[gatorgirl1980]

My boyfriend of almost 2 years is a past drug addict and suffers from bipolar disorder. He has been on a mixed cocktail of presribed meds in the past but is currently only taking lithium and doxepin at night as a sleep-aide.

He sees a counselor and has been doing pretty well with his moods in the past few months. However, sometimes he says he feels sluggish with no energy. He is becoming more aware of his ups and downs and says he thinks this sluggishness is due to his bipolar cycles.

Recently he took one of my diet pills (phentermine hcl) and swears that it helps his mental and physical sluggishness so much that he wants to see a local doctor to get his own supply. Other details: This doctor does not provide a great deal of patient supervision and my boyfriend has a history of abusing uppers. However, he is very overweight and is looking for help with that problem in addition to the sluggishness.

Now my role in this--he does not have the money to finance these pills monthly and is asking for my help with the monthly fee--pills and doctor visit for weight loss.

I told him I would only discuss this if he would agree that I would hold the drugs for him if he get the prescription. Should I support him with this?

Your advice is appreciated.

[publius]

If he's been through the recovery process, he knows about cross-addiction. It sounds like he has just found his new high. Don't enable, you'll regret it.

[Open Eyes]

That is a question for you to ask a professional. And yes, he should not do anything without the advice of a professional as well as being completely honest with his history. We do not have to take diet pills to lose weight.

I can understand his desire to try to address his low moods. I don't really know much about bipolar other then there are highs and lows and the lows can be very crippling for some. I can't blame him for wanting to reduce the lows. But for you, the only way I could support you helping him, it through professional help.

Open Eyes

[Perna]

I would not pay for anyone else's doctor visits or medicines or for them to go to a couple of doctors who don't know about one another. I imagine it is not a matter of how well the diet doctor "supervises" but he'll ask about your bf's other doctors/meds and your boyfriend will have to lie to get the diet pills; you pay for that, that's enabling, plain and simple.

[Irreplaceable]

Originally Posted by publius

If he's been through the recovery process, he knows about cross-addiction. It sounds like he has just found his new high. Don't enable, you'll regret it.

Exactly. This is the first thing that popped into my mind...

[4mygrls4ever]

I have to agree with what the other posters posted. Also, to add, I am bipoloar II & i know that anything that would be considered an upper can trigger a manic episode. He should talk to his psychiatrist about his bipolar meds. Maybe a change in meds is whats needed? I hope things get better for him. And i hope that you are able to find peace with it.