The Tale of Singulair

I'm a private person, believe it or not. I keep some things personal, especially when it comes to my kiddos. I'm usually quite reserved with what I share in regard to them, I will only share what they deem is okay.  I want to give them their privacy as well as the respect they deserve.  

Sometimes, as a mother, it is hard to NOT over share! I'm proud, I'm happy, they did something funny--I WANT to share! However, again, I keep their feelings and reputation in mind.

With all that said, I hope by me sharing the story I'm about to share, my five-year-old son will be okay with it.  I'm only sharing this story in the event it will help someone else out.  

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My children, all three of them, suffer from seasonal allergies.  As soon as the weather changes and the leaves turn colors or bloom, their allergies kick in.  Because the kiddos suffer with allergies my doctor prescribed Singulair.

I'm not much of a prescription drug or over-the-counter person, I'd rather find a way to handle things naturally-- but having three kiddos feeling horrible is hard and I went against my own ethos.  

As much as I ❤️ Fall I absolutely despise what it does to my kiddos! The wind picked up and the leaves began to change; little man was the first to exemplify allergy symptoms.  I decided to call in the doc.  The doctor phoned in his and his sisters' (my daughters) allergy prescription.  

Thinking nothing of it I picked up their medicine and administered it to them.

Three days later my son is feeling better, we send him off to school.  My husband and I are ready to start our Monday together, while we  are  driving back home (from stopping off to grab a coffee) we get a call from the school.  The school nurse says our son is saying he doesn't feel good and his nose is stuffy.  We're baffled, he was fine, the nurse hands the phone to our son so we can talk to him "Mommy I want to come home, I don't feel good--please come get me." He's sobbing and of course I'm getting a bit emotional, I hand the phone off to my husband who is saying he's fine, but not even he can bear to hear our son sob.  We turn around still in our truck to pick him up.

The school nurse suggests to my husband that my son is fine and is just missing home.  We take him home and talk with him. He says he's sick.... and then my heartbreaks because what comes next out of his mouth is familiar to me...

He says he feels nervous and shaky.  His tummy doesn't feel good. I know that feeling so I'm aware that this is anxiousness.  It just doesn't make sense for him, my tough guy, who up to this point has had no issues at school.  Why?

We begin to carefully question him and try to build him up.  He answers with tears and laughter.  He seems better all of a sudden--we're happy!  We give him a special bracelet and tell him if he gets nervous to touch it and it will make him feel better.

He says, "I can go back to school." We make certain he is okay before dropping him back off to school.  We call the school to talk to his teacher and the secretary tells us our son is in the office with the school psychologist!!!

This pisses me off!!! Why, is my son in the school psychologist's office and why wasn't I called?  The secretary says she'll have the psychologist call us when she's done. I just cannot stomach the thought, I tell my husband we have to go to school.

We go to the school and we wait in the conference room for the school psychologist. She says our son has had a rough day and he's not the only one--it's kindergarten it happens.  She said perhaps he's having a hard time because he had a few days off {sick days} and he's missing Mama.  This doesn't make sense to me, he has already had three-day weekends and went back to class with no problem.

The next morning

I get ready to drop off the kids but this day I'm doing the car-line-drop-off as suggested by the school psychologist- my daughter gets out and my son stays still.  My daughter bothered by my son says, "C'mon, let's go." He stays frozen. I smile at her to not show my frustration and tell her have a good day mihija, I'll drop your brother off up front. She waves good-bye and we exchange I love yous.

I park in front of the school, and my gut is telling me don't push-- but I don't want to give in.  If I give in today the same will happen tomorrow.  I call the school psychologist but I'm put on hold. It's a sign! I hang up. I call my husband at work in tears but standing outside of the truck--

School had been going on for at least 13-15 minutes and I'm crying to my husband outside of the truck about our son. Why is this happening? What do I do? This isn't like him? He's so sad! 
My husband cannot help, he's miles away, I know he wants to but doesn't know what to do himself.  He says, "march him into school." I say, "No,this will only add to things and will make school traumatic."

I get in the truck and take my son to the pediatrician's office.

Doctor Visit

The doctor isn't in yet. I wait outside of the doctor's office.  I see my son's doctor park and wait to give him time to somewhat settle in his office. I call the office no answer, I call again no answer.  He unlocks the door, I let myself in.  He seems surprised to see me, I tell him I don't have an appointment but my son said he needed to see the doctor (which is true he did say that) he says his tummy hurts too.  

We have a great doctor even though I stalked him down and waited outside of his office like a hair band groupie he made us his first visit of the day.

My son was tested for everything he was poked, prodded, and scanned over. 

Then we talked. I told the Doc his symptoms and my worries and then he exclaims, "Singulair!"

What?!? The medicine I've been giving him to "help" him.  Just the day before I said I wonder if his medicine is effecting him, hubs said no he's taken this prescription before and I agreed.

Turns out I was right! Singulair has been known to make children depressed, anxious, and (this hurts to type) suicidal. 

I was giving my child this!!!

He was not himself, he wasn't happy, he was scared, and he didn't want to go to school. The doctor said take him off the medication and make sure that was the problem.

Sure enough within three days he was back! Each day he got better. 

Now

All three of the kiddos are off Singulair. The school psychologist said she had heard things about Singulair and then shared she actually took her own daughter off that prescription because she wasn't the same.  Why did I not know this? 

I blindly gave my children a drug to help them and ended up hurting one- thankfully curable- but still hurt him emotionally.  

I don't want another Mother or Father to be caught off guard! 

We (my husband and I) were both in shock and disappointed with ourselves.

I don't want anyone else to feel this way. I don't want another child to feel sad/helpless and not understand why.  
As much as I'm upset and somewhat ashamed with myself as a mother, for not knowing this knowledge before giving my children Singulair-- I don't want another parent to NOT know.  Please share this story in the event another parent doesn't know, perhaps they're dealing with these same symptoms with no idea, it's their son or daughter's allergy medicine.