Chlamydia is transmitted only through sexual contact

graedons |People’s Pharmacy

Q. I have suspicions that my husband has been messing around. He recently contracted chlamydia. He said he got it from sitting on the toilet seat at work. Is this possible? He suggested I get tested as well.

A. You should be tested for chlamydia, a common sexually transmitted disease that is caused by a bacterium (Chlamydia trachomatis). The infection is easily treated with antibiotics, but untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.

According to the American Social Health Association, “Chlamydia is not passed through things like shaking hands or toilet seats.” You and your husband may need counseling to deal with this issue.

Q. I’ve begun to take a prescribed drug that is very expensive and not covered by my insurance. I see that it is available at much lower cost from Canada via the Internet.

Are there any safety concerns in buying from Canada? Are the drugs the same as those sold in the U.S.? Thanks for your assistance.

A. If you were traveling to Canada and buying your medicines in person, you would not need to worry about the quality of the medications. Canadian pharmacies are carefully regulated.

On the Internet, however, pharmacies can easily pose as Canadian even if they are not. One reader sent this report:

“I bought $300 of pills from an online pharmacy. I thought it was in Canada, but I received an unlabeled plastic bag with the pills this Saturday. The delivery paperwork listed the originating office as Dandong, China — not Canada!

“Worse yet, I tried one of the pills and it had no effect. I suspect they are bogus imitation pills with no active medicine whatsoever. I know this because I have experience buying this prescription in the U.S., and the pills work every time. Please pass the word about this fraud.”

We are sending you our Guide to Saving Money on Medicine with strategies for buying prescription drugs online safely and other ways to save.

Q. I asked my pharmacist what to do with outdated prescription medicines and was shocked when he said “flush.” I didn’t, of course. Instead, I put them in a container of water to dissolve, keeping it out of reach of my cat.

Then I spread out several sheets of newspaper and “painted” the resulting sludge all over them. After they dried, I tore them up and put them in the trash. Was this a safe way to dispose of them?

A. Your pharmacist was misguided when he suggested flushing pills down the toilet. There is growing concern about pharmaceutical contamination of the water supply.

There is no coordinated system for proper disposal of unused pills. Some communities accept unwanted medications in their hazardous-waste collection.

If that’s not feasible, your suggestion seems reasonable. Another reader suggested adding Elmer’s glue to the container and allowing it to set hard before throwing the container in the trash.

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

2008 King Features Syndicate Inc.