Natalie has been on Singulair WITH Zyrtec for 2 weeks. We stopped the Zytrec 2-3 days ago as the ped ordered and are just doing the Singulair now at bedtime. 2 out of 3 days major insomnia! To say that I'm a zombie today is an understatement. She has been awake since 1am this morning and she is running around the house with a beautiful glow, very tolerant of things that would normally upset her, and just plain as happy as she can be! This is the child who has always slept well. Thankfully I got an hour of sleep in once DH got up for work, so now I'm going on adrenaline.

I'm calling the ped as soon as they open for something else if possible. I think when she was taking Zyrtec & Singulair together, the Zyrtec was helping her sleep through the Singulair side effects. Uggghhh. It was really helping her, too. The first night was about 4 hours of being awake (starting around 1am also) but then back to sleep. Lastnight up around 1:00-1:30am and still going. I finally let her get up around 4:30. Neither of us was sleeping and I could tell she was so frustrated lying in bed and not being able to go to sleep.

Ugh.

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 09:17 am:

I called the ped and they said to give it to her in the morning and see what happens. "See what happens" is very easy to say when you've had plenty of sleep!! Do you really think that will make a difference? I wonder if she will not nap then as a result? I could just continue to give her the Zyrtec, but I don't want to medicate her just to sleep. Our orders were to try being on Singulair only for a while and see how she does (it's for allergies, not asthma). If needed, then add the Zyrtec back in.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 09:20 am:

That sounds frustrating! Ugh. {{{HUGS}}}

By Amecmom on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 09:53 am:

That's what I was going to say. My son took singulair in the am with no issues.
Good luck.
Ame

By Cybermommyx4 on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 01:24 pm:

Wow! I guess kids DO react differently to meds....my youngest DS (10) is on Singulair eery night before bed, and Zyrtec in the AM. It's for asthma AND allergies, but he sleeps like a baby (a very sound sleeping baby) taking the singulair at night, and the Zyrtec does NOT seem to make him tired during the day, either.

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 09:10 pm:

OMG...she slept for ONE hour today in the middle of the day and was up until an early bedtime at 7:30. By 5:00 she was LOOPY, not grouchy but totally slap happy wired. She also ate hardly anything all day, but then was extra hungry this evening. I'm actually nervous about trying the Singulair even in the morning. I will, but nervous about it.

Someone mentioned Clarinex on another thread, which I haven't heard of, so if needed we can ask the ped about it. I don't like thinking that a dose at 8 or 8:30pm keeps her hopped up until the later afternoon. When she napped today from around 11-12, she woke crying and looking so tired but she kept saying she couldn't sleep. I felt really bad for her.

By Mrsheidi on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 10:17 pm:

Connor takes Singulair in the morning and is perfectly fine with his naps. It's funny because the bottle says "take at night" (the warning labels the pharmacists add) but the docs instructions say "morning". I now know why. ;-)

My neighbor's boy switched to Clarinex and it works for them. Maybe the morning time will help though.

By Debbie on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 10:25 pm:

My ds takes Singulair at night, and it doesn't bother him. Shows you how all dks are different. If it is working for her, I would try it in the morning before you stop it all together. Singulair has been a godsend for my ds. I hope it works better in the morning, not getting any sleep is no fun.

By Breann on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 01:42 pm:

Singulair hasn't ever worked for us. My DS (5) is taking zyrtek now and it works great. One dose in the morning and he's good to go. We are down to every other day now, and that seems to be working. Hopefully within a couple of weeks he'll be off of it for awhile. The blooming flowers are what is really bothering him, and those are almost done.

By Reds9298 on Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 07:21 am:

Okay, the next night after being up from 1am on, I actually did give her Zyrtec before bed. I wanted her to sleep, for all of us, and I felt we shouldn't skip allergy meds altogether. She slept well thankfully. I was going to start her on morning Singulair THIS morning, so basically skipping one full day of the Singulair.She had nothing before bed lastnight as a result. Does that make sense?

So, lastnight, she's up at 3am, obviously tossing and turning. We struggled with it until 5:45 before I let her get up. She slept some, dozing here and there I think, but nothing substantial after 3:00. She kept saying in a frustrated way "Mommy I can't go to sleep." We spent the day at the zoo and she napped an hour or so, went right to sleep, but up at 3:00.

Do you think it's still Singulair in her system? She's beenon it for about 2 weeks, just by itself for 3 days or so. I'm SCARED to give it to her this morning! I really don't know what to do. The ped's office says try the morning but they're sleeping so they could care less. She's not irritable or grouchy, just awake when she shouldn't be.
Help!

By Cheerio on Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 09:25 am:

We just stopped Singulair a few weeks ago and wow, the behavior difference in my 6 year old daughter has been night and day. We were doing Claritin otc and Singulair together at bedtime. No sleeping issues, but man, she was just plain old nasty all day long. It took about 5 or 6 days to see the behavior change after stopping it. She is now on just Allegra (liquid) and is doing wonderful. We do have Nasonex on hand and Patanol eye drops for the itchies, but I can't believe the difference in her attitude. I feel like I have my little girl back! Why did you switch from Zyrtec to only Singulair? And why aren't they keeping her on both? My ped said that they work in conjunction with each other and can be taken together safely for extended periods of time.

By Reds9298 on Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 04:18 pm:

No behavior problems, just serious sleeping problems. We swtiched because the ped recommended trying just one (Singulair) and then if that wasn't cutting it to add the Zyrtec back in. I'm thinking of just keeping her on both to eliminate all of these problems, but I hate to overmedicate. All this "thinking" about it and she could remain on the Singulair only for another week and have symptoms again, only to add the Zyrtec back in anyway!LOL

We have no idea what she's allergic to. She's shown symptoms in the winter IN the house, and all the other episodes before medicine were after being outside.