Be alert to potential antibiotic dangers

Q. We buried our beloved mother June 24. She contracted severe C. diff as a result of a short round of the antibiotic clindamycin. The infection ravaged her body and she died as a consequence. She was 79. Before the infection, she had been taking only a multivitamin.

A. We are so sorry for your loss. C. diff (Clostridium difficile) can cause a dangerous gastrointestinal infection that can be hard to treat. It is sometimes acquired in a hospital stay.

A black-box warning in the prescribing information alerts doctors that clindamycin, like certain other antibiotics, may disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the gut and allow C. diff to take over and cause potentially fatal diarrhea. The toxins from the bacteria can make people very sick.

Q. Are there reputable Canadian drug companies? Our medical bills are destroying us financially!

A. You are not alone. A lot of people are feeling the pinch of a bad economy.

Many older people are about to fall into the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole, in which they must pay 100 percent of drug bills out of their own pockets until expenditures exceed $4,350.

For someone on a limited budget, going from a $10 copay to $120 for a prescription is shocking. We are sending you our Guide to Saving Money on Medicine with a list of reliable Canadian drugstores that accept prescriptions from the U.S. We also discuss how to use generic drugs safely.

Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. CA-99, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site:www.peoplespharmacy.com. Not all pharmacies that advertise online as Canadian can be trusted. Legitimate ones are registered with their province.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them c/o King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., 15th floor, New York, NY 10019, or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org