Doctor specializing in Adult ADD

[concepts]

Hello all,

Someone in my family here has been diagnosed with adult Attention Deficit Disorder. We'd prefer to get them help in the country instead of going back to the states. (We've lived in Santiago for 12 years.) Most of the Dominican doctors I've questioned know less about ADD than I do, which is not reassuring!

Any contacts or recommendations would be much appreciated for a doctor who is up to date in the field, especially on the latest drugs avilable to treat ADD. We'd prefer the Santiago area but will happily travel to Santo Domingo for the right doctor. After all, SDQ is a lot closer than Miami!

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

[Mirador]

... Most of the Dominican doctors I've questioned know less about ADD than I do, which is not reassuring....
Steve

Adult Attention Deficit? probably because it is not considered a pathology in the DR. A cursory observation of adult behavior in the DR might tend to suggest that AAD is more the norm than an exceptional state of mind...

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[sweetdbt]

Who diagnosed them? In my 20 years working as a Case Manager in mental health, I have found that dealing with the aftereffects of incorrect/premature diagnosis to be one of my biggest challenges. If the person doing the diagnosis is there in the DR, then they "should" be able to provide the treatment. If they are not qualified to treat the condition, I would not place much confidence in their diagnosis.

If they were diagnosed by a qualified professional in the US, you may be in a difficult situation. If there is not a Dominican provider with experience in treating AAD, perhaps you can find one with general competency and good references who could then recieve consultation from a provider in the States with expertise in this area.

 

[Chirimoya]

I agree that ADD is controversial and possibly over-diagnosed, but this is not a debate, it's a request for information.
There are specialists dealing with ADD in Santo Domingo - someone I know has been consulting them. I've asked for the contact details and will post them here when I receive them. They may even be able to put the OP in touch with someone in Santiago.

 

[Chirimoya]

Got a swift response. The person to contact is a psychiatrist called Dr Moises Taverez, tel 809-687-9815.

 

[Mirador]

Got a swift response. The person to contact is a psychiatrist called Dr Moises Taverez, tel 809-687-9815.

Dr. Moises Taveras may not be what the OP is looking for. Dr Taveras is a pediatrician/childrens/adolescents' psychiatrist. I believe he is currently the director of psychiatry at the Santo Domingo main children's hospital (Hospital Robert Read Cabral -aka El Angelita).

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[Chirimoya]

Correct. The logic being that as he works with children with ADD he is likely to know whether or not there is anyone treating adults for this condition, don't you think?

 

[Chris]

It was truly difficult at first, but I eventually managed to follow your logic Chiri. You'd think that Dr. Moises Taveras would be a very good first port of call eh? At least I would think that. Let me just check outside.. The sky is not falling yet Mirador! It is still firmly anchored... and the OP has a good contact to start off with. OK, I've checked again, the sky is still anchored, even after someone recommended a medical professional in a mainstream field of medicine

OK, let me get back to my lotions and potions.... Yup, the sky is still there.... :laugh: :laugh: Lighten up Mirador!

 

[concepts]

Thanks for your efforts, folks. The "someone" is my daughter who moved here with us when she was 13. She was diagnosed with ADD by expert professional medical help in the states when she was in 5th grade. She is now 24 and there is no doubt that ADD is a significant issue in her life. So we need help. I'll even broaden my appeal for help to include any doctor who is conversant with ADD, children or adult.

Thanks again in advancew and folks, let me reassure, this is a very real problem and one we desperately need help on. I will call Dr. Taverez but would like any other input too. After all, it is my daughter!

Steve

 

[Mirador]

Thanks for your efforts, folks. The "someone" is my daughter who moved here with us when she was 13. She was diagnosed with ADD by expert professional medical help in the states when she was in 5th grade. She is now 24 and there is no doubt that ADD is a significant issue in her life. So we need help. I'll even broaden my appeal for help to include any doctor who is conversant with ADD, children or adult.

Thanks again in advancew and folks, let me reassure, this is a very real problem and one we desperately need help on. I will call Dr. Taverez but would like any other input too. After all, it is my daughter!

