SINGULAIR
5mg & 10mg Tablet.
Montelukast sodium
What Singulair is used for
Singulair is used to treat asthma, including preventing asthma symptoms during the day and night. It also prevents the narrowing of airways triggered by exercise.
Singulair can be used in children 6 years of age and older, teenagers and adults.
Singulair tablets are not used to treat an acute attack of asthma. If an acute attack occurs, follow your doctor's instructions for that situation.
Asthma is a lung disease and has the following characteristics:
- narrowed airways causing breathing to become difficult
- inflamed airways, which means the lining of airways become swollen
- sensitive airways that react to many things, such as cigarette smoke, pollen, or cold air.
Symptoms of asthma include coughing, wheezing and chest tightness. Not all people with asthma wheeze. For some, coughing may be the only symptom of asthma. Symptoms often occur during the night or after exercise.
Singulair belongs to a group of medicines called leukotriene receptor antagonists. It works by blocking substances in your lungs called leukotrienes that cause narrowing and swelling of airways. Blocking leukotrienes improves asthma symptoms and helps prevent asthma attacks.
Your doctor may have prescribed Singulair for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Singulair has been prescribed for you.
Singulair is not addictive.
Before you take Singulair
Do not take Singulair if:
- you have an allergy to Singulair or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet
- the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering
- the expiry date on the pack has passed
- if you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work.
If you are not sure whether you should start taking Singulair, talk to your doctor.
Do not give Singulair to children under 6 years of age. Safety and effectiveness in children younger than 6 years of age have not been studied.
Before you start to take it, tell your doctor if
- you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Singulair has not been studied in pregnant women.
- you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. It is not known if Singulair passes into breast milk.
- if you have or have had any medical conditions.
- if you have any allergies to any other medicines or any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you take any Singulair.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines may affect the way other medicines work. However, SINGULAIR has not been shown to interfere with other medicines.
How to take Singulair
How much to take
Take Singulair only when prescribed by your doctor.
For adults and teenagers 15 years and older, the dose is one 10 mg tablet taken each day at bedtime.
For children 6 to 14 years old, the dose is one 5 mg chewable tablet taken each day at bedtime.
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions on the box, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
How to take it
Singulair comes as two types of tablets:
- 10 mg tablets for adults and teenagers 15 years and older
- 5 mg chewable tablets for children 6-14 years old.
Swallow the 10 mg tablet with a glass of water. Chew the 5 mg chewable tablet thoroughly and swallow.
When to take it
Take your Singulair at bedtime each day.
Taking your tablet at bedtime each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take the tablets.
It does not matter if you take Singulair before or after food.
How long to take it
Singulair helps control your asthma. Therefore Singulair must be taken every day. Continue taking Singulair for as long as your doctor prescribes.
If you forget to take it
Skip the dose you missed and take your next dose at bedtime as usual.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed.
If you have trouble remembering to take your tablets, ask your pharmacist for some hints.
If you take too much (overdose)
Immediately telephone your doctor or the National Poisons Information Centre (telephone 03 4747000) for advice, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Singulair. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
While you are using Singulair
Things you must do
Continue taking Singulair every day as directed by your doctor, even if you have no asthma symptoms or if you have an asthma attack.
If your asthma gets worse while taking Singulair, tell your doctor immediately.
If an acute attack of asthma occurs, follow your doctor's instructions on what medicines to use to relieve the attack.
If you become pregnant while taking Singulair, tell your doctor immediately.
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking Singulair.
Things you must not do
Do not give Singulair to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.
Adverse Effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Singulair.
Singulair helps most people with asthma, but it may have unwanted adverse effects in a few people. All medicines can have adverse effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the adverse effects.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
In studies, these are the more common adverse effects of Singulair. For the most part these have been mild and occurred as often in patients treated with Singulair or placebo (a tablet containing no medicine).
Additionally, the following have been reported:
- dream abnormalities
- drowsiness
- irritability
- restlessness
If any of the following happen, stop taking Singulair and tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing
- severe and sudden onset of pinkish, itchy swellings on the skin, also called hives or nettlerash
Other adverse effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. Tell your doctor if you notice any other effects.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible adverse effects. You may not experience any of them.
After using Singulair
Storage
Keep your tablets in the blister pack until it is time to take them. If you take the tablets out the blister pack they may not keep well.
Keep Singulair in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C. Do not store it or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.
Do not leave it in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep it where children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking the tablets, or the tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over.
Product description
What it looks like
Singulair comes as two types of tablets
- 10 mg tablet - beige, rounded square tablet with Singulair marked on one side and MSD 117 on the other.
- 5 mg chewable tablet - pink, round tablet with Singulair marked on one side and MSD 275 on the other.
A box of Singulair contains 30 tablets.
Ingredients
Active ingredient
- 10 mg tablet contains 10 mg montelukast sodium
- 5 mg chewable tablet contains 5 mg montelukast sodium.
Inactive ingredients
10 mg tablets
- microcrystalline cellulose
- lactose
- croscarmellose sodium
- hydroxypropyl cellulose
- magnesium stearate
- hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose
- titanium dioxide
- iron oxide red
- iron oxide yellow
- carnauba wax
5 mg chewable tablets
- mannitol
- microcrystalline cellulose
- hydroxypropyl cellulose
- iron oxide red
- croscarmellose sodium
- cherry flavour
- aspartame
- magnesium stearate
Singulair 10 mg tablets and 5 mg chewable tablets do not contain gluten, sucrose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes. The 10 mg tablets contain lactose; the 5 mg chewable tablets do not.
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