugs such as rifampin and phenobarbital must be avoided.

The Singulair tablets that are chewable contain aspartame and must be avoided. In some cases, aspirin has known to show some interaction and must be avoided altogether.

The dosage of Singulair that is advisable

This drug is available for the use of children as well as adult in the form of chewable pills and oral tablets.

• For adults, the minimum prescription is one tablet of 10mg each day.
• Children ranging from 6 to 14 must take a dosage of 5mg and for oral tablets can come down to 4mg.
• Children ranging from age 2 to 5 should take a chewable pill of 4 mg.

One must avoid giving this drug to children below the age of two and in such cases must have a doctors consent to do so. It is usually advisable to take this medicine in the evening but there is no harm in taking this drug at any time of the day as long as it is taken at the same time every day.

This drug does not show any instant healing reaction and should never be treated as an on the spot treatment for a major asthma attack

Having a Singulair Overdose:

An overdose of Singulair calls for calling the poison control center and shall be immediately proceeded to the hospital. An overdose of this drug can cause various conditions such as:

• Dizziness
• Feeling puckish
• Feeling thirsty
• No being able to hold still
• Having severe stomach pain

Frequently asked questions

1. How long does it take for Singulair to get out of the system?

A: Half-life of Singulair is enough to get it out of the bloodstream. The average time of Singulair is approximately 5.5 hours.

2. Is there a possibility to be allergic to Singulair?

A: It is possible to be allergic to Singulair and be seen if there is a swollen face, throat, tongue, facing difficulty in breathing.

3. Does Singulair cure short breathlessness and wheezing?

A: Singulair is majorly used to prevent the asthma attack. It helps in relieving allergies that are caused because of it, it does not show any instant reaction and cannot be used for on spot treatment.

4. Can Singulair be used for Cataracts?

A: This drug is used to treat asthma and show certain side effects such as flue, dizziness, having an upset stomach, etc. There has been no history of a cataract patient using Singulair for cataracts.

5. Is Singulair safe to use?

A: Singulair is used to cure asthma symptoms which prevent asthma and in some cases show side effects such as Nausea, Headache, Upset Stomach, Tiredness, having a sore throat, etc.