The mother of a teenage girl is calling on the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) for justice after her daughter was allegedly prescribed seizure pills for flu-like symptoms at the Canaan Health Center last Friday.
Allysa Price, 19, of Black Rock was allegedly prescribed Clonazepam.
A quick search of the internet revealed that Clonazepam is a tranquillizer, given to treat and prevent seizures, panic disorder, and for the movement disorder known as akathisia.
The girl’s story was posted on Facebook by her sister on Monday evening.
“My daughter went to the health centre because she was unable to swallow and had a fever, sore throat and pain in the back of her neck. She went on Friday morning. They gave a prescription for a lot of medications and I told her not to take them until she did research on them,” Sylvia Lindsay, Allysa’s mother told Guardian Media.
The mother said the teenager, without researching the medication, took the Clonazepam.
“By the time I came home after 9 pm she sat on my bed and was looking as though someone had beaten her. She said she was seeing me in twos and threes,” Lindsay said.
She said her daughter got worse on Saturday and complained of feeling weak and began getting “very” aggressive with her siblings.
“By Sunday morning things got worse and she began to get so aggressive, which was unlike her, that we had to call the police. She was in a rage like a mad woman,” the mother added.
She said after the police left, her daughter could not breathe properly and was having severe chest pains.
“When I went to her she was on the step. We called the ambulance, but there was none so my nephew took her to the hospital.”
“By the time we got to the hospital her eyes were rolling out of her head and she was frothing. She was rolling her hands and carrying on,” the mother cried.
The mother claimed that when the doctors at the hospital saw Allysa’s prescription, they told her not to take any more of the tablets.
Reached for a comment on the family’s story, officials at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) said the matter is under investigation.
Allysa’s family indicated that Health Secretary Dr Agatha Carrington has been in touch with them and enquired about the teenager’s health.
“We sent Allysa to Trinidad to get some attention so when she gets back we will meet with the secretary and discuss how we will move forward,” Lindsay told Guardian Media.