Steve

Steve, a cursory investigation through the internet shows that AADD is a relatively new concept in psychiatry, and as our dear DR1 member Chirimoya has pointed out, it is riddled with controvery and probably over-diagnosed. You must be aware that we, as human beings, are infinitely more complex than what current psychiatric definitions suggests. My imput? Don't shy away from unconventional therapies, don't acquiesce to the high priests/esses of 'expert professional medical help', and foremost, be particularly skeptical of pharmacological fixes, especially antidepressants...

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[RHM]

My imput? Don't shy away from unconventional therapies, don't acquiesce to the high priests/esses of 'expert professional medical help', and foremost, be particularly skeptical of pharmacological fixes, especially antidepressants...
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You sound like Tom Cruise...another great source for psychiatric help...very qualified to give medical advice

Scandall

 

[Mirador]

You sound like Tom Cruise...another great source for psychiatric help...very qualified to give medical advice

Scandall

Randy, I know what I'm talking about. I have made more than one recognized medical doctor tear up prescriptions to mutual patients. By the way, I have a folk healing practice close to Azua, and I invite you to find among my nearby neighbors or others I have treated, anyone I've missdiagnosed or have not cured, even after 'expert medical doctors' have brought them very close to the grave...

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[RHM]

Randy, I know what I'm talking about. I have made more than one recognized medical doctor tear up prescriptions to mutual patients. By the way, I have a folk healing practice close to Azua, and I invite you to find among my nearby neighbors or others I have treated, anyone I've missdiagnosed or have not cured, even after 'expert medical doctors' have brought them very close to the grave...

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Two years ago a friend of mine's maid said she was sick of buying her diabetes medicine and was told by a "folk healer" that she could just drink a certain concoction of tea to control her disease.

She dumped the medicine and praised the tea...for about 2 weeks...then she went blind.

I am not for living in an overly-medicated society but have seen many examples in my time of the amazing things that modern medicine can accomplish.

Yes...yoga and meditation are good for hypertensive patients.

Yes...some herbs are good for you.

etc etc

But much of "folk healing" and "alternative medicine" is just a short-term, unsustainable placebo effect.

Gotta go...I'm late for my colonic.

Scandall

 

[cobraboy]

You sound like Tom Cruise...another great source for psychiatric help...very qualified to give medical advice

Scandall

Tom Cruise said yesterday he was going to eat the afterbirth and placenta in the delivery suite right after his child is born.

Nutcases are everywhere.

 

[Chirimoya]

The AAA health centre in Santo Domingo also lists ADD as one of the conditions they treat in their mental health clinic.
Contact details on www.aaahealthcenters.com

 

[concepts]

Thanks for the input ...

I will follow up and report back on our experience. I of all people tend to be skeptical of the "Diagnosis de Jour". Without a doubt ADD is used as an excuse to cover a lot of plain old simple human failings. But I have also seen how my daughter responded to medication. I always say "Whatever works."

Steve

 

[MrMike]

I had my son on medication for that too, and I can only say the results were mixed.

First of all that stuff is supposedly very similar chemically to methamphetamines, and has pretty much the same effect as meth on people who don'thave ADD.

Second if we would by some mistake miss a day the results would be just horrible, emotionally the poor kid was completely unable to control himself, this actually caused more problems than the medication was worth, not even mentioning the inabilithy to sleep and the eating disorders it caused.

I took one of my sons pills one day to see what he went through and that was when I decided the medication had to stop. It was just like being on drugs but without being the slightest bit fun.

He is much better now, 2 years later still diagnosed as ADHD but controlling it by disciplining himself and learning to be a stronger person. It takes quite a bit more effort for him to apply himself to things he considers "boring" than it probably would a "normal" person, but he is managing and I think in the end it will be the best thing for him.

Incidentally after seeing the way he is and his various symptoms I am pretty well convinced that if there is such a malady I surely suffer from it as well, I am sure many have down through the ages but have needed to deal with it in other ways than by being medicated.

Bottom line, if you can't find the right perscription in country it might not be the end of the world.

Also I was able to find out 2 years ago when we were looking into this situation that the only meds for ADD available in the DR is Ritalin, which most people are shying away from since it seems ritalin may have some pretty negative side effects.

My son used "concerta" but had to bring it with him from the states when returning from visits to his mom.

 

[sevenup]

I didnt like having several treatments, appointments with shrinks so I took only one medication:TOFRANIL, which helped me to stop being depressing about certain things. I'm able to cope with it..