Please help

[Helpme5367]

I feel like I’m having a nervous breakdown. I’ve been to the doctors and they prescribed citalopram. I cannot function I feel like I’m going to die. My husband has gone back to work and I’m at home with the children and due back at work myself next week.

Is your husband supportive of you?

It sounds like you need some extra help, can the children go on a play date/sleepover to give you some time?

May I ask your age? When I felt like that it turned out to be Perimenopause. I was 46.

Hang in there. The first couple of weeks on citalopram can be a bit rough but it does get better.

How old are your children?

How many children do you have and how old are they?

Loveka- thank you so much for responding. My husband is very supportive but I told him to go to work as I need to get through this myself and didn’t want him to put his job in jeopardy.

I started with some uti symptoms before Christmas which I tried to manage at home but it got worse so I went to ooh who prescribed me three days of nitrofuratonin (this was after I had taken a couple of days worth of amoxicillin which I had in the home).
Symptoms seem to get better but not go away entirely so I went back to the go yesterday who said no to anymore antibiotics and prescribed citalopram and told me to come back for an exam next week when my period has finished.
Last night I had a terrible panic type attack and legs like jelly and still burning/pressure in my pelvis.
Took a phenoxypenicillin I had in cupboard, a propanolol and some sleep aid and feel terrible, I’m dry wrethching - turned 40 last week.

The little ones are 5 and 7. I was visiting at the hospital before Christmas and thought I could have picked something up there. I’ve struggled with my mental health before but I’m scared that it’s something phyisical which is being missed.

There shouldn't be any unused antibiotics to take in your home, taking them is a very bad idea and you need to stop doing it as you can make your symptoms worse.

Hard as it is, you need to give what the Drs have prescribed you time to work.

Thank you RedHelen - I thought that when I started wretching, I’m not going to take anymore but I’m so worried about the symptoms I have.

I feel off balance and light headed and like I’m detached and so cold 😳

It sounds like you've a lot of anxiety around your health. I can relate to this as I also suffer from health anxiety. If I think there is something wrong with me I can't stop thinking about it & feel like I'm going mad . That said I started seeing a CBT therapist and this has helped me beyond words and my anxiety is almost non existent now and if it does rear it's ugly head these days I am
Much better at controlling it . Maybe it's something you can look into x

Uti's make you feel absolutely terrible (dd has had them for 6 months despite a shed load of antibiotics) they also seem to exacerbate existing mental health symptoms in my dd at least. Sleep, keeping calm, that's all I can suggest - try to concentrate on being positive, worrying about next week is making the panic symptoms worse. I dragged her out walking yesterday which helped I think because it was away from her worries for a couple of hours at least (student). Take care

Don't take random medicine, OP.

I don't anything about the meds you've mentioned, but second what PP said about taking old antibiotics.

As I've said, I have no medical knowledge, but your post has rung alarm bells with me.

Is it possible that you are having a bad reaction to the medicine the GP prescribed? have you still got the information pamphlet from inside the box of medication?

If yes, read through the list of symptoms. Do you recognise any from the list?

There might be some symptoms listed on there which mean, if you experience them, you should cease taking the medication.

Don't stop medication without seeking advice from a pharmacist/doctor though.

Also, it sounds like you are taking a cocktail of different meds which might react badly with each other.

Personally, I'd gather together all the boxes of medicines I'd taken, and get to the pharmacists or doctors, and explain my symtpoms. If you can't get to a GP, please go & seek advice from a pharamcist this morning.

Please reach out to someone in real life too that can come and be with you today. I hope you can do that. Let the kids watch tv all day it won’t harm them just take it by each hour. Might it also be worth talking to your GP again?

Nobody - yes I think you are right. I started seeing a counsellor before Christmas so hopefully that will help but at the moment I do not feel that I can function.

Uti's can cause confusion and anxiety. Did the gp test your urine again?

I would ring the surgery again and express your concerns.

I'm sorry I don't have anything helpful to add OP, just want to send a big supportive hug your way.

Namechanger - thank you for your support I only have citalopram and propanalol now which have been prescribed so will only be taking these now. The old antibiotics are going in the bin but I did only take one.

The GP I saw yesterday was one I hadn’t seen before and said that the three days worth of antibiotics which were prescribed should have dealt with the uti - I’m not sure that I agree with this even in my irrational state of mind. I was unable to provide a sample due to my period.

What do you think might help you right now?

You have two young children so you need to function a bit for them.

Do you think making a list of your basic tasks today might help?

How about a shower? Water can be soothing.

A cup of tea?

When you’re doing any task, think about what you’re doing at every step. Like filling the kettle - look at how you just turn a tap and water comes pouring out, how much will you put in the kettle? Which mug will you use? Isn’t it amazing that you can switch it on and power the kettle?
Really focus on everything you do to try to bring quiet to your thoughts.

Different corner - thank you for your support. I have nobody really - no family, a close friend who is at the hospital herself this morning and my other close friend is a lot younger than me with no experience with children and working.

Oh op I'm sorry you're feeling so awful :(

I have bad anxiety and OCD as well as fibromyalgia and take all kinds of meds and for the most part my MH is stable.

Now and then my anxiety sky rockets for no reason at all and I feel just like you describe.
The AD i take is Venlafaxine which helps with the OCD side of things as I'm not classically depressed at all but it takes time to work which you need to give it.

Please go on YouTube and have a look at Michael Sealey for your anxiety. His hypnosis sessions are anazing for this and help me even when the medication doesn't.

I'm the same age as you and I feel very overwhelmed with life. There is no routine at the minute with the dc ( 7 and 15 ) and our sleep is all over the place, house up the wall, extra visitors etc etc.
I know next week I will feel much calmer.

Pls feel free to pm me if you ever want to talk. I don't sleep much so am on here quite a bit at the minute :)

Propranolol made me feel light headed and sick.
Did the GP retest your urine?

I was sat on the floor in the bathroom yesterday crying down the phone to the GP receptionist who wouldn’t give me an appointment, my husband called them back and got me the one I had yesterday.

I haven’t slept and can’t eat.

I nearly gave up my citalopram as the first 2 weeks were awful! I felt worse than before I took them!

Then, suddenly, 2 weeks in I woke up just feeling ‘better’! Hang on in there. The early effects do go.

OP - I’m sorry you’re going through this.

However, you must ALWAYS take the full course of antibiotics- not doing so is how bugs become resistant to them. Please throw away any old, leftover prescription drugs (plus any out of date over the counter stuff).

I’d go back to GP and tell them how you are feeling too.

Beechview - thank you I will try that.

Machine - thanks for your support. I have taken the full course of nitro which the ooh doctor prescribed but feel like that hasn’t cleared the symptoms.