Should my girlfriends medication scare me?!
Question: Ive been dating a girl for about 2.5 years now, and we are planning on getting married in 2009. She is an amazing, beautiful, young women, and is the best thing to ever happen to me.
My issue is that she takes a lot of prescription medication. Kolonopan, Lithium, And another "mood stabilizer". She also seems to occasionally (every 4-6 months) try other sleeping medications. She only takes them before she goes to sleep, sort of "knocks herself out" then I tiptoe around the house until midnight working on projects...
She owns a hair salon, which seems quite stressful at times...
Should the fact thats he is taking these medications scare me?
Answers: Ive been dating a girl for about 2.5 years now, and we are planning on getting married in 2009. She is an amazing, beautiful, young women, and is the best thing to ever happen to me.
My issue is that she takes a lot of prescription medication. Kolonopan, Lithium, And another "mood stabilizer". She also seems to occasionally (every 4-6 months) try other sleeping medications. She only takes them before she goes to sleep, sort of "knocks herself out" then I tiptoe around the house until midnight working on projects...
She owns a hair salon, which seems quite stressful at times...
Should the fact thats he is taking these medications scare me?
I think that if you are going to be marrying her, then the two of you should sit down and have a talk about her health and these meds. You should not be scared by them, but it is good to be informed about the health of the one you love. If she had a heart problem, she would talk to you about it. If she has stress problems or whatever, she should talk to you. How can you help her and be there for her when you don't know what is going on?
Not if one doctor who knows how combining them all affects her is prescribing them all.
well lets put it this away if she does not take them she will be a mesa nd i am not sure you want to be with that. you have known her forawhile how do you feel? i don't knw if'd i marry her i would go my own way and forget it personally.
As long as you know that particular person deeply. Then you will not ever have to worry at all.
NO, i am a fellow consumer, like you girlfriend.
i am on medications too, there is nothing to be scared about. just educate yourself to keep yourself informed about her illness and what you can do to help her.
i actually work for nami, National Alliance on Mental Illness.
check out family-2-family. can save your life and your marriage. saved mine.
every state has a nami in the state. trust me.
she can be stress or crazy...you the one who knows her for over 2 years...you tell me is she crazy or stress?
No. It needn't frighten you at all. It sounds like, with the possible exception of the occasional sleeping issue, she has found a medication combination that has her bipolar disorder under control.
make sure you are aware of her condition and fully understand it before you go any further to make sure you will be able to work through it with her.
You may want to do some research as to why she takes them-what about if she gets pregnant? Will she go off the medications for the baby? What side effects will there be for the fetus if she does not?
Honestly, I don't think you should necessarily be worried. But I do think that it is something that you guys should be talking about. You have been with her for 2.5 years, are you just finding out about this now, or have you known all along? And Have you been around her when she wasn't taking the medication? I mean, if she needs it, she needs it and as long as she stays on it and it is prescribed to her, there really shouldn't be too much of a problem.
It is probably fine..as long as she doesn't STOP taking them. But with your support to her than you can help her through anything. You obviously love her so don't be scared, she is doing what is best for her. Call (love line) Dr. Dru for further answers.. And hair is a very stressful job! Imagine listening to women gossip ALL day long! So this may help her calm down from the day!
If you love her, and have had a stable relationship for 2.5 years, you shouldn't even be asking that question. So she needs a little pharmaceutical help, so what?
It won't be too many years until you're taking pills for high blood pressure, aching joints, inflamed prostate, etc. How would you feel if she started to re-evaluate your relationship based on your medical needs?
If she is taking medicine that is perscribbed, then I would say no, there is no reason to be scared. Is she better off on the med's or off of them?? I understand there is a lot of anxiety with medications, but if she needs them then she needs them. I am on meds, and my fience is a bit on edge about them. But fact of the matter is, I am better on my meds. Go get married nad enjoy life!! Congrts on the wedding!!\
Mics
Ya dude, i'd be a little worried but like you said, her job can be stressful so let it go but if she gets out of hand, confront her on it.
If you know she has medical reasons to take them then it shouldn't scare you.
Have you talked with her about why she takes each medication? If you are going to be married then you should be able to openly and honestly communicate with each other about everything.
If you are uncertain you could also ask your doctor what the medications are used for and ask him if it is healthy for someone who takes those medications to change/try sleeping medications at certain times. You could also try asking a pharmacist. It is amazing how knowledgeable and helpful pharmacists are. Remember they are not doctors but the do know their medications!!
If you feel the hair salon is stressing her out, talk with her about it, ask her if it's having an effect on her.
Be your gentle, loving self with her.
The key to any marriage is communication which is based on trust, honesty, love and faithfulness.
:)
She is an amazing person and then she is worth talking to about it and try to learn what is going on with her that she needs the medication and what her plans for reducing her stress and anxiety so she does not need as much medication in the future. She may have mental illness that will need continual treatment (hence the lithium) but you need to talk to her to understand her illness and her attitude toward it.
One thing I can tell you is that Klonopin is an anti-anxiety medication (I actually take it to control a certain type of pain - I don't have anxiety issues). It can really knock you out and it is dangerous to combine it with sleep medication. If you take it for a long time you can get habituated to it if you are not careful and not only do you need more of it for it to work and you can get addicted. I am very careful with that drug for that reason. She should absolutely not be combining sleep medication with klonopin and "konking out." This is the kind of thing that killed Heath Ledger.
Have a heart to heart conversation with her, express your concerns and hear what she has to say. She may have a legitimate need for certain medication long-term but her goal should be to stabilize her situation and not take so much anti-anxiety medication and not combine drugs that could be dangerous together.
Its your choice as to whether it should scare you, if you're marrying her and you're not ok with it, you should look into that. But Klonapin is the only one that is habit-forming, so the chances of her abusing them is low. Also, I've been on all the sleeping meds, and you probably don't need to tiptoe as much as you think - those things knock you out! But talk to her, see if its a big enough issue for you to not want to marry her.
Sounds like she is doing what she has to do to stay healthy. Im on a lot of meds and if I stopped taking them my a#@ would be in the hospital. Tell her it scares you and keep the communication open. Is she seeing a counselor to talk to and not just a doc to give out the meds? Its normal to be concerned and continue to be supportive.
Do you know why she is taking the medications? I would ask her. You need to be open an honest about this. She could have a mental disorder that may eventaully need your full support. You need to go into this marriage knowing what to expect.
But don't be afraid of her or the medications if she tells you that she does have a mental disorder. You just have to be ready to support her no matter what. Try going to a doctors appointment with her to get info adn to try to understand why she is taking these meds.
Your g/f may have had some mental health issues in the past and the prescribed medications keep her moods stabilized. Lithium is sometimes given for bi-polar symptoms. As long as she is seeing a doctor for med. evaluations on a regular basis, she should be fine. Have a frank talk with her about any past emotional difficulties and how she came about being prescribed these assorted medications, so you are more aware of her background before you met her and before you marry. Would give you a better understanding , should future problems arise. Good luck to you both.