addicted to prescriptions (with response)

[Guest guest]

<<Hello. I have a concern and do not know what to do, how to handle

the problem. I have a friend who is in her late 60's. Her life

revolves around her " prescriptions " . She has been taking vicoden

for years now because she says she needs it for back pain. She is

on a high dosage of Paxil and has been on that for years also, prior

to that, decades on Valium. She is also on Adavan. Along with

these drugs she takes pills for anxiety, sleep, constipation,

stomach problems, Celebrix for arthritus....and more, I can't

remember all of them. She has got to a place where she

is " befuddled " and " confused. " Also, she is, difficult to describe

this, but it is as tho everything that happens relates to her.

Example, " I got in the wrong line again, it always happens to me, I

am in the wrong lane and the traffic slows, it always happens to me,

you look nice in your dress, I can't wear dresses any more because I

am so fat, I can't exercise in a pool because I look awful in a

bathing suit, I can't find anything in my purse anymore, I am so

dumb.... " And on and on. She is always projecting helpnessless

vand negativity. At this point she has a difficult time functioning

in her home, boxes and bags cover her floor. She can't find the

clarity to put things away or to make the decisions on what to do

with them. They pile up around her. She hides out in her apartment

for days if someone approaches her with her concerns and will not

answer her phone. She always sees things as a victum if someone

attempts to point out their concerns.

She has almost passed out three times and has been taken in

emergency and the blood tests show a high level of prescription

drugs. I fear she will overdose. Her family and friends are

concerned. However, the more we attempt to help her, the more

helpless she becomes, and the more dependent she becomes. Does

anyone have any suggestions?

She will never agree she is dependent on all her drugs.

She is slowly losing it....What can we do?>>

** Buy her a copy of Dr. Breggin's Your Drug May Be Your Problem.

If physicians had a better understanding of the effects of these drugs it

would be logical to talk to her physician. BUT , doing this would most likely

put her in a worse position than she is already. If she has been seen in the ER

and been found to have excessive amounts of drugs in her body, then it is only a

matter of time until someone intervenes. Don't be surprised if this happens and

you end up wishing it hadn't. Conventional medicine does not recognize the

problems caused by Paxil, Ativan, and Valium. They remove people from these

drugs much too quickly. It is horrible for even a young, strong person to

endure. A person her age would most likely end up dying within 18 months of

this happening.

Perhaps you have to ultimately accept that as adults we all have the right to

choose to accept people's observations or reject them. While it may be painful

for you to watch her this way, it's her life and she gets to live it the way she

wants to live it.

Regards,