30 Mar 2008 05:11 PM

Does this make sense?

I have been separated since Aug 2007, raising 13- and 15-yr-old daughters.  Every conversation with X involves him getting v. angry and ending conversation without resolution.  I am extremely thankful he is gone and I no longer have daily conversations like this, however I still must deal with issues like the one below.  

15-yr-old has a ziplock bag with green capsules and unmarked white pills in it laying on her bed. She tells me they are iron pills and green tea supplements.  She says she has researched and diagnosed herself online as iron deficient.  Her father purchased the iron and green tea supplements, based on her online diagnosis and did not informed me.  (We share physical custody, 60% my house/40% his house.)  My email to X requesting immediate confirmation of pills went unanswered.  (He is online 24/7.)  Two days later when I dropped off the kids, he told me he "deemed my request too petty to answer."  And, we have 2 cats and a 12# dog, all of whom had access to the pills.

So, is it petty to request that pills found in a ziplock bag are indeed what the 15-year-old say they are with the child's other parent?  The other parent refused to show me actual containers, but did confirm that the iron was 65 mg.

Do other parents buy pills at Costco for their children based on their children's online self diagnosis?

Send this to a friend

IamWHO (627) 01 Apr 2008 09:34 PM

Well, iron deficiency is kinda easy to diagnose: exhaustion, dizziness when standing from a sitting position, pale lips, ridges in nails... but where is that bottle? That is enough to make any good parent worry. And he should have answered you. I think he just doesn't want to work with you...like he's trying to irritate you or create conflict. The fact that he didn't respond though makes me think that he knew exactly what they were, because if he didn't know most likely he would have freaked like you were. But if you are still worried then the pharmacist may be able to identify them for you. However, it sounds to me like it's perfectly innocent. But a person can OD on iron, so with something like that, she should probably have the bottle. If she is taking the iron pill, then she also takes a multi with iron, she could be taking too much. Some cereals are also really high in iron. You might want to get her her own iron supplement so that you have the bottle and know the dosage for sure; and since she's younger it should probably not be a really high dose. I've been recommended by my doctor Slow-Fe. It is an extended release so she's not getting it all at once. Good luck.

onedayatatime (30) 02 Apr 2008 05:52 AM

Thanks for your comments. I do not see evidence of iron deficiency, and have asked X to schedule appointment with pediatrician or nutritionist before prescribing or ingesting any further supplements.

mcmama (51978) 21 Apr 2008 06:15 PM

Iron deficiency is a symptom of other diseases. And if she has misdiagnosed herself, she could be hurting herself with iron supplements. get her to a doctor, have the diagnosis confirmed, whether or not x approves. You have the right to know, and this girl could be damaging her heart, liver, and kidneys.

bekahsmom116 (5) 22 Apr 2008 09:53 AM

I'm new to this site, but upon reading this I feel compelled to post. We recently discovered our 16 year old daughter was taking medications (prescription and OTC) from our medicine cabinet and taking them at higher than recommended doses to get a "buzz". We also found pills in her room, which we "googled" to determine what they were, which we later confirmed with her. So, first of all -- BRAVO to you for seeing something suspicious and asking questions. PLEASE, if she feels something is not right with her body, have her see a doctor to be properly diagnosed. If you find suspicious (or even non-suspicious) pills -- google them -- you can find out what they are and what some of the side effects may be. Kids today are doing there own research to find out what pills will give them a "buzz" if taken in large quantities. I am in no way saying this is what your daughter is doing, but please be aware this is happening more and more. They are going to "Pharm" parties, where they meet at one kid's house and everyone brings what they can find and they put it all in a big bowl and take them like candy. It's very scary. We found out the hard way; luckily, she is OK and getting treatment. Good luck.

Write a Journal Entry

Upload Photos

Create a Gallery