Report user to physician or police

Dear Dr. Gott: I have a very close family member who is addicted to Xanax and Ambien. She takes up to 90 Xanax and 30 Ambien every four days. Where can I go for help?

Dear Reader: To your family member’s physician. Both Xanax (an anti-anxiety medication) and Ambien (a sleep aid) are legally available by prescription only. If your relative is, indeed, taking the massive amounts of drugs that you mentioned, the doctor needs to know this, and he or she must take appropriate steps to address this issue with the patient by limiting the amount of medicines. At the same time, the doctor will probably insist on a program of detoxification and in-patient therapy.

On the other hand, if your relative is buying the drugs “on the street,” the authorities should be informed. Conversely, if the practitioner is prescribing the excess amounts of Xanax and Ambien, he or she is a candidate for harsh disciplinary action.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Mental/Substance Abuse.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: I am 79 and tired. I have noticed a pinkish tinge to the water in my toilet after I relieve myself. Need I worry?

Dear Reader: Not necessarily.

However, bleeding into the intestine or the urinary tract is always a “red flag” for doctors.

If the bleeding is from your urine, you need to be checked with urinary testing and a consult with a urologist.

If the bleeding is the result of a bowel problem, you should be tested by a gastroenterologist. In either case, your primary care physician can perform the necessary immediate analyses, using the specialists for assistance if needed.

Don’t delay; abnormal bleeding (if this, in fact, is your problem) should be investigated. While your problem may be as plebian as eating beets (a common cause of urinary/bowel discoloration), I’d feel more comfortable pinning this down.

Dear Dr. Gott: My mother, 77, lives in Stuart, Fla. She obtains all her drinking water from the tap – and has for 35 years. Will this lead to medical consequences?

Dear Reader: If the Stuart community has a municipal water supply, I am certain that the water is safe to drink from the tap. Such facilities are governed by strict state and federal requirements. On the other hand, if she is drinking from a well, a water analysis would be appropriate.