Singulair

[DawnM]

My 13 year old was put on Singulair. He has horrible Spring allergies and for about 3 months a year it is pretty bad.....right when there are a lot of outdoor activities going on, including a lot of camping. ugh.

 

We went to the doctor this week and he gave us a script for Singulair. Age 15 and up can take 10mg but his age gets 5mg tablets.

 

So far, it is not helping any better than Zyrtec.

 

He is 143 pounds though, which is 24 pounds less than his 15 year old brother. But for some reason Singulair goes by age only and not weight.

 

Do you think I should ask for the 10mg tablets?

 

He is NOT having any of the negative side effects from Singulair we are reading about or have heard about, but we are keeping a close eye on it. If those pop up we will discontinue use.

 

Dawn

[Acorn]

Is he taking both sing. and zyrtec? Did the doctor discuss nasal sprays? I use all 3 kinds and have felt better.

[TravelingChris]

All I know is that my 16 old dd who weighs less than 143 lbs. is on Singulair and Zyrtec together with no problems.

[DawnM]

No. He takes only Singulair and occasionally adds Benadryl at night.

 

My ds will not do nasal sprays. He hates them. We have tried and tried and may need to try again.

 

The doctor did say nasal sprays would help.

 

Dawn

 

Is he taking both sing. and zyrtec? Did the doctor discuss nasal sprays? I use all 3 kinds and have felt better.

 

[TravelingChris]

Oh and that is 10 mg. of Singulair and 10 of Zyrtec. This regimen is overseen by an allergist. She has very severe allergies.

[DawnM]

Ok, thanks. Maybe we will add in zyrtec with the singulair.

[Acorn]

From my limited knowledge:

Singular is not an antihistamine. I think it works more to open airways. I think most allergy patients need it combined with an antihistamine. I also had problems with nasal sprays because of the smells and tastes. The last few years I have tried Nasonex which is scent free and haven't had problems.

[DawnM]

Thanks.

 

He has naxonex and still hates it, but I am going to encourage use again.

 

From my limited knowledge:

Singular is not an antihistamine. I think it works more to open airways. I think most allergy patients need it combined with an antihistamine. I also had problems with nasal sprays because of the smells and tastes. The last few years I have tried Nasonex which is scent free and haven't had problems.

 

[Michelle in AL]

There are several different "cell mediators" that are avtice in an allergic reaction. Singulair work against leukotrienes and other allergy meds such as zyrtec and claritin work against histamine. IF you use both an antihistamine and singulair you will be eliminating most of the irritating factors. If you don't treat the histamine you're gonna still have a large reaction.

 

Hope he feels better!

[Starr]

Nasonex works best for us but you have to use it daily. It doesn't work to use occasionally.

[Mrs Mungo]

My son's pulmonologist had said that singular did not do that much in and of itself, but it helps other meds work better. I think most people who are on it are also on an inhaled steroid like advair or an allergy med like zyrtec (if not both). When my son was on singulair (which we stopped due to mood issues, those took about a year to start, singulair builds up in their system) he was also on advair and nasonex. I agree that nasonex must be used daily; it will not help for it to be used now and then.

[Parrothead]

From my limited knowledge:

Singular is not an antihistamine. I think it works more to open airways. I think most allergy patients need it combined with an antihistamine. I also had problems with nasal sprays because of the smells and tastes. The last few years I have tried Nasonex which is scent free and haven't had problems.

 

 

True. Singular is an asthma medicine. Or at least that was its original intended use.

 

I'm on it periodically for my urticaria. Once it kicks in it is wonderful to get rid of the hives.

[jenn-]

My soon to be 13 yo DD at a whopping 100lbs has been taking a 10mg Singulair for almost a year. She takes that in conjunction with the daily Zrytec.

[Desert Rat]

My guys take a combo of Singulair and Zyrtec also.

[KungFuPanda]

I have a 98 lb 16-year old who takes 10 mg singulair and supplements with OTC as needed.

[Rose in BC]

Our dr prescribed singulair to be used in conjunction with her regular allergy meds (which we change up occasionally, usually either Claritin or reactine). He said it works as a booster to the traditional meds.

[Splash]

Yep. D'silva also takes both Zyrtec and singulair daily along with nasal spray and saline rinses.

 

[Forget-Me-Not]

 

 

True. Singular is an asthma medicine. Or at least that was its original intended use.

 

I'm on it periodically for my urticaria. Once it kicks in it is wonderful to get rid of the hives.

 

 

It's labeled for seasonal allergies now too :)

[AdamsFamily]

My dd takes singulair and zyrtec, too. 5mg of singulair and half a zyrtec pill. She has uticaria and asthma.

 

I just went to a doctor today for chronic allergy problems. I have gotten sick about once a month since last December, and each time lasts a few weeks. She gave me a script for singulair. I had been reading about it online tonight, prior to seeing your post. It takes from a few days to a few weeks to build up in your system to be effective. Singulair blocks the allergens from attaching themselves into the histamine-producing places in your airways, thereby stopping the release of histamines. The anti-histamines, such as zyrtec, block the histamines that are released (from those places where the singulair does not adequately bond) from reeking havoc in your system.

 

Also, my doctor recommended rotating between Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra every few years. Our bodies can get "used to" a particular anti-histamine. She also said to rinse your nasal passages three times a day with Simply Saline. That won't work for your ds if he has an aversion to nasal sprays, but he might change his mind later.

 

I hope he feels better soon!