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Friendship comes with plenty of responsibilities. Listening to relationship drama, helping someone move and occasionally answering a frantic phone call are all pretty standard. Being appointed someone’s unofficial medical supervisor without so much as a discussion? That’s a considerably bigger favor.

One 21-year-old college student is preparing for her third year at university when a friend announces she’ll be attending the same school.

The friend has a history of mental health struggles and previously stopped taking prescribed medication because of financial difficulties. Now she’s hoping to see a psychiatrist and resume treatment.

So far, so good.

But there’s apparently a catch.

According to the friend, her history of overdosing means a doctor won’t prescribe medication unless another adult agrees to supervise her treatment.

And she’s already decided exactly who that adult will be.

Unfortunately, she neglected to ask whether her college friend was interested in accepting that responsibility.

When the student expressed her discomfort, the conversation quickly shifted from a reasonable boundary to an accusation that she might be jeopardizing her friend’s entire college education.

AITA for refusing to supervise my friend’s meds at college?

I (21F) am going into my 3rd year of college and my friend (21F) is starting her first year at the same school as me this October.

She’s still looking for her own accommodation but we surely won’t be living together because I’m lucky enough to rent a single room a few minutes away from campus.

Recently, she informed me that once the semester starts, she’ll make an appointment with a psychiatrist to ask for a new prescription (good) as she had to stop taking her meds last time because of financial problems, and that I’d be the one to supervise her with them. She did not even ask, she stated is as a fact.

Thanks for sharing?

She claims no doctor will prescribe her anything without another adult making sure she’s using them safely because she has a history of OD.

I immediately told her that as much as I love her I’m not comfortable taking on any medical responsibilities for someone my age.

It feels weird and irresponsible taking full-time medical care of the same person I go partying with, but even besides that, given her health history as well as the fact that she isn’t very good with managing her emotions and impulses I feel like she needs someone trained, not a peer.

Fiar enough.

First she responded (partly joking) with “you will” and then send another text saying that if I don’t want to then she will just tell the doctor I agreed but she will not bother me with that stuff (that part was said seriously).

Honestly that doesn’t sound much better because firstly if something went wrong again while i was officially her “supervisor” then on top of managing my own emotions I’d probably have to face some legal interrogation too and that sounds like too much

I told her I understand she needs someone to step up but that is not gonna be me and she said that im the only person available because her other friends will be commuting from home so they’d be too far away so it’s either me or her dad but “then she couldn’t go to college because she can’t commute from home so basically only me.”

Stood your ground. Nice.

I sticked with my response, told her it’s still to risky for me but now I feel like a bad friend bc she made it sound like me saying “no” is potentially stopping her from getting a degree and now she’s straight up ignoring me

Im also a little bit annoyed bc it’s not even the first time I fell like she expects me to act like her guardian. I always say yes to small, quick stuff like calling places for her but I really think she needs to start taking responsibility for herself or at least try to

AITA?

Supporting a friend through mental health challenges is important, but there’s a substantial difference between offering emotional support and assuming responsibility for someone’s medication safety.

The college student is absolutely justified in declining a role she doesn’t feel qualified or comfortable performing. She’s 21, managing her own education and living independently. Expecting her to supervise another adult’s medication, particularly when there’s a history of overdosing, is a serious request that should never have been presented as an obligation.

Even more concerning is the friend’s suggestion that she’ll simply tell her psychiatrist someone agreed to supervise her when that isn’t true. Misrepresenting a safety arrangement could interfere with the clinician’s ability to develop an appropriate treatment plan.

The friend may genuinely feel frightened about losing access to treatment or being unable to attend college. Those concerns deserve compassion. But they’re problems to discuss honestly with her psychiatrist, who can explore appropriate safeguards and available support.

There’s also no reason to assume the student would automatically face legal consequences simply because someone named her as a supervisor. Still, she shouldn’t be placed in that position without consent.

Ultimately, refusing a medical responsibility beyond her abilities doesn’t make her a bad friend. It makes her someone who understands the difference between helping and taking on a role she’s not equipped to fulfill.

This person says NTA and to keep on keeping on.

This person says this is way too big of a responsibility.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who thinks her daughter should have planned a whole two-week vacation around her needs.

This person says it like it is.

She signed up to be a college friend, not the campus pharmacy’s newest unpaid employee.