To ask if this is an emergency?

[Soitis83]

Posting here mainly for traffic.

The last week or so I've felt terrible. Finally took an iron tablet and felt so much better.
Problem is that better didn't last very long so I took another one..then another and then another. All together 80mg, one packet is mixed with other things and one is just 20mg.
I've convinced myself I'm going to die. Please someone reassure me I'm going to be okay

I had the exact same thing happen to me when I was a teenager, they told my dad on the phone "it sounds like she's having a heart attack so get her to the hospital asap as an ambulance might take too long". Turns out it was anxiety..
I appreciate that, truly, but I will speak to my GP Monday morning and hopefully get some answers as there is definitely something not right. I felt dizzy and out of sorts THEN the health anxiety kicked in

And we wonder why the NHS is on it's knees ffs....

It's definitely available on the phone, bottom right on any of the OP's posts - "see all"

I've only had my first B12 injection last week and missed this week's due to being in hospital with dying family member, have had a few weeks of the iron and folic acid for the folate so not feeling great yet but slightly better. I've been told it could take awhile and il need to be on b12 for life, thanks for asking. Are you feeling any less anxious now?

Only water soluble vitamins which are folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and vitamin C.

Fat soluble vitamins can and do accumulate in the body and can cause issues. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/poison/iron-overdose is a serious issue however the dose the op took isn't close to an overdose for an adult.

Oh goodness I'm so sorry.
Glad you're feeling slightly better, at least you know you're on the mend now and will only keep getting better.
Yes definitely calmed down, just have the hangover of high anxiety now. Where I feel even more dizzy and out of sorts. But I'm fully aware I'm not about to drop dead from an iron overdose. I just feel a bit silly!

I think there's a lot more to it as overreactions/health anxiety ect have been around for decades

1. please cancel the ambulance, this is absolutely a waste of theirs and your time
2. 80mg is not an overdose. You don’t need to worry about toxic levels until over doses of 20mg/kg which you will be well below
3. iron tablets don’t work that quickly, you need to be taking them regularly for at least a week, ideally 2 to get any effect from them.

It may not be the same but I’ve been feeling nauseous and had an upset stomach for about 2 weeks and feeling decidedly unwell and fatigued. I do have IBS but suspect it’s been a stomach virus. So many bugs around. I am starting to feel better now. Whatever it is for you I do hope you feel better soon and please do keep an eye on what you’re taking. Maybe wise to write it down each time and then you have something to refer to if you forget or are confused.

"Possibly latched on to it as I needed something to latch onto because I could no go on like that any longer. I wish I had all the answers because two weeks ago I was at my happiest, content, not a glimpse of anxiety in sight, and now it's all I think about, it's honestly so debilitating I cannot express."

I bet you 10 quid your period comes in the next 2-3 days.

(Been there....!)

Came on today, a few days early! Still doesn't explain my dizziness though. Or does it? Never had this before!

To offer some reassurance op... I'm chronically anemic and I have had iron infusions via iv drip before I can't remember exact dose but it's shed loads of iron. A big couple of 100ml of iron liquid and I've been fine. Plus it's a standard treatment. So if that doesn't cause overdose 4 tablets won't.

Oh bless you, how awful. I'm glad you're feeling better now though.
It's definitely not a stomach bug, but something is going on. Hopefully I'll find out soon.

Thank you. Out of curiosity, before you got treatment, did you feel dizzy, out of sorts and run down?

Yes definitely. I have reoccurring anemia and struggle to keep my levels up. So I'm familiar with the exhaustion and feeling like crap from low iron. It's really normal to feel like this because of low iron.

My guess would be low iron then, it makes sense. It's always been low but my diet has been awful as I've been too exhausted from looking after 3 kids, one who hates sleep.

OP I hope you are OK now?

I suspect from reading your posts you're suffering or have suffered an enormous amount of anxiety?

