Floaid 5mg Tablets

Montelukast blocks leukotrienes, natural chemicals that make the airways swell and tighten and cause allergy symptoms in the nose.

It is used to:

• prevent asthma symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath
• prevent breathing problems brought on by exercise
• relieve allergic rhinitis (sneezing, blocked or runny nose) when other medicines are not suitable

It controls symptoms but does not cure asthma or allergies.

Take montelukast as your doctor or pharmacist tells you, usually once a day at about the same time.

• It can be taken with or without food. Chewable tablets should be chewed before swallowing.
• For asthma it is usually taken in the evening. For exercise, it is taken at least 2 hours before activity, but not if you have already had a dose in the last 24 hours.
• Do not use it to treat a sudden asthma attack; keep your reliever inhaler with you.
• Keep taking your other asthma medicines unless your doctor says otherwise, and keep taking montelukast even when you feel well.
• If you miss a dose, skip it and take the next one at the usual time. Never take more than one dose in 24 hours.

Common side effects include:

• headache
• stomach pain, heartburn or diarrhoea
• tiredness

Stop taking it and contact your doctor straight away if you have:

• mood or behaviour changes: agitation, aggression, anxiety, depression, confusion, memory or attention problems, sleep problems, sleepwalking, strange dreams, hallucinations, shaking, or thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• a skin rash with blistering or peeling
• flu-like symptoms with rash, pins and needles or numbness in the arms or legs, or painful, swollen sinuses
• signs of a serious allergic reaction: swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, hives

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking it if you:

• have had an allergic reaction to montelukast or any other medicine
• have or have had liver disease
• have or have had mental health problems
• have phenylketonuria (PKU) — chewable tablets may contain aspartame
• find aspirin makes your asthma worse — avoid aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen
• take gemfibrozil, phenobarbital or rifampicin, or any other medicines, supplements or herbal remedies

Keep in the original, tightly closed container at room temperature, away from light, heat and moisture (not in the bathroom), and out of the reach of children.

Mental health: serious mood and behaviour changes can happen during treatment or after stopping, even in people with no history of mental health problems. Family members and carers should know the warning signs.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, and call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking it.

Not a reliever: it will not stop an asthma attack that has already started.