I’m 19F and I get prescribed Adderall XR through my university. Since I live far away from campus, they gave me a 90-day supply to cover summer break.
Because I’m not in classes right now and the medication affects my appetite (I’ve always been underweight), I haven’t been taking it regularly. Since May, I’ve probably only used around 10 capsules.
A few days ago, I went to take one before work and realized my bottle looked way lighter than it should. I counted everything and found out I only had 24 capsules left.
My mom took them.
She has struggled with addiction for years. There’s a history of abusing prescription meds, taking medication from family members, and multiple overdoses. When I was 14, I was actually the one who found her during one of those incidents, although nobody told me at the time that it had been an overdose.
I confronted her and asked directly if she had taken my medication. At first she denied it, but when I asked whether she’d test positive for Adderall if she took a drug test right now, she admitted it.
I completely broke down. I told her she stole medication I’m prescribed and rely on, and that taking a controlled substance from someone else could have serious consequences.
Later, my grandmother filled me in on more details about my mom’s past. Apparently she’s stolen medications before, even from locked storage, so this isn’t new behavior.
That night my mom and I had a long conversation. She admitted everything, apologized, and said she wants to get help again, therapy, being honest with doctors, and looking into recovery treatment. It felt like one of the most honest conversations we’ve ever had.
The problem is: I contacted my provider because now I don’t have enough medication to make it through the summer. This morning they told me they can only consider replacing the prescription if I file a police report.
I started crying.
I went to the police station just to ask questions, and they explained that filing a report doesn’t automatically mean charges, it depends on investigators and prosecutors.
Now I feel stuck.
My mom is a single parent with two younger kids at home. We don’t have much money. Despite everything, she works hard and helps keep things afloat.
Part of me feels like reporting it is reasonable, she stole medication, she has a serious addiction history, and I’m now dealing with the consequences.
The other part of me is terrified of what happens if this turns into legal trouble, affects her job, or ends up hurting my siblings too. My mom and grandmother both made comments about how “family doesn’t do that to family,” which makes me feel even worse.
So… WIBTA if I filed the report?