OMG HELP...I LOOK LIKE A BEETROOT!!!

[Titania]

OMG.....I got up this morning and my face is COVERED in a red itchy rash...it is also a little bit swollen...I don't know what on earth it could be...I haven't used any different products and neither has DH...SOB I look like a beetroot....not sure how I am going to get ds2 to school without people noticing...... I have rinsed my face with just cool water to try and calm it down and smothered it in aqueous cream but its done nothing...SOB.....PLEASE HELP!!!

Titania,

For side effect of SSRIs (citalopram is an SSRI) it says 'hypersensitivity reactions including rash (consider discontinuation - may be sign of impending serious systemic reaction, possibly associated with vasculitis)'

Don't panic, but perhaps go and visit the GP to check this out. Yes, hypersensitivity happens early on but 10 days is not long to be taking an SSRI - they usually take around 2 weeks to start taking effect.

HTH.

I've got a rash and so did my daughter last week, she had hers all over her body and cheeks, although hers didn't itch. I'm just coming to the end of mine, very itchy, and red, and my feet were a bit swollen - sounds similar. I've heard there is something going round at the minute, my friends school has 9 kids out of one class with a rash, so it could be just something you've caught. I haven't found mine pleasant at all, and my feet are driving me mad with the itching. Hope yours gets better soon.

forgot to say, when my daughter had hers I took her to the doctor to see if she was alright to go to school, the doctor said 'viral' - theres a suprise, and that it was non-contagious. Funny that I then got it!

Skate just because the effects of the drug take two weeks to work wouldn't mean that the body wouldn't be reacting to the ingrediants.

Titania, I get allergic reactions when I'm run down and stressed. ATM, it looks like someone's punched me in both my eyes. The reactions change every couple years, but I had ideopathic angioedema (face swelling up for no reason) for two years or so.

Antihistamines help and if it happens again, go to your doctor. I had an emergency kit of prednisone and ultra strong antihistamine to take when it started.

And if it happens again, invest in a nice pair of big sunglasses and a hat. Makes it less noticable, I've found -- although I was told it looked like I was hiding a hangover!