Singulair making me moody?

I was stunned when I heard the news yesterday that the FDA is investigating a link between the popular asthma/allergy drug Singulair and suidical thoughts.  Other side effects being reported include anxiety, mood swings, depression, fatigue.

Stunned because two months ago I started taking Singulair.  And (coincidentally?) it has been for about two months that I’ve been struggling with anxiety, fatigue, and dramatic mood swings–thrilled one minute and crying the next.  To think it could be caused by my allergy drug is surprising.  I don’t know whether to be relieved or angry.  I had been attributing my emotional state to a stressful schedule, issues at work, not enough sleep, etc., and have started to address those areas.  And those may in fact be the responsible or contributing factors.  But in retrospect it seems odd that the onset of my difficulties so closely correlates with when I started taking Singulair, when there were no other major events in my life that would account for the change. 

I’ve stopped taking Singulair and will talk to my doctor about an alternative.  While the recommendation is that people not immediately discontinue the drug, for me, my allergies and asthma are not life-threatening.  But if the reports are correct, taking Singulair could be. 

Honey–it worked!

EhiPassika posted yesterday about a study indicating that a spoonful of honey is more effective than over the counter medications for soothing coughs in children. Since the boy has been suffering with a nighttime cough for the past few days, I decided last night to give the folk remedy a try.

The boy was pleased with the taste of the elixir, and I’m happy to report that our very limited unscientific trial of one night was a success. The honey was just as effective as the children’s cough medicine that he’d been given on previous nights. In both cases, he received a “dose” of honey/medicine at bedtime and it suppressed the coughing for about 5 hours. Another dose when he woke up with a coughing fit at 1 am quieted the cough for the remainder of the night.

I’m not prepared to throw away the cough medicine just yet, but I’ll definitely offer honey first from now on.