What is this drug used for?
• It is used to ease allergy signs.
• It is used to prevent exercise-induced breathing problems.
• It is used to treat or prevent asthma.
• It may be given to you for other reasons. Talk with the doctor.
For asthma:
• Do not use this drug to treat an asthma attack. Use a rescue inhaler. Talk with your doctor.
Frequently reported side effects of this drug
• Cough
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Common cold symptoms
• Abdominal pain
Other side effects of this drug: Talk with your doctor right away if you have any of these signs of:
• Liver problems like dark urine, fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, light-colored stools, vomiting, or yellow skin.
• Pancreatitis like severe abdominal pain, severe back pain, severe nausea, or vomiting.
• Depression like thoughts of suicide, anxiety, agitation, irritability, panic attacks, mood changes, behavioral changes, or confusion
• Sleepwalking
• Sensing things that seem real but are not
• Behavioral changes
• Trouble with memory
• Nightmares
• Restlessness
• Trouble focusing
• Abnormal movements
• Seizures
• Trouble breathing
• Flu-like symptoms
• Sinus pain
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Swelling
• Bedwetting (children)
• Chest pain
• Abnormal heartbeat
• Bruising
• Bleeding
• Confusion
• Burning or numbness feeling
• Ear pain
• Tremors
• Trouble speaking
• Trouble sleeping
• Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis like red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin (with or without fever); red or irritated eyes; or sores in mouth, throat, nose, or eyes.
• Signs of a significant reaction like wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Note: This is not a comprehensive list of all side effects. Talk to your doctor if you have questions.
Pronunciation
(mon te LOO kast)
Medication Safety Issues
Sound-alike/look-alike issues:
Singulair may be confused with Oralair, SINEquan
Storage and Stability
Store at room temperature of 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F). Store in original package. Protect from moisture and light. Granules must be used within 15 minutes of opening packet.
Adverse Reactions
Central nervous system: Dizziness (adolescents and adults), fatigue (adolescents and adults), headache (children and adolescents)
Dermatologic: Atopic dermatitis (children), dermatitis (children), eczema (children), skin infection (children), skin rash, urticaria (children)
Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain (children), diarrhea (children and adolescents), dyspepsia, gastroenteritis, nausea (children and adolescents), toothache (adolescents and adults), tooth infection (children)
Genitourinary: Pyuria (adolescents and adults)
Hepatic: Increased serum alanine aminotransferase (adolescents and adults), increased serum aspartate aminotransferase (adolescents and adults)
Infection: Influenza (children and adolescents), varicella zoster infection (children), viral infection (children and adolescents)
Neuromuscular & skeletal: Asthenia (adolescents and adults)
Ophthalmic: Conjunctivitis (children), myopia (children)
Otic: Otalgia (children), otitis (children and adolescents), otitis media (children and adolescents)
Respiratory: Acute bronchitis (children), cough, epistaxis (adolescents and adults), laryngitis (children and adolescents), nasal congestion (adolescents and adults), pharyngitis (children), pneumonia (children), rhinitis (infective; children), rhinorrhea (children), sinus headache (adolescents and adults), sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infection
Miscellaneous: Fever, trauma (adolescents and adults)
Rare but important or life-threatening: Abnormal dreams, aggressive behavior, agitation, anaphylaxis, angioedema, anxiety, arthralgia, behavioral changes, bleeding tendency disorder, bruise, depression, diarrhea, disorientation, drowsiness, edema, eosinophilia (systemic), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, eosinophilic pneumonitis, epistaxis, erythema multiforme, erythema nodosum, hallucination, hepatic eosinophilic infiltration, hepatitis (mixed pattern, hepatocellular, and cholestatic), hostility, hypersensitivity reaction, hypoesthesia, insomnia, irritability, lack of concentration, memory impairment, mood changes, muscle cramps, myalgia, nausea, obsessive compulsive disorder, palpitations, pancreatitis, paresthesia, pruritus, restlessness, seizure, somnambulism, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, stuttering, suicidal ideation, suicidal tendencies, thrombocytopenia, tic disorder, toxic epidermal necrolysis, tremor, urinary incontinence, urticaria, vasculitis, vomiting
