Ronkonkoma mom wants side effect label on asthma medicine

<p>A Ronkonkoma mother wants the FDA to change the way a popular generic asthma medicine is labeled.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 25, 2018, 10:03 PM

Updated 2,162 days ago

Share:

A Ronkonkoma mother wants the FDA to change the way a popular generic asthma medicine is labeled.
Laura Marotta says her son Nicholas suffered psychiatric side effects after taking montelukast, which is the generic version of Singulair.
Marotta says her 11-year-old's symptoms worsened when he stopped taking the meds.
"Within two weeks of discontinuation, the unimaginable happened," she says. "Nicholas started to go through debilitating depression. He wasn't able to sleep, he wasn't able to eat."
Marotta brought Nicholas to 10 different doctors. She says no one believed that his problems were a result of the drug, until one finally did and treated him.
"She explained to us that although the medicine would no longer be in his body, the effects to the brain's neurotransmitters could be," Marotta says.
Marotta wanted to know if other people were going through what her family went through, so she looked it up online.
"There were stories of children being hospitalized, being diagnosed with mental disorders, and learning disorders, and developmental disorders," she explains. "And sadly there are some stories of children that had passed away by suicide while taking this drug."
Marotta then scheduled a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration. She asked for the agency to force the pharmaceutical company to clearly state the side effects on the medication, something she says wasn't done when her son was prescribed the drug.
"I thought maybe if they could see my desperation that they would step up, and maybe they would take action," she says.
Marotta says she is hoping the FDA gets either the doctors or the pharmaceutical company to make the side effects known to people, but she doesn't think her voice is enough. She says multiple people who have suffered from the side effects would have to come forward and ask for the same thing to truly make an impact.
Go HERE to watch extended interviews on this story.


More from News 12
1:17
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in Irvington during President Biden's visits to Westchester

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in Irvington during President Biden's visits to Westchester

1:57
Sunny and mild Friday for the Hudson Valley; tracking rain for Saturday

Sunny and mild Friday for the Hudson Valley; tracking rain for Saturday

0:47
State police: DNA sample from human remains found does not match profile of missing Putnam teen

State police: DNA sample from human remains found does not match profile of missing Putnam teen

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

0:31
New mural of Yonkers hip-hop legend Mary J. Blige unveiled at Palisade Towers

New mural of Yonkers hip-hop legend Mary J. Blige unveiled at Palisade Towers

0:35
Police find evidence in burglary while investigating a domestic dispute in Monroe

Police find evidence in burglary while investigating a domestic dispute in Monroe

0:30
Wake services held for the Westchester correction officer who died in Bronx River Parkway crash

Wake services held for the Westchester correction officer who died in Bronx River Parkway crash

Motorists encounter traffic delays, road closures in and around Irvington during President Joe Biden's visit

Motorists encounter traffic delays, road closures in and around Irvington during President Joe Biden's visit

1:42
Newburgh senior housing manager asks city for help protecting residents

Newburgh senior housing manager asks city for help protecting residents

0:25
Dramatic video captures car fire in Nanuet

Dramatic video captures car fire in Nanuet

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

0:24
New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

0:24
Breeze Airways expands services from Westchester County Airport

Breeze Airways expands services from Westchester County Airport

1:47
Saddle up for a western-style riding adventure at Hollow Brook Riding Academy!

Saddle up for a western-style riding adventure at Hollow Brook Riding Academy!

0:27
Oklahoma woman pleads guilty in fatal Newburgh drunk driving crash

Oklahoma woman pleads guilty in fatal Newburgh drunk driving crash

0:45
Yonkers officer faces charges in off-duty Bronxville accident

Yonkers officer faces charges in off-duty Bronxville accident

0:21
Dutchess County drivers awarded free cars after completing empowerment program

Dutchess County drivers awarded free cars after completing empowerment program

St. Barnabas High School marks 100 years of education at New Rochelle gala

St. Barnabas High School marks 100 years of education at New Rochelle gala

0:26
Luxury VIP experience coming to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

Luxury VIP experience coming to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

2:27
How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze

How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze