Trinidad ADD / ADHD: ADHD and Medication
If you have a child with ADD or ADHD at some point of time, the medication issue arrives, specially if your kid goes to school. My son was in Ritalin and Concerta some years ago and they stopped working because his body got used to the drug and won't work anymore no matter the dose. Concerta specifically made him lose a lot of weight and we were very uncomfortable about it. Now he is not medicated so you can all well imagine how is like a child with special needs and handling his constant hyperactivity. Not easy.
If anyone has a child who has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD I would love to hear how you cope, if your child is on medication or using a more natural approach.
Name: Resha
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Comments: I know someone who has ADD but he's jus five years. As far as I know he's not in any medication. However my problem is finding a school for him to attend. He lives in Central and has been to two schools in Chaguanas but the school fails to look after his interest. Can anyone recommend any school in Central and environs for special children. His mom is not financially able to send in too far away from Central any help would be appreciated.
Hi Resha, I am sorry but I am not able to recommend ANY school in Central or anywhere in Trinidad. We tried like 4 schools for my special needs son (included the so called "special needs" school) and I took him out extremely disappointed. The number one issue is that they used physical punishment, yes to kids with special needs. It's barbaric. So after many bad experiences, I decided to homeschool and that's what I am doing at the present time. I gave up looking for a school here.
What I can suggest is that IF his only problem is ADD, then I would suggest the parents to seek the help of a child psychiatrist and see if the medication route is for them. If the child only has ADD and is medicated, he would be able to attend a regular school. But again, not all parents agree with the medication route specially because of the side effects. The help of a child psychologist/child psychiatrist is needed. If finances are an issue, Mt. Hope has a special section (Mt. Hope Child Psychology Clinic) within a month or two he will be able to see a professional. Best wishes.
Name: ReidMD
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Comments: If you are looking for non-medicinal methods for treating/ working with individuals with AD(H)D, an important factor to consider is diet.
There is so many additives in food today that can alter one's behavior, anything from, increases in aggression, to headaches, to difficulties with concentration.
MSG, aspartame, red dye... Are just to name a few I would highly recommend allergy testing along with looking at reducing or removing totally a lot of processed foods, and look at a more organic type of diet. Just a suggestion.
Name: Cyndi
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Comments: Hi. Cyndi from the US here. My son started on Tenex as his first ADHD drug. It did wonders for him. Tenex is traditionally used as a blood pressure reduction medicine but is now commonly prescribed for ADHD. My son seemed to have become desensitized to the drug. We are now on Strattera and it's been terrific. He has lost 10 pounds which is okay because he was a little overweight to begin. From all of the reading I have done, diet and especially exercise are the two most impactful (non-drug) interventions you can do to help a child with ADHD. There are a number of programs such as BrainGym and DORE. I wonder if these are available in other places in the world?
I never heard of Tenex, I did hear of Strattera, doesn't have some creepy side effects such as suicide thoughts, etc? Did you ever consider going drug free? My son was in Concerta and Ritalin but I noticed that as the time goes the body becomes immune to it and you need to keep trying new drugs.
Name: Redmanjp
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Comments: I know this site is mainly for children with special needs, however I'm an adult at 29 and I haven't come across any local adult adhd forums- I've been reading about adhd on the internet & I realize I may have it as I constantly get distracted and fidgety and have been this way for most of my life. Where can I go for an assessment or diagnosis? do normal doctors in T&T assess this or should it be some king of specialist
I am currently working & also studying part time doing a Bsc degree at sbcs- doing both is hard for most people- for someone with adhd it could be worse- my first 2 years I did ok at diploma level but I went on to 2nd yr Bsc. I ended up failing the 2 courses I did & currently repeating them & also doing 2 new ones- I realize that at least 60-70% of the time I either get distracted by other things especially on the internet, but even when I try to study in a room without a computer I find myself zoning out a lot while reading, having to read the same lines 5 times in order to understand it or reading- I also often have a million & one thoughts going through my head & daydream a lot- even my dad recognized it when I was younger. By the way he also had academic problems and has some serious anger issues and also fidgets when sitting. Also when I was a child and even as an adolescent if I was doing or thinking of something interesting I would suddenly get off my seat & walk or even run about the room or jump! often times I zone out in the morning and end up late for work.
Is this classic signs of ADHD? I really don't want to fail another yr yet again so if anyome can help me let me know OK
Hi redman, it DOES sounds like ADD or ADHD. Yes, they assess it in Trinidad both in public and private practice. You need to contact a good psychologist and share your concern. They will make an evaluation of your symptoms and make a diagnose. I recommend a private psychologist because if you wait for Mt. Hope you will be waiting for YEARS.