Check this page often for more announcements!
The Manhattan Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Support Group's Lineup
Upcoming Manhattan ADD Support Sessions:
August 16, 2010
ADD/ADHD: General Support & Group Discussion
Location: McBurney YMCA
(Between 6th & 7th Ave
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Adult and Adolescent ADD Testing Project Continues
The low cost Adult ADD Testing Project is continuing. This is a special, brief 4 1/2 hour attention deficit disorder testing battery that is part of a research project. These evaluations are done on Saturdays (10am-4pm) and cost $700. It consists of a screening of overall intelligence, attention and concentration measures, verbal and visual memory, reading comprehension, a continuous performance test, and a personality assessment. A brief 2 page report is given with all the scores on the last page. Testing is done by a graduate student or a PhD, and is for people 18 and older. This evaluation cannot be used for accommodations on standardized tests, but might be good for school accommodations. Insurance is not accepted for these evaluations, but a receipt can be given for reimbursement purposes. The entire cost of the evaluation, however, can be tax deductible.
This evaluation can be an adjunct to ongoing treatment or can be a means of determining a treatment strategy. A deposit of $200 is necessary before the Saturday appointment is made, and final payment is due on the day of testing. This is not part of any insurance plan, but a receipt can be given. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me your address so that an agreement form can be mailed to you, or you may download the form in PDF format (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). The form must be returned with the $200 deposit prior to scheduling the testing date.
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Eli Lilly & Co., maker of the ADD medication Strattera, has issued the following patient advisory: "In rare cases, Strattera can cause liver damage. Call your doctor right away if you have itching, dark urine, yellow skin or eyes, upper right-side abdominal tenderness, or unexplained 'flu-like' symptoms. In all reported cases, the liver recovered upon discontinuation of Strattera."
The government has added the following: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising health care professionals about a new warning for Strattera, a drug approved for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. The labeling is being updated with a bolded warning about the potential for severe liver injury following two reports (a teenager and an adult) in patients who had been treated with Strattera for several months, both of whom recovered.
"The labeling warns that severe liver injury may progress to liver failure resulting in death or the need for a liver transplant in a small percentage of patients. The labeling also notes that the number of actual cases of severe liver injury is unknown because of under-reporting of post-marketing adverse events.
"The bolded warning indicates that the medication should be discontinued in patients who developed jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) or laboratory evidence of liver injury.
"Strattera has been on the market since 2002 and has been used in more than 2 million patients. In clinical trials of 6000 patients, no signal for liver problems (hepatotoxicity) had emerged.
"FDA has asked the manufacturer to add a bolded warning about severe liver injury to the labeling. Eli Lilly has agreed to alert health care professionals about the new information in a Dear Health Professional letter. The company will also update the patient package insert with information about the signs and symptoms of liver problems ...."
The FDA is asking health-care professionals to report adverse events associated with Strattera directly to Lilly (1-800-LILLYRX) or to them (1-800-FDA-1088). The FDA MedWatch form can be downloaded and mailed to:
FDA MedWatch
HFD-410
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville MD 20857
or faxed to 1-800-FDA-0178. The FDA can also be reached at 1-888-INFO-FDA or 1-888-463-6332.
While this situation needs to be monitored, some perspective may come in handy. As one clinician notes, "two known cases of liver problems on Strattera among millions of treated cases is a very small percentage."
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Support Group for Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Loved Ones
The University Optometric Center: The Patient Care Facility of SUNY College of Optometry and the Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) announce our meeting of a ...
Support Group for survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury and their loved ones.
Date: Monday August 16th, 2010
Time: 4:00-5:30 PM
Place: University Optometric Center
33 West 42nd St, NYC 10036
(between 5th and 6th Ave)
There is no fee to join us but pre-registration is required. Please contact Iris Rosen, LCSW at 212-938-4040 to register or with any questions.
We welcome all those who are interested to join us.
The third Monday of every month, a support group for the loved ones of TBI survivors is held at 4:00PM. For more information, call the number above.
© 2003-2010 Lawrence Thomas