Friends putting me under pressure to take drugs.

[UnderPeerpressure]

I can't believe I'm writing this at my age (26) but a few of my friends are pressuring me to use speed. I'm depressed and because of meds anti psychs mood stabilisers I'm a bit overweight.

Friends keep saying speed will help my mood and decrease my weight. And various other stuff like it will be good for you. I know what I should do but I'll lose a lot of friends if I cut contact and I don't have many.

Speed will make you I incredibly paranoid and frightened, I really wouldn't recommend it. Just concentrate on yourself and ditch these utter fools.

By the way, I just want to say that, well done to MN'ers. Cos on another forum, I always get harassed and bullied by the guys who post on there and then they will marginalise my answers and make me feel so bad, and the way they emphasize the information makes me think that drugs are like the next big and best cure to cancer or something. Then they will say something like "this is a public discussion". Actually, you do not need people like that in your life who is too arrogant for words.

I would say to the OP that, it is okay to lose some friends, and you will find that people are transient, and you can indeed be friends with them without them disrespecting you. You do not have to make a fuss over it, just not be there with them when they take it. Then come back another time when they are sober etc. If you like them as friends, then they are still friends, because what they are doing is a personal thing. You absolutely do not have to be like they are either.

If they keep on insisting and start to emotionally manipulate you, then walk away. Just walk away. I had one stupid woman who duped my drink as I refused to drink. If she was not a co-worker, I would have reported her to the police ! I should have done that when I was younger, I was too naive.

They are not your friends.
I have been here myself and yes I did lose weight but I did lose my mind and came very close to being sectioned. I was only 17.

You will be better off friendless then have friends like that because no doubt they are toxic in other ways too

Nooooo! I'm a mh nurse and I would strongly suggest you speak to your consultant as there ARE AD's and AP's out there that don't cause weight gain. If your mh is stable at the moment though, it may be best not to tinker with your meds and instead look at some small day to day changes that you could make in order to get a handle on your weight.
Honestly OP, there are 3 words that make my heart sink when I see a new case on the board at work...Drug Induced Psychosis. Inevitably it's someone in their twenties whose life will never be the same again thanks to street drugs.
Physical and mental health are EQUALLY important, don't sacrifice one for the other.

jumps off soapbox

I agree. Protect your brain.

Also, take St John's Wort is better than to take cannabis or whatever that people try to push onto you for these kind of mental "experiences". That is also what I did too when I was in my 20s. I was down after I lost my first job ever. What people do not also say is that, our brains grow with neural networks, and they form and still form when we are in our 20s. If you do not wish for any possible flashback in the future, then do not take this step now, cos these neural network when it is formed by whatever experiences that you go through, will actually still exist in your mind. So do not take this step now. Walk away if you must.

Basically what you put into your memory now will also exist in the future too as your memory. Til each memory dies. So have good memories and experiences. Don't take this step now. And I am glad that you took the step to talk about it. Do not feel bad to walk away either. Cos this is one of those life's decision and choices that tests you as a person. "Do I let them affect me or not, but then this ma affect me further and more in the far future." It is a decision that you have to make, and to find the strength to make too. It is down to you to find that strength.

I take anti-psychotics and anti-d's and anti-convulsants and can't even have one glass of wine with them.
My friends are good but my colleagues tried for ages to get me to drink alcohol - I stayed strong and said ''no'' so many times that they have given up now.
You have to be the same with your friends - Speed is so bad for you for so many reasons and it would totally fuck up your mental health.
Are they really true friends if they can't understand that??

Speak to your psychiatrist because some meds don't cause weight gain; I'm on Aripiprazole which is a good anti-psychotic that doesn't cause weight gain.
Sadly though some mood stabilisers especially for example Sodium Valporate (which I used to take as an anti-convulsant) and some anti-psychotics such as Risperidone (which I also took) do make you hungry all the time and put the weight on.

When I put on weight due to Risperidone I changed to Aripiprazole with my Psychiatrist's help and asked my GP for an NHS Dietician referral. The Dietician has been very helpful - I've lost 2 stone so far with her guidance and have another 2 stone to go.
I've also joined the gym and discovered that weight training is good for toning and fat burning.

Don't try changing or reducing any meds without your doctor's approval, that includes adding in any herbal diet aids or St. John's Wort (mentioned upthread) as herbal medicines can really affect how your meds work too. And I don't need to tell you that any recreational illegal drugs and sadly, alcohol too, don't go with psychiatric meds or mental health conditions.

Good luck with weight loss, sorry to hear that your 'friends' are being stupid about this - you're right that at 26 you shouldn't have to put up with peer pressure to take drugs of all things. But then, I'm 37 and got pressure off much older women at work to drink alcohol! It's unbelievable, isn't it!
I hope that you can stay well and find friends that actually have your best interests at heart.

They're the only weight you need to lose!

PS. I would like to add that I used to love alcohol.... I'm not some preachy teetotaller... I used to love my cocktails and shots. But since getting ill and having to take such a mixture of medication I've had to stop drinking alcohol altogether and be really strict about it as even one glass stops my anti-psychotic from working properly which is scary.

It's the same with illegal drugs like speed... I've had to be very careful and avoid any illegal drugs for the sake of my health back when friends / associates of mine have been using them; the difference is that my friends didn't ever push them onto me because they understood that I had health problems.

The medicine that you take is precisely why you should steer well clear of speed and any other non-prescribed drug. They aren't friends if they are encouraging this.

Thanks all you've given me the good kick up the arse I need.

Oh missed that you had bipolar 1. I do too and take lithium. The weight gain was actually due to my thyroid breaking down as a result of the medication and I guess you know about the correlation between the two :) have you had your levels tested recently? The depression and low mood and weight gain are classic symptoms.

And if it isn't the thyroid then do speak to your psychiatrist. I was told any weight gain would be temporary as it was due to water retention whilst my body adjusted to the dose. It came off pretty quickly after a month or so.

Yeah, take speed. And spend the next 12 hours exhausted but unable to sleep due to a pounding heart, which will lead you to think you are having a heart attack or a stroke. Then you won't be able to sleep as you will feel paranoid..... then you will just feel crappy.
... and that's just the short term.

Speed is a nasty, dirty drug. I only tried it the once, never never again.
My mate who has a history of depression tried it at a festival. She ended up on a psych ward for a week as she was convinced we were all trying to kill her. She was very believable. The police believed her at first and it got messy, and frightening.

Your 'friends' are idiots.

Don't do it - I'm guessing your "friends" are hoping you'll fund them.