Depression and a part time job

mmmsnow

I'm in a bit of a difficult situation. I work one day a week (for a company that will employ me after I leave uni but not at that location). For a while, I've voiced my concerns that the cover for that one day a week is inadequate (there are two staff members and, since it's the weekend, it's very busy). My manager got someone in to help alternate weeks (but this only happened twice as, since then, the extra person has not been available). Basically, I'm working flat out in a very stressful environment and doing this on top of 9-5pm at uni and studying evenings.

Recently, I suffered a bereavement and illness and was put on anti-depressants. The side effects of these seem to be legion but the worst are the nausea and tiredness. I throw up in the mornings, can't eat and feel ill most of the time. I'm told that this will get better in time but at the moment, it's making life very difficult.

I asked my manager for time off after being unable to go to work last week (I was vomiting and feeling very shaky so driving wasn't an option). He said he'd try to find cover and would give me as much warning as possible if he couldn't. I chased him up about it during the week and was told that he had asked someone to do it. He called me yesterday (and caught me off guard) to tell me that he couldn't find cover and I, stupidly, agreed to go to work. Later on, I texted him to say that I really couldn't work today. This morning, I woke up with nausea (which has only abated now, after four hours) and threw up several times.

Anyway, I get a nasty text message from him telling me that he's had to cover for me for the last two weeks and that I'm jeopardising my place at the company with all this absence. He also asked me to produce a doctor's note or he would class me as AWOL, which is misconduct.

I'm at a bit of a loss. I was starting to feel better, emotionally, but this has put me back to square one. He's been very ineffective as a manager (the company owe me three days pay, messed up my pay several times, didn't pay me for several months and I have holiday entitlement that seems to have disappeared) but he's in a position to bad mouth me to others, especially the manager I'll be working with when I leave uni.

I really don't want to tell them that I'm on anti-depressants. I've had a lot of bad things happen to me recently and, with my degree exams looming, I just needed something to help me through it.

I'm angry at myself for agreeing to work today when I really couldn't but I feel a lot of guilt at the moment and I think my manager knows this. It was planned that I would leave in a few weeks (to give me time to study) but I asked him to bring this forward. I'm the only member of staff that works one day a week but it seems like he's completely unable to find cover for me.

Anyway, I don't know what the best course of action is. I can get a doctor's note no problem (I was in to see him recently and he knows about the side effects I've been experiencing), although this seems overkill for one day off in a week. I'm just concerned about my place within the company. I'm a very hard working person and rarely take time off, it's just that in the last few weeks, I've been floored by a combination of things.

cockaleekee

What meds are you on? No AD should be making you so sick, although many will make you tired. I am surprised your doctor has told you to persevere with them, there are many others you could try instead?

mmmsnow

I'm on citalopram. One of the most common side effects is nausea. The nausea has been worse in the last few days but I'm also on other medications for my sinuses so I think those might be contributing to it.

cockaleekee

mmmsnow wrote: »

I'm on citalopram. One of the most common side effects is nausea. The nausea has been worse in the last few days but I'm also on other medications for my sinuses so I think those might be contributing to it.

Go back to your doctor, you really shouldn't be going through all this. If you read the leaflet it will list pretty much every reaction you can think of as a possible side effect, but it doesn't mean you have to go through it. The tablets should be helping you, not causing you a whole other load of problems

mmmsnow

cockaleekee wrote: »

Go back to your doctor, you really shouldn't be going through all this. If you read the leaflet it will list pretty much every reaction you can think of as a possible side effect, but it doesn't mean you have to go through it. The tablets should be helping you, not causing you a whole other load of problems

Thanks. A friend of mine was on the same medication for a while and she said that the nausea only affected her for the first few weeks, after that it settled down. I've taken the last of my sinus medication today so, hopefully, that'll make a difference. I am going to phone the doctor tomorrow, though.

bagpussbear

I did wonder if you were taking some other meds that might be reacting. I've also taken Citalapram and the nausea lasted maybe 3 weeks, certainly not that level of sickness, although I wasn't much use to anyone for the first forthnight to be honest. Sorry to hear you have experienced that, hopefully it will start to calm down in the next week.

Personally I think you should accept a doctors note, even if it gets you through a couple of weeks, by which time you might be feeling alot better, you don't have to mention the ADs to your boss just the fact of the bereavement and you are having a hard time of it. Was your boss aware that you had a bereavement?

good luck and I hope you feel lots better soon!