What are the side effects of tricyclic antidepressant medications?
Side effects include constipation and dry mouth. Symptomatic treatment with stool softeners and sugar-free gum or candy are usually effective in alleviating the discomfort. Confusion, elevated blood pressure, possible precipitation of manic-like behavior, and inducement of seizures are uncommon side effects. The latter three occur in vulnerable children, who can generally be identified during the assessment phase. What about ADD children who do not respond well to medication? Some ADD children or adolescents will not respond satisfactorily to either the psychostimulant or tricyclic antidepressant medications. Nonresponders may have severe symptoms of ADD, may have other problems in addition to ADD, or may not be able to tolerate certain medications because of adverse side effects, as noted above. In such cases, consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist may be helpful. How often should medications be dispensed at school to an ADD child? Since the duration for effective actio
