I am a 50 year old male and I was a Lotronex user it was a miracle cure for me. For over a year I took two tablets a day without any side effects. For the first time in my life, I knew what it was to be normal. I did not know how good living could be. They say that IBS is not a life threatening disease but I concur to differ. When you cannot bring up your child like every one else because you cannot take her to the park, to a movie, or for that mater anywhere, or take your wife out to eat or take your family on a trip or go on a trip yourself. I sat in the bathroom at time wishing I would die because of the severity of the pain. The pain would be so bad that I would regurgitate blood. When Lotronex came along all that changed. For the first time in over 30 years, I did not lose a day of work because of my IBS-D.

Since the withdrawal of Lotronex, I am now on medical leave again without pay because of the returning symptoms.  The side effects of the other medications I take are terrible and sometimes unbearable but what else can we do. I cannot stand living like this if you can even call this living. I have a wife that is currently blind and a 16-year-old daughter to take care of which keeps me hanging on. We are a family that trusts in God he gave man the knowledge to create a medication like Lotronex that helped millions of people that believe and people that do not believe in God. The mystery to me is why Lotronex  was taken off the market when other medications have worse side effects i.e. Viagra, RU486. They will leave a drug that will intentionally take a life but take away a drug that will give life back to millions. Go figure?

My medical leave will expire June 6th 2002 and if I am not able to go back to work, the City of New York is going to start proceedings to terminate me after working for them for over 16 years as a civil servant. In addition, I now have to pay for my own family medical insurance coverage. My place of work will no longer pay for it. I had to go on COBRA. I am waiting for my insurance company (GHI/CBP) to contact me with the amount that I have to pay each month.

I am now taking Zofran 8 mgs a day that gave me part of my life back. It is very expensive and my insurance and my union benefits are trying to shift the responsibility. Meanwhile I am running out of my pills I have 2 days left. Lotronex was much cheaper and worked much better with no side effects.  

Please do something for the millions who suffer from this disease.

Thank You

William Gallo

WILLIAM GALLO
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