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Oct 8, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
Health Alert: Dangers Associated With Asthma Meds
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Millions of people with asthma and allergies have turned to the popular prescription drug, Singulair to help them breathe easier. But some patients say they're suffering horrible side effects from a drug that was supposed to make them feel better. Some parents even believe Singulair can lead to suicide.
6-year-old Matthew Cook is a happy first grader who loves soccer and 14-year-old Matt Farrone is a freshman in high school, already looking toward college. They've never met but share a horrifying experience.
"I just didn't want to be alive anymore, I wished I wasn't born," Farrone said.
"He just threw himself on the floor and said, 'I want to die, I just want to die'," Cook's mom said.
Their parents say, seemingly out of nowhere, both boys became severely anxious and depressed.
"He was afraid to leave the house, afraid to go to school, afraid to leave me," Farrone's mom said.
Matthew Cook threatened to kill his brother and sister. "It just tore us apart," Cook's mom said.
Matt and Matthew had something else in common. They both took Singulair for asthma. Even though Merck, the drug's manufacturer, recently added depression and suicidal thoughts to the list of less common side effects, their parents say doctors never warned them something like this could happen.
"They sent us to a psychiatrist, they sent us to a sleep clinic but they never said, don't take Singulair," Farrone's mom said.
Both families suspected Singulair might be causing these mood swings and took their boys off the drug.
Within days, Matt Farrone's mom knew he was getting better and he's had no episodes since.
The Cook's noticed a complete turnaround in their son's behavior after about a week.
Cody Miller was 15 when he started taking Singulair last summer. He also became depressed.
"He kept saying he didn't know why he was feeling this way," Cody's mom, Kate said. She added, "He was just so anxious, and didn't know what was wrong."
Later that day, Cody hanged himself in his room. His mom is convinced Singulair is to blame.
"I should have been told there was a risk of depression, a risk of anxiety. Cody didn't have to die, he didn't have to die," Kate said.
In a statement, Merck says, "Merck is committed to patient safety, and has acted responsibly to give doctors and patients information to help them make informed decisions about their treatment choices."
However, the FDA is investigating a possible link between Singulair and suicide. Merck is cooperating.
But some doctors say parents with children on Singulair should not panic. The incidence of psychiatric and behavioral side effects is so uncommon that as a generalization, this drug still remains effective and safe," said William Yee with Floating Hospital for Children in Boston.
A recent study by the American Lung Association found no link between Singulair and suicide.
But the Cook's, the Farrone's and the Miller's aren't buying it.
They don't want the drug pulled from the shelves, they just want doctors to talk to patients about this potential danger.
"What we went through, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, said Matthew's dad.
The results of the FDA study are expected sometime by the end of the year.
RELATED LINKS:
Merck Patient Information On Singulair
American Lung Association Study
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