46-year-old catches his 49-year-old wife sneaking an unknown substance into his coffee, refuses to tell him what it is: 'I’ve been feeling off after drinking my coffee. Dizzy, nauseous, sometimes my hands shake'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Aug 18, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

If you go to the hospital and tell the doctors, "Someone's been sneaking things into my food," chances are they will think you are crazy. It's one of those outlandish claims like, "The government is out to get me," or "If I go to Greensboro, North Carolina, I'm going to get kidnapped by the FBI and you'll never hear from me again." The person who's saying it believes it with their whole heart, and there's nothing a psychiatric layman can do to change their mind. 

While "The government is coming for me" is almost certainly untrue of 99.99999% of the population, you are much more likely to be the victim of a poisoning. There are well-documented cases of people trying and succeeding in poisoning their spouses. If one spouse is always preparing food for the other, they have a lot of opportunities for poisoning. There is a level of trust built up with cooking for someone every day, and you wouldn't let someone cook for you if you think there's a snowball's chance in heck that they'll poison you. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10543797504
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The dude in this story caught his wife red-handed slipping something into his coffee. He has no idea what it is, because the vial was unlabeled, but his wife claims it's a “natural supplement.” As NeNe Leakes once said, “Whatever that means…” 

  • Am I overreacting for asking my wife to stay at her mom’s after I caught her putting something odd in my coffee?

    I'm 46M really shaken and need advice to know if I went too far. My wife 49F and I have been married for 4 years, together for 7. She's always been so kind, always making my morning coffee, and we've had a good life together. English isn't my first language, I speak it well, but sometimes I struggle to explain feelings, so bear with me.
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • For the past few weeks, I've been feeling off after drinking my coffee. Dizzy, nauseous, sometimes my hands shake. I thought maybe it's work stress or something I ate. But two days ago, I came home early and saw my wife in the kitchen, dropping some kind of powder into my
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • coffee mug from a small, unmarked vial. It wasn't sugar or creamer-it looked strange, like medicine or worse. When she saw me, she slipped the vial into her pocket and said it was "just a new coffee mix." But her voice was shaky, and she wouldn't look at me.
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • Woman holding a bottle of unlabeled substance
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • That evening, I asked her calmly to tell me what it was. She said it was a "natural supplement" to help me "feel better," but she couldn't say what it was or why there was no label. I got scared— those symptoms I've been having aren't normal, and she's never hidden things before. I told her I
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • needed space to think and asked her to stay at her mom's for a few days. She got upset, started crying, and said I was overreacting and breaking her trust. She left last night, and now she's texting me, saying it was nothing harmful and I'm making a big deal out of it.
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • Beautiful blond woman sitting on window sill at night looking out of window
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I kept the vial, but I'm too nervous to test it. I love her— she's my everything—but I'm scared she might be putting something bad in my coffee. AIO for asking her to leave? I can't sleep, and I keep checking the locks on the door, feeling paranoid in my own home. Please tell me if I'm wrong here.
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • Update: Thank you all for your response, you guys really helped me clear my head. I was hesitant, but I called 911, and they said they'll look into it. I'm feeling worse each day, dizzy, weak, and my stomach's still off, so I'm heading to the hospital today to get checked out. My wife keeps
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • texting, begging to come back and saying it was just a "herbal energy boost" she found online, but she still can't explain why she hid it. I told her to stay at her mom's until I know more. I'm scared and exhausted, but I'll keep you all updated when I get answers. Thanks for making me feel like I'm not going crazy.
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • Decent Wallaby4432 Umm...you need to call the police.
    via u/Decent_Wallaby4432
  • LynSore Even if it was herbal, hiding it makes it shady. That's enough to get the cops involved
    via u/LynSore
  • Fried Lipstick Also who decides to give their partner a supplement without consent? That is not normal and I'd be livid! I don't think it's just a supplement though. It should be tested. OP needs to be checked immediately!
    via u/FriedLipstick
  • decisionmakingsucks0 I considered slipping my ex a probiotic. He has some horrible bowl issues and refused to see a doctor and he would not take one. Insisted that it's normal to pass so much gas and take 30 minutes in the bathroom many times a day. He had problems at work because of it. I didn't do it but the thought crossed my mind, a lot. I still think I should have done it.
    via u/decisionmakingsucks0
  • louielou8484 It's called food tampering and it's illegal. Please don't ever do this, even if you don't think anything bad will happen to the person.
    via u/louielou8484
  • Proper-Coat6025 right, but if you did do it, you would be able to clearly explain it, She keeps saying "a supplement" but won't say what it is or what it does...super sketchy!
    via u/Proper-Coat6025
  • SubstantialDurian271 OP Okay, thank you so much if I weren't to made this post in the first place, this would've gone badly.
    via u/SubstantialDurian271
  • Nycgalstuckinmaine If it was not harmful, then she could tell you what it is. She's not telling you because it's something she should not be putting in your coffee. And you can't wait another day. What if you're not here tomorrow. This kind of sh happens all the time. A spouse poisoning their spouse. You need to go to the emergency room and have your bl d drawn and you need to figure out what this shis. The emergency room can draw your blad and call the police.
    via u/Nycgalstuckinmaine
  • Academic-Flan-2316 bro is a life insurance claim waiting to happen. get that shit to a lab asap, and never again take anything consumable handled by her until you have the results.
    via u/Academic-Flan-2316
  • brookiecookie4205 please get the vial tested... it's better to know what's actually going on than be in fear of what COULD be going on.
    via u/brookiecookie4205
  • nizzernammer How and where does one get the contents of the vial tested? Laypeople can't really requisition lab tests from forensics. Edit: I didn't realize this sort of thing was so prevalent that there are many ways to get a substance tested, including through health care providers, commercial labs, and home testing kits.
    via u/nizzernammer
  • Seaworthinesslcy6419 They can go to the hospital, tell them they've been sick and caught someone slipping this unknown substance in their coffee. Hospital will likely call the police and then they will take over as far as testing.
    via u/Seaworthinesslcy6419
  • Banes_Addiction You want the police involved in the testing process. If you just ship it off to a random lab, you might find out what's in it but it won't be evidence if you need to go forward with courts.
    via u/Banes_Addiction

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