Feeling guilty for not helping a friend

A friend of mine, needs psych meds and is waiting to get on medicaid. She went to the ER, to get a prescription, and she said they gave her like five pills and that was all, and that they didn't trust her, which was upsetting, and she was there the whole night. She is now complaining on Facebook about it, and still needs medication. A few days ago, me and my psych nurse offered to help her (my psych nurse said she could give her some samples and I could pick them up, depending on what she needed) But some things my friend said to me, didn't make sense and 1. sounded like a lie (I heard 2 versions of the same story about how she lost her last psychiatrist) and 2. I felt shady getting her meds through my nurse, because she was asking for ativan, which I kind of remember her saying to me that she had an issue with it before, or her doctors did.

So I told my nurse my gut feeling, and my nurse said I'm right to trust my instincts, and that I always should, and that she does not have the med samples she's asking for.

My friend messaged me today, just as I was looking at her barrage of Facebook complaints about the hospital. She was asking me about places I've gone before and if they could help her.

I think the main thing I'm trying to say here, is that I do not want to deal with this anymore. My psych nurse told me to stay out of it. But I offered to help her before things got shady and weird with her. I offered to drive her to a clinic she was talking about to get a script. Today I suggested she go to the clinic, and then said I had to leave my house and was busy today, and then logged off.

i pretty much felt guilty for saying I'd help, and then backing out. But she has a lot of other people in her life. and we are not best friends. And I get weird feelings and vibes about certain things about her. I'm just not sure if I should feel guilty. I have relied on her for emotional support before, and she has been a very good friend in that respect. She's smart, has a master's degree, fights for social justice. Thoughts?

Trust your feelings. I don't think your psych nurse should ever offer to give meds to anyone she has not assessed, especially through a patient...but I am guessing she was talking about meds the 'friend' had RX for...
(sorry, a nurse myself...I have strong feelings about such things...no offense meant---)
Feel guilty, then let it go. You are not guilty. You made the right decision. And, if you would feel better, it would be OK to tell the friend you are not feeling comfortable with her behaviors. She might be angry....then again, she might be able to 'own up', or at least respect your boundaries.((((((((((hug))))))))))))

You need to protect yourself and if the situation is making you uneasy there is probably a very good reason for it.

Thank you so much Winter and Silver. I really needed that validation.

Winter4me, my nurse is really relaxed about some stuff I'm finding. It is weird. but I also like and trust her. I also think she trusts me. And that's prob why she offered. But, it is also sort of shady seeming, and I am comfortable telling her that and asking for clarification. Once I told her my feelings, she was like, trust your gut, I don't have those samples.

I think you're so right to trust your instincts on this one.

Anyone who goes ranting about meds, clinic, ER etc on FB ... well they're far from stable.

It's simply not your place to get involved. It just sounds too complex.

I would just remove yourself from her life for now.

Maybe down the road if she gets her life in order you guys might be friends of some sort.

I do think it very odd your nurse was willing to give her samples ?????

Her wanting a script for Ativan ? She is drug seeking , you don't need that in your life.

Always follow your gut !

I am thinking she is drug seeking. This is classic behavior. Trying to engage someone else to do so on her behalf suggests her situation has become extreme. Let the doctors take care of this. All you have to say is you tried.

You don`t have to feel at all guilty about your friend! In fact, you have done the right thing buy not getting the drug your friend wanted and walking away! Just think of it like this way: If your friend had got the drug through your help and (Heaven forbid) something had gone tragically amiss, (Wrong dose etc.) you would be feeling more than guilt!!!!

Thanks for your thoughts and comments everyone. In terms of my friend, I have unfollowed her on facebook, and pretty much decided to stay away from her. She has like a million other friends anyway, so I doubt she really notices that much. She wasn't like a close friend, so it was pretty easy to just back away.

Good move