For whatever reason (I haven't read all replies) 111 chose to send an ambulance and that's on them, whether you said something which triggered a response or they inferred from your demeanour you required assistance for other matters, again they chose to send one.

If it's any consolation I had a similar conversation with 111 when they advised an ambulance would come, but fortunately I was in a position to refuse. Trust me that emergency services get mobilised to all kinds of stuff by their control rooms and sometimes it's a red herring, sometimes it's over cautiousness, sometimes its human nature! Don't worry!

I suggest for your own wellbeing and that of your kids speak with your GP as soon as possible for help with your anxiety, and if you're able to share this with trusted loved ones do so in order to get some support.

MH is no joke and your health anxiety may be a result or occuring along side other issues which your GP and trained MH staff can help with.

Get some rest firstly. But to caveat anything if you feel unsafe at risk or genuinely poorly do seek further emergency care!

I am, thank you. I cancelled the ambulance quite quickly after reading some replies and they still turned up outside my home but left almost as soon as they parked up. I'm glad I didn't have to tell them to their face that I had already cancelled the call!
Monday morning I'm straight on the phone to my GP for sure.
I suffered extremely in my early twenties with MH problems so I'm hyper aware of not ever letting it get to that place again. Currently cuddling my middle child in my bed after he woke up and his cuddles have made my heartbeat normal again. I'll fight to be at my best for them.

it does explain it for me! I am always horribly migrainey and dizzy two weeks into my cycle (ovulation) and right before my period.

my theory is that it’s made worse by not sleeping well (baby), not drinking much water, and eating sugar too much.

but oh my god, I think I have low level anxiety all month round bit I can cope. Add a bit of stress and hormones, and a trigger will really set me off. It is the worst.

first two weeks of cycle: normal human being sometimes veering into the slightly manic over productive at times, and thinking I’m pretty awesome for juggling everything

then comes ovulation

I start to feel a bit flat

then flatter…. Then I psychically feel like I’m sinking down into a hole

then come the anxiety, feeling like I can’t cope with life, can’t do anything, can’t function.

“what is wrong with me, i feel so hopeles”, despair

Very teary and emotional

oh, my period has come! that explains it…

day or two later, I reset into a normal human being again 🙄

but yeah I seem to find my dizziness and fuzzy migrianey head seems to get worse with hormones too

also, I think my ferritin is low. It was when I had my baby and I’ve not really taken any supplements.

i need to get back on the Spatone. I swear by it. I can take a couple of those and feel like I’m glowing after a few days, like my body really wants it

You have two different types of iron, the normal circulatory iron - which is what they test for and the iron “storage”, which is ferritin, which they don’t routinely test for. It was the latter that was low for me. I was also vegan and veggie for a number of years, so I do wonder if it’s related.

i felt so tired and unwell in pregnancy that they tested me for loads of stuff including ferritin.

I feel like it again, so I think it’s prob still low and I am using up all my energy and whatnot fighting off bug after bug from my kids!!!

I haven't got that either!!

Aha! It's a Premium option!

No, I have it, and I'm not a subscriber. Logged in and viewing in a browser on my tablet.

111 would have sent an ambulance for the palpitations. Although you've said you've had them for a week we can't guarantee it's not because of the tablets you took. I am a 111 health advisor, but if you'd told me that I would've spoke to a clinician for a second opinion. Unfortunately the question doesn't ask do they have 'new' palpitations so we still have to go with yes if the patient has declared it. I never tell a patient we are dispatching an ambulance I usually would say it's recommended we send an ambulance. This way it gives the patient a chance to refuse it if they want. We also have to confirm the address before sending. Seems that the 111 call centres can differ.

Sorry that should say PNA (post natal anxiety). My youngest was an awful sleeper too up until recently and I’m only starting to feel normal again. I went to the GP to get my bloods done because I felt so drained, really spaced out, dizzy etc. My bloods came back normal but she did put me on an antidepressant. That helped a bit, but I started to feel so much better once my youngest started sleeping better.