A mother with restless leg syndrome thought she was going 'insane' after mistakenly taking drugs to treat schizophrenia for over a month after a pharmacy handed her the wrong prescription.

Henryka Barszczowska, 60, was given anti-psychotic drug risperidone which she took over a five-week period last September and October.

Mrs Barszczowska, from Roundhay, West Yorkshire, took 83 out of the 84 pack of tablets mistakenly thinking they were ropinirole - her prescribed drug for her restless leg syndrome.

But her daughter, Ewa Zylowska, 28, said that alarm bells rang when her mother gradually become more tired and often slept all day and remained awake all night.

Henryka Barszczowska who thought she was going 'insane' after a pharmacy mistakenly gave her drugs used to treat schizophrenia

Mrs Zylowska said: 'She felt something was wrong with her and she thought she was going insane.

'On one night she came to me in tears, really frustrated, saying she was getting worse and feeling so unwell.'

However, Mrs Zylowska said that everything became clear when she looked at her mother's medication and realised she had been taking the wrong tablets.

'When I looked at the packet I realised straight away they were the wrong tablets. I was so shocked and disgusted.

'I looked on the Internet and found they were anti-psychotic drugs.'

She then contacted the pharmacy, who advised Barszczowska to stop taking the drugs immediately and contact her GP.

Over the next three months, Mrs Zylowska says her mother experienced shakes, muscle pains, and anxiety.

Medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors are investigating the circumstances of the prescription error after the mother collected her regular prescription from the M Manning Pharmacy, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Michael Manning, of M Manning Pharmacy, said: 'We at Manning Pharmacy strive to provide an excellent pharmacy service and follow standard operating procedures.

'We are sorry that an error occurred in the dispensing of Mrs Barszczowska's prescription on 15 September 2015.

Mrs Barszczowska took 83 out of the 84 pack of risperidone tablets over a five-week period last September and October. She picked up her prescription from the M Manning Pharmacy, Leeds, West Yorkshire

'We have apologised in person, and advised Mrs Barszczowska of the steps that would be taken to prevent the error re-occurring.

'We also contacted her GP to explain what had happened.'

The GP referred her for tests, including an ECG, which came back clear.

Risperidone is used to treat schizophrenia and symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Common side effects are stated to include headache; dizziness, drowsiness, tired feeling, tremors, twitching or uncontrollable muscle movements; agitation, anxiety, restless feeling; and depressed mood.

However, over the next three months, Mrs Zylowska says her mother became even more unwell, experiencing shakes, muscle pains, and anxiety.

She said: 'We had the worst Christmas ever, we went to Germany to stay with my sister, and my mum was so unwell, she didn't even get dressed or brush her hair on Christmas Day, and that's just not like her normally.'

Frustrated by the lack of further investigation by her GP, she paid for her mother to have an appointment with a private psychiatrist, who she says diagnosed her as suffering from side effects of the risperidone, which works by changing the effects of chemicals in the brain.

The GP had worked with the drug for many years and decided to put Mrs Barszczowska on a muscle relaxant to counter the effects of the drug.

Mrs Zylowska said her mother is still suffering from adverse symptoms.

Her daughter, Ewa Zylowska, 28, explained that her non-English speaking mother had gradually become more tired and often slept all day and remained awake all night because of the medication

'She initially felt a little better, but her symptoms have worsened again. And I don't see her recovering any time soon,' she said.

'She says her vision and balance has got worse since.

'She was wrongly treated for anxiety and depression by her GP so doctors did not diagnose her problems correctly, she should have been seen by a psychiatrist as soon as this mistake came to light.

'This mistake has cost her several months of her life, and if I hadn't paid for the private appointment, she would still be very unwell.

'She thought she was going insane, she was in so much pain, it was unbearable,' she said.

'If she'd been on her own with no-one to help, or this happened to anybody else, I can't even bear to think about what could have happened.'

Personal injury specialist Sarah Smith, from Hudgell Solicitors, said: 'Unfortunately, it would seem that Mrs Barszczowska was left suffering months of anxiety and pain as a result of being dispensed the wrong medication.

'This medication has particularly debilitating side effects and we are working with the family to conduct further investigations into how this error was made, and discover the full extent it had on Mrs Barszczowska.

'Prescription errors can be fatal mistakes, and quite simply, errors such as this should never happen.