taking more then they are supposed to can something happen please help

[youneedtostop]

my roommate takes prescribed sleeping pill's but they have a habit of taking more then they are supposed to like 5 instead of one. they also drink robitussin like a half of bottle. they then go into a tired mode and they hallusinate, cant sleep, makes up weird stuff and is totally out of it. they keep telling me they will stop and dont. i dont know what to do i took the pills and meds away but she found them or got more from someone else. can i loose my roomate to like overdose ? or can something happen. i usually stay up all night watching them to make sure nothing happens. im scared and i tried getting them to see someone they flipped out on me and said no. i dont know if i should tell their parents or not because they wont ever speak to me and its my close friend someone help :/

[my_mayberry]

well to answer the original question is difficult...the type of sleeping medication matters greatly. though very unlikely, if what she is taking is a barbiturate, then this certainly IS an extremely dangerous situation and you should do everything you can to help. if it is a benzodiazepine or a 'Z-drug' then its much much harder to overdose on just that specific drug. however, the overdose threshold is reduced if other drugs are added to the mix...and since there are other drugs mentioned, it seems this is a dangerous situation no matter which type of sleeping med it is. if this is a friend of yours and you are concerned, then you may try telling their mother...maybe even an intervention. no one here can give you the right answer as to what to do because ultimately it comes down to whether or not your friend has any desire at all to stop. if not, then absolutely NOTHING anyone can do will help.

[youneedtostop]

i will!

[dominosarah]

Keep us posted okay?  We are concerned about you and your friend~~~~sara

[youneedtostop]

thanks for the help everyone:)

[dominosarah]

If you told her that you would tell her mom the next time she did this then tell her mom.  Dont threaten her, do it.  She may be mad as he!! but that is okay.  Her behavior is dangerous and you are also affected by it.  Talk with your mom also.  This is way to important to let it slide under the rug.        sara

[youneedtostop]

yes im in college its my first year, i also known her for awhile and she never did this till she came here. we both do not like the school we came to and we lost a close friend here due to suicide. we also almost lost another really close friend to overdose and alcohol poisoning. i thought for her to maybe see that would make her stop and it didn't at all. she tells me she cant sleep at night thats why she is taking them and shes fine. we got into fights about it too i know shes having boy trouble with her boyfriend and close guy friend and her father is ill and so is her mom. and she also lost a grandparent i understand shes going threw a lot i tried explain it to her that she doesn't need that stuff and shell be okay but she wont listen when i tell her that she does it when im in class or not. she hardly goes to class,study or do homework but she talks about coming back next semester to finish out the year.i just dont want to sit around watching her do this and me not being able to do anything for her because im scared if i go to sleep i loose not only my roommate but my best friend. i looked up a sleeping pill addict and she has alot of the symptoms to one like hallucinating,confusion,glossy eyes and more. i know its effecting my life because i have a horrible immune system so staying up late and all gets me very sick and my mom knows something going on but im scared to tell her i just dont want my friend to hate me. like she took them this morning she told me last night she was done and i said to her you promised me you were done i said what ones are the sleeping pills she told me she didnt remember i said tell me she said i dont know so i took them all but she is on medicine that shes supposed to take every day and i dont know what one it is. and the pills arnt in a bottle there in like a monday tuesday thing? i understand i have to let her learn on her own but what happens if its to late and i know i should tell i even said i swear if you do it again im calling your mom and telling her and she just rolled her eyes at me. shes also bigger then me by alot height and weight so im scared she can kill me !! but this is all helpful i just want to know if anyone else had a friend like this and what they did.

[mellie4]

So well said, Jaybay.  Not an easy thing to tell on your friend but the consequences of not telling could be far worse.

[Jaybay]

I am assuming that you are in school, so correct me if I'm wrong.  Your friend is not only on the way to destroying her school life, but her entire life.  She is also destroying YOUR life.  How are you supposed to focus on your studies when you have to sit up nights to make sure she survives an overdose?  This problem is not one that you can fix.  Please do whatever you must to move so you can focus on your own life.  All you can do is make it clear to your friend that you still love her, but you hate her behavior and can no longer be her guardian angel.  Please don't let your roommate's addiction detroy your life too.

As for telling your mom and/or her parents - which is worse?  Telling them that she is killing herself with drugs and alcohol, or having to tell them that she died and that you knew it was coming?  Is it fair for her parents to pay for an education that she is not getting?  Is it fair for her parents' money to be spent on the very substances that may be killing her?

[Tab57]

You are a good friend in a no win situation. Unfortunately there is nothing effective that you can do for your friend until they decide they want to get some help. Unfortunately you can't do anything effective for them at this time. Eventually people are going to find out on their own about your friend's problem. The best thinng that you can do is to be there for your frend when they hit bottom. At that point they will ask for help and truly be ready for it. This is a necessary evil in the world of drug and alcohol abuse.

There are a lot of good stories on this site but nothing happens overnight.

[youneedtostop]

i tried talking to them about it but they just say it was my last time and im over reacting. i dont know if i should tell my mom because my roommates and my mom are friends and i dont know what she would do. and since i am good friends with her and known her for a few years its hard to move because i feel if someone isnt watching her she might overdose so bad and pass away and i would feel so guilty. i just want them to stop because its messing up her school she doesnt go to class because she gets sick from taking all this stuff and then the dr prescribes her codeine or Promethean ? some coughing medicine. i just want to know if there is a way i can help her before i loose someone close to me. do you think if i show her other stories i found online about people she will stop i just want my friend back..

[dominosarah]

This is very dangerous.  Have you talked with your parents about this?  This is alot of responsibility you have taken on.  Until they are ready to stop this behavior there is nothing that you can do for them.  Have you thought about moving?