jacobean
19-07-14, 01:06
Hi all,
I am totally new here and having a major freak out right now. I don't know if I have generalised health anxiety but I definitely have a huge huge huge phobia about meds. So if I am ill - like recently when I got diagnosed with arthritic neck and doc said 'you will be in pain but it's not gonna harm you, you can take pain killers or cope with the pain '. I am actually relieved! Relieved that I don't *have* to take meds.
So... last week I got a bladder infection. Nothing unusual for me. Except this one is trimethroprin resisitant. The usual antibiotic used to treat them. I have an allergy to the next chosen drug - Nitrofurontein. And the next ones are penicillin based and I can't take those as I had a very serious allergic reaction to them and have been told I can't even touch them to give them my dog! This reaction has left me with a fear of new drugs and particularly antibiotics. I am terrified to be honest. I had to take metronidazole for the first time three years ago and I don't think I had more than an hours sleep the three nights on them!
I've been told there's one drug to treat the infection. Cipro!! I thought - 'okay, fine. It's a new antibiotic to try but you can deal'. And then I did a stupid, crazy thing and read the leaflet. Normally I don't. I just ask the pharmacist how to take them. I wasn't going to read the side effects but I didn't need to to get freaked out. There were some many warnings!! I have never seen so many on an antibiotic pamphlet before. So of course I looked online and read horror stories and there are support groups for people who have been made very ill etc and I am freaked!!! Now, due to being freaked, I have actually done a lot of in depth reading of medical studies and papers which are actually more reassuring re the risks than the internet horror stories. But there's this big old 'if' in the back of my head - the 'what if I'm the unlucky one'. So I can't take it.
Went to docs today and he said to me that the risk of leaving bladder infection to get worse is higher than risk of a short three day dose of antibiotics but I can't rationalise it like that. I feel sick and haven't slept well for the last three days I've been sat with this drug in my medicine cabinet.
I really think tomorrow I have to take it but it's the weekend so the doctors aren't even open and then I start panicking all over again!
I feel ridiculous but so scared I can't seem to get past it :shrug:
Any help is muchly appreciated.
---------- Post added 19-07-14 at 01:06 ---------- Previous post was 18-07-14 at 23:26 ----------
Just to add that I have GAD and panic along with agoraphobia.
I am totally new here and having a major freak out right now. I don't know if I have generalised health anxiety but I definitely have a huge huge huge phobia about meds. So if I am ill - like recently when I got diagnosed with arthritic neck and doc said 'you will be in pain but it's not gonna harm you, you can take pain killers or cope with the pain '. I am actually relieved! Relieved that I don't *have* to take meds.
So... last week I got a bladder infection. Nothing unusual for me. Except this one is trimethroprin resisitant. The usual antibiotic used to treat them. I have an allergy to the next chosen drug - Nitrofurontein. And the next ones are penicillin based and I can't take those as I had a very serious allergic reaction to them and have been told I can't even touch them to give them my dog! This reaction has left me with a fear of new drugs and particularly antibiotics. I am terrified to be honest. I had to take metronidazole for the first time three years ago and I don't think I had more than an hours sleep the three nights on them!
I've been told there's one drug to treat the infection. Cipro!! I thought - 'okay, fine. It's a new antibiotic to try but you can deal'. And then I did a stupid, crazy thing and read the leaflet. Normally I don't. I just ask the pharmacist how to take them. I wasn't going to read the side effects but I didn't need to to get freaked out. There were some many warnings!! I have never seen so many on an antibiotic pamphlet before. So of course I looked online and read horror stories and there are support groups for people who have been made very ill etc and I am freaked!!! Now, due to being freaked, I have actually done a lot of in depth reading of medical studies and papers which are actually more reassuring re the risks than the internet horror stories. But there's this big old 'if' in the back of my head - the 'what if I'm the unlucky one'. So I can't take it.
Went to docs today and he said to me that the risk of leaving bladder infection to get worse is higher than risk of a short three day dose of antibiotics but I can't rationalise it like that. I feel sick and haven't slept well for the last three days I've been sat with this drug in my medicine cabinet.
I really think tomorrow I have to take it but it's the weekend so the doctors aren't even open and then I start panicking all over again!
I feel ridiculous but so scared I can't seem to get past it :shrug:
Any help is muchly appreciated.
---------- Post added 19-07-14 at 01:06 ---------- Previous post was 18-07-14 at 23:26 ----------
Just to add that I have GAD and panic along with agoraphobia.