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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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Lung and Respiratory Diseases |
Singulair for children01/26/1999 09:12AM |
Is the new medication Singulair truely safe for children over the age of eight? Do we know what any long term side affects will be? And how do you wean off the inhalers after starting the drug?
Singulair is Merck and Co.'s formulation of montelukast sodium. It is one of a new class of asthma medications that work by inhibiting the action(s) of leukotrienes, which in turn are inflammatory chemicals that can contribute to bronchospasm and airway inflammation. The Food and Drug Administration early in 1998 approved the chewable form of the drug for patients aged 6 to 14 years, and the oral pills for patients 15 years and older. Since then, these drugs have rapidly gained acceptance within the medical community as effective agents for the prevention and treatment of asthma. Whether they are more effective than "standard" medications, and whether they are as safe as "standard" medications, is still being debated. All of the currently available data suggest that montelukast is safe when used as prescribed, including in children ages 6 and up. It is also important to remember that asthma can be a serious disorder, particularly in children, and that the risks of NOT treating the disease are often outweighed by the relatively small risks associated with any given drug. Nevertheless, long-term data on the use of anti-leukotrienes is mostly lacking at this time.As for your second question, the currently most accepted approach to the management of persistent asthma is to use anti-inflammatory drugs (such as inhaled corticosteroids and/or anti-leukotrienes) on a regular basis, and to use bronchodilators (such as inhaled beta2-agonists) on an "as needed" basis. Thus, as the anti-inflammatory drug is begun, the need for additional inhalers should become less frequent. More severe asthma may require combinations of medications, and the decision to begin or taper off of any one of them can be complex, so be sure to discuss any potential changes in your asthma medications with your doctor BEFORE doing it on your own.
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Stuart Green, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pathobiology Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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