To feel psychiatrist should limit medication of people at risk

[Mustbetheresson]

Friend has been honest about misusing her medication very hard for her as she finds it hard enough. The psychiatrist has said he will not issue her with weekly Scripts to help support her through this. He also added that patients need to take responsibility for their own safety and him limiting the amount of medication she can get at one time is him being responsible and not her. AIBU to think it’s part of hhis job to keep her safe? I understand patients untimely have responsibility for their own health but these no harm in helping them surely?

Psychiatrist will have full knowledge of your DF condition and in a better position than anyone to assess the risk.

Psychiatrists can and do prescribe weekly when needed.

There will be a reason he has chosen this care plan strategy.

She could ask the GP to prescribe weekly or something perhaps, often they work with GPs

No the gp just prescribes what he tells them to.

There will most definitely be a reason why the psychiatrist is prescribing in the manner that he is prescribing. What type of drugs are being misused here, benzos?

Isnt he trying to keep her safe. What happens if she deliberately overdosed. What do you think he should do

Even with a weekly script your friend can still misuse them e.g. saving up several weeks and taking them all in one go. Unless she goes in daily and has a medical profession watch her take them it's hard to prevent misuse. He's right that your friend needs to work on managing her medications herself

I used to stash my meds and regularly OD. I’m now on weekly meds combined with a safe only my husband has access to which is actually a pain in the arse

Yes but these less risk of he gave her a week.

I would presume you only have your friend's word for what what her psychiatrist has said. And her word or how much she's been honest to them about her misuse. Have you considered she might be lying to you for sympathy? Twisting the truth? Or to valid her misuse - "it's not my fault"?

I have but I’ve known her over twenty years and never known her to lie so I’m assuming she wouldn’t.

There would have been a reason he made the decision he made, based on a lot more information than you have. A risk assessment will have been done and all the information would have been weighed up.

I think you are making the mistake of thinking you know more than the psychiatrist does. There is no guarantee your friend has told you everything

They do restrict medications, depending on the circumstances.

@Mustbetheresson

I have but I’ve known her over twenty years and never known her to lie so I’m assuming she wouldn’t.

If she has addiction issues then she lies. She can still be a good person overall, and a good friend - but unfortunately, lying comes as part of the package with addiction.

I agree with @OverTheRubicon, people who misuse medication frequently lie / tell half truths about it due to the shame of it/ or possibly a level of denial.

Could your friend be telling you this as a cackhanded way of asking for your support OP? Would it be possible for you or someone else to hold on to her meds and give them to her weekly?

@Mustbetheresson

No the gp just prescribes what he tells them to.

So the actual prescription is being issued by the GP? In which case your friend can request weekly scripts to be issued by them.

No she’s asked the gp and they have said no as psychiatrist wrote in his letter that she should have monthly as he didn’t seem weekly clinical needed.

Psychiatrists do make mistakes you know. It is known that many patients don’t comply with medication and yet they are given responsibility to regulate their own. Does your friend have anyone to monitor her meds, it’s common for mental health services to ask a family member to do this.

@LadyFannyButton a GP should not change a prescription that a psychiatrist prescribed.

Does she have BPD @Mustbetheresson psychiatrist would be extremely unlikely to prescribe weeklong so.

*weekly if so.

Yes she has bpd as well as ptsd.