Generic Singulair (Montelukast): Advantages and Disadvantages, Uses, Side Effects
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What is it and how to use it?
Nowadays, diseases related to the respiratory tract are widespread not only among adults but also among children. Obstructive bronchitis and asthma, manifestations of allergic rhinitis seasonal allergic cough, all these symptoms can be removed with the help of Singular.
Singular at Canadian Pharmacy Drug is an anti-asthma drug, a leukotriene receptor antagonist. It is widely used in pediatric practice for patients who have reached the age of six. It is also commonly prescribed for adults.
The drug is taken orally once a day before going to bed. The tablet is recommended for chewing.
- Controlled multicenter randomized clinical trials have shown that
- Singulair relieves day and night symptoms of bronchial asthma,
- improves the functional characteristics of the respiratory tract,
- reduces the number of acute episodes,
- reduces the consumption of bronchodilator drugs,
- reduces the hypersensitivity of the bronchial tree, including physical work.
- It is effective in patients with individual intolerances to acetylsalicylic acid.
Singulair is available in tablets of 5 mg for children from 6 to 14 years old and 10 mg for adults and older adolescents. The tablets must be chewed. There are other analogues of this drug that are available in coated tablets, but they must be swallowed whole without chewing. The average price in Canadian pharmacies varies from $51.99 to $112.99.
Taking the drug for two months improves the parameters of external respiration: respiratory rate, minute respiratory volume, and lung volume. In acute attacks of bronchial asthma, montelukast is not used. The drug is indicated for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate bronchial asthma. In the course of the studies, it was found that, with the same duration of pharmacotherapy (30 days), seizures occurred more rarely in patients taking Singulair than with therapy of other similar drugs. A notable clinical effect of taking Singular is a significant decrease in the incidence of allergic reactions (skin rashes, rhinoconjunctivitis).
Given the chronic nature of bronchial asthma, the duration of the drug course depends on the course of the disease. In some cases, continuous administration of the drug is indicated. Singular is well combined with other preventive drugs. The drug prevents the narrowing of the bronchi in response to the action of provoking factors (physical work, allergens), potentiating the bronchodilatory effect of salbutamol.
After oral administration, the drug is rapidly and completely absorbed in the digestive tract. The presence of undigested food does not affect the bioavailability of montelukast. In patients older than 2 years after taking the drug on an empty stomach, the peak concentration of the active ingredient in the blood is noted after 2 hours. The pharmacokinetic characteristics of Singular do not change depending on the time of admission (morning, evening). Given the fact that the drug is not indicated for the relief of acute attacks of bronchial asthma, patients should be warned about the need to carry emergency drugs (beta-2-agonists in the form of a spray). During an exacerbation of the disease, Singulair is not stopped, and it is combined with inhaled beta-2-agonists. The number of inhaled glucocorticosteroids taken together with Singulair can be progressively reduced under medical monitoring, but abrupt withdrawal of their intake and complete replacement with Singulair is not recommended.
Does Singulair have any side effects?
It should be noted that unsystematic or excessive use of medicines leads to the manifestation of side effects. The use of the drug Singulair in rare cases may be accompanied by the following undesirable side effects:
- anaphylaxis (in rare cases);
- skin rash;
- skin itching;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- dyspepsia;
- tachycardia;
- angioedema;
- psychomotor hyperactivity;
- convulsive syndrome.
In case of side effects, you should consult a doctor to adjust the dose or prescribe another drug.
What are Advantages and Disadvantages?
Advantages:
- It is very convenient that the drug should be taken only once during the day. Moreover, it’s not needed to take it exclusively in the evening or in the morning, so it is impossible to forget and miss it.
- Singulair is produced in the UK, which guarantees the high quality and effectiveness of the drug. But the marketing authorization holder of Singulair is the American pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharp & Dome, headquartered at 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA.
- Singulair is one of the few drugs for the treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis that has a non-hormonal composition.
- It is undoubtedly correct that Singulair is not available for children in those tablets that need to be swallowed, but in tablets that you just need to chew. You don’t even need to drink them with water. This is very comfortable for kids.
Disadvantages:
- High price. The medication is not very cheap, and usually, the treatment course is pretty long. But there are some generics that according to manufacturers have the same effectiveness. But. The clinical trials have shown that generics have more severe side effects.
- The taste of the chewing pill. When you start keeping a pill in your mouth, it becomes excessively sweet at first, and when the pill dissolves, at the end a bitter and not very pleasant cherry flavor remains. This taste doesn’t disappear for a long time, or rather, does not go away at all until you drink it with water.
- Cumulative effect of Singular. The appearance of side effects may not occur immediately, but several weeks after the start of treatment. It’s important to closely observe the patient in the first month of taking the drug. If there are any unusual deviations in the state or health problems that were not there before taking Singulair, it’s important to consult your doctor. The most widespread side effect is diarrhea. The second most common side effect is excessive excitement, neurosis, irritability, uncontrollable behavior, hyperactivity. Sometimes there is aggressive behavior and even hostility toward other